Minotaur Maze

**"Minotaur Maze"** is the eleventh episode (Episode 6B) of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It first aired on October 6th, 2018.

## Characters

* Donatello (Josh Brener)
* Leonardo (Ben Schwartz)
* Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith)
* Raphael (Omar Benson Miller)
* Minotaur (Cree Summer)
* Señor Hueso (Eric Bauza)

## Plot

The turtles are on a skyscraper, showing off their mystic weapons. Leo tries showing up Mikey and Raph's displays by trying to make a portal with his sword. But, he only can make one big enough to fit his hand through. Donnie then explains that the crystal he got from Draxum's armory, when inserted into his goggles, allows him to detect mystic energy around the city. He sees an old lady walking past a laundromat, but the goggles reveal a disguised yokai. She opens a portal in the building's wall and passes through. Donnie is able to see a pizza restaurant on the other side before it closes. Mikey suddenly feels hungry, and the turtles decide to investigate.

Leo insists on trying to open the portal, but after failing, Raph succeeds. The portal opens to the front door of Run of the Mill, a yokai-owned and patronized restaurant. The turtles are unsure at first, but after realizing they are among other strange creatures, they go to a booth to sit. Leo is still annoyed at his earlier failures, but overhears a pair of yokai congratulating each other, with one calling the other a champion. Leo sees where the two yokai came from; a hallway bearing the sign, "Prove You're a Champion." Leo walks down the hall, and sees many pictures on the walls of other yokai, all proud and holding pizza. He approaches Señor Hueso and asks what is behind the door he is guarding. Hueso responds that it is the entrance to the Maze of Death, where champions prove their mettle for glory, their picture on the wall, and free pizza. Leo is positive that he can master the maze. Hueso points out that mystic powers are forbidden in the maze, then asks if Leo will be entering alone.

Mikey is about to eat his pizza when Leo slaps it from his hand. He brings his brothers to the door, and tells them they can get better pizza inside. The other turtles follow Leo inside, then the door vanishes behind them. Raph asks what is happening, then Leo says they must reach the end of the maze to claim their pizza. Leo leads his annoyed, hungry brothers into the labyrinth. After wandering around for a while, they approach a few monsters that look like various pizza-making devices (a pizza cutter, a cheese grater, etc.), prepping and baking pizzas. Leo assumes this is the goal, and asks for four pizzas. The monsters stop baking, and attack the turtles. Raph tries using his mystic tonfa, but Leo stops him, and takes out the cheese grater monster with his sword. Raph makes short work of the oven and rolling pin monsters.

Raph demands answers to why they were attacked, but Leo notices the center of the maze: a statue of a minotaur holding pizza. Before the turtles can proceed, the walls start closing in around them. Raph asks why he can't use his powers to punch through the walls, and Leo sheepishly admits that mystic powers aren't allowed in the Maze of Death, and that they are in a Maze of Death. Spikes and fire come out of the walls as they slowly approach the turtles. Raph wants Leo to be honest about the situation. Leo admits that while they are there for pizza, he wants to have his picture on the champion wall. Raph is angry at this, but Donnie and Mikey point out that they are all about to die. They tell Leo to make a portal with his sword, even though this will disqualify them from the challenge. Leo tries making a portal, but states that he is useless when he can't. Raph gives him a pep talk, then threatens to haunt Leo if they die. Leo tries again, calling himself a champion as he does. He manages to open the portal and everyone squeezes through before the walls crush them.

The portal opens up to the center of the maze. Leo climbs the minotaur statue and claims the box of pizza. But, the statue starts moving. A voice calls the turtles cheaters as thorny vines burst out of the statue. The vines attack the turtles while the voice claims that she is the assistant manager, and as such, the maze obeys her. One by one, the turtles are captured and brought before the assistant manager, a short female minotaur. Before she can finish the turtles off, Leo offers to take the brunt of the punishment since he was the one who cheated. The minotaur refuses, saying that all of them tried to cheat her out of her world's greatest pizza. Leo asks how she knows her pizza is the best, because he might have had better pizza elsewhere. The minotaur assumes he is talking about a rival pizza place, and decides to release the boys and feed them a slice each to prove her pizza is the best. The turtles are happy with this, and Leo asks where he gets his picture taken for the Wall of Champions. In response, the minotaur slaps him in the face with a vine.

The battered Leo, along with the other turtles, do get their group photo on a wall: the Wall of Cheaters.

## Trivia

* The episode appears to take place before the events of "The Fast and the Furriest", as the Turtles discover the hidden pizza place for the first time in this episode.
* On the walls leading to the Maze of Death, there are pictures of two characters who resemble Bebop and Rocksteady.