The rooftops of New York stretched wide beneath a blanket of stars. It was unusually quiet—no Kraang, no trouble—so the siblings used the calm for a little competition.

"Check it out! Yehee!" Donnie called, somersaulting twice and landing in a crouch.

Mikey wasn't far behind. He leapt from a water tower, spun midair, and slid to a showy stop. "Top that, turtle chumps!"

Leo followed with his usual control and grace, flipping twice and landing smoothly at the roof's edge.

Yuki stepped forward without a word. She took off at a sprint, flipped once—then twice—and landed on the balls of her feet with pinpoint precision. She didn't even glance at the others.

Ariel bounced in behind her. "Watch this!" she shouted, twirling through the air like a wind-up toy. She landed—barely—and stumbled straight into Donnie.

He caught her mid-fall. "Maybe don't yell watch this next time."

"Details," Ariel mumbled.

"Cute, kiddies," Raph muttered. He didn't flip, didn't pose. He just jumped hard, knocking into his siblings.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what was that? You didn't do any flips."

Then—a clatter.

Instantly, weapons came out. The group dropped into a low stance.

But it wasn't an enemy.

It was a kitten.

Raph huffed. "Don't give up, Leo. You might actually win this fight."

Mikey's eyes lit up. "Aww! It's a little kitty." He scooped it up gently. "And its name is—"

"Mittens!"

Everyone froze. A man's voice echoed from a nearby window.

"Mittens?" he called again.

Donnie blinked. "I think that's the owner."

Mikey turned toward the building.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asked.

"Whoa, hey!" Leo warned.

"Mikey, wait!" Raph snapped.

But Mikey just smiled. "What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner."

"You're an idiot," Raph muttered. "Wait—let me rephrase that. You're a complete idiot."

"You can't show yourself to a human," Donnie said, panic creeping in.

"Why not?" Mikey blinked.

"Because they'll freak the heck out!" Donnie hissed.

Yuki stepped forward fast, her voice cold and cutting. "Because you're a six-foot talking turtle, Michelangelo. You think a guy's gonna be grateful you returned his cat when he sees you walking out of a horror movie?! He's gonna call the cops. Or animal control. Or Animal Planet if he's confused enough."

Mikey blinked at her.

"You wanna make a friend? Try not getting us exposed first," Yuki snapped, arms folded. "Now get back here."

Mikey's smile faltered.

"Look, I'm just gonna show him I'm a cat-loving dude like him!" Mikey argued. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Before anyone could stop him—

"Mikey!" they all shouted. "No! Don't! Wait!"

But it was too late.

"Hi!" Mikey said cheerfully, stepping into the light. "Here's your—"

"AHHH!" the man screamed. "Ugly, green mutant freak!"

"But I got your cat—!"

"Help! He's got my cat!"

The kitten leapt out of Mikey's hands—straight onto his face.

"AUGH!"

He tumbled off the rooftop.

The others rushed to the edge.

"Someone wanna help me with this?" Mikey groaned. The cat clung to his shell like a demon with claws.

"No," they all answered flatly—Yuki's voice especially sharp.

Mikey peeled off the cat as something crashed below.

"Face it," Raph said. "Humans will never understand you. Heck, we don't even understand you."

Mikey sighed. "Yeah..." Then gasped. "But I bet that guy would!"

He pointed across the street.

A massive billboard lit up the skyline:

CHRIS BRADFORD — Martial Arts Superstar! Live at the Martial Arts Expo!

Leo read aloud, "Chris Bradford. The martial arts superstar. With a chain of dojos across the country. He's your soul mate?"

"We've got so much in common," Mikey said with a dreamy sigh.

Donnie folded his arms. "What if you stop standing like that?"

"We'll have a little less in common," Mikey replied, "but still a lot! Maybe he'll show me his secret kata: the Death Dragon. And I'll show him mine... the secret kata."

"Catchy," Ariel said, not impressed.

Mikey spun into a pose. "But don't tell anyone you saw that."

"No problem," Leo said.

"Face it, Mikey," Raph said. "Chris Bradford is the last person on Earth who'd be friends with you."

"Tied for last with everyone else on earth," Yuki added.

Before Mikey could defend himself, shadows fell around them.

Ninjas. Dozens of them. Clad in black. Silent. Dangerous.

Weapons came out.

