"You guys want to speed it up a little?" April spoke as she walked beside Sofia.
"Are you saying turtles are slow?" Donnie questioned as he peeked out from behind a pillar.
Mikey frowned as he looked at the redhead. "That's a hurtful stereotype."
"Trust us, April. We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist," Leo said with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry. I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change," April said.
"What are you talking about? We go out all the time," Raph reminded.
"Yeah, but tonight you're going to do something besides hitting people," Sofia clarified.
"Aww," Raph whined with a frown.
"Don't worry. You're going to love this noodle place I found," April said as she waved Raph off.
"And you're sure we'll be welcome?" Donnie asked cautiously.
"Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind," April explained which made Mikey perk up.
"Awesome!" The orange turtle cheered before Raph nudged him. "I mean, for us obviously."
"I'm excited to try this place out!" Sofia said with a bright smile as she kept walking.
They got up to the corner before hearing glass breaking and things being thrown around.
"Oh, no!" April cried as she ran up to the shop.
"Who are those creeps?" Donnie asked as he looked at the three guys making a mess of the noodle shop.
"The Purple Dragons. They think they own the streets around here," Sofia replied with a frown on her face.
"So much for not hitting people tonight," Leo said as he cracked his knuckles.
Raph chuckled as he shrugged. "Oh, well."
"Booyakasha!" Mikey exclaimed as they burst in through the front door.
The Purple Dragons all stopped and turned their attention to the turtles.
"All right, let him go. You don't want any trouble," Leo warned as he narrowed his eyes
"We, on the other hand, do," Raph spoke up, grinning like a madman as he waited for the fight.
"Whoa, those guys were serious. There really are giant turtles!" One of the guys shouted.
Mikey's eyes widened in excitement. "You've heard of us? Dudes, we're famous!"
"That's bad," Donnie reminded as he glared at his little brother.
"Oh. Right," Mikey replied with a sheepish grin.
"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours. So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from?" Fong fired off.
"Actually, we're freshwater turtles. I suspect that we're derived from the diamondback terrapin but it's possible we're a common box-" Donnie started to explain.
"Get 'em!" Fong ordered and Sid ran at the turtles with a sledge hammer.
Leo ducked and let Mikey jump over him to kick Sid into the wall.
Sofia swung her leg and kicked Fong in the face, sending him into the counter. "You just never stop, do you."
"Do I know you?" He grunted as he threw a weak punch that she easily dodged.
"I'd hope so. Just because I don't have my mask, you don't recognize your old dance partner?" Sofia asked with a grin.
"You're that annoying ninja girl!" Fong cried when the realization hit him.
Leo jumped over and Sofia smiled at him.
"Aww, Blue, he remembers me. How sweet," she said before Fong grabbed a cleaver off the counter.
He swung at Sofia and Leo, trying to keep them away, but they were both able to land a solid punch. Leo kicked him up onto the counter against the wall before grabbing him by the shirt collar.
Leo was about to sock the guy before seeing the fear in his eyes. He released the scrawny man and took a step back.
"Get out of here," Leo said coldly and Sofia leaned against the counter as she looked up at Leo.
Fong pushed past Leo before running up to his friends who had been pummeled by the others. "Come on. Let's go. This ain't over, greeny!"
"'Greeny'? Really? I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that," Donnie huffed with a grimace.
"You just let him go? What the heck was that?" Raph walked up to Leo in disbelief.
"It was hot, that's what it was," Sofia commented.
"They weren't exactly a threat. They'd had enough," Leo replied, trying not to react to Sofia's commentary.
"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy. There is no 'enough'. Now they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job!"
"Wow. That was great, you guys!" April exclaimed as she walked in with Murakami who she had gotten out during the fight.
"Thanks, April. Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool? I bet it looked cool," Donnie giggled.
"The coolest!" April nodded with a nervous smile.
"You didn't see it, did you?"
"No, I did not," April admitted and Donnie slumped in defeat.
"My friends, I'm indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge," Murakami offered with a warm smile.
"I think we can allow that," Raph replied with a smile.
"What is your favorite dish?" The man asked and all thebturtles visibly brightened.
"PIZZA!"
Sofia giggled at their reaction to the question.
Murakami immediately started up the stove and began working.
Sofia sat beside April and smiled as she rested her chin on her hand.
