#Earthbender!Casey Jones

[thedawningofthehour]

'Raph is Casey Jr's biological father' this 'Cass found Casey in the trash and called dibs' that 'Draxum cloned Cass because why the hell not' Y'ALL ARE WEAK. Imagine thinking that Cassandra Fucking Jones could not and did not knock herself up out of sheer force of will.

[fearsmagazine]

Coming in 2024 from Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant LTD The Matrix, The Last Ronin and More!

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[crypticbeliever123]

Chapter 8 “Old Hob” and the debut appearances of Bebop and Rocksteady! Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think of it!

“Hob,” Raph said, closing the temple door behind him, “So, I’m guessing you’ve been in Republic City awhile to have found me so fast.”

“Yeah, had a bit of business to attend to the past few months,” Hob said, taking slow steps forward while making the lightbulbs all burst as he overloaded them.

Did he really think Raph was going to fall for that trick? Just because he could use it to intimidate just about everyone else he crossed paths with doesn’t mean Raph couldn’t see right through him.

“Imagine my surprise when I turn on the TV and see your face plastered all over the screen at a Pro-Bending tournament. Wasn’t hard after that to pick up a lead as to where you been hiding out at. Though I gotta admit, didn’t think I’d find you living with the Avatar.”

“Uh-huh.” *sigh* “You know how this is going to end, right? It’s going to end with me kicking your butt and you walking out of here with your tail between your legs.”

“Well aren’t we all smug and confident now? Guess you take more after your old man than just your temper and Bending skills.”

Raph’s temper finally got the better of him. He lashed out at Hob with a stream of blue flames. The alley cat dodged the attack and retaliated with a burst of lightning aimed at Raph. Luckily, he was able to divert most of the energy away, but Hob always was the better Lightning Bender, and so he did take at least some of the electricity on. Raph charged at him, trying to hit him with more of his blue flames to no avail. Hob may be an old cat but that didn’t make him any less agile. As soon as Raph got close he was just about to use his technique to take away the cat’s Bending when suddenly, a wave of rock and rubble came at him, knocking him away from Hob.

“You didn’t think I’d come alone, did ya?” Hob asked as his two associates stepped out of the shadows.

“Bebop. Rocksteady. Good to see you guys again. Haven’t seen you guys since Ba Sing Se. Have you lost weight? Get your tusks whitened?”

“Flattery. Cute. Ain’t it cute, Rocksteady?”

“You know it, Bebop. But cute ain’t gonna save his sorry shell after what he pulled last time we saw him.”

“You mean when I torched the abandoned building to the ground, burying you in a pile of rubble, so I could escape without getting flattened like a pancake? What? Come on guys that was just a… a harmless prank. Come on, I knew you could take it,” Raph said, backing up against the wall as the rhino and wart hog approached him.

“Yeah, sure you did. Let’s get him!” Rocksteady yelled as he and Bebop charged at Raph.

Luckily his family showed up at just the right time and he found himself getting blasted into the air and out of danger by Mikey, before landing safely near the door with the others.

“What are you guys doing here?!”

“Uh, we live here?” Leo replied.

“So, who are your friends?” Donnie asked as he started Bending pieces of metal in preparation to fight.

“They ain’t friends and you all need to leave. Like right now.”

“I’d listen to him if I were you. Raphie might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but he does know when to run like a coward when he knows there ain’t no winning to be had,” Hob remarked.

“Coward?!”

“Yeah, just a little scaredy turtle. Ya ran from Ba Sing Se and no doubt you’ll be running from this city too,” Bebop replied as he covered his fists in rocks.

“Yeah, just like you always run. Even when you were just a newbie mutant you just ran and ran, trying to get away from the big, bad-” Rocksteady added before being blasted at with a large wave of blue flame by Raph that knocked him away; luckily his hide was thick enough to not be too badly burned.

Bebop then charged at him. Donnie attempted to knock him away by throwing a large piece of the concrete floor at him, but Bebop just ran right through it.

“Move!” Raph insisted as his family dodged the charging wart hog.

Rocksteady then got back on his feet and stomped his foot to send a shockwave through the floor toward Leo and Mikey. Mikey used his Airbending to dodge the attack, but Leo got hit and was sent flying into a column, hard, and Mikey took to trying to help him out and get him back on his feet. Splinter took to using his own Earthbending skills to counter both Bebop and Rocksteady’s attacks alongside Donatello who was struggling to avoid the charging rhino’s horn. Meanwhile, Raph took it upon himself to face Hob solo. He might not be as good at Bending lightning as Hob was but that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle that wretched cat, especially if he got close enough to hit his pressure points. That might not be as good as severing one’s chi, but chi-blocking does do good enough to immobilize someone, especially if you’re trying not to get outed to the only family you ever really had.