"Ninjas?" Donnie said, blinking in disbelief. "In New York? Other than us?"

There wasn't time for more questions.

A shuriken whizzed through the air toward his head. Donnie spun his bo staff instinctively, smacking it aside. The Foot Clan charged.

In an instant, the rooftop erupted into chaos.

Raph met a blade head-on, grunting as he parried it. He retaliated with a brutal kick—but another ninja jabbed him with a spear, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground hard.

Before they could swarm him, Mikey darted in with a grin and a flying swing of his nunchucks. "Don't worry, I gotcha, bro!" he called, cracking a soldier's helmet. Raph rolled away and shot him a nod.

Donnie spun through attackers, staff whirling in wide arcs, knocking weapons from hands and legs from under feet.

Leo moved like a force of calm precision. His katanas shimmered with each clean strike, breaking enemy blades with a surgeon's touch. He stepped past one Foot ninja and kicked another into a metal pile with a satisfying clang.

Yuki was a blur of fury and discipline. Her twin tantos slashed in tight arcs, silent and lethal. She moved through the shadows like a storm—no wasted energy, no mercy. "They're not here for a fight," she muttered, slicing a staff in half. "They're here for blood."

Ariel fought in wild contrast. Swinging her meteor hammer, she danced across the rooftop with sharp twirls and fast, unpredictable strikes. Her laugh echoed as she flipped over one ninja and yanked him down by the ankle with the chain. "Bet you didn't see that coming!"

Leo and Raph ended up back-to-back, deflecting swords from opposite sides.

"Why are you so happy?" Raph grunted between parries.

Leo grinned. "It's just nice to finally be fighting people instead of robots, or aliens..." He ducked a strike. "Or weed-monsters."

Then, like thunder, a new figure crashed onto the rooftop.

Chris Bradford.

He struck without hesitation, slamming a fist into Leo's plastron and sending him skidding across the tiles.

"Leo!" Yuki shouted, eyes narrowing. Her grip tightened on her blades.

Bradford moved like a beast. He swatted Raph aside and dodged Donnie's bo, grabbing it mid-swing and tossing him into the wall.

Ariel whipped her meteor hammer around—but Bradford caught the chain and yanked her clean off her feet. She yelped as she tumbled, barely catching herself on a crate.

Mikey launched his chain next. Bradford caught it again—grinning—and pulled him close.

"What are you?" he growled, yanking hard.

Mikey kicked off his leg, struggling in the pull. Just as Bradford reeled him in, Leo came soaring back, swords raised.

Shink!

The chain snapped cleanly as Leo landed, cutting Mikey loose.

From below, sirens screamed. Red and blue lights splashed across the alley.

Bradford's head jerked toward the noise.

The Foot Clan vanished into the shadows like smoke—and Bradford went with them.

The mutants scattered, retreating into the night just before a police cruiser skidded into the alley, headlights sweeping the empty rooftop.

In the dim glow of the lair's living room, Michelangelo lounged upside-down on the couch, flipping through a martial arts magazine. His eyes widened with every page.

"Whoa, that's rad!" he exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!"

April, sitting nearby with a cup of tea, raised a brow. "Mikey, you already have a human friend. Me!"

Mikey waved her off. "April, you don't count. We saved your life—you have to like us."

From where she sat sharpening her blades in the corner, Yuki rolled her eyes. "That's the dumbest logic I've heard all day."

"Not the dumbest," Ariel chimed from where she was hanging upside-down off the back of the couch next to Mikey. "Remember when he tried to toast a burrito with Raph's sai?"

"It was one time!" Mikey groaned.

Raph grunted. "Too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are."

April perked up. "Wait, there is. The internet!"

She turned to Donnie. "Can I see your laptop?"

Donnie blinked and quickly closed whatever tab he'd been looking at. "Uh—yeah, sure! Just a sec." He handed it over with suspicious speed.

Yuki gave him a side glance. "What were you looking at?"

Donnie flushed. "Science stuff. Obviously."

April pulled the laptop onto her lap and tapped a few keys. "Check it out. It's a site where you can make friends with anybody online."

Mikey leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Sweet!" He scanned the screen. "Ohh—Chris Bradford's on here! He'll be my first friend!"

Ariel gasped, mimicking dramatic soap-opera shock. "He's gonna be besties with a celebrity."

Yuki scoffed, unimpressed. "He won't even notice you. You're one of thousands."

