At last, I can finally present the renewed version of my TMNT fanfiction! Hope you guys all enjoy it!
Heroes in a Hard-Shell, Part 1/2:
"A Grand Day Out"
written by Malique Richardson & Joe Rougarou
VOICE TALENT:
Ben Diskin as Leonardo
Charlie Schlatter as Donatello
Curtis Armstrong as Raphael
Erica Lindbeck as Venus
Jason Marsden/Jaleel White as Michelangelo
Greg Baldwin as Splinter
Ming-Na Wen as Whiskers
Logan Browning as April O'Neil
Malique Richardson as Zach O'Neil, Cowabunga Carl
S. Scott Bullock as Two-Ton
Scott Menville as Johnny
Kody Kavitha as Sunita
Breanna Yde as Angeline "Angel" Bridgeman
Courtenay Taylor as Principal Sophie, Irma Langenstein
Mae Margaret Whitman as Caitlyn
Justin Felbinger as Timothy "Tim"
Jessie Flower as Girl on TV
John DiMaggio as Owen Rocksteed
Kevin Michael Richardson as Anton Ziktor
Rachel McFarlane as Taylor Martin
Josh LeBar as Burne Thompson
Matthew Mercer as Vernon Fenwick
Isaac Hayes III as Hunter "Hun" Rocksteed
This is the city...namely speaking, Manhattan. It's said that there's about a million stories in each city...but this time, we're gonna focus on one story in particular. It's a story about five siblings—four brothers and their sister—and the incredible adventures that they're going to have.
Far below the streets of Manhattan, nestled in an abandoned train station, there lived five adolescent mutated turtles, trained in the ways of martial arts by not ONE mentor, but two: a humanoid rat, and a humanoid cat. For the past 15 years, they had lived and trained down there.
"Remember, to be a true ninja you must become one with the shadows," Splinter instructed, sitting in the middle of the room. "Darkness gives the ninja power, while light reveals the ninja's presence. Now, can you extinguish this flame without revealing yourselves?"
He was met with silence as his students were currently hiding in the shadows. They were trying to sneak over to the candle without getting exposed.
First up, one scurried through the darkness, trying to extinguish the candle, but Splinter yanked it away, causing the would-be attacker to slam into the wall.
"Too noisy, Donatello," the rat-man chastised his pupil.
"Nuts," Donatello complained.
Next, someone sprinted across the floor, cartwheeling along...before Splinter tossed the candle up and caught it, prompting the other one to crash into Don.
Splinter shook his head. "Too clumsy, Michelangelo," he replied.
"Bogus, man," Mike grumbled.
"Could've been worse," Don told his brother.
Venus got into position, then made a running start, darting from wall to wall and tossing a few stones to divert attention, before she leapt to the candle. However, Splinter simply sidestepped and let her go right by without blowing the candle out.
"A bit less clear, Kahlo," he shook his head.
"Understood," Venus agreed; 'Kahlo' had become her nickname for Splinter to use.
Splinter once more ducked as Raph leapt over him. Bounding to a stop, the red-banded one turned and saw his father had risen to take several steps back. Raph rushed his father, who dropped to his knees and tripped Raph with his stick, making him slide into the other three turtles.
"Poor choice, Raphael," the rat sensei clucked his tongue.
"Nertz," Raph remarked.
Of course, hanging overhead was the last of the quintet, Leonardo, who leapt down from the pipes, and used his swords to slice the candle's top off, catching it on the end of one sword.
"Got it," Leon smiled as he blew the candle out.
Splinter flicked the lights on. "Well done, Leonardo," he smiled.
"Teacher's pet," Raph snorted as he got to his feet.
"Ninja dropout," Leon shot back.
"Ooooh~!" jeered Don and Mike.
"Oh, NO he didn't!" added Venus. What? Just because she was a girl didn't mean that she couldn't join in on her brothers' fun!
"And with that...training is done," Splinter declared.
"Time to eat!" said Whiskers.
"You have come far in your training since we first began, my students," said Splinter as the Turtles exited the dojo. "Your path in life will not be an easy one, which is why Whiskers and I have spent the last thirteen years training you in the way of the ninja."
"And we appreciate what you have done." Leon replied.
"We want you all to be ready for anything so you can be safe," Whiskers added.
"Indeed," Splinter continued. "There are those who may shun or despise you for the sole fact you are different...but you must never let that deter you."
"The way of the ninja helps us accept ourselves, our surroundings, and how we fit in with them," explained Whiskers. "No matter how different we may seem, we are all part of life."
"We understand," The turtles said together.
"Now, with that settled...it's time for breakfast," said Splinter. "Let us nourish our bodies for the day ahead. But first, you had best go wash up."