"Oh, hey, Shadow, Donnie made us phones! You should give us your number!" Mikey said as he held up his T-phone.
"Sure!" Sofia agreed with a nod.
She took Mikey's T-phone and put in her number before sending her number to each of his brothers through the T-phone.
"First guess! Heather!" Leo said and Sofia shook her head.
"Nope," she declined and he slumped.
"Can I guess?!" Mikey begged with big eyes.
"Go ahead," she replied with a nod.
"Oo! Sapphire!"
She looked at him, surprised that he was kinda close. "Nope."
"Where'd you get that one?" Raph asked with a light chuckle.
"The one girl in my comic is named Sapphire! She's a super hero!" Mikey explained and Sofia laughed lightly.
"I'm sure you'll get it soon," she encouraged.
They all turned to keep watching Murakami work on their food and Sofia had to admit that it was very impressive.
"Oh, Murakami-San, that was awesome!" Donnie commented as he watched Murakami finish their meals.
"You're like a ninja but for food!" Mikey piped up.
Murakami presented their food and they all stared at it. "Pizza gyoza."
"Pizza gyoza?" April questioned.
The other five took a bit of one of the pot stickers.
Sofia's eyes closed in delight as she relished in the flavor she received.
"Wow!"
"Delish!"
"It's like I got a one-way ticket to Flavorville!" Donnie cheered as he studied his meal.
"This is really good too, you know," April said as she held up the bowl of ramen she had gotten.
They all continued to eat before Leo spoke up.
"Uh, Murakami-san, do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?"
Murakami sighed, obviously distressed by the thieves. "Yes. They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."
"Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't wimped out," Raph jabbed and Leo slumped.
"Hey, cut him some slack," Sofia defended. "Leo did the right thing in not sending Fong to the hospital."
Leo smiled a little before looking to grab another gyoza. He gasped when he saw his tray was empty and he turned to glare at the culprit, Michaelangelo.
Sofia giggled lightly before giving Leo a few of her gyoza. "Don't steal your brother's food, Mikey. He needs to eat too."
"Okay." Mikey slumped before Sofia gave him her last gyoza. He quickly downed it and rubbed his belly. "You're awesome!"
"They seemed to know you, Shadow," Raph commented after he finished his food.
"I've fought the Purple Dragons many times. They're cowards, really. And every time they get arrested, some how they get out easily. There's obviously someone in the law system that they know," Sofia complained with a sigh. "They're just annoying."
"You should come back to our home!" Mikey suggested and Sofia laughed lightly.
"Maybe another time, Mikey. I've got school in the morning and I have to be home soon anyways," Sofia replied with a small smile.
"That's so boring," Mikey complained, laying on the counter.
"Well, maybe this weekend I can hang out with you guys. As long as your father is okay with it. I don't want to get you guys in trouble," Sofia said.
"I'm sure Splinter would love to meet you," Donnie said and Leo nodded.
"Well then Saturday, I'll meet you guys and you can take me to your home," Sofia agreed with a bright smile.
"Yes!" Mikey cheered excitedly.
🍕
Everyone was chilling in the lair that night and Leo was using the dummy in the living area as a punching bag.
"Whoa, whoa, Leo. I think he's had enough. You better let him go," Raph teased as he looked at his older brother.
Leo rolled his eyes as his lips dipped into a frown. "I get it. You're making fun of me for not mercilessly pummeling a helpless man."
"Yes, I am. You showed weakness." Raph poked Leo's plastron and narrowed his eyes. "Those guys only understand one language."
"Chinese?" Mikey piped up from the couch.
"No. Fists," Raph replied as he shook his own fist.
"What about feet?"
Raph sighed as he rolled his eyes. "They understand feet."
"That would make them bilingual," Donnie spoke.
"Argh! The point is we can't go soft on them!" Raph growled.
"To show mercy is not soft. It is a sign of true strength," Splinter said as he walked over to his son.
"But, sensei, they're criminals. This is war!"
"A Daimyo of the sixteenth century once said, 'In times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion'," Splinter quoted gently.
"I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars," Raphael grumbled before gasping as Splinter swung his jade waller at his face, stopping just short of his nose.
"You see? Mercy," the sensei said with a grin. He then smack his cane into Raph's arm.
"Ow!" Raph grabbed his bicep as he grimaced. "Okay, look. Compassion is great. But the Purple Dragons are not going to leave Murakami alone."