Mikey hit the "Add Friend" button with dramatic flair anyway, then leaned back, arms crossed smugly. "Watch and learn, non-believers."

April started to explain, "Mikey, people don't always respond immed—"

The laptop chimed.

April blinked. "But sometimes they do."

Mikey's eyes bulged. "No way! Chris Bradford accepted my friendship!"

He leapt up, holding the laptop over his head like a trophy. "I have a friend! Thanks, April!"

Donnie scrambled. "Where are you going? Hey—!"

Mikey was already halfway out the room. "To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford!"

April frowned thoughtfully. "This guy's famous. He probably has thousands of 'friends.'"

"And guess who's number 5,286?" Mikey shouted from the hallway.

April blinked. "You?"

"Daniel Ramirez!" Mikey shouted back. "And I'm right next to him. Later!"

He vanished up the tunnel.

April leaned back. "Well... this ought to be interesting."

Donnie rubbed his head where he'd hit the floor. "Should we go after him?"

Raph just shrugged. "Eh, he's gotta learn somehow."

Yuki sighed and stood up. "Let him make a fool of himself. He will anyway."

Ariel tilted her head, biting her lip. "Should someone... maybe follow him?"

Yuki looked down the tunnel Mikey disappeared through, expression unreadable. "...Let's see how far he gets."

Later that night, Leo and Donnie crouched on a rooftop above an alley, eyes scanning the empty space below.

"They must've been watching us from here," Leo said quietly. "The perfect place to stage an ambush."

"It wasn't very fair, was it?" Donnie muttered.

Leo's expression didn't change. "It's not about fairness. It's about victory."

Donnie looked sheepish. "Okay. I'm sorry."

A few feet behind them, Mikey was once again going off—this time to Raph, Yuki, and Ariel, who sat around a ventilation unit trying their best to ignore him.

"And then—and then Chris Bradford put on his hakama. Man, that guy can rock a hakama!"

Raph crouched with his arms crossed, clearly suffering. "Yeah, maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to prom."

Ariel was lying on her stomach nearby, chin in her hands. "I dunno, Mikey, that sounds kinda romantic. You should pick out a corsage."

Yuki didn't even look up from polishing her tanto. "Please stop talking."

Mikey, undeterred, kept going. "And then after that he—"

"Oh, enough!" Raph snapped. "You've been going on about this for three hours."

Mikey narrowed his eyes. "Ooh, someone sounds jealous. You just can't admit that you were the 'R' word. Wrong!"

Yuki, now visibly annoyed, looked up. "No, we're just tired of your constant delusions. He's not your friend. He's not anyone's friend."

Ariel winced. "Ouch."

"If you don't wanna talk about my friend," Mikey huffed, leaping onto a nearby pipe, "I've got two other brothers who do!"

Leo didn't even look up. "Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else."

Donnie offered helpfully, "Like the concept of the silent 'W,' perhaps?"

Mikey scoffed. "Fine! I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else—Chris Bradford."

He disappeared into the shadows dramatically.

Yuki stared after him in disbelief. "Lowkey sounds like a crush."

Ariel shrugged. "At least it's not another exploding pizza experiment."

"Give it a day," Yuki muttered. "It will be."

In the quiet calm of the dojo, Michelangelo was bursting with excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His brothers stood nearby—Leonardo and Donatello watching with eager curiosity, while Raphael leaned casually against the tree in the center of the room, arms crossed and unimpressed.

Yuki sat off to the side sharpening her blades, while Ariel lounged upside-down on a balance bar, swinging her legs.

Mikey moved into a stance, face focused. "And then he kicks, twists, and sweeps the leg—Ha!" He spun and dropped low, executing the move with surprising precision. "The Death Dragon."

Leo's eyes widened. "That was amazing!"

Donnie nodded, impressed. "Yeah, it's devastatingly effective. And complex."

Raph didn't even blink. "And yet even Mikey could learn it."

"Thank you," Mikey beamed—then paused, realizing. "Hey—wait a second!"

From the side, Ariel clapped. "That was actually kinda cool, Mikey!"

"Don't encourage him," Yuki muttered without looking up. "He's already unbearable."

Before Mikey could respond, the small laptop nearby pinged with a new notification. He spun around and slid dramatically across the floor to check it.

"It's Rad-Brad!" he said with glee. "That's my little name for him."