"Okay." Venus agreed as she definitely recognized their need for a shower.
"I call first!" called Raph as he left the room.
"No way, Raph!" Don retorted. "I'll be the first one in!"
"Maybe, but you'll be first after ME!" Venus retorted.
"No chance, guys!" responded Leon. "Besides...I'm gonna be first!"
Normally, Mike would've gone all-in on this. Of course, he'd been a little younger then.
"Just so you muchachos know, it's not a race!" he called as he ran behind. "But that doesn't mean I won't try!"
The two senseis smiled as they watched their turtle children with warm smiles. It made them feel happy at how much they had grown up.
"Kids," Splinter smirked to himself.
Meanwhile, up on the surface, another teenager was getting ready for the day ahead. She was a redheaded teenage black girl with brown eyes and freckles on her face. She also wore a yellow beanie, a jacket, a black CHANNEL 6 NEWST-shirt, dark jeans, and white sneakers.
Her name was April O'Neil, and she was determined to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a reporter. Of course, she was also a prodigy and very gifted, but since her family didn't have very much money, she was stuck in public school, so that left her in a rut.
Still, she did the best she could within her limits, and at the very least she had friends by her side.
"Zach!" April called out. "Are you ready?"
From the other room, a blonde-haired boy a year younger than her poked his head inside, with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. "Sure, sure, just a couple more seconds!" he insisted. This was Zachary, but he preferred going by "Zach".
"Okay!" April replied while grabbing a breakfast bar.
Zach snagged a bagel while finishing up brushing his teeth, dropped it in his bag, and scrambled to the door. April wasn't far behind him as they headed out to school.
They had to make sure they got there in time, and luckily managed to grab a ride. Eventually, they made it to school and went to their lockers. April had no trouble with her locker; Zach, on the other hand, opened his locker...and a massive mound of garbage fell out with a heavy THWUMP.
"Gyaaaaugh!" Zach gagged as he backed off.
"Not again." April said as she saw what happened.
"Grrrr...DAMN IT!" screamed Zach, irritated. "Every stupid week! I can't TAKE this crap anymore!"
"Maybe we should bug the area," April suggested.
"Good luck," Zach grumbled as he picked his bag up. "How are we supposed to get that done?"
"I actually have a few small cameras that are easy to hide." April revealed.
"...maybe," grumbled Zach. "But I've got my suspicions about who did it."
Just then, two other kids Zach's age came over. One was a pudgy dark-haired boy, and the other was a punkish-looking girl in blonde pigtails.
"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked. "We heard that noise."
"Yeah, Tim, I'm good," Zach replied. "But my locker won't be usable for a while."
"Bummer." The boy replied as he took notice of the condition of the locker.
"That's not even scratching the surface," grunted Zach.
"C'mon," said the girl, Caitlyn, as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go to class."
"I dunno how, but I just KNOW Angel had something to do with this," Zach muttered as he rubbed his chin.
"I'll set up the cameras and figure out what's going on." April advised. "I have a feeling there's more to it."
"Hm, alright," Zach shrugged as he and the others went off on their way.
At that very moment, the turtles were having breakfast together.
Today, Leon, Kahlo, Raph, and Don were having cereal, while Mike, Splinter, and Whiskers were having pancakes that Whiskers made (with Mike's help).
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Plus, this way they don't have to eat worms and algae!]
"So, sensei...we've been thinking," said Leon while they waited for breakfast. "Now that we're 16...I think we're finally ready to venture up to the surface. Don't you?"
Splinter stopped eating and took a moment to think. "...perhaps you are," he responded, before looking at them all. "Your skills have improved over time, and you are all well-adapted to using your skills. I suppose it is time to put those skills to use by going to the surface."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Leon.
"Ex-cellent!" Mike responded.
"Primo!" Venus chimed in.
"Yes!" Raph said with a smile. "Finally, I get to head out!"
"Great." Don added.
"Thank you, sensei," said Leon. "When exactly are we doing this?"
"Well, since you asked for the chance to go out, then how about today?" Whiskers offered.
"That's more than acceptable!" said Leon.
"Then I suggest you prepare for your journey," Splinter advised.
"Will do, sensei," Leon nodded as he finished his cereal, then headed off.
Both Splinter and Whiskers watched on as their turtles went to prepare for their first journey up top.
"It really is time..." Whiskers said, glancing at their children.
"Indeed, but we will always still worry about them, regardless," Splinter admitted.
"You do that, Mom, sensei," said Mike as he ate the last of his pancake. "I got something to watch, and I can't miss it!"
So after cleaning up his plate, he quickly left for the living room.
It'd be a while before take-off. In the meantime, they had a lot to do.
Back in school, April was seated next to her best friends, Irma and Sunita. Currently, they were in history class, trying their best to stay awake.
