Karai’s Dragon Chopper screeched to a stop. She cut the engine and investigated a few back alleys on foot. It was only a matter of time before she found April and brought her back to Shredder like a trophy.

Suddenly, April sprang up behind her, swinging the pizza guy’s bike helmet like a weapon.

“You’ve got guts,” Karai admitted, evading April’s attack. “Let’s see if I can pound that out of you.”

April stood her ground. She locked eyes with Karai, snapping a strange-looking fan out of her purse.

“A tessen,” Karai said, impressed by April’s weapon of choice. It looked like an ordinary fan, but it was actually made of metal and wood—and was sharp enough to cut through steel. “It’s beautiful and unassuming, but very powerful … in the right hands.”

April lunged forward, using the tessen like a sword. She sliced through the air furiously. Karai used her ninja know-how and lightning-fast reflexes to reverse April’s move and swipe the tessen away. Karai threw it to the ground, taunting her.

Karai opened up her stance, and April attacked. She thought back to the katas that Master Splinter had taught her: power-punching in set patterns. She fought hard, determined to land a hit on Karai, who dodged the strikes gracefully.

This is too easy, Karai thought, just as she felt the wind get knocked out of her and an insane pain shoot through her torso. April had landed a kick!

Karai was stunned. It wasn’t often that someone surprised her in battle. She doubled over. “Good one.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.” April scowled.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Karai made short work of April, pummeling her blow by blow. With every hit, it became more and more difficult for April to pick herself up again. And with a combo of punches and kicks, Karai knocked April clear out of the alley and onto the busy sidewalk.

“What makes you so special?” Karai said bitterly. “You’re the center of an alien conspiracy, protected by mutants, and trained by a great ninja master. Why?”

“I don’t know.” April winced, staggering back up on her feet. Then, in a burst of rage, she grabbed Karai in a wrestling hold. The two girls grappled, unaware that they were inching closer to the subway entrance.

“I’m flunking trig, my friends are mutants, aliens got my dad, and I lost my mother!” April yelled.

Karai froze, abruptly letting go of April. “You lost your mother, too?” she asked with a tremble in her voice, backing off.

Splinter’s teachings echoed through April’s mind: The key is to unbalance your opponent.

Noticing they were at the top of the subway stairwell, April saw her opportunity to unbalance Karai. She used her opponent’s moment of hesitation to deliver a hard kick. Karai tumbled down the stairs and vanished into the shadows of the subway.

In that moment, a whole new April stood up. Gone was the damsel in distress. The girl who stood at the top of those stairs was a true kunoichi now. Exhausted and bruised but triumphant!

April smiled. “Not bad for a nobody.”