Trust in the Shadows

The Pulverizer Returns: Part 2

Alyssa's POV:

Later that evening, Splinter calls us into the dojo.

Splinter: "You five have defeated much of the Foot Clan with ease."

Raph: "Why does he make that sound like a bad thing?"

Splinter: "Because you have grown complacent! Each of you has become dependent on your own weapon. But there are times when you may not be able to fight with what you know. And when that happens, you must adapt to your environment."

Mikey: "Oh, yeah? What if there's only, say, a comic book?"

Splinter thwacks the comic into Mikey's face to knock him over.

Splinter: "Anything can be a weapon."

Raph: "Sensei, you can't seriously send us out there armed with nothing but a comic book."

Splinter: "For a ninja, anything can be a weapon."

Leo: "So what do you want us to do?"

Splinter: "I want you to embrace the unfamiliar. Boys, switch weapons. Alyssa, you will temporarily be given a new weapon until you've mastered its proper technique."

Mikey gets Leo's katanas, Leo gets Donnie's staff, Donnie gets Raph's sais, Raph gets Mikey's nunchucks, and Splinter trades my tantos for a pair of kamas.

Mikey: "Look, I'm Leo! -*imitating Leo*-Guys, we have to be quiet. Ninjas are quiet. Quiet down."

Donnie & Raph laugh as Leo dons an annoyed look.

Leo: "I sound nothing like that!"

Raph: "Yes, that's why we're laughing, because you sound nothing like that."

Splinter: "Face each other. Alyssa, spar alone. Hajime!"

I nod and begin attacking the air before me with my new weapon while the guys go up against one another with nervous looks. Raph accidentally hits himself in the face, Leo trips over the staff, Mikey lets go of the katanas, and Donnie pokes himself in the face. Meanwhile, I quickly get used to the difference in weight between my tantos and the kamas.

Splinter: "Yame!"

Mikey: "That was messed up."

Splinter: "You will continue to fight this way. It will teach you resourcefulness and versatility."

Raph unties himself from the nunchucks.

Mikey: "Not so easy, is it?"

Raph: "Hey, I'm getting the hang of it."

{Time skip}

Later, in the living room, Mikey is using the katanas to eat pizza, Raph is practicing spinning the nunchucks through the air, Leo is practicing swinging the bo staff around, and Donnie is fiddling with the sais when he gets a text on his T-Phone.

Donnie: "Text message from everybody-but-Mikey-knows-who. The Pulverizer is telling us where the Foot are gonna strike next."

Raph: "What do you know? He's actually useful."

Donnie: "Yeah, but he can't stay in the Foot. They'll toast him."

Raph: "Inside information, Donnie? It's worth the risk."