The next day

Donnie and Raph both stand on top of a building, Donnie looking through his goggles while Raph uses binoculars to look down the streets. So far, only humans are passing by each other and all in this merry way after yesterday's holiday.

After Donnie returned to the lair with Draxum's laptop yesterday and couldn't find Draxum in his home, it worried the team, April, and Splinter. Their friend is gone and missing. So the next day, they spend all morning looking for Draxum and looking for any trance of his whereabouts. But so far, none. The team split up to cover more ground; they are not giving up on finding their creator/enemy/ally/father.

A portal opens behind Donnie and Raph, and walking out are Leo and Mikey. And by the look on their face, they are empty-handed. It was close to evening, and they had spent the whole day looking for Draxum.

"He's not anywhere in New York," Leo informed them.

"He's not at his job either," April spoke through Donnie's wristband, on speaker. "The principal said he never showed up for work."

Raph sighed. Even no longer the leader, felt a hint of disappointment. "Keep us updated, April. We'll keep looking." He commanded. After that, Donnie hung up on April.

"Maybe he's in the Hidden City!" Mikey suggested, freaking out. "It could have been those guards with the dogs!!"

Donnie put his goggles back on top of his head. "Not quite sure." He denied it. Draxum never set foot back in the Hidden City, not even before the Shredder came.

But Leo activated another portal that led to the Hidden City. "Can't hurt to try." He shrugged. "We're running out of area to search." He added.

The three looked at each other; Leo does have a point. They searched all over New York and found none. So their best bet is to go to the Hidden City and be sure. So, with no choice, they each jumped through the portal.

In the Hidden City, the mystic City under New York. Land of the Yokais. The City has grown much more significant in a year after the invasion. Some from other countries have moved here, and with the population growing, everyone has to build more places for them to stay. From Witch Town to the docks, what once was a hidden sanctuary becomes a whole new world.

A portal opened in between allies, and out came the turtles as they landed on the ground. Raph motioned them to split up and ask around. One by one, they all asked some of the yokai if they had any leads on Draxum.

The little elf from the pawn shop. "Nope. Haven't seen him."

The goat man was sitting on the street. "Isn't he the purple guy with those gargoyles? Can't say I met him."

A vast wolf next to the fisher market. "You gonna pay me?"

A red-haired witch with glasses is in Witch Town. "Who?"

A Yokai police officer in the police station. "You mean he's been captured? Damn it! There goes my bonus!!"

After a few interrogations, the turtles meet back in the same alley with the portal still open. From the look on their faces, none of the yokai here haven't ever spoken about Draxum or know of him. So he is marked clean here.

"Well, these yokai haven't been much help." Leo huffed out.

"Maybe it's one of our villains!!" Mikey suggested.

Raph hummed, thinking about it. "Hmm." He then nodded. "Let's do it!!"

The turtles all jumped back into the portal, and it vanished with them, taking them back to the surface of New York. Once they all headed back, they started asking each villain they knew was close to Draxum in the past.

Hypno-Potamus was sitting in a cafe with coffee in his hand. "Sorry he didn't show up for our karaoke night."

Meatsweats cooking on his stove while stirring his meal. "Haven't seen him since he bailed on us."

Repo Mantis is leaning against his fence with his arms crossed. "If you can give me a good bargain, I might tell you where he is. But it ain't gonna be cheap."

Todd was sitting in his chair on his property. "Draxum is gone? Sorry guys, I wish I could help, but I am needed here." He held a newborn puppy in his arms as he fed the little one her milk bottle. "Newborn pups still need their milk."

Even Warren Stone as he crossed his arms while glaring at the turtles. "Buzz off turtle freaks." He slithered away from them as they all watched him getting away from them.

They all sighed sadly. So far, no one can figure out where he is or who has him. They are close to a wall, like a pointless maze.

"We searched around the city, went to every place he has been before, asked every yokai and mutants." Donnie disclosed all they have done so far. "No trace of Draxum!!!"

"It's almost like he had just vanished away," Raph remarked.

Mikey sighed. He was more worried now. "We're never gonna find him." He sadly added.