“Why don’t you just give it up, Raphie? You might be good at Bending fire but you ain’t got nothin’ on me when it comes to lightning,” Hob said as he shot out electricity at the turtle as he got closer.

“How long have we known each other, Hob? Ten years and you still don’t know that I ain’t the giving up type?” Raph replied as he got up close and personal to the cat, being careful to avoid his electrically charged claws as he tried to get a hit in.

That’s when Mikey noticed Hob’s tail was charging up and about to reach out and zap Raph. Mikey wasn’t going to let that no good cat hurt his brother!

“Raph!” Mikey shouted as he pushed Raph out of the way just in time to save him… though not himself.

“MIKEY!” Raph screamed as he saw the large volts of electricity pass through the younger turtle he had come to know as his brother.

This gained the attention of the others, including Leo, who was finally awake. Splinter was enraged at the sight of his youngest son injured and quickly ended the battle with Rocksteady and Bebop by entering the Avatar State to defeat them.

“I… I don’t sense a heartbeat,” Donnie mentioned, eyes full of fear as he used his seismic sense to try and tell if Mikey was still alive.

Raph lost his cool again. This time he didn’t care if he exposed himself to his family. Hob was going to PAY!

Raph rushed at Hob and began to channel his chi, making the cat’s veins glow at the various, swift motions he performed before finally striking him hard in the chest, knocking him to the ground as the light of his Bending went out like a blown-out match.

“What? Did you just- no. No. NO!” Hob roared before being struck down by a blast of lightning from Raph himself, knocking him into the far-off wall.

The blast might not have killed him, but just because he deserved it doesn’t mean Raph was ever going to resort to tactics like that, tactics like the ones his- the ones he used all the time. No. Raph was better than him, better than Hob. He wasn’t like them. Not at all.

“I can’t believe it. Mikey’s really-” Leo said, trying not to burst out into tears, praying that they were wrong.

Then Raph knelt beside Mikey’s body and took a deep breath. His hands lit with electrical energy and he breathed into them with a white flame, leaving his hands with a bright, white glow. He pressed his fingers into various pressure points on Mikey’s body causing them to become lit with the same light and spread out through his nerves. After pressing the last pressure point, Raphael raised his hands and brought them both down over Mikey’s heart with a burst of lightning emanating as he did. Mikey bolted upright with a gasp.

“He’s alive? He’s alive! Mikey!” Donnie exclaimed as he ran over to Mikey with Leo to join the hug that was going on.

“Uh… did I… die?”

“It’s okay, little brother. You’re okay now. Everything’s going to be okay,” Raph answered as he held Mikey tight, tears streaming down his face.

He almost lost his brother tonight, and it was all his fault. His eyes raised to meet Splinter’s as the rat knelt to join the group hug. Though Splinter’s eyes may have been soft, full of relief, and a silent promise to forgive whatever he may have done as the Nightwatcher, Raph couldn’t help the knot that formed in his stomach. He didn’t deserve forgiveness. He didn’t even deserve this family.

“I’m really going to miss you guys,” he said before pulling away from the hug.

“Raph?” Mikey asked.

“Wait, where are you going?” Leo added.

“Raphael, stop!” Splinter insisted as his son ignored him and sent out a circle of immense, white flames and Bent a column of lightning around himself

“I’m sorry,” he said with a remorseful look on his face as he drew the white fire back in on himself with a loud crack and blinding light as he disappeared without a trace.

He was sorry for leaving them behind, but he had some work to do.

[crypticbeliever123]

Chapter 5 of my TMNT fic. Please let me know what you think of it!

So far, this night was going great. His brothers just caught him, taking down Triple Threats. He’s still not sure if they saw him take that Firebender’s Bending from him or not but he sure as hell hoped they didn’t, especially since it sounded like they were calling in Master Splinter for backup. Great. As if three mutant Benders weren’t enough trouble, now he was going to have the Avatar showing up to arrest him or something. Could this night get any worse?

Just as he leaps across to another roof Leo sends a small amount of water out from a pouch on his belt, freezing it under his step to trip him up. Mikey uses a gust of air to propel himself ahead of his path while Leo and Donnie surround him from behind.

“It’s over Nightwatcher. Just stand down and no one gets hurt,” Leo ordered as he and his brothers gathered their elements, preparing to fight if needed.

“I don’t want to hurt nobody. I’m just trying to keep this city safe from scum like the Triple Threats.”

“By taking away their Bending?” Leo retorted.

Damn. They did see that part. That’s going to cause a whole lot of problems.

