TMNT: The Titan's Rise
By: Phoenix Ride
Ch.1: Dreams of A Sidekick
"Ow! Ow!" complained Mikey, as he lay down in his bed, slowly recovering from the beatings he had received from his latest Cowabunga Carl gig.
Little kids were such monsters these days! Seriously, what was in these parents' minds to arm their kids with piñata sticks, every time Mikey was scheduled to visit? Dealing with crime was much easier than torture like this.
In his mind, Mikey secretly wished for the day where they could all go out and fight crime again. But, until Leo returned from his training trip, there was no way that was going to happen.
So, like it or not, Don and Mikey eventually both struck out and got jobs. Jobs where they could get paid and still hide in secret. Don hacked his way into a career of tech support, while Mikey outfitted a costume so he could be a bash at children's parties. He was a bash all right, a real punching bag fetish!
Raph was the only lucky turtle who hadn't gotten himself a job. So far as Mikey or Don knew at the time, Master Splinter's fighting ban had hit the red-masked turtle the hardest. Raphael was a trained warrior; it wasn't like him not to fight.
Crime was still out there on the streets, and Raph was stuck brooding in his room, barely coming out for anything other than food or a brief talk.
"We're all suffering pretty bad," Mikey thought, as he closed his eyes to go to sleep " I just hope things will be better soon,"
Excitement pumped up in Mikey's gut as his eyes glued to the flashing signals emitting from the TV screen. Fresh bruises and cuts plagued his body from a recent party attack, but this time he didn't care. His attention solely focused on the news, displaying a mysterious headline that read:
Who Is The Nightwatcher?
Mikey never felt more excited in his life! A superhero! A real, live superhero had arrived in New York! Sure his tactics with criminals were a little crude, but it was just so cool to know that there was someone else out there fighting crime.
"Oh man" thought Mikey, giddily " If only I could be out there to join him! What a team we could be!"
And as the days passed, Mikey's Nightwatcher fascination grew into obsession. He couldn't even sleep or eat without thinking of the strange metal figure.
"I wonder who he is?" thought Mikey " I wonder if he needs a sidekick?"
But such thoughts were considered dreams, as the months rolled by. Leo still hadn't returned from his training trip yet, and it had been a full two years. Just what was going on in those jungles anyway? Did Leo fall prey to a wild beast and couldn't make it home? Did the blue-masked turtle simply drop off the face of the Earth?
The worry of Leonardo's whereabouts shook Mikey to the core, to the point where he feared to voice his own thoughts. However seeing the Nightwatcher on TV gave him hope, that someday, Leo would return, and everything would be alright.
To Mikey's great relief, Leo did finally return, and the tearful reunion it brought was sign to Mikey that, after all this time, he could finally quit his stupid Cowabunga Carl job.
As usual, things were a bit tense with Leo and Raph once they were reunited. Even a long two year vacation didn't seem to be enough to quell the anger between the two.
Mikey was raring to go back to action, and even informed Leo that they may have a new crime-fighting ally in the Nightwatcher. However, as soon as he was told of the Nightwatcher's tactics, Leo took to offense to the hero's ways and joined Donnie on the Anit-Nightwatcher side.
Mikey hated it when his brothers found doubt in his heroes, but luckily, this time, Michaelanglo had strong supporter on his side. Raphael turned out to be a Nightwatcher fan, and encouraged Mikey's belief in his hero's ways. Though rare for Raph to support any of his obsessions, Mikey gladly continued being a fan.
Then, just a few days later on, Mikey finally had the chance to meet his hero beneath the mask, but was surprised when he learned who he hadn't expected it to be.
After over-hearing Raph talk to Master Splinter about Leo being captured, Mikey found himself standing around a table with the rest of his family, as Raphael explained how Leo got caught, revealing his secret life in the process.
"All this time" thought Mikey in shock " I was obsessing over Raphael?"
The truth of reality was hard to grasp at first, but after a while to think about it, Mikey realized just how funny it was. Raph had been his superhero all along and he never knew it! Talk about irony!
A few hours later, after they had successfully rescued Leo, and stopped a monster plague from taking New York, Mikey brought Raph into his room to display his shrine.
All the Nightwatcher memorabilia he had collected throughout the years, stood out in front of the red-masked turtle's eyes. Raph wasn't sure if he could even breathe.
"Here" said Mikey, reaching under his mattress " I have something special to show ya,"
Minutes later, Mikey pulled out a hand-sewn, red and gold outfit, complete with a hood, cape, and a large "T" spreading across the uniform's chest.
"It's my Turtle Titan costume" said Mikey, excitingly " I made it so I could be the Nightwatcher's sidekick whenever he fought crime. It's pretty awesome to know he lives right in my own house,"
"Yeah" said Raph " but I'm retired from being the Nightwatcher now Mikey. I don't think there's any reason that I'll be going out as a hero anytime soon,"
"I don't know about that Raph" said Mikey " once a hero career starts it rarely stops. Just wait and see, New York will be buzzing about where you have gone sooner or later,"
Mikey's prediction proved to be correct, as just weeks after the Winter's Towers incident, Raphael was dragged into a whole new chapter of his Nightwatcher life. And boy, what a chaotic chapter it was!
Raphael seemed to be hunted by everybody; his fans, the Foot, the police, demons. The chaos never seemed to stop.
But it was the finale of all this chaos, which made Mikey look up to his red-masked brother with new eyes. That single moment, where Raph was surrounded by flames, adorned in red, white, and gold armor, made jaws drop to the floor.
The Nightwatcher's story had risen to new heights, and now the whole town witnessed him as a hero.
Mikey could barely turn on the news anymore without hearing something about Raph's heroics. Even though Raphael was now retired again from the Nightwatcher gig, his fan base was still going strong.
There was now a popular book out on the market, written by the police chief, and the mayor had even erected a statue of the Nightwatcher in the middle of Central Park.
"Raph's sure accomplished a lot," thought Mikey, looking over to the dojo where Raph and Leo were sparring, friendlier than usual.
Since both older turtles became masters in the martial arts, the sting of change could be felt poisoning the air. Their bonds of brotherhood had become stronger, and yet more distant. Don and Mikey had fallen behind, and it was about time for their own journeys to begin.
Mikey wondered what his master journey would be, and if it would as exciting as Leo and Raph's.
Curling up a loose bandana in his fists, Mikey slowly brought the soft cloth up to his face, and sniffed in a familiar smell, reveling in the memories of the lovely lady who once wore it.
"Ninjara" thought Mikey, close to tears " I wish I could see you again,"