Then April spoke again through Donnie's wristband. "Uh, guys, I think I might know who could be hiding him." She told them.

Leo lifted his head. "Who, April?" He asked.

"Earth Defense Forces," April revealed.

"Who?" All the turtles asked in unions. All were confused about what April told them. Who are the Earth Defense Forces?

Inside the lair, the four turtles are still wide awake, while the others have all gone to bed and are now asleep. So, the lair was as quiet as a mouse inside a house. Leo and Raph are resting on the couch, taking a good break from searching everywhere, while Mikey takes a pizza break in the kitchen.

Like them, April arrived in the lab and returned empty-handed over Draxum's search. But once she told them about the EDF, they were all clueless about who they were. She can't blame them; they are secretive and never publicly revealed unless it's a global threat. But she knows that they might have Draxum.

She enters inside Donnie's lab. She also finds him sitting near his desk and his head against it. He tried finding any info on them, but so far, no lead. She approaches him.

"Any luck?" She asked him.

Donnie lifted his head and faced her. "I went through all the searching websites, hacked into any private data, and found their symbol, but it just led me to a news network site!!" He listed out his research. "Whatever those EDFs are, they really don't want anyone finding out about them." He huffed out.

"Sorry, Donnie." April apologized. "I was sure it could've been them." She was disappointed by this.

"It's fine, April," Donnie assured her. "We're not giving up on Draxum; we just need more evidence on his location. Like…" his voice trailed off when he focused on Draxum's laptop lying on his desk.

It was on record when he arrived at his apartment, so maybe it had recorded what happened to him. He grabbed the laptop, opened it, and searched for his last recording through his camera roll. Luckily, he found the date he visited Draxum and a video recording. He clicked on it and watched the video.

He gasped, seeing someone was with Draxum. A tall man in a black suit, trench coat, and sunglasses. It gives him chills down his shell, making him tremble in disgust from the shiver.

"Now, is that a proper way to greet an old friend?" Bishop had that smirk on his face.

"Old friend?" Draxum stood from his seat. "The last time we met, you threatened to arrest me!"

"You wanted to mutate the human population, and it would cause a global panic." Bishop snarled. "Have you forgotten the last time your experiments almost harmed humanity?" He walked to Draxum.

"It was an accident!! How was I to know it would get out of control!?" Draxum yelled.

Donnie narrowed his eyebrow. Draxum know these guys? And clearly, they don't seem to get along quite well from the look of it.

"You still haven't changed. But I am not here to talk about the old days." Bishop glared at Draxum through his sunglasses. "What do you know of that turtles?"

Draxum was still as a statue; then he let out a hiss. "Leave him be! He is not your concern!!"

"Oh? I heard him talk about someone named 'Nina.' I wonder who that is." Bishop smirked.

That's when Donnie froze in horror. He was there when Donnie came and talked to Draxum. And he knows Nina? His heart was beating slowly in fear. He must have been tasked with finding the girls and Julian, and he thinks Donnie and his brothers are tied into this. He won't let that happen; he won't let him find Nina and the others, take them back to their unhappy lives.

"You think this had something to do with those missing teens?" Draxum questioned him. "I know him; he would never harm a living thing."

"Oh? But he is your creation; you made him with the DNA of Lou Jistu, aka Hamato Yoshi, and your mutagen." Bishop noted. "So that makes him an enemy of EDF."

Donnie backed away from the laptop a bit. Bishop knows of his father, too!? Splinter never told anyone of his past or his ancestors' duties. So how can Bishop know of the Hamato Clan?

"He's different. He is nothing like me." Draxum told him.

"Is that so? Why?" Bishop asked.

"He has the power of Ninpo. His ancestors' abilities. That makes him a true Hamato." Draxum explained.

Bishop nodded. "True, true. But…I need to make sure. Those teens are missing, and that turtle is the connection to it. And you got the answer I need." Bishop snarled. He pulled out a small device from his trench coat and pressed it. Suddenly, a purple portal appeared under them, and they fell through it as it vanished.