The screen glowed with a message: Wanna meet up for a little B-ball?

Mikey practically squealed. "He wants to get together for a little B-ball! Can't wait to find out what the 'B' stands for!"

"You're going now?" Leo asked, frowning.

Mikey slung his nunchucks across his back with flair. "Sorry, dudes. Human friend stuff. You know how it is." He smirked on his way out. "Oh wait. No, you don't."

He chuckled as he disappeared through the tunnel.

Back in the dojo, the sounds of training echoed through the space. Leo and Raph were in the middle of running through the kata Mikey had shown them—sharp, smooth movements flowing one into the next. Donatello leaned against the wall nearby, analyzing every detail.

"Not quite," Raph muttered.

"Wait—I think I got it," Leo said, stepping in and sweeping Raph's legs clean out from under him.

Across the room, Yuki paused mid-swing with one of her tantos, watching with raised brows. "Huh," she said, tilting her head.

Ariel, who had been attempting a handstand and promptly fell out of it, nodded from the mat. "It looked cool! I kinda wanna try it."

Master Splinter, who had just entered, stopped dead in his tracks as he caught the tail end of the move. His eyes narrowed, the memory of a very different time—of Saki, his old friend, using the exact same technique—flashing before him.

"Where did you learn that?" Splinter's voice was sharp, almost a demand.

Raph stood, dusting off his plastron. "Mikey learned it from his new buddy. Bradford."

Splinter's expression hardened instantly. "The man who taught him that kata is no friend. That move comes from the Shredder."

Donnie's brow furrowed. "Shredder?"

Leo's eyes darkened. "So Bradford's connected to him?"

A beat of silence passed.

Yuki frowned. "Wait, what? That was a Shredder move?"

Ariel blinked. "But it just looked like a fancy leg sweep. How bad could it be?"

Yuki crossed her arms. "Mikey didn't know. None of us did. If Bradford's tied to Shredder... then this wasn't just some harmless training."

Leo turned toward the exit, already moving. "So Bradford's using Mikey to get to you, Sensei."

Raph cracked his knuckles. "What a relief. Everything makes sense again."

His smirk faded. "But Mikey's in trouble."

Ariel's eyes widened. "We've gotta help him!"

Yuki was already tightening the wraps around her hands. "Then let's go."

The night air sliced around them as the Hamato siblings made their approach. Leonardo slid smoothly down a windowpane and hit the ground running, sprinting toward the building. Above, Raphael leapt off the rooftop without hesitation, landing beside him in a crouch.

On the side of the building, Donatello balanced with surprising ease, a piece of gum stuck to the tip of a pencil. With delicate precision, he poked a needle through the center and used it to maneuver into the window lock, twisting until a soft click echoed. The window creaked open.

Ropes dropped.

One by one, the turtles descended into the enemy dojo like shadows falling from the sky—followed swiftly by Yuki, who landed in perfect silence, and Ariel, who landed with a grin and immediately struck a pose.

The hiss of a blade being drawn cut through the quiet. Foot Soldiers turned sharply, weapons at the ready. But they didn't stand a chance.

Steel clashed. Yuki moved like a phantom, her twin tantos slicing with brutal precision. Ariel used her meteor hammer like a blur, knocking Foot Soldiers off their feet with gleeful chaos. The turtles fought alongside them, feet flying, bodies thudding to the floor. In seconds, it was over.

At the center of the room, still bound, Michelangelo looked up with wide, sparkly eyes.

"Dudes! That was sporadic!"

"Shhh!" the group hissed, all at once.

Donnie groaned, covering his face. "That's not what that means..."

They freed Mikey quickly, and within minutes, the six siblings were making their way back through the sewers.

But they weren't alone.

From behind, watching with cold eyes, Chris Bradford and Xever stood side by side in the tunnel entrance.

"Perfect," Chris muttered.

"We've got them," Xever agreed.

They descended after the mutants, flanked by Foot Soldiers. But the deeper they moved into the tunnels, the darker it got. Quieter. Too quiet.

A shadow passed overhead—swift and silent. Then another. Before either of them could speak, the Foot Soldiers were gone, dragged into the darkness. Chris and Xever spun, only to find themselves alone.

Xever struck a match, lighting a torch. Its flickering glow illuminated the grim sight above them: their soldiers, suspended from the ceiling like prey.

