People who have seen the preview might understand. I do not own TMNT in any way, from Mirage to Viacom. But what the heck, here's a story!

THUD!

"Again!" Splinter ordered.

"Hai, Sensei," Leo smothered a gasp, and for a fifth time that night ran the obstacle course (unofficially dubbed "The Torture Tour-de-Force" by the ever-helpful Michelangelo).

Running, jumping, ducking, and all the time wielding his swords in some of the most complicated katas his master could assign.

Splinter, eyes fixed immovably on his student's shell, barely twitched a whisker as he watched yet again Leonardo's performance, tracking his every move from rooftop to rooftop, waiting for the final move with almost religious-like attention.

Leonardo, leaping and spinning once again, landed on the finishing point.

"THUD!"

"Get on the scale!"

Leonardo sighed without seeming to and once again submitted himself to being weighed by Donatello, who had a "hydration station" (hard-fought for, by the way—when Splinter was in a mood like this, anything could be seen as a challenge to his authority and put a turtle in danger of having to participate in the exercise).

"It's still the same, Sensei," Don said apologetically, surreptitiously eying his brother with all the sympathy he could display (without calling the unwanted attention of Splinter to himself).

Splinter shook his head, pacing back and forth, and then inspected the surrounding rooftops of the mostly deserted section of the city where he'd personally supervised the setting up of this training field.

When he'd first decided to move the course above ground, Leonardo had been grateful. Though he'd spent a lot of his life racing through the sewers, it wasn't the most comfortable of places to work out in. His euphoria of being in "fresh air" wore off after the third run of this special training.

The rat returned, having satisfied himself of the rigor of each and every obstacle.

"Let me see the chart," Splinter ordered, and Donatello dutifully handed his tablet to his master. "Are you certain he has not been cheating with the special diet I ordered?"

"I'm making sure of that, Sensei," Michelangelo piped up, teasingly holding up a slice of pizza and making a show of taking a bite. "MMmmmm—OUCH!"

The walking stick made a sharp sound against the prankster's head, and the message was quickly understood.

"Sensei," Leonardo said. "Seriously, this isn't a problem…"

"Again!" Splinter sharply rapped the surface with his walking stick, and without question, Leonardo once again ran the course.

Raphael, from the safety of Donatello's hydration station, was extremely careful to keep his laughter at his brother's expense to himself, shook his head.

THUD!

"Again! A NOISY ninja is a DEAD ninja!"

"It was just a commercial for a movie. Sensei sure takes that stuff to heart. How much longer do you think he's gonna push Leo like this?" he asked his brainy brother.

"Until he doesn't 'thud' when he lands," Don replied, an evil smirk on his face. Then he adjusted the sound on the hidden speakers at the "landing" point. It was now so cranked up a pigeon would make that noise. "And I think that won't be for another three, maybe four times."

"THUD!"

"Again!"

Raphael shook his head.

"I sure am glad I'm not on your bad side," he commented.

"Believe me, Leo will finally learn just how much of a bad-ass I can be," came the reply.

"THUD!"