"So we'll track down the Dragons and make sure they got the message. And if they didn't, we'll send them one. Special delivery." Leo smirked as he punched his hand.
"Was that meant to sound tough or stupid?" Raph replied with an unimpressed look.
"How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?" Donnie reminded.
"There is one person who might know," Leo said as he smiled.
He looked at the number that he had put in his phone immediately after getting home. He pressed the call button and put it on speaker before waiting for the answer.
"Blue? What's going on?" The groggy voice came from the phone.
Splinter and the others walked over to hear the conversation.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Leo asked shyly.
"Don't worry about it. Is something wrong?"
Splinter noted how warm her voice was, even though the sleepiness was evident, as well as the very slight accent.
"Do you happen to know where the Purple Dragons stay? Like if they have a meeting place?" Leo asked and he could hear the rustling of her blankets through the phone.
"Last I knew, it was in the fortune cookie factory on Broome Street," came the answer and Leo nodded.
"Thanks. Do you think you could come?" Leo asked hopefully.
"Absolutely! I'll meet you there in like fifteen," Shadow replied.
"Alright. See you there," Leo said before he hung up.
"So I'm assuming that was the 'Shadow' I've heard so much about," Splinter spoke and the guys all nodded.
"She's super cool! She speaks Italian too!" Mikey gushed. "And we want her to come over this weekend! I want to show her my pizza collection!"
Splinter hummed as he nodded slowly. "I would like to meet this girl."
"Great! But for now, we have to go," Raph reminded.
"See ya later, sensei!" Mikey called as the turtles all ran to leave.
🍕
"Shadow said this was the place," Leo said as he looked at the fortune cookie factory.
"Hey, I'm here," a voice came from behind them.
They turned to see Shadow standing in her black suit, hood up and mask on.
"Sorry I took so long. I had to convince my uncle to let me leave," she said and Leo smiled.
"No, I'm sorry for waking you up," he said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Can it, dorks. There he is," Raph interrupted as he pointed to Fong who was walking towards a garage on the side of the building.
"Ready when you are," Shadow said as she noticeably grinned beneath her mask.
Leo looked at his brothers and nodded before they used their grappling hooks. Leo grabbed Shadow by the waist and they all swung over, crashing through the window.
"Freeze, dirt bags!" Leo unsheathed his katanas before noticing two familiar faces. "Uh oh."
"I think we can find them ourselves," Xever said as he grinned.
"Oh, man. This is awkward," Mikey said as he slouched back.
"Who are those two?" Shadow questioned as she spun her katanas in her hands.
"It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend. And that other guy," Mikey introduced.
"The name is Xever. So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells with these," Xever threatened as he pulled out his switchblades.
"Oo scary," Shadow mocked before she leapt at the Dragons with the turtles beside her.
Leo smirked as Fong ran at him only for him to dodge, allowing the Dragon to run smack into the wall.
"You're making me sorry I let you go," Leo commented.
Xever saw a moment of opportunity but as soon as he was about to strike Leonardo, two katanas blocked his attack.
"I don't thinks so, stronzo," Shadow hissed as she pushed the man back.
"Are you another disciple of Hamato Yoshi?" Xever questioned as he threw a punch.
Shadow dodged, giving him a weird look. "Who?"
Before Xever could answer, Leo swung at Xever. The criminal ducked and kicked Leo's legs out from under him, sending him toppling down the stairs they were next to.
"Blue!" Shadow shouted as he crashed into some crates, but she didn't let it distract her. She grit her teeth and kicked one of the switchblades from Xever's grasp.
She knew she was too close to the stairs and couldn't safely get around to the other side, so she quickly flipped down to where Leo was getting up from his fall.
Xever followed behind quickly, not wanting to disappoint his master.
"You good?" Shadow asked quickly and Leo nodded as he got ready to keep fighting.
Raoh flew towards them and glared at Xever before people in black suits came bursting through the walls.
"And they are?" Shadow questioned as she backed up slightly.
"Foot clan," Leo answered. "Turtles, fall back!"
"We're giving up? Again? You kidding me?" Raph looked at his brother with irritation coating his tone.
"Yes, it's all part of my hilarious 'let's all live' routine," Leo joked as he jumped up one of the factory machines.
"Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!" Xever called from behind them.
The turtles and Shadow escaped and hid on a nearby roof for a minute, catching their breath.