"Show your faces!" Xever shouted.

As if on cue, shapes rose from the water and emerged from the shadows.

The Hamato siblings.

"They've trapped us!" Xever growled.

Chris drew his weapon. "Take 'em down!"

The fight exploded into motion.

Leo and Raph charged Bradford, katanas flashing. Donnie and Mikey took on Xever, while Yuki darted through the shadows, intercepting Foot stragglers trying to regroup. Ariel whirled into the fray, laughing as her chain weapon crashed into a soldier's helmet.

Xever leapt over Donatello, grabbed him mid-air, and hurled him into Mikey. The two crashed together with a groan.

Across the tunnel, Chris caught Leo's twin blades and shoved him backward. Raph caught him mid-fall, gritting his teeth as he blocked Bradford's next strike.

The fight shifted.

The siblings found their rhythm—switching partners, backing each other up, moving like a single living force.

"They knew we were following them," Chris growled.

"That's right!" Mikey grinned, flipping under his guard. He moved quick and clean, hitting Chris with the Death Dragon—his own move—sending him crashing straight into Xever.

"Sweep the leg!" Mikey whooped.

Bradford slammed into Xever.

"Hit it!" Mikey called.

Donnie and Raph spun the valve beside them as Yuki kept guard and Ariel chased off a last straggler.

A deafening roar echoed as water surged down the tunnel. Chris and Xever screamed as they were swept away into the darkness.

Raph crossed his arms. "Well... that didn't seem very fair."

Leo nodded. "No, it wasn't."

They all laughed.

"High three!" Mikey declared, raising his hand.

Back at the lair, the mood was lighter—at least on the surface. Pizza boxes were scattered across the table, and the smell of melted cheese filled the air.

Donatello glanced over at Splinter. "Um, Sensei... aren't you hungry?"

But the rat master's gaze was distant, his expression solemn. "I fear we are celebrating too soon."

Raph raised a brow. "Too soon? The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time."

Splinter shook his head. "Shredder knows I'm alive. And worse... he knows about all of you. It is my worst nightmare come true."

Leo looked up, his voice low. "So... it's not over?"

"No," Splinter said gravely. "It's just beginning."

"Bummer," Ariel sighs.

In the corner of the lair, Mikey sat alone, slouched on a beanbag with his arms resting limply over his knees. The glow of the laptop screen in front of him flickered, but he didn't even look at it.

Raph spotted him first.

Without a word, he walked over—but he wasn't alone.

Yuki followed a few steps behind, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

Raph leaned against the wall near Mikey. "How you doing, Mikey?"

Mikey sighed, not meeting either of their eyes. "This was all my fault. I should've never thought I could be friends with a human."

"Stop that," Yuki said sharply. "Being hopeful doesn't make you stupid." Even though she probably has said otherwise.

"It kinda does when your 'friend' turns out to be working for your mortal enemy," Mikey muttered.

Raph shrugged. "Eh, don't be so hard on yourself."

Mikey blinked. "So... it's not my fault?"

Raph smirked. "Oh no, it's totally your fault."

Mikey groaned, flopping back dramatically. "Ugh..."

Yuki rolled her eyes. "Raph."

"What?" he said, holding up his hands. "I'm just being honest."

Raph crossed his arms and dropped his voice. "But if you tell anyone I said this, I'll beat the green off you... you're an awesome guy."

Mikey hesitated. "...Bradford didn't think so."

Yuki spoke this time, quieter. "Bradford's a fraud. Anyone that good at faking friendship isn't worth yours."

Raph nodded. "He's a psychotic killing machine, Mikey. You deserve way better friends than him."

"Yeah, like us," Yuki added, giving Mikey a small nudge with her foot.

"You guys are my siblings." But Mikey felt warm inside that his two harshest siblings had soft spots.

"We can be both." Yuki elbowed Raph."

"Totally," Raph grunted out.

Mikey looked between the two of them—and slowly, a real smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You know what? You guys are right. Thanks."

"Anytime," Raph said, already pretending he hadn't said any of it.

Mikey turned back to the laptop, clicked open Rad-Brad's page, and with a dramatic flourish, hit the unfriend button.

"Unfriend," he declared proudly. "Ha-ha! Revenge!"

Yuki gave him a small, approving smirk.

"Feel better?" Raph asked.

Mikey leaned back with a grin. "So much better."