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“Who’s ready for an adventure?” Scrooge McDuck announced dramatically, bursting into his grand-nephews’ room.
“Ooh! Ooh! I am!” Dewey said excitedly, jumping off his bed and running up to Scrooge.
“What’s the treasure?” Louie asked interestedly.
“No treasure this time,” Scrooge said, holding up an ancient parchment. “We’re off to break a curse!”
“Nope. Hard pass.” Louie said, turning back to the papers on his desk.
“Are we talking like, a world ending curse or more of a small, localized curse?” Huey asked. “Because I have a very important Junior Woodchuck retreat this weekend and I wanted to earn my Advanced Circuitry and Plot Excusal badges.”
“I suppose it’s more of a minor curse…” Scrooge said hesitantly.
“I’m going to have to take a rain check, then.” Huey said. “I can’t miss another Junior Woodchuck meeting this month or I’ll risk losing my rank!”
Dewey rolled his eyes. “Looks like it’s just you, me, and Webby then!” He said, tugging at Scrooge’s arm.
“Actually, I believe Webbigail is off doing something with Lena and Violet this weekend.” Scrooge said.
Dewey’s eyes widened. “So it’s just you and me, Uncle Scrooge?”
“Looks like it, lad.”
-----
“Um, why are we in a weirdo town in the middle of nowhere?” Dewey asked.
“According to this,” Scrooge replied, bending over his parchment again, “There’s an ancient curse that originates under this city, going back more than 800 years. It’s said to turn people into rampaging monsters.”
“So why has nobody done anything before now?”
“I’m not sure, lad. The parchment says there’s something protecting the town, but I cannae decipher this last bit…”
Before Scrooge could elaborate any more, something huge crashed into the street in front of them. A hulking figure loomed out of the dust and debris. Its skin was purple, it had bulging yellow eyes, and was wearing what appeared to be a torn band uniform. Dewey backed up quickly as it roared.
“Woah, now that is a monster!” Dewey said, sounding impressed.
“Curse me kilts!” Scrooge yelped. “That was a bit sooner than I was expecting it!”
“What do we do, Uncle Scrooge?” Dewey held up his fists as if ready to fight. “How about I distract it and-”
“Distract it with what?” Scrooge stepped protectively in front of Dewey, holding his cane out towards the creature as it started lumbering toward them. “I’m not letting ye charge in unarmed!”
“What if I used-”
“Smoke bomb!”
Scrooge looked around at Dewey in confusion. “What good would a smoke bomb do against this? Do ye even have one of those?”
“I didn’t say that, Uncle Scrooge.” Dewey sidestepped around his uncle and pointed to the other side of the monster, across the pile of debris. “It came from over there!”
Scrooge looked where Dewey was pointing, and saw a slim figure in black run out of a cloud of red mist.
“Ninja Air Fist!” The figure leapt into the air, impossibly high, and knocked the creature aside with a controlled gust of wind. Then it landed on the concrete, drawing a sword from nowhere and examining the monster.
“Is that… a ninja?” Scrooge asked in confusion.
“A NINJA?” Dewey squealed. “I’ve always wanted to meet a ninja! Do you think he’ll teach me some moves? I wanna learn how to do that air fist thing! How many weapons do you think he has?”
“He cannae be a real ninja, that makes no sense!” Scrooge huffed. “We’re not even close to Japan!”
“Not to worry, citizens!” The Ninja announced in a dramatic voice. “The Ninja is here to-”
But before he could finish his sentence, the monster lunged forward and knocked him into the side of a building.
“Ow,” The Ninja said, somewhat less impressively. Then he shook himself and got back on his feet. “Hyah!” He leapt up, throwing a red scarf at a point above the monster’s head and using it to swing away from the creature’s blows. “Ninja ring! Ninja ring! Ninja ring!” He shouted, aiming the rings to pin down the monster’s tattered band uniform.
“Cool!” Dewey said excitedly, starting to run forward.
“Stay back, lad!” Scrooge said. “I get the feeling we’re a bit out of our element here. Best let me handle this.”
The monster growled, ripping free from the rings and swatting at the Ninja again, who slammed into the asphalt with a groan. Scrooge pushed Dewey back and rushed toward the monster, parrying its swiping arms with his cane.