Then the Republic City Police chopper appears overhead with a searchlight aimed at him. The cops rappel down to the roof as Master Splinter descends with a burst of air to slow his descent.

As will this.

The police force prepared to restrain him with metal cords, but Splinter raised a hand; a silent gesture to ask for a bit of time to talk. Tang Shen nodded toward Splinter, a sign of respect for his judgment and hope that he can end this without needless violence. She then nodded to her officers to order a stand-off. Splinter then looked to his three sons with a look of disappointment.

“I will deal with you three later.”

“Aw man! I told you he was going to take over!” Mikey complained.

“Mikey!” his two brothers yelled at him as this was clearly not a time to be complaining.

Splinter returned his attentions toward the Nightwatcher, unaware that he was looking at the fourth of his sons.

“So, you are the Nightwatcher?” Master Splinter asked.

“That’s just the dumb name your cop friends gave me. I don’t call myself that.”

“Then what do you call yourself?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Splinter’s gaze turns to the vigilante’s hands.

“Three fingers. So, you are a mutant then. Fascinating. And surprising considering what I have heard of you.”

“Oh yeah? What have you heard then that’s so surprising?”

“I hear you are a talented Firebender. One prodigious enough to wield a blue flame and who has mastered a skill only known to one other Bender. It puzzles me how you could have so much in common with the Shredder when he-”

“I’M NOTHING LIKE THE SHREDDER!”

“And yet you have just as ferocious a temper as he does,” Splinter replied, enraging Raph enough that he ignites his fists with blue flame in anger at the comparison.

The officers seem to tense and ready themselves for action just as Splinter himself does, subtly shifting his feet to a better fighting stance. Raph takes a deep breath and his flames soften to a warm orange tone as he exhales the remaining heat past the holes of his mask in a white flame.

“Hm. Perhaps I was wrong. Saki has never been able to control his anger as you have. Nor have I ever seen him wield a white flame before. You are a gifted Bender. Of this I have no doubt. But what you are using it for, stealing the Bending of others is nothing short of a crime and I must insist that you surrender quietly. There need not be any violence tonight.”

“You’re right. There doesn’t need to be any violence. So why don’t you all just walk away and let me go? I ain’t hurting anyone who don’t deserve it. And the worst I do to someone is sever their chi so they can’t Bend no more. Considering what they were doing with it I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. So why should I have to go to jail for trying to stop them when they can just keep getting away with what they’re doing?”

“I see. Well I am sorry to hear you feel that way,” Splinter replied, nodding to signal the cops that they could act now.

Tang Shen and her fellow officers threw metal cords at Raph, tangling his arms and legs. They pulled his legs back to force him into a kneeling position as two of the others pulled his arms to his side, completely immobilizing him. Splinter stepped forward only to be stopped by Donnie.

“Careful, father. He’s more capable than he looks.”

Raph gave a little chuckle at that as his fingers twitched with electrical energy.

“He’s right.”

He then grabbed the metal cords that were holding his arms and zapped the cops to release him before twisting around to blast at the ones who restrained his legs. As soon as his limbs were free he got back to his feet and found himself being charged at by Splinter. Splinter attempted to strike him at precise points to immobilize him by disrupting his chi but was shocked when they had minimal effect, only causing him to flinch as he kept complete control over his own chi’s flow quite well through his Bending capabilities. Nightwatcher took advantage of Splinter’s surprise at his ability to overcome chi-blocking, by giving him a roundhouse kick before blasting out a ring of bright white fire around himself to keep the others at bay and melt the metal the police sent his way.

“Didn’t see that one coming, did ya?” Raph smirked before Bending a column of lightning as he drew the white flames back in on himself, creating a loud crack like thunder and an intense, blinding light.

“Whoooooooa! What was that?!” Mikey exclaimed in shock.

“He’s gone,” Leo replied.

“He just disappeared,” gasp, “Like magic!”

“Mikey, he did not disappear using magic. It’s just simple misdirection. You know like magicians do. He can’t have gotten far,” Donnie replied.

“Pfft, you say it wasn’t magic but then you go talking about magicians? Make up your mind, bro.”

“Ugh!” Donnie groaned as he facepalmed hard.

“Father? Is everything alright?” Leo asked Splinter as he noticed the pensive look on his face.

“This Nightwatcher is powerful, possibly even more powerful than the Shredder. Possibly. It seems strange to me that he could possess skills that previously only the Shredder was thought to be capable of when a mutant such as him would sooner be killed by the Shredder rather than taught by him.”

“Which raises the question, how did he figure out the same technique as the Shredder and are they connected somehow?”