Donnie closed the laptop slowly. His eyes were widened, and he could feel cold sweat on his forehead. What he witnessed put fear in him, his family, and the girls. His breath was shaking, leaving small gaps between each breath. "So it was them…" he breathed. They got Draxum, and they will come looking for them too.

"Draxum was scared of him too, just like Sunita." April acknowledges this.

Hearing about Sunita, Donnie turned around fast and faced April with a fearful expression on his face. "Sunita knows that man too?" He questioned her.

April flinched a bit, seeing him reacting so fast. His face shows a great fear, the same fear he had back at the invasion when the Krang showed up and saw Raph being possessed by them. She sighed, revealing that the day Bishop came to her class. "He and his troops came during class and asked me about the teens. Most likely to find them when the police failed to." She informed him. "But….he then asked about you and the guys too."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?!" Donnie exploded.

"Because I was trying to keep you guys out of his way. Donnie, he is dangerous." April claimed. "The Earth Defense Forces are very serious about their task; they will take you away like animals."

Donnie sighed. She has every right not to tell them; she was trying to protect them. And they are still healing from their trauma from last year; the last thing they need is another threat to them. But they got Draxum, one of their allies and family.

"And they believed Draxum had the information about our location," Donnie commented.

April frowned. "Draxum is not gonna betray you guys," She assured him. "You're his family."

Donnie lifted his head up and faced her. "But we don't know where they could be or what they really are." He added. He rubbed his face; this was too much to take in. Even with this new information, they have no honest answer to how they will find the EDF.

Sunita and Draxum both know about them, hearing they all feared them. If they know them very well, then maybe...

In Splinter's room, he sat on the floor with a cup of herbal tea. He inhales and exhales the scent of the aroma, letting the scent help relax his muscles and nerves. He took a small sip of the tea and exhaled out in relief. The tea warmed his body and made him feel peaceful.

Donnie enters his room, holding the laptop in his arm. He lightly knocks on the train door, letting himself know that Splinter has a visitor. "Dad. Can I ask you something?" He asked him.

Splinter smiled up at him. "Sure. What is it?" He asked him, taking another sip of his tea.

Donnie sighed, thinking this over. He breathed in and out, asking his question. "Have you heard….about the EDF?" He questioned him.

Suddenly, Splinter spat out his tea and coughed it out. He heaved over, trying to get the air back in his lungs from spitting the liquid. After a few seconds of heaving and regaining his air, he looked up at Donnie with a shocked expression on his face. "Where did you hear that?!!" He shouted.

Donnie placed the laptop on Splinter's lap and played the video.

Splinter watched it, taking it all in. Like Donnie, he looks afraid when Bishop knows him and is looking for the girls, thinking the turtles are behind this. After finishing it, he closed the laptop and returned it to Donnie. He stood up, breathing calmly.

He faced Donnie. He never thought it would come to this. "Back when I was on the Battle Nexus, I would hear whispers from the yokai that one of the fighters had been taken away and never heard of again." He revealed it. "They said a man in a black suit and sunglasses did it." He thought the EDF was only a government organization, but they have a yokai and made it seem like they aren't here anymore. To hear that they, too, got Draxum put a sense of concern over it.

"Well, they got Draxum, and we need a lead on their location," Donnie added.

Splinter frowned. None of the yokai know their location, nor do the humans know. They are so mysterious and rarely known. But there's bound to be someone powerful enough to get close to them. "I think I know someone who has the information you need." He claimed, thinking of the one person, or one yokai, who had that power.

At the Grand Nexus Hotel, led by Big Mama. Humans all walked past it, not knowing that inside lies the Battle Nexus from the Hidden City. The hotel has been rebuilt after the Shredder's defect, and Big Mama recovered from the impact of her challenger. So far, business is starting to get slow and quiet as well.

Inside Big Mama's office, she sat on her chair near her desk. She looked over the paperwork laid out for her, writing them down and organizing them when she had looked them over. She let out a tired sigh before finishing going over them. She rubbed the bridge between her nose. The Krang invasion did a number on her business, and she needed excitement again. She grabbed her cup of coffee, took a sip, and let the dark roast brew enter her system. She turns her chair around, taking in the view of the City through the window.