History lessons were so boring. Nobody could truly blame them for falling asleep. However, the teacher managed to find a way to wake everyone up, with the use of a horn he knew how to play.
"GUAAAAAGH!" the kids shrieked as they were jostled awake.
"Never underestimate the power of a vuvuzela," Mr. Nathan commented before he resumed his lesson.
"Another day and another round of the horn," Sunita complained quietly.
"Yeah...you know how it is," said Irma. "So! Anything interesting happen with you guys recently?"
"Not really." Sunita replied.
"Not exactly." April admitted.
"Ah...well, I guess we're in the same boat," Irma replied, trying to remain casual.
"Sadly," Sunita agreed. "School sucks the fun out of life."
"That's why we gotta make our OWN fun," shrugged April. "Even if school is boring and full of annoyances."
"Got any ideas?" Irma asked.
"We could go by the news studio and ask Mom for help; I mean, Zach and I are trying to figure out who's pranking him," explained April. "He thinks it's Angel, but I have my doubts."
"Hey, it's better than just going home," Sunita agreed.
"Definitely." Irma said with interest.
"Then it's settled," April smiled. "We'll all go for it after school!"
"Good," Irma declared.
"Perfect," Sunita agreed.
BACK IN THE LAIR...
Mike, naturally, was in front of the TV, watching cartoons—specifically, his favorite, Cowabunga Carl!
"You know, I guess I owe you," said a girl on-screen. "If it wasn't for you, Death Dude would've won."
"Hey, I couldn't let you end up being a sacrifice, y'know?" asked Carlos.
From afar, a cloaked, skull-headed man fumed, clenching his fists. "One of these days, Cowabunga Carl: you shall suffer defeat!" he fumed in a Darkseid/Dr. Claw-esque voice.
Mike sighed, impressed. "As usual, Cowabunga Carl, you are an inspiration to millions," he beamed proudly.
"There's something ironic about all this," said Raph, who had just come in. "You're tryin' to act all grown up on one hand...and yet, here you are, watchin' this dippy cartoon."
Mike rolled his eyes and turned back towards the TV. When Cowabunga Carl was on, nothing could get him down. Not even Raph.
Leon was getting in some extra training before he would spend some time to rest for the journey up top.
"And that should do for training," he declared as he grabbed his cup of water. "Now, to rest."
Don, meanwhile, was working on a way for his siblings to communicate while they were up on the surface.
"As for the name—I'm caught between Shell Cell or T-Cell," he mused. "They're untraceable, unhackable, and they operate on their own network."
As he saw how his design looked more like a turtle shell, that helped him decide.
"Okay, definitely Shell Cell." Don declared. "Shellphone's already been used before."
So he jotted that down. "Hmm...should I include a belt clip?" he pondered. "Don't want them to be able to slip off, so...yes."
At the same time, Venus was watching something on a tablet that Don had put together a while back.
Specifically, she was watching Captain Nova Star, her favorite anime about a plucky teenage girl who'd been chosen to become a legendary heroine. A little more Mew Mew Power, not quite as Sailor Moon as you'd expect, but with plenty of Super Sentai-esque flair to go around.
She was watching an episode where Captain Nova Star had to defeat her possessed best friend. It was an intense situation and Venus was really getting into it.
"Now THIS is TV!" she murmured. "C'mon, Elizabeth! You can't let the Nebula spirits seize control over you! You've got to believe in the bonds of your friendship!"
Eventually, she saw that good had triumphed and friends were together again. "Beautiful...just...beautiful!" she gasped, feeling almost choked-up.
As the turtles all did their thing, their senseis looked on.
BACK IN SCHOOL...
Classes were almost done for the day, and Zach was leaving the classroom.
He wasn't sure if Angel really WAS the one behind all these pranks...but he had to take a chance and make his point clear.
And if it wasn't her—then he'd do what he could to make amends. He couldn't deny that she was pretty, but he couldn't help how hurtful the pranks were to him.
Alright...where could she be? he thought to himself as his eyes scanned the area, sweeping like a radar. So far, no sign of her. However he kept his guard up anyway.
She's gotta be around here somewhere, Zach continued thinking. I don't need any distractions. I just need to keep both eyes open. And chances are...she's wearing something purple.
Suddenly, he spotted two people that seemed to be worse than Angel could ever be: Taylor Martin and Johnny Stickler.
"That sort of trouble I don't need," mused Zach. "Better go look somewhere else."
Of course, he only got a few feet before they noticed him.
"Well well well, it's Zach." Taylor said as she spotted him.
"The target boy," Johnny added.
Within seconds, they were in pursuit, and about to corner Zach.Nuts...I couldn't lose these guys!he thought.