“They do seem to have quite a few things in common. But the police and I can focus on uncovering this mystery later,” Splinter said, turning to face his sons.

“Right now, I would like to know what you three were thinking?!” he roared.

“It’s my fault Master Splinter. We used a listening device to eavesdrop on your meeting with Chief Shen and figured out that the pattern might’ve been wrong. It was my idea to go check the Southern District for the Nightwatcher without telling you. I’m sorry, Master,” Leo answered with a bow.

“I see. And what of your other brother Raphael? You said you did not know where he is and I see that he is not with you.”

“Raph didn’t want to get involved in this. I’m assuming he went out for dinner with some friends of his.”

“Raph has friends?!” Mikey asked before being slapped on the back of the head by Donnie.

“Ow!”

*sigh* “I am just glad that none of you were hurt… or stripped of your Bending.”

“Actually he didn’t seem to want to fight us at all. He just took off running when we confronted him and didn’t even use his Bending until you showed up comparing him to Shredder,” Donnie mentioned.

“Nevertheless, I do not want you risking yourselves like this again. We are all going home this instant and you are not to go after the Nightwatcher again. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master Splinter,” the three turtles said in unison.

“Excellent. Now, let’s just hope that Raphael is there already so that I do not have to ground him as well.”

“Grounded?! You never said we were grounded!” Mikey complained.

“I thought that was obvious. Two weeks, no TV, video games, comic books, or electronics of any kind. If you behave yourselves I may still allow you to attend that Pro-Bending match you are so eager to watch… with me accompanying to keep you out of trouble of course.”

“We’ll be good! I swear! Right guys?” Mikey replied, really anxious about possibly losing the chance to see his favorite Pro-Bending team in action Friday.

“Yeah and who knows? Maybe Raph will change his mind about coming with.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Leo replied with a knowing smirk.

[crypticbeliever123]

Chapter 9 of my TMNT Avatar AU fic on AO3. The chapter is titled, “Interrogation”. In it there’s a shocking reveal about Raph’s origins that I hope you enjoy! Please, let me know what you think of it!

About an hour after Raph took off, Hob found himself waking up in an interrogation room with Tang Shen and Master Splinter there as well. He tried to Bend in order to escape but remembered he lost that ability because of Raphie, the traitor. Nevertheless, his hands were encased in Firebender-proof cuffs. Guess the rat and his turtle brats didn’t mention what Raphie could do to the cops.

“So, according to your arrest records you go by Old Hob, is that correct?” Shen asked him.

“No, I’m the Fire Lord, ‘course my name’s Old Hob. It’s what I’ve gone by ever since I turned into a cat.”

“No need to get snippy. It’s just a question, and not even one of the more important ones.”

“Such as?”

“How do you know my son?” Splinter inquired.

“You’ll have to be more specific. From what I saw you got three brats who-”

“I have FOUR SONS! I asked you of Raphael, the Firebender who bested you in a fight this evening. How do you know him?” Splinter asked angrily, slamming his hand down onto the table.

“Oh! Raphie. Sorry, considering what I know of his real pops I didn’t even think he’d consider you his daddy. My mistake,” Hob said with a smirk.

“I am his real father. The man who brought him into this world was cruel and tried to murder him for a form he never asked to possess. He was no father.”

“Oh, so Raphie told you about him? Funny. He didn’t even tell me the whole time I knew him. I figured it out for myself, though. I’m smart like that.”

“Smart like those blockheads you pal around with?” Shen retorted.

“Hey, muscle’s muscle. It don’t gotta have brains to back it up long as the brawn can more than make up for it. And believe me, with how much like tanks those two are, they can.”

“Enough of this. I asked you a question and you have still not answered it. How… do you know… my son?”

“Raphie and I go way back. Back near the mutation event itself. I found him digging through trash in the Fire Nation for something to eat. Saw a couple of punks try to hassle him for being a mutant. He looked scared, but I wasn’t going to do nothing. Not my problem. But then I saw him Bend a blue flame and shoot it at the big one.”

“A blue flame? Like the Nightwatcher?” Shen asked, glaring at Splinter.

“Raphael is not the vigilante.”

“I’m sorry, vigilante? Nightwatcher? What the hell are you two talking about?”

Tang Shen turned her attention back to the cat with a groan, not wanting to mention the vigilante case but figuring it might actually get her some answers.

“There’s been a vigilante Firebender wandering the streets of Republic City, stripping Triple Threats of their Bending with the same technique the Shredder uses.”

“Oh. Then it is Raphie. After all, I didn’t lose my Bending by some freak accident, now did I?”

“You lost your Bending?”

“He’s lying.”

