Family is Forever

Air Turtle: Part 2

Aria's POV:

The team has yet to win a game, as Dunkman said, but Leo's confident that that'll change with him around. Leo approaches us in his mascot costume as we all sit in the vacant audience seats.

Leo: "You guys are in luck. I'm breaking out my new victory dance once we win tonight."

Raph: "Yeah, right."

Leo: "Trust me. I'm on the inside."

April: "As a mascot?"

Leo: "More of a consultant who wears a costume and fires a T-shirt cannon. The Dunk listens to me."

The opposing team arrives on the court, looking more skilled in their chosen career than the New York Daves.

Raph: "Those guys are gonna whoop the Daves."

The buzzer sounds as Leo begins dancing to hype up the team and the 'crowd' while firing a T-shirt cannon.

Leo: "I'm Dave. Get loud!"

Announcer: "And now, the starting lineup for your New York Daves..."

The team members walk through a seemingly mystic arch before suddenly acting zombie-like, but Leo doesn't notice.

Leo: "Yeah, let's go! Come on!"

The game begins as an opposing team member dribbles circles around the Daves. Suddenly, the arch starts to glow as one of the Daves crawls up the basketball net and stops their opponent from dunking the ball through the hoop by catching it in his teeth and backflipping to stand alongside his teammates. He then tosses the ball to one of the other Daves, and they all pass it amongst each other before one of them throws it into the opposing team's net.

Leo & Dunkman: "Yeah!"

From then on, it gets weirder and weirder, specifically due to the Daves' sudden mutation, so I call for Leo's attention.

Me: "Leo, are you noticing anything weird going on with the team?"

Leo: "Yeah, they're awesome. That arch must really be working. My idea."

Donnie uses his goggles to scan the arch.

Donnie: "Yeah, Dave, is it? That arch is severely mystic."

Mikey: "That would explain why they're so creepy and inhuman."

Raph: "Guys, look like this trip just went from personal to business."

Leo: "Hey! You're all just jealous that once I joined the Daves they went from losers to Leos, which means winners."

Leo turns to face the Daves and recoils in surprise, realizing we might have a point. While Leo discusses it with Dunkman, I take a photo of the arch and send it to someone who knows more about this kind of thing than anyone.

Leo: "So about that arch thingy."

Mikey: "Ya think?"

Donnie: "That is why Aria & I called an expert on all things mystic."

Me: *answers phone* "Hey, sorry to bother you at work but-*pauses*-Ok."

Donnie uses one of his Spider-Shell's robotic arms to turn the phone screen toward Leo's face.

Dad: *over the phone* "Do you know what you've done?! That is the arch of Aquinnah. Whoever walks under it is turned into, oh, I don't know, a demonic warrior."

Leo: "Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Without admitting any fault, there may have been some signs."

Dad: *over the phone* "The only way to reverse the power of the arch is to defeat its demons in battle."

Donnie: "Ah, yes, so in this case, a game of baské ball."

Raph: "Donnie, I know you know how to say it. We're all onto you."

I roll my eyes with a smirk before retrieving my phone with a salute.

Me: "Thanks for the help, Dad. See you this weekend for our next lesson. Love you!"

Dad waves with a smile as I end the call, and the team & I huddle up to create a game plan.

Raph: "Ok, here's the plan."

Leo: "Let me in. You need a full team."

Raph: "Look, Leo, we need to work as a team. Take your win-at-all-costs attitude back to your boy Dunk."

Leo: "You're right. I'm sorry. That eccentric billionaire, who was kind of a surrogate father figure to me, has shown me a version of myself I don't like. I've been a ball hog, a bad teammate, and worst of all, I've been a-*gags*-I've been a bad-*gags*-I've been a bad-*gags*-I'm gonna say it. I've been a bad-*gibbers*-Brother! Brother! I've been a bad brother!"

We all pull Leo in for a group hug as we don confident looks.

Raph: "Let's be ballers."

TO BE CONTINUED