Then, out of the blue, an arm grabbed Zach and yoinked him into the janitorial closet before they could catch up.
"WHUP!" Zach exclaimed as he was pulled inside and the door shut.
To his surprise the one that saved him was the one person, wearing purple, that he was trying to avoid.
"...YOU?!" exclaimed Zach, bewildered.
"Hi," Angel said while looking down.
"You pulled my fat outta the fire?" Zach asked. "Pardon me for asking, but...why? Is this a territory thing? I mean, no offense, but you're the LAST person I expected to save my bacon."
"There's more to what's been happening than what you may think," Angel explained.
"Oh?" Zach inquired. "Well, let's start, then. Specifically from WHAT IS YOUR DEAL WITH ME?!"
"Could you please not shout?" Angel requested, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Taylor and Johnny could circle back at any moment."
"Fine-fine-fine," Zach hissed, his tone quieter.
"At first I did it to get your attention, poorly, but then my mom explained what I was doing was wrong, and before I could change the boy named Johnny Stickler forced me to continue pranking you." Angel explained.
"Who?" Zach asked. "You mean the redheaded kid?"
"Yeah..." Angel replied. "I once heard him mention that he was at the same orphanage as you and wasn't happy that the O'Neils picked you instead of him, because he has red hair."
"...that's what he's so angry about? Seriously?" asked Zach. "That's so stupid!"
"What do you think he is?" Angel asked.
"Well, I didn't really acknowledge him," said Zach. "But yeah. What can I do, exactly? I can't go living the rest of my high school life in fear of when he'll strike next!"
"We need evidence," Angel replied. "He's been threatening me to prank you all this time or else he'll beat you up."
"I'd love to give him a mouthful of knuckle, but I guess we'll have to settle for getting him busted," Zach relented.
"Getting him busted is better," Angel pointed out.
"Morally, sure," Zach muttered. "But I'd still like to show him not to mess with me anymore."
"Believe me, hitting isn't always the right choice," Angel advised. "I was out of school for that one month due to a little something that I did by following that example."
"Oh, alright," Zach grumbled.
"Let's expose him and if he decides to get violent, let it be self-defense," Angel suggested.
Zach's grimace turned into a bit of a smile. "...acceptable," he replied.
"Now let's go, before people think we're making out in here." Angel suggested.
Zach nodded and quickly pushed his way outside. "I mean, you're okay, I guess," he shrugged. "But I'm not ready for that kind of rumor yet. So how exactly are we gonna bust this guy?"
"I heard your sister this morning." Angel replied. "She set up cameras."
Zach rubbed his chin. "Didn't think she'd get the clearance for that, but alright," he replied. "Just goes to show she's impressive like that."
"Actually, the reporter club is allowed to do sting operations." Angel revealed.
Zach facepalmed.
"You didn't know?" Angel asked.
"How was I supposed to?" Zach asked. "I'm not a reporter."
"But your sister is." Angel reminded him. "And your mother, so I'm surprised they never mentioned it, but either way it'll be helpful."
"...fair," shrugged Zach. "Anyways, school is about to end."
"Be careful getting home, Angel advised. "That gang called the Purple Dragons has been on the rise."
"I'll try," replied Zach. "Maybe next time you could sit with me and my buds at lunch?"
"I'll think about it," Angel replied. "After everything that happened, I might need time."
"Yeah, good point," nodded Zach as he headed to regroup with his sister.
"How was your day?" April asked as Zach arrived.
"...interesting," said Zach. "Anyways, let's get going. As tempting as it would be to punch Johnny's teeth down his throat, I'll have to settle for getting him caught."
"I'm actually going to visit mom." April mentioned. "Wanna come?"
"Sure, I have nothing planned for the rest of the day," said Zach. "Let's book it!"
So, they headed for Channel 6 News.
MEANWHILE, DOWN IN THE LAIR...
The Turtles were grabbing the last of their gear before they headed up to the surface.
"Everyone ready?" Leon asked in excitement as he wanted to make sure they were good to go.
"Smokebombs and Shell Cells ready!" Mike replied.
"Weapons and defenses ready." Raph assured his siblings.
"Money is ready!" Don gave a thumbs-up.
"And I have a few snacks, just in case." Venus mentioned.
"Right...now let's go!" Leon declared.
"Have a good time," Splinter said as he saw them.
"We will, sensei," the turtles nodded before they headed up the ladder.
"There they go," Whiskers said as they watched the turtles leave.
Splinter nodded in response.
"You think we should've hugged them before we left?" asked Mike as he and his sibs made their way through the tunnels towards a manhole.
"That probably would have made it harder." Leon advised as he climbed up the ladder.
So, one by one, the Turtles clamored up the ladder and arrived on the surface.