“No I ain’t. Now can I get back to my story? Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh right. So anyway, I stopped to watch what he was doing and saw this freaking 5-year-old pulling off techniques that I didn’t even learn ‘til I was in my teens. Sent those jerks running. Can you imagine? Four or five punks in their twenties running scared of a little kid. Figured there was something special about the twerp, so I took him and gave him something to eat. He told me about his old man and how he tried to kill him for turning into a mutant, but that he was also the one who taught him all those fancy moves he was using back in the alley. I figured with as good as this kid was he could be a useful asset to have around. Taught him a few things about Bending lightning to boot. Had him help me pull a few heists throughout the Fire Nation. But then the heat got too bad so we made our move on the Earth Republic instead. That’s where I recruited Bebop and Rocksteady for some added muscle. But Raphie? Raphie was getting sick of always having to be a criminal and tried to leave. I didn’t like that. I tried to convince him to stay by saying that he needed me to protect him from his old man. When he realized I knew who his daddy was, he got tense, angry even. He figured it out pretty quick that I was just using him that whole time. We fought. He ran. End of story really. Not much more to tell.”

“Uh-huh,” Shen said with a contemplative look on her face.

Splinter noticed and was a tad concerned.

“Shen?”

“You kept mentioning Raphael’s biological father as if he was somehow important,” Tang Shen replied.

“Course he’s important. Oh wait a minute. Wait a minute,” Hob said laughing, “You don’t know, do you? I was figuring with how angry the rat here got when I referred to the Shredhead as Raphie’s daddy that you must’ve known who he was. Guess I was wrong.”

“The Shredhead? Do you mean… Are you saying that Shredder is-”

“No! That’s a lie! Raphael is not the Shredder’s son! They are nothing alike!” Splinter shouted, getting close to Hob’s face to scowl at him with seething rage.

“Nothing alike?” Hob asked before bursting out laughing.

“I’m sorry have you met Raph? Not only does he got just as bad a temper as Shredder has but he’s just as good a Bender too, maybe even better. I mean sure, there’s plenty of people out there with tempers but how many do you know who can Bend a blue flame and sever someone’s ability to Bend at all? I’m sure there’s other things those two have in common. ‘Course I never met Shredder. You have though, right? After all, you’ve known Shredder since you was kids and you seem to know Raphie pretty well despite the gaps in your knowledge of his family history. You really going to tell me they don’t have more things in common? Similar likes? Similar dislikes? Pet peeves, nothing?”

Splinter’s glare intensified before softening a bit in resignation.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought. You might think you’re Raphie’s daddy, but he hasn’t forgotten where he’s from or who taught him how to Bend so good. You might’ve given him a home and a nice, happy family… but Shredder? Oroku Saki? … He’s the one who made him what he is. Ain’t nothing you can do to change that. He may be a part of this little family you made for yourself… but he’ll always be Oroku Raphael deep down inside. He’ll always be the Shredder’s son; an angry but talented Firebender who can’t be stopped. Believe me, I’ve tried. In both instances.”

“Both instances?” Shen inquired.

“I didn’t just recruit Bebop and Rocksteady ‘cause I needed some goons to help me commit crimes or nothing. No, if the old Shredhead wants a fight, then I’m taking the fight to him. I got a whole mutant army set up to take the maniac down. That’s why I’m in Republic City; to recruit more mutants… and to go to war. Don’t know if you know this but Shredder’s in town. Has been for a few months just biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.”

“Shredder’s been this close all this time?” Shen asked out of shock.

“We have to prepare a search. We cannot let Shredder evade justice again.”

“‘Course since Raphie made a big scene at that Pro-Bending tournament, you probably won’t even have to worry about him for a while.”

“What are you talking about?” Splinter asked, curious where Hob was going with this.

“This is the Shredder we’re talking about. You really think he’s going to let his mutant son go walking around all able to tell people they’re related and ruin his rep?”

“He’ll have the Foot Clan kill him just to keep this secret. Where is he?” Shen asked Splinter.

“I… do not know. He ran away after the fight with Hob and his associates was over.”

“Then we have to find him. Preferably before Shredder does.”

“Good luck with that. Raphie’s real good at disappearing when he wants to.”

[crypticbeliever123]

Chapter 6 “Fire Ferrets vs. Boar-q-pines” hope you enjoy! Let me know what you thought, please!

Well Friday had finally come and somehow Mikey had managed to remain perfectly behaved long enough for Master Splinter to allow him and his brothers to go to the Pro-Bending match today.

“You sure you don’t want to go?” Donnie asked.

“Positive. I’ve got plans anyway,” Raph replied as he grabbed his duffel and headed out the door.

“With those mysterious friends of yours you never told any of us about?”