Shadow noticed Leo holding his wrist as he rolled it a bit.
"Are you alright?" She asked and Leo looked up with a disappointed smile.
"I'm fine," he answered quietly.
"Well, I already knew you were fine," Shadow flirted with a wink, trying to cheer him up a bit. "I would love this to keep going, but I should really get home. I'm sorry."
Mikey whimpered a little and she gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
"Cheer up, Mikestar. I'll still come over on Saturday," Shadow reminded and the youngest nodded slowly. "Night, boys. Just brush it off. You can't win every fight."
Raph grumbled something under his breath but when he turned, Shadow was already gone.
🍕
Leo sat on the back of the couch in the lair, cupping his face in his hands.
He knew that Shadow was right and that he wouldn't be able win every fight that came his way, but that didn't mean he didn't want to win.
"Man, could that fight have been any more embarrassing?" Raph finally broke the silent slump they were all in.
"Sure. We could have been hit in the face with pies," Mikey replied and Raph groaned a bit.
"It's called fighting smart, Raph. The Purple Dragons have Bradford and Xever on their side now. Last time, we barely beat those guys," Leo said as he stood up.
"Yeah, because they're willing to fight to the finish. The only way to beat them is to be just as ruthless as they are," Raph replied.
"Raphael, this Xever can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong," Splinter spoke as he walked up to his sons.
"But Xever wins fights. Isn't that what matters? And he never shows anyone mercy," Raph shot back.
Leo stared at the floor and sighed before Donnie got a text from April.
"Guys! April just texted me! She said to meet her at Murakami's and it's an emergency!" Donnie relayed to his brothers.
"Then let's go," Leo said quickly.
🍕
Leo dropped down with his brother and looked at April who was pacing outside the noodle shop. "April, what's wrong?"
"It's Murakami," the redhead answered as she walked into the shop with the turtles. "Someone took him and left this."
Leo looked at the note that was stuck to the wall with a switchblade.
"Sweet! Free knife!" Mikey cheered.
"The note, dummy," Donnie whacked his brother over the head before ripping the note from the blade. "'No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof of the fortune cookie factory.'"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's bust in there and save Murakami," Raph said as he looked to Leo.
"Not so fast. Think, Raphael," Leo stopped him as he crossed his arms.
"There's two words that don't usually go together," Donnie muttered.
"This is obviously a trap," Leo replied. "Plus, last time we had Shadow with us and we still got beaten. We don't have her this time so we have to be smart about this."
"Well, what choice do we have?"
"Maybe we do need to think more like Xever," Leo said with a grin.
"But Master Splinter said-"
"I know," Leo cut off Donatello. "But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He's got to learn that we can cross the line too. No more Mr. Nice turtle."
"Yes! I never liked Mr. Nice turtle," Raph admitted as he punched his palm.
⚔️
"Okay, he's strong, so speed and stealth are essential. Okay, everybody know the plan? Mikey?"
Leo turned to look at his youngest brother as they stood on the roof by the Tattoo shop near the fortune cookie factory.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Leo gave him a suspicious look. "Tell me what it is."
Mikey stood there with a blank look before shrinking back sheepishly. "Um, maybe we should go over it one more time?"
Leo rolled his eyes before explaining the plan one more time.
The turtles then waited until Bradford walked out of the tattoo shop.
They drop down on top of the foot henchman. They ducktaped his mouth and roped up his limbs before shoving him in a trashcan.
Raph and Leo quickly wrapped the can in chains and then brushed their hands as they admired their work.
"Gentlemen, welcome to the other side of the line," Leo said with his hands on his hips.
"Now I'm definitely going to need a tat," Mikey replied only to be punched by Raph. "Ow!"
Raph and Mikey then worked to lift the trashcan with their prisoner inside. "Dang, this sucker's heavy."
They dropped the can and it rolled into a nearby wall, a groan coming from inside.
"Sorry," Mikey apologized.
Raph frowned as he crossed his arms. "Don't apologize to him."
"I mean, sorry I didn't drop you harder!"
"There you go," Raph applauded with a satisfied grin.
They came up with the idea to roll their guy to their destination.
"Cozy in there?" Leo asked with a sly grin and was responded to with a grunted of discomfort from in the spinning trashcan.
"Good," Raph replied.