They were, for lack of a better word, amazed at the sights of the surface: supermarkets, repair shops, karate classes, comic book stores...you name it, and as long as it was realistic, it was all around them.
"It's glorious..." gasped Don.
"I could look at that sunset for HOURS," Leon beamed.
"This is amazing," Venus said happily.
After a few minutes, Raph looked up. "OK, so whaddo we do next?" he asked. "Not that the sunset ain't great, but what ELSE are we gonna do?"
"What anyone seeing new territory would, go exploring." Don advised with an excited grin.
"Yeah, we finally get to see something other than a sewer or subway tunnel, so let's enjoy it by checking it all out!" Mike agreed.
"Right, then," said Leon. "We'll split off for an hour, then meet up to get food."
"Agreed!" The others said together.
And with that, the Turtles took off into the city to see what they could get up to.
They were off to find new opportunities, sights, and who knows what else as they went off.
Meanwhile, April, Zach, Irma and Sunita arrived at the Channel 6 News building.
"It'll be good to see Mom," Zach mentioned. "I wish she didn't have to work such long hours."
"Same here," nodded April. "But she's got a duty to help bring the news to the masses."
So, they headed inside. At that moment, Mike headed into the TV station, wearing some sunglasses and a jacket he'd found from a lost-and-found bin.
"I always DID like TV," he mused. "Now I get to see how it's put on the air."
As he went into the building, he was amazed. "Dude...this building is mondo gigundo!" he remarked, awestruck.
As he went looking around, he saw all sorts of cool productions. In one room, they were filming a game show; in another, they were filming a telethon. In another, one was running infomercials.
"Man, this place is a total hotbed of activity!" Mike remarked.
Meanwhile, Zach and April met up with their mother, who was getting ready to go on-camera.
"Hey, Mom!" they greeted her.
"Hey, kids!" Veronica "Ronnie" O'Neil replied while waving.
"Mom, can we talk?" asked Zach. "Y'see, we have a bit of a situation. And by 'we'...I mean ME."
"Oh?" Ronnie asked. "What's wrong?"
And so, Zach explained the whole situation, and in great detail, too, not leaving out even a single bit of information.
"...and that's why he wants to beat me up, which is a really stupid reason!" he finished.
"I remember him." Ronnie admitted. "He had a terrible attitude problem, but even then we weren't looking for another redhead or a potential bad boy."
"So now he's taking it out on me," Zach replied. "Which is bizarre, since I didn't even know who he was until today."
"You'd be surprised by how often I've seen situations like that happen." Ronnie replied.
"Yeah?" asked Zach.
"Oh yeah." Ronnie assured her son. "So, what do you all want to do about him?"
"...I want to make sure he gets his comeuppance," said Zach. "I want to let him know that Zach O'Neil and anyone affiliated with me are off limits. I wanna make it clear I won't put up with his stupid pranks anymore! ...but since I have crummy, weak noodle arms, I may as well settle for getting evidence that proves he's guilty."
"Honestly, that's the best choice," Ronnie replied. "Hitting him might give you more trouble in school, but proving his guilt can actually cause him more damage."
"I've heard that twice today, yet it feels like thrice," Zach muttered, annoyed. "...okay, how exactly should we go about this?"
"Well, first I put cameras around your locker." April mentioned. "The Journalism Club is allowed special permission to set up such things, with certain restrictions."
"Well, I know that now," Zach noted.
"Better late than never," Irma admitted.
"If we gather evidence of him setting then he'll end up in trouble," Sunita added.
"I hope we get it," said Zach. "Especially for my sake."
"And for Angel." Ronnie added. "I actually spoke with her mom a couple months ago and heard that she's been having trouble with someone and now I think I know how and who."
"Alright, if you think this'll work, Mom, we'll try it," said Zach. "...still, if everyone already knew, you could've said something awhileago and saved me a ton of trouble."
"Good." Ronnie said with a smile. "I do hope that it does work. And...sorry."
"Five minutes to air, Miss O'Neil!" called a man.
"Right!" Ronnie replied. "I have to get ready now, but I hope you all do good...and that everything goes okay."
"Okay, Mom, and thanks," Zach said.
"Good luck!" April added.
"Thanks," Ronnie replied. "I'll try to be home before bedtime."
Waving to her, April, Zach, Irma and Sunita headed out the door. As they did, they passed by Mike, who got a pretty good look at April.
The world seemed to slow down...everything got all sorta-blurry, you know, like when someone smudged vaseline on the camera during those dreamy-effect scenes on episodes of Star Trek.
"...whoa..." Mike gasped in quiet awe.
As soon as she was out of his view, things started to move normally. There was only one thing that could describe what had happened. It was love at first sight.