“How do we break the curse?” Dewey called, picking up the parchment Scrooge had dropped.
“I don’t know yet!” Scrooge said, dodging nimbly around the creature’s attacks. “I couldn’t decode that bit of the legend!”
“Ninja cold ball!” The Ninja scrambled to his feet and threw a small orb at the monster, which immediately froze it in place. Unfortunately, it froze Scrooge as well.
“What the juice?” The Ninja said, clearly confused. “What’s some old guy doing trying to fight this thing?”
“Hey!” Dewey cried indignantly. “That old guy is Scrooge McDuck, the second greatest adventurer of all time!”
“Second greatest?” The Ninja asked.
“Well, I’m gonna be the greatest, obviously.” Dewey said proudly.
Just then, the ice around the monster began to crack. “Stand back, kid!” The Ninja called. “This is a job for The Ninja!”
Just as the ice shattered, the Ninja jumped forward, grabbing a small metal object from the belt of the monster’s uniform.
“Ninja backup dinger slice!” He called as he chopped the thing in half with his sword. “Geez, how many of these things does he have?”
Green mist began pouring from the broken object, and snaked its way through a sewer grate and out of sight. Dewey stared as the monster transformed into a scrawny blonde kid, who collapsed pathetically onto the street.
“Thanks, Ninja…” The kid said weakly.
“No problem, Bucky. But you might wanna go to some therapy sessions or something before this becomes a regular thing. That’s like the third time this week.”
Bucky gave him a bleary thumbs up before his head slumped in a faint.
“Woah!” Dewey said, running over to the Ninja. “That was so cool! How did you do that? Can you teach me?”
“Uhh…” The Ninja backed up a step as Dewey approached him. Then he stood up straight and cleared his throat. “Ahem, as The Ninja, it is my solemn duty to protect the people of Norrisville! It’s what I do!” he said in a dramatic, official sounding voice.
Behind him, Scrooge finally broke free of the ice holding him in place. “The Ninja, you say?” He said, approaching the slim figure. “That must be the bit of the parchment I couldn’t decipher. So you’ve protected this town for 800 years?”
“Uh, that’s right!” The Ninja said.
“But you sound like a kid,” Dewey said.
“He sounds a lot like you, to be honest.” Scrooge muttered to Dewey, grinning slightly.
“I’m not a kid!” The Ninja said indignantly. “Haven’t you ever heard of the legendary Ninja of Norrisville?”
“Not really.” Dewey said.
“Oh, come on!” The Ninja said. “Where are you guys even from, anyway? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
“We live in Duckburg!” Dewey answered cheerfully.
“Hm, never heard of it.” The Ninja said, pulling something round from his belt. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I have to-”
“Wait!” Dewey cried, wrapping his arms excitedly around the Ninja’s waist. “I’ve never met a ninja before! You have got to teach me some moves!”
“Um, I don’t think-” The ninja began, but Dewey cut him off in his excitement.
“Where do your weapons come from? Are you magic? I know Uncle Scrooge hates magic but seriously, what could possibly be cooler than a magic ninja!”
“Look, kid, I-”
“Well except maybe some sort of mutant mystical ninja,” Dewey continued eagerly.
The Ninja was looking seriously uncomfortable. “Sorry kid, but I have to go okay bye SMOKE BOMB!”
Dewey coughed as a cloud of foul-smelling red smoke erupted around him. When the smoke cleared, the Ninja was gone.
“Aw, man!” Dewey said, kicking at the ground.
Scrooge walked up next to him. “It’s alright, lad. If that Ninja is important I’m sure we’ll run intae him again. And if he’s not, well, no use getting mixed up in trivial nonsense here.” Scrooge frowned at the spot where the Ninja had vanished. “Though I must admit, there was something odd about him…"
Scrooge shook his head and put a hand on Dewey’s shoulder. “I don’t think we have any more business hanging around here, lad. Let’s head home.”
Dewey turned away with his uncle, but couldn’t help looking back in hopes of seeing the Ninja again. There was something familiar about him, and Dewey was determined to find out what.