Family is Forever

Air Turtle: Part 3/Sidekick Ahoy: Part 1

Aria's POV:

We leap onto the court as Donnie spins the ball on his index finger.

Leo: *to the Daves* "Time to put your evil spirit back in the arch."

Donnie tosses the ball as I whack it into a player's face.

Me: "Bounce pass."

Raph: *dunks the ball* "Boomshakalaka!"

One of the Daves grabs the ball and tosses it towards a figure that turns out to be Leo ninja-hiding in the shadows as he passes it to April, who launches it successfully into the net.

April: "From downtown."

Mikey guards the player holding the ball.

Mikey: "Was your momma a house?-*grabs the ball*-Because you're putting up bricks!"

Mikey leaps over another player and dunks the ball through the net.

Dunkman: "Timeout! You know what? I gotta do everything myself."

Dunkman walks through the arch and transforms into a demonic warrior beast.

Dunkman: *to Leo* "It's on, former employee I looked at like a surrogate son. Game on!"

Leo: "Let's go!"

The players start roughhousing us as Dunkman goes to dunk the ball. We try to block him, but he slams the ball through the hoop.

Me: "Timeout!"

Mikey: "Ah, they're too good. Maybe we just need to accept we're under arch rule now."

Leo: "We can do this. I've got an idea. Donnie, you ready to win this thing?"

Donnie: *rolls his eyes* "You're just gonna bounce-throw it off my head again, aren't you?"

Leo: "No, they're expecting me to take the last shot. That's why you're gonna do it."

Donnie: "Me?"

I love and support Donnie, maybe more than anyone else, but he's not the most athletic of the brothers. The last time he dunked a ball was in the pretend court they set up for little kids.

Mikey: "Are we sure about this?"

Leo places a hand on Donnie's shoulder.

Leo: "Yes. I believe in you. You've got this."

Donnie: "Your confidence is giving me confidence."

Leo: "Team on three. One, two, three..."

Turtles, April, & I: "Team!"

Leo bounce-passes the ball to Donnie, who shoots it right as one of the Daves comes to block him, but the ball ricochets off the glass until Leo grabs it in midair and slams it into the net.

Leo: "Hot soup!"

Then, the arch collapses as the Daves and Dunkman are reformed into their proper forms.

Raph: *to Leo about Donnie* "Did you know he would miss?"

Leo: "Just because I became a team player doesn't mean Donnie is magically good at basketball."

I pat Donnie's arm in reassurance.

Me: "Regardless, you're still MVP in my eyes, Dorkules."

Donnie lovingly smiles as he kisses my temple.

Donnie: "And you're still the best referee this side of NYC, my Aphrodite."

Yep, brains are better than brawn, though a bit of brawn never hurts.

{Skipping to 'Sidekick Ahoy' since I don't see Aria's presence having any significant changes in the other episodes}

The turtles and I have just exited a 'Jupiter Jim' movie marathon at the local theater.

Mikey: "Sometimes I think he won't save the galaxy in time, but then he does!"

Leo jumps up and down in excitement as we see something in the sky.

Leo: "Um, are we still movie marathoning, or is that the real Jupiter Jim signal?"

Raph and I roll our eyes simultaneously.

Me: "Oh, boy. I hope that's not..."

We head up to the rooftop where the signal is coming from to find...

Raph: "And it is."

Jupiter Jim: "Well, if it isn't my turtle alien allies and their trusty lass, uh, Alicia?"

Me: "Close enough."

Jupiter Jim: "A pleasure. Alas, I was hoping my signal would bring back to me my dear friend Red Fox."

Raph: "You mean the one you kidnapped, like how you kidnapped everyone else? You're not gonna kidnap us, are you?"

Jupiter Jim: "No. Of course not. Can you ever forgive me for acting like-"

Leo: "You're forgiven!"

Jupiter Jim: "Then it's good that you've come. Red Fox has abandoned me, and an alien invader threatens life on Earth. I need help. One of you five must become my sidekick."

Donnie: "Gasping."

Leo: "Your Jupiter-ness, I would be honored to be your-and now I'm tearing up here-sidekick."

Raph pulls us into a huddle away from Moncrief for a private discussion.

Raph: "Guys, I get it. When we were toddler mutant ninja turtles, we all dreamed of being JJ's sidekick, but he's not a real superhero, remember? He's a crazy actor who thinks he's Jupiter Jim."

Me: "Yeah. Plus, as my dad would say, a Draxum is nobody's sidekick. So, I'm out."

Leo: "But-but-but fun?"

Leo, Mikey & Donnie engage in collective puppy-dog pouts.

Raph: "Fine. You three have your fun, but if any real crime-"

Mikey: "Ok, Mr. Jim. We are in."

Jupiter Jim: "Sham-pow! Tryouts will begin stardate now."

Me: *groans* "Just make this stardate quick."

TO BE CONTINUED