Raph simply rolled his eyes in response and left to prepare for his match.

Later, Splinter and his sons took to their seats, excited to watch the Fire Ferrets play against the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines. Mikey was especially anxious to see his favorite team play against one of their toughest competitors, unaware that one of his own brothers would be playing for the Fire Ferrets. Luckily, they had bought a plethora of snacks for him to munch on in anticipation.

“It’s starting!” Mikey squealed as the players all took to the arena, including Raph whose helmet kept his face very well hidden to conceal his identity; apparently going by Takeshi as a cover name.

As soon as the referee blew the whistle the match took off to a flying start. The Boar-q-pines took the lead quickly with their Earthbender rapidly launching discs at the Fire Ferrets in rapid succession to hit them back a few paces. While the others quickly found themselves knocked back into the second zone, Casey managed to keep from being knocked back through using discs from their own turf to block the opponent’s attacks. However, while that method served well for the first couple of minutes that couldn’t save him for long as the Boar-q-pine’s Airbender sent a particularly strong gust of wind at him that knocked him off his feet and into the second zone allowing their opponents to advance. While the Boar-q-pines couldn’t manage to knock them back any further, the Fire Ferrets weren’t able to recover their lost territory and the round was won by the Boar-q-pines.

“Noooo! I demand a rematch!” Mikey shouted.

“Mikey, there’s two more rounds to go,” Donnie reminded him.

“Oh right,” he replied as he sat back in his seat contently.

Round two began and the Fire Ferrets were more than determined not to lose another round to these guys. April and Angel took the front using water and air attacks aimed at their opponents’ faces to blind them long enough to give Raph and Casey the chance to knock them back a zone. The Boar-q-pines’ Airbender was having enough of that and sent out a large burst of air to disrupt Angel and April’s attacks and knock Casey back a zone. This earned the Airbender a penalty as the Airbenders aren’t allowed to create blasts of air lasting longer than a second in duration. However, this gave the Boar-q-pines the chance to regain their footing and push the Fire Ferrets back, so they could reclaim the territory they lost. The referee blew the whistle; the round had ended with neither team having gained more territory and thus a tie-breaker was needed.

The referee flipped the coin. The Fire Ferrets won the chance to choose the element for the tie-breaker. Casey gave a mischievous smirk to the opposing team’s captain.

“We pick fire.”

The Boar-q-pines’ captain stepped forward, as did Raph and met to face each other on the center platform. As soon as the referee blew the whistle for the tie-breaker round to begin the Boar-q-pines’ captain instantly wished someone else had been chosen for the match as he found himself unable to lay a hit on Raph who simply waved any flames away with ease no matter how rapid his attacks were. His opponent then tried to tackle him but Raph simply stepped aside to dodge before grabbing him and spinning them around so that the opposing Firebender was backstepping toward the edge of the platform where he attempted to regain his balance. Raph then stepped toward him as he did and flicked at his forehead to make him fall off.

“YEAH! GO TAKESHI! WOOOOOOO!” Mikey shouted with glee as the Fire Ferrets were declared the winner of the second round.

“Piece of cake,” Raph said, fist-bumping Casey as he stepped back onto the regular platform.

“Like any of us had any doubt,” Angel retorted.

“Man, he’s good,” Leo remarked, genuinely surprised at how effortless Raph made the tie-breaker match seem.

“Well duh! That’s what I’ve been saying bro. Takeshi’s the best Firebender in the circuit. That’s why the Fire Ferrets always pick him for tiebreakers.”

The Boar-q-pines’ captain growled in anger at his defeat as his teammates helped him up.

“Whatever you do, make damn sure you get that no good Firebender knocked off the platform in the next round. Got it?”

“Got it,” the other three Boar-q-pines agreed.

The third and final round began, and the Boar-q-pines took to forcing Raph apart from his team by launching different attacks between them. This gave them plenty of room to single him out for their attacks. Raph didn’t have any problem defending himself from the Firebender’s assaults but given how he was holding back it was difficult to properly defend from those of the Water and Airbender.

“Guys, they’re going after Raph. We need to knock some of these guys off before they knock him off,” Casey mentioned with April and Angel nodding in response.

Angel then gathered up a huge ball of water before launching it at the Boar-q-pines’ Waterbender, causing them to be knocked off the platform by the force of the water as well as the Airbender who was caught in the wake of the attack and fell off as well. Then the whistle blew.

“What? The rules only say you have to use single second bursts. Never said anything about how much water you could use,” Angel reminded the ref who took out the rule book to confirm before groaning in acknowledgement and nodding.