"That...was totally bodacious..." Mike gulped, the faintest trace of a blush appearing on his cheeks. As he stumbled through the hall, floating along on Cloud 9, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh! I am SO sorry!" Mike exclaimed, embarrassed. "You okay?"
"I'm okay." Ronnie assured him. "It was an accident, nothing more. Things tend to get busy when it's time to go on the air."
"Fair enough," Mike replied. "Michael D'Angelo, pleased to meet you."
"Veronica O'Neil," Ronnie introduced.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Mike replied. "Anyways, I better get a move on. It was nice meeting you, Ms. O'Neil!"
"Bye," Ronnie said as she headed to the news room. Mike smiled as he headed downstairs and on his way. "Nice lady," he commented to himself as he left.
Then he remembered that both Ms O'Neil and that girl he saw both had red hair. "Huh...you don't suppose they could be related, do ya?" Mike pondered to himself.
As he was pondering the possibilities, others were plotting.
Namely, April was checking the footage from the camera she had set up. "I think we've got something," she mentioned.
"Yeah?" Zach inquired, leaning over. "What is it?"
"Look, here's a redhead at your locker after school," Sunita pointed out.
Zach peered over and checked the camera footage; he saw a red-headed boy tampering with his locker. "There's the stinkin' fink!" Zach fumed.
Then they saw Johnny push Angel towards the locker and forcing her to set up a pudding prank.
"...so it was him. For like half of them," Zach commented.
"We'll have to talk to Angel about how often he was responsible, but this is solid evidence," Irma said as she was listening to the audio. "We need to get this to someone important."
"Yeah," nodded Irma. "The question is, who?"
"I know someone on the school board," Sunita revealed.
"I'd say that's pretty important," commented April. "And if that doesn't fit the bill, I don't know WHAT does!"
"My uncle hasn't let anyone down yet," Sunita assured them.
And so, they headed homeward...but as they got further down the road, they were gradually being followed, and the company keeping on their tail was becoming more and more visibly unfriendly.
At the same time, the turtles were regrouping.
"So, fill me in," said Leon. "What'd you guys see?"
"I found a bunch of gearheads that gave me tips on building a bike," Raph revealed.
"I ended up procuring a bunch of electronic parts I needed," Don mentioned.
"I passed by a few dojos, and a couple of neat little curio shops," said Leon. "The weapons they had on display were definitely interesting."
"I went to a TV station," Mike replied, casually.
"I found a lot of people selling their do-it-yourself work," Venus added.
"Definitely impressive," said Leon. "Alright, how about we get something to eat?"
"Hold on," Mike said while checking the street. "I don't like the looks of that growing crowd."
"Huh?" asked Raph as he went over and took a look. "...okay, Mike might have a point. That looks bad."
"I think it's time to truly put our skills as ninjas to the test," Leon declared. "Let's go."
With firm nods, the Turtles headed off.
By now, April and her friends, plus her brother, were trying their hardest to lose their pursuers, but it seemed impossible.
"Well, well..." sneered a blue-haired man as he stepped forth, wielding a crowbar. "This is Purple Dragon territory you've come into."
"We don't recognize the Purple Dragons as anything but garbage," Irma stated.
"Oh, that hurts...right here," the leader remarked, pointing at his heart sarcastically. "Two-Ton, let's make it better."
A large, bulky-looking man stepped up, cracking his knuckles. "You got it," he said.
"Hey, leave us alone, huh?" Zach asked. "We don't even have any money!"
"Already spent mine," Sunita admitted.
"Got nothing," April added.
"I think we can...work something out," said the leader.
Zach immediately caught onto what he meant, and he stood in front of the girls, his hands outstretched defensively.
"Not a chance, meathead!" Zach declared as he stood his ground.
"Move it, small fry," demanded the leader.
"I'd sooner see you go kick rocks," Zach shot back.
"Oooh, a feisty one," the leader remarked. "Two-Ton, Dragon Face, go get the girls. They're gonna like this one."
The two the leader spoke to nodded before walking away.
"In the meantime, dragons? Circle 'em," demanded the leader, and his cronies began to surround the kids.
The group stood back to back as they were trying to get ready for anything.
"Yo, muchachos," said Mike, getting their attention. "Didn't your parents ever teach you about pickin' on others? Includin' pretty ladies and their younger brothers?"
"Okay, who said that?" The leader asked while looking around.
The circle parted, revealing Mike, nearby while the other Turtles joined him.
"What's with the dweeby costumes?" asked one of the thugs, a blonde guy with a military helmet and camo pants.
"Hah! Whaddo they think this is, Halloween?" replied another thug, a black guy with a purple-dyed mohawk and blue sunglasses. He also wore hi-tops and a matching red vest.
"Must be some really dedicated cosplayers," One more suggested.