"Uh-oh, you guys. Look," Donnie pointed out as he saw Murakami hanging from an overhang on the roof of the fortune cookie factory.
"Dude, Xever's a jerk," Mikey mumbled.
"Let's go," Leo said and they lugged the trashcan up to the roof.
"We're here, Xever. Now let the noodle man go," Leo demanded.
"Sorry, there's been a change of plans," Xever replied before foot soldiers appeared on the roof.
Leo just smirked right back. "Actually, there's been another change of plans."
They unchained the trashcan and revealed Bradford.
"I love it when a change of plans comes together," Donnie said with a smile.
"You let our friend go and we'll let your friend go," Leo negotiated.
Xever just laugehd with a shrugged. "He's not my friend." He walked over to the hanging man and began to cut the rope.
"Uh, we're not kidding," Leo warned nervously as Raoh held Bradford over the edge. "Okay, stop or we'll toss him."
"Go ahead. It'll save me the trouble," Xever brushed off.
"Uh, Raph?"
Raph looked at the criminal in his grasp and groaned. "Aw, crud." The red clad turtle threw Bradford back onto the roof.
"That's what I thought," Xever mocked with a mischievous smirk. "Attack!"
Leo grimaced as he readied himself for battle.
The foot soldiers ran at them and Leo immediately sung at them.
He flipped over one of the men and kicked him in the back before hitting one of his buddies in the head with the butt of his sword.
Raph jumped up onto the billboard sign with Leo to avoid Xever's throwing knives.
The two brothers fought back the black dressed men before Leo jumped off the billboard ledge to take on the lackies below him.
He kicked off a few soldiers from the roof, trying to keep his own distance from the edge.
She saw Fong running at him out of the corner of his eye and kicked him down before pointing his blade at the Purple Dragon. He stared at the man for only a moment before continuing to attack the foot soldiers.
Soon enough, more soldiers surrounded them on the roof with Bradford now free.
"All right. Let's settle the score, pond scum," Bradford threatened as he curled his fists.
"We're the ones who didn't want to throw you off the roof!" Donnie shouted.
Bradford growled as he ran towards the turtles. The battle ensued once again and Bradford punched Donnie into a nearby ledge.
Mikey tried to avenge his brother but was kicked over into the same position.
Leo glared at Bradford as he swung his sword at him. He had to win this. No matter what. Then he saw Raph get knocked to the ground by Xever. "Raph!"
Bradford took his opportunity and kicked Leo off his feet. Before he could make another move though, Leo sprung up and slipped out of his way.
Xever ran over and kicked Leo back towards Bradford, allowing his companion to punch the turtle over to his brothers.
"See, Bradford? That is how you catch turtles. And next, I'll show you how to filet them," Xever said as he smirked at the turtles.
"You'd never have caught them without me and you know it," Bradford reminded.
"Oh, yes. What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trash can?"
While Xever and Bradford were distracted, Fong watched the turtles with a frown. He saw one of Leo's katanas beside him and picked it up, throwing it at the ground beside the blue clad turtle before running away.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to cut these turtles into little pieces," Xever said, turning back to the turtles.
"I don't think so," Leo replied before jumping backwards, slicing the legs to the water tower on the roof.
The force of the water knocked the foot off the rooftop.
Mikey sprung into action first and grabbed Murakami as the water snapped the already fragile rope.
"I got him!" Mikey called and his brothers sighed in relief.
"Nice save, Mikey," Leo congratulated.
"Don't look down, Murakami-San. Or, um, listen down," Mikey said to the noodle man.
The turtles made sure Murakami was alright before helping him back to his noodle shop.
Once in the shop, Murakami grabbed a package and held it out for the turtles. "Accept this token of my gratitude. Pizza gyoza!"
Donnie beamed as he grabbed the food. "Awesome! Thanks, Murakami-San!"
"You're welcome, turtle-San," Murakami replied.
"Wait, how did you-"
"I do have other senses. Touch, smell," Murakami reminded.
"You don't think we're weird and scary?" Leo questioned as he rubbed his arm.
"You saved my life. Who am I to complain?" Murakami reasoned.
"Thank you so much, Murakami-San," Leo said as he bowed his head out of respect. "We have to go home, but we'll definitely be back."
"Be safe," Murakami replied as he waved.
Leo smiled as he left with his brothers.
Shadow may have been right when she said that they would win every time, but damn did winning feel good.