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“Today, you will all fight each other. The last one standing will win.” Splinter declared, with his hands behind his back as he stood tall.
It was the usual morning training session that the Hamatos had every day. The brothers would practice their moves, sometimes meditate, and then battle each other.
They all sat on the dojo’s mats in a row as Splinter stood in front of them and instructed them on what to do. As usual, Raph, Leo and Mikey really anticipated the fighting part of the sessions. But Donnie? Not really.
Donatello never really enjoyed fighting. He likes being part of the team and helping his family, but the battles never amused him as it did with his other brothers.
“Get ready to have your butts kicked.” Raph declared with a smirk and a smug tone, as he looked over his brothers with confidence and Donnie answered him with a nonchalant huff.
“That’s my line, Raph.” Leo replied with a condescending chuckle.
Raph rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Yeah, right.”
A smug smile spread on Mikey’s face. “Please! You guys wouldn’t be able to handle my awesome nunchucks moves.” He declared as he crossed his arms and pointed at himself with his thumb.
Splinter raised his eyebrow in nonchalance as he looked over his sons. “You seem to be very full of yourselves. You shouldn’t be this confident in yourselves, or the enemy might surprise you.” He scolded.
“Don’t worry, Sensei. We will be fine.” Leo denied his accusation with a small smile as he waved his hand in an attempt to brush off his worries.
“I actually think that Sensei is right. If you keep looking down on everyone, then you may never expect them to overpower you.” Donnie, always being the voice of reason, added to the conversation with a raised brow and a judgeful tone as he straightened his shell in his sitting position.
“Easy for you to say. We always overpower you.” Raph degraded as he rolled his eyes and leaned his chin on his hand with a bored expression.
Donnie’s face turned into a frown from Raph’s tease. His shoulders tensed as he felt slight frustration bubble up in his guts.
“What was that?” He asked with a low tone and a tense glare.
Leo was quick to interrupt the conversation, afraid that it might turn into a fight.
“Guys, maybe let’s just focus on the training.” Leo requested with anxious urgency, as he looked at the two of them with slightly pleading eyes.
“Yeah, I want to get my weapons swinging already.” Mikey said with an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, understanding the tension that is building up between Raph and Donnie.
Splinter silently stood still as he looked over his sons, trying to anticipate where this situation would go.
“Wait, wait. So you think that you guys are superior to me in terms of physical fights.” Donnie declared with frustration as his glare hardened.
“Donnie, you didn’t do much in order to make us think otherwise.” Raph replied with nonchalance, paying no mind to his glare.
Raph looked at Leo and Mikey as he asked. “Do you think that he can take you down?”
“Well…” Leo was unsure of whether he should speak the truth or not, not wanting to add to the growing tension.
“Not really.” Mikey replied simply as he shrugged, making Leo jab his elbow at him in a form of scolding.
“Ow! What? He is the one that asked.” Mikey frowned as he rubbed the area where Leo elbowed him.
Raph smirked proudly, proving his point as Donnie suddenly stood up, causing his brothers and father to look at him in confusion.
“Fine. One way to find out if it’s true, then.” Donnie huffed as he walked over to where the battle would take place.
The brothers looked at each over, Raph and Leo staring at each over in confusion as Mikey simply shrugged.
Donnie was taking a weird gamble here. One that he will obviously lose and make him lose even more face than he already did.
“Get into fighting positions.” Splinter declared, making the rest of the brothers stand up and walk over to where Donnie was standing, and face each other.
“Alright. Let’s find out if you can overpower us, Donnie.” Raph announced with a smirk, as Leo and Mikey slightly smiled in confidence.
They all whipped out their weapons as they stood in fighting positions, awaiting their father to declare the beginning of the fight.
“Hajimeru!” He called loudly, as the fight officially began.
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They couldn’t believe it. Even Splinter couldn’t stop the surprise that had appeared on his face.
Their weapons were scattered on the floor, and each of the brothers were down. They all stared in shock from their lying positions on the ground at the one who was left standing.
“I think that I managed to overpower all of you all at once.” Donnie played dumb, feeling a condescending smirk stretch across his lips.
He inserted his bo staff into its holder on his back as he started to walk towards the exit of the dojo, the gazes of his surprised father and brothers following him out.
“Oh, and guys…” Donnie declared as he stopped right at the exit of the dojo, holding its frame with one hand as his back was turned to them.
“All of those times that you managed to ‘overpower’ me?” He turned to them and looked at them with a bored expression.
“I wasn’t really trying.” He finished, as he turned around and left.
Donatello never enjoyed fighting much, and never put much energy into fighting with his brothers. But sometimes, he likes proving himself. Even if it meant leaving the training session before his father had allowed it in order of making a cool exit.
It seems that today he managed to save some face.