"Whoever you geeks are, you are dead," snapped the leader. "Nobody trespasses on Purple Dragon turf and gets away with it-especially when they're wearing stupid turtle costumes!"
Leon stepped forward, katana drawn. "We don't want any trouble. Just let the kids go, and we'll be on our way."
"No chance!" The leader declared. "Get them!"
The Purple Dragons lunged at the Turtles, but the siblings were ready. Leon moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior, his katana flashing as he disarmed one thug and kicked him into another.
Don twirled his bo staff, knocking away a pipe aimed at his head. He used the staff's length to keep multiple attackers at bay, striking with precision and force. A thug charged at him, but Don ducked under the swing and swept his legs out from under him.
"That's one way to sweep someone off their feet!" he commented.
"And here's how you deal with a pushover!" Raph said as he knocked a few of them down on their butts.
Venus was a blur of motion, her tonfa spinning in her hands. She blocked a crowbar strike with one tonfa and retaliated with a powerful jab to the thug's stomach, doubling him over.
"Shame on you," she remarked. "Picking on a poor, defenseless girl!"
She spun and struck another attacker in the jaw, sending him reeling. "And if there WAS one around, I bet you'd feel pretty stupid!" Venus commented.
As for Mike, he was busy deflecting his with his nunchuku. He flipped over a thug and landed behind him, delivering a rapid series of strikes that left the thug groaning on the ground. Mike grinned and gave a playful wink to April and her friends. "Pretty cool, right?" he asked.
"No showboating!" Leon warned as he knocked out a guy that tried to get a cheap shot off Mike.
"OK, okay," shrugged Mike. Flashing another wave to April, he turned back towards the fight.
"...I think he likes you," commented Zach.
Don, meanwhile, disarmed another attacker and used his bo staff to vault over a low swing, landing a solid blow to the back of the thug's head. He nodded to Venus, who was nearby.
Venus blocked a pipe with her tonfa and struck her attacker in the ribs, then spun to deliver a high kick that knocked him out cold. "They're not so tough," she remarked, her tone confident.
"Gang members are mostly all hot air and nothing else when opposed by true fighters!" Leon declared as he slashed the pants of a few members before giving them all a hard kick that knocked them down and out.
Mike's acrobatics kept him one step ahead of his foes. He flipped and twisted, his nunchaku a blur as he struck at any thug who got too close. "You guys are so slow!" he taunted, dodging a wild swing and delivering a knockout blow to the thug's temple.
"Ooh, I hate stinkin' toitles!" grumbled the thug in camo pants.
Soon enough, only the leader was left and he found himself surrounded. The turtles waited for the right moment to strike together.
"3...2...1..." said Leon, as they each collided with him, shell-first.
"SHELL SLAM!" they exclaimed as he slumped to the floor.
"Ohh, yeah!" exclaimed Mike. "We came, we saw, we kicked major butt!"
"And we got exposed," Leon mentioned.
"So?" asked Raph. "We had a good reason for it."
"But now we have to hope my signal jammer keeps working." Don mentioned. "Safety first."
"...thanks for helping us out back there," said Zach.
"No problem!" Mike beamed.
"Just who are you guys, anyway?" asked Sunita.
"It's a long story," Raph stated.
"One, sadly, that we don't have time for," said Leon. "Besides, we didn't even get to eat yet."
"Try Antonio's," April suggested. "Homemade crusts and fresh ingredients."
Mike made a physical note of that. "Got it, and thank you, Miss..." he trailed off. "Sorry, I didn't get your name."
"April, Sunita, Irma, and Zach." April introduced them.
"Well, it was nice to meet you all, and here's hoping we'll meet again," said Mike coolly.
"Until then, you never saw us." Leon advised.
"Yeah, what he said!" Raph added as the Turtles headed off, while the humans watched.
"Well...that was something." Irma declared.
"Something awesome, more like," Zach beamed.
"I think we'd better leave before something worse happens," said Sunita.
"Right," said April as she and the others left the alleyway.
Of course, Irma made a quick call to the cops and let them know that the Purple Dragons were out cold and ready to be taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the Turtles were on their way to Antonio's, having been led there courtesy of Don's GPS.
"Looks like this is the place," mused Kahlo.
"Okay, let's head in," said Leon. "And hope nobody will assume the worst."
"That won't be a problem," said Kahlo as she looked inside. "Looks like most of the patrons are cosplayers today."
"Primo!" Mike exclaimed. "We can blend in real easy-like!"
"Sometimes, invisibility is being right out in the open," Leon said as they went inside.
"Save the fortune-cookie shtick, Leon," responded Raph as he followed. "Besides...I'm hungry!"