Needless to say the Boar-q-pines were not pleased by this sudden turn in events, especially their captain who only became even more angry at Raph despite this being Angel and April’s doing.

“Knock. Him. Off!”

The Boar-q-pines’ Earthbender agreed with his captain and launched a disc directly at Raph’s head, against the rules. While this didn’t knock him off the platform it did do well to dislodge his helmet from his head and give him one hell of a headache.

“Not so tough no are ya? Huh?” the Boar-q-pines’ captain retorted smugly despite the penalty his teammate just earned.

Raph raised his head and everyone could tell there was a mutant under there.

“RAPH?!” Mikey and Donnie exclaimed in unison as they jumped out of their seats to get a better look.

“What? No, that’s not Raph. That’s just a… uh…”

“You knew?!” Donnie asked his older brother.

“Dude! Why didn’t Raph tell us he was this awesome?”

“He had his reasons. Reasons that I cannot tell you about unfortunately.”

“We will discuss this later,” Splinter mentioned, glaring at his eldest.

Meanwhile, down on the platform, Casey was taking them time to check on Raph after getting his head hit pretty hard.

“Dude are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine. I just-”

“He’s a FREAK! He’s one of them stinkin’ mutants,” the opposing Firebender shouted.

“Uh-oh,” Casey remarked.

“Freak? FREAK?!” Raph responded in anger as his fists lighted up with a blue flame.

“A blue flame? Did you know he could do that?” Donnie asked Leo.

“I… did not… actually.”

“Whoa, wait a minute does this mean Raph is the Nightwatcher?” Mikey inquired.

“It does seem likely, doesn’t it?” Splinter replied, pondering the very same question himself.

Raph stood, looking prepared to attack the guy who just calmed a freak when Casey stepped in his way.

“No dude. You need to calm down. You’re angry and I get that. But if you lose your temper here in front of all these people, if you act like the monster guys like him, guys like the Shredder, think you are then you’ll only give them an excuse to say that they’re right. Do you want this jerk to be right? Do you want the Shredder to be right?”

Raph’s flame died down to a softer orange as he exhaled a white flame while calming down. He then gave Casey a small nod and a smirk to which his best friend stepped aside. Casey and Raph then doubled down on the Firebender, hitting him multiple times in the gut as April and Angel focused their attentions on the Earthbender. Just as the two enemy Benders were at the edge of the platform, Casey launched discs at both the Earthbender and Firebender’s faces to finish the match with a win for their team.

The Fire Ferrets were just about to celebrate their victory when Raph remembered who all was sitting in the cheering section. He looked up to where his family was sitting and took off from the arena, knowing he was going to be in a world of trouble for this.

[crypticbeliever123]

Chapter 7 “Questions and Lies” Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Raph was just getting out of his gear when his teammates joined him, along with the team’s manager/Future Industries’ top engineer, Harold Lillja, a non-Bender but brilliant scientist and sports strategist whose game plans have gotten them the win on more than one occasion.

“Okay, so that third round was sort of… meh, but hey at least you got the win. That’s something, right?” Harold said in an attempt to cheer up the grumpy turtle.

“Yeah, it’s great. Ya know what would’ve been better? If nobody saw my face out there. Now the whole world knows that a mutant Firebending Turtle is part of the Future Industries Fire Ferrets and that I’m in Republic City. Do you know how many dangerous people could find me now?”

“Listen, dude, I get that you’re scared, especially since he-who-must-not-be-named is like the most dangerous guy ever, but just because he might come for you later doesn’t mean you can’t take a minute to celebrate your win tonight. He could be halfway across the world right now for all we know. Even if he saw the broadcast, which I doubt he would’ve, it would take him a good while before he got here. So relax, bro,” Casey said, wrapping an arm around Raph’s shoulders as he tried to put him at ease.

“Yeah, bro,” Mikey said as he and the rest of their family entered the room, “and speaking of… WHAT THE HECK, DUDE?! Why didn’t you tell us you were a Pro-Bender?”

“I’m sorry but this is a private area. You can’t just-”

“It’s alright Harold, they’re Raph’s family,” April mentioned.

“Oh. Okay then. Uhh, what’s his problem?” he asked of Donnie who was staring at him slack-jawed.

Mikey gave his brother a nudge, pulling him out of his dazed state.

“You’re Harold Lillja. The Harold Lillja. You’re one of the greatest scientific minds of the twenty-first century! Your work with anti-grav technology is mind-blowing. And is it true that you’re working on a new android bodyguard system?”

“I’m afraid that information is classified,” Harold replied, adjusting his eyeglasses before peering over them with a smirk, “but yes, yes I am. I actually based the design off of Raphael here, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Fire Ferrets as well. It’s designed to look like a turtle, but it has Bending capabilities at the same levels as these four… or at least it’s supposed to. I’m still working out the kinks with getting the machine to Bend properly.”