She felt a slight wind blowing her paperwork on the ground. "Don't you properties turtles ever learn to use the damper door?" She heaved, knowing who was in the same room as her. She set her cup on the desk, turned her chair around, and faced the turtles.

The four all stand before her in front of her desk and have weapons out if she tries to attack. They know her tricks enough not to be fooled again.

"Since you are already here, how can I possibly help you, sneaky turtles?" She asked them.

"We're looking for Draxum, he's missing." Leo started. "Have any idea where he has been?"

"Not since you meddling turtles and your charming, scrummies father ruined my hotel and business." She snarled at them, then calmly continued. "But if he were here, you would be the first to know. But he never came here."

"Well, does this ring a bell to you?" Donnie stepped in, glaring down at her. "Earth Defense Forces?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Upon hearing that, Big Mama looked tense. Her pupils shrink, her teeth grow fangs, and her nails almost grow claws. She has the look of fear in her, like Splinter has. So she does know them like the yokai. She glared at the turtles, almost like a mother scolding a child never to ask again.

She stood from her chair, narrowing her eyes at them. "Listen here, you meddling reptilian pests." She hissed, not entirely happy. "The Earth Defense Forces are the biggest threat to the Yokai kind. They claimed us to be nothing more than distasteful monsters among humankind and have already captured half of the population." She informed them of what they do to the Yokai

"April was right about Sunita fearing them." Donnie nodded.

"As we all do, my little purple friend. I advise you to be perfectly clear of them if you want to live happily and peacefully." She warned them. "One slippery mess up, and you can kiss your sweetly, humbly surface life goodbye." She raises a finger at them, acting like she is their mother.

"So you don't know their location." Raph frowned.

Big Mama sighed. "Nobody does, little sweetum." She told them. She sat back on her chair, hand folded. "Best of absolute lucky luck on finding Draxum my turtlely poo." She turned her chair around, going back to viewing the City.

The turtles all sighed. Big Mama was no help to them. At least they know the EDF has Draxum, and it's only a matter of time before they go looking for them and take them and the teens with them. They need to hurry up and find them. They all left her office through the door, leaving her alone.

Once they were gone, Big Mama huffed out. "Make it quickly quick; my next Battle Nexus starts in ten minutes." She exhaled, speaking to no one in sight.

Coming out of the dark corner of her office, Bishop appeared before her with his hands behind him. His face was stone-faced as ever. "If those turtles are looking for Draxum, my plans will be ruined." He told her. "I can't let them get in my way, nor can I let them get the new turtles involved."

Big Mama turned her chair around, facing Bishop. "New turtles?" She repeated. The turtles got new mutant allies, and they are turtles, too?

"Have you heard of the five missing teenagers?" He asked her while pacing side to side. "The turtles have them, and they are mutants like them. Yet, unlike Draxum's mutants that have changed by his oozequitos, they failed to have mystical powers thanks to the interference by TCRI" he informed her.

Big Mama rolled her eyes, not caring about this. "Oh please, I could care less about what those meddling, bothersome turtles do with the new ones." She speculated. "It's not my absolute concern."

Then Bishop slammed his hand on her desk, but this action didn't startle her like April had. He snarled to her face. "But it is to me and my clan. I can't allow more mutants roaming the streets of New York and letting the population of humanity disappear." He implied. "I want them out of my way. And I need your help to be sure of that."

Big Mama exhaled, starting to get tired of the unexpected visit and wanting it to be over and done with. "Very well." She accepted. "But I'm afraid you are wasting your precious, dreadfully time. I carry little information about them."

"Don't need to." Bishop stood up straight, fixing his trench coat back in its place. "Just need someone to keep them out of the surface and back in their place. But I need a professional looker to be my spy."

Big Mama thought momentarily, thinking about who could keep them on track. Then she gave off an evil grin. "And I know just the right one to get the job perfectly done." She implied.

She opens a book, flips through the pages, and stops at a page with a snowflake symbol on it.

Doing Big Mama's part was challenging. Her way of talking was a task I have to look up on.