They headed over and took their seats at a nearby table. The aromas of Italian food filled the air, and made many of the patrons' mouths water.
Soon, a waitress came for their order.
"We'll take one large cheese pizza for the table," said Leon.
"Coming up," The waitress replied as she left.
"How's that sound?" asked Leon to the others.
"It's a good starting point," said Don. "This way we can gauge if we like it or not."
"Agreed," Venus nodded.
"Better than nothing," Raph shrugged.
"I've seen how gooey it can get on TV," said Mike. "So yeah, it sounds awesome!"
Soon, the pizza arrived and it was warm and fragrant. One by one, each Turtle took a slice and bit into it. And they were each blown back by how good it tasted! So, they ate slowly to completely savor it.
Eventually, they finished eating, and put down some money (each of them contributed) as payment.
"Should we get something for Mom and sensei?" asked Raph.
"We'd be fools not to," Leon declared before he received a small box for carrying out.
"Alright, fair enough," said Mike. "There's our verdict."
So they got some extra food for their senseis before they took off for home. They took to the rooftops and headed towards the same alley as before. Then, they went down the manhole together and returned to the lair.
Venturing back through the tunnels, they headed into the old train station.
"Mother?" called Leon. "Sensei? We're home! And we brought something for you!"
"Oh, really?" Whiskers asked from seemingly nowhere. "That was very thoughtful of you all."
"Well, we thought it'd be nice, you know?" Leon asked as he came inside and put the takeout box on their kitchen table.
"You thought right." Splinter agreed as he came out of the shadows and grabbed the box. "We appreciate the kind gesture and are proud of you for having such kind hearts."
"Thank you, sensei," Leon replied, taking a bow.
"You're welcome," Splinter replied before Whiskers came out of hiding.
"Now let's see what's inside," she said, pocketing her mask and opening the box. Inside were 2 dozen cheese sticks, with dipping sauce.
"Cheese sticks!" Splinter said excitedly. "Even before I was a rat, I enjoyed these tasty morsels plenty of times."
"Makes me think of our fourth date," beamed Whiskers.
Splinter gave a nod of agreement. "It was splendid," he replied.
So the parentals tucked into their treat, while the Turtles broke off to busy themselves for the rest of the night.
"I'm gonna turn in early, dudes," said Mike. "Inspiration's struck!"
"I think we're all gonna turn in," Raph admitted.
"Well, okay," said Mike as he scurried up his rope ladder to his bedroom. "G'night!"
The others headed to their rooms as well. They all had a great day and wanted to reflect on it.
Once he was in his room, Mike immediately got out his art supplies, and began drawing. In fact, he drew three times, and his thoughts were focused on April.
"She...she's just...totally bodacious~" Mike gushed. He had a crush, and it was getting stronger. "Maybe I should take this slow, so I don't drive her off," he mused. "Yeah, that's the ticket! We'll just be friends for now."
With that choice made, he settled in for the night and put his sketches away. He had a lot of things to think about from today, and April was definitely on the top of all of them.
Of course, the ones the Turtles had defeated were currently cooling their heels in a holding cell at the police station, while seething over the creatures that so thoroughly humiliated them.
But that was when they got company. He was at least 7 feet tall, bore a blonde buzzcut with a rat-tail dangling off the back, and an absolute tower of muscle. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and pants, and on his right arm he bore a large purple-ink tattoo of a dragon.
"Care to explain what happened?" he rumbled.
"We had these teenagers cornered, but before we could take 'em, we got jumped by some weirdos in turtle suits," explained the mohawked punk.
"That's definitely a new one." The man declared with a raised brow.
"No kidding," the blonde camo-pants wearer agreed.
"Any other details I should know about?" The man asked while looking around.
"They had these martial arts weapons, too!" the Mohawk punk chimed in.
"Definitely useful on them," The man declared. "What about the teens you cornered?"
"One was a dark-skinned girl with red hair, and the other was a blonde kid a little younger than her," said another punk.
"I'll look into this," The man stated. "You'll be out soon enough." he added as he turned to leave.
The punks watched him go, then settled in. It was definitely going to be an interesting time in the city from here on out.
End of Day One.
I had to take a while and redo this one because I wanted it to be better, honestly. Plus, my original files got deleted after my Discord was hacked. But...I've been re-learning that there's no such thing as a perfect story, just a damn good one. So I'll do my best to make sure this story is at least quality.
Credit also goes to my cowriter, Shadodemon123. Great guy, solid writer, but he tends to make some grammar mistakes. But hey, who doesn't? That's why proofreaders exist.
Also I had to repost this after I got review-bombed by some whiner who got mad I wouldn't write some fanfic request I had no interest in doing. Their name was fully inactive account, and he started review-bombing me, claiming that I was a "selfish cur".