“Classified, huh?” Angel teased.

“Alright so I lied. It makes things sound more important than they are. Sue me. Actually you know what, don’t sue me. I’m still trying to recover after my divorce.”

“A robot turtle with Bending capabilities. That… is… awesome.”

“Donnie. Focus,” Leo reminded him.

“Right. Yeah. Sorry.”

“So, exactly how much trouble am I in?” Raph asked Splinter.

“That depends on a few things. Such as, why did you lie about your Bending skills, why did you keep your Pro-Bending secret, and are you the Nightwatcher?”

“I lied about how good I was because I’ve got a few enemies that would’ve found me by now if word got out that there was a mutant turtle with amazing Firebending skills in Republic City and I kept my Pro-Bending a secret because it would’ve undermined the whole ‘I stink at Bending’ thing if you knew I played the sport. And I ain’t the Nightwatcher! Why would you even think that in the first place?”

“We saw you Bend that blue flame, Raph. And we saw you use that same technique when you were calming down that the Nightwatcher used the other night. You know, the one where you breathed out a white flame?” Leo replied.

“I didn’t breathe a white flame. You were just seeing things.”

“So we all saw things then? Bending a blue flame is rare enough. The fact that I have seen two individuals do so is incredible enough as it is, to suggest that I have witnessed three such individuals is next to impossible. Especially considering two of those breathed a white flame when controlling their tempers, which is so rare it was unheard of until the other night. Do you really expect me to believe that you could have both Bending and a temper in common with this Nightwatcher without you being one and the same?” Splinter asked.

“Yeah because in case you haven’t noticed I never took away no one’s Bending before.”

“Took away one’s- what like the Shre-” Harold was about to say before being shut down by the simultaneous glares of all four Fire Ferrets.

“Ehe-and I’m just going to stop talking now before I say something I’ll regret.”

“Good choice,” Casey said with a glare.

“Look, who cares if Raph’s the Nightwatcher or not? It’s not like the Nightwatcher was really hurting anybody and he stopped a bunch of bad guys from breaking some poor guy’s store. He’s kind of like a superhero. And anyway can’t we all just agree that Raph is AWESOME?! I mean did you see him out there in that ring? Dude, I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on us and-”

“Mikey, just because Raph is a great Pro-Bender doesn’t mean he can just go around taking people’s Bending and absolutely none of that makes him anything like a superhero,” Donnie insisted.

“Says you.”

“Look, my head hurts, and I’d really rather not deal with any of this right now. I’m outta here.”

With that Raph picked up an ice pack and pressed it against his head before moving toward the door, only to be halted by Master Splinter.

“Can you move, please?”

“No. Not until you have explained yourself. How do you know how to sever one’s connection to their Bending? Who taught you this method?”

“No one taught me anything because I ain’t the Nightwatcher. You’ve got the wrong guy.”

“I very much doubt that to be true.” *sigh* “I will give you one more chance to tell us everything you have kept from us and explain yourself. But if you do not tell me the truth I will have no choice but to take this to Chief Shen and have her interrogate you herself. Though I would much rather it not have to come to that.”

“So you’d turn me over to the cops and have them interrogate me the same way they would a common low-life just because you don’t believe that what I’m telling you right now is the truth?” *scoff* “Some father you are,” Raph said as he pushed past Master Splinter to leave the room and head back to the temple.

“He didn’t mean that, father,” Leo tried to reassure him.

He really didn’t. He’s had a bad father before. The absolute worst. And Master Splinter was nothing like him. Not at all. Raph sure could say some hurtful things when he got defensive. Not like he could help being defensive all that much. He’d spent most of his life on the streets or trying not to get killed. Survival was practically burned into his DNA at this point and if Splinter tried to get the truth about how he knows how to Bend so well out of him not only would that put him in danger, but it would put this new family of his in peril too. He couldn’t admit to being the Nightwatcher without making it even more difficult to separate himself from his past. There’d be too many questions, too many painful memories coming back up, too much pain, fear, and rejection if the truth of who he used to be came to light. No. He couldn’t handle that if they knew. Splinter, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, they were his family. If they knew, if they rejected him for it, if they saw him as much of a monster as the last person he called family had… no. No. That wasn’t going to happen. Not on his… Oh crap.

As soon as he opened the door to Splinter’s temple, there he was, his old foe and the one who taught him how to Bend lightning even better than the man he used to call father.

“Hiya, Raphie. How’ve you been?” Old Hob asked with a sinister grin and claws lit up with an electrical charge.