Author's Note: This chapter will be from the perspectives of Kate, John, Shredder, Leo, Raph, and Mikey. As the title suggests, certain characters will get exposed and all hell will break loose as a result. Hope you're ready for lots of arguing. Enjoy.
Kate's POV
September 29, 2013
Well, today's the day. I'm finally turning 16, which means I can now have my very own Sweet 16 birthday party! And I know this party is going to be the absolute best because not only will Mikey and Leo be there but my favorite godfather in the world, Oroku Saki, promised he would be there too. Hopefully, April and Casey will be there, but I have my doubts about them showing up. Even better, Mikey and Leo are celebrating their "Mutation Day" as well! They call it "Mutation Day" because they don't remember having actual birthdays when they were normal, non-mutated turtles, which genuinely makes me sad. I can't even imagine not remembering my birthday.
Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kate. Kate Kasai. I'm the daughter of John and Susan Kasai, if you didn't know that already. My life has been quite…interesting so far. I mean what are the chances of having a father who is not only a multi-billionaire, but also a super-powered mutant who happened to co-lead a crime syndicate? Yeah, they wouldn't be very high. I remember when Dad told me about his mutant powers when I was 8 years old. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. My dad was essentially a superhero, as long as you remove the "hero" part. If there's one word my dad dislikes, it's "hero". He doesn't believe in the idea of heroes, which I personally think is ridiculous but if that's what he wants to believe, then why should I stop him? Well…he is cool with me calling him "my hero", so there's that.
For some strange reason, ever since my 15th birthday, my two best friends, April and Casey, have pretty much ghosted me and I don't know why. I mean we still talked in school but if I wanted to hang out with them, they would always come up with some BS excuse and it really ticked me off. For the longest time, I thought I was the problem, until I found out they were associated with the turtles, which explained everything.
Speaking of the turtles, the one turtle I've been constantly thinking about for the last few months was Mikey. He was without a doubt the coolest guy I've ever known. He was funny, kind, always had a great attitude, and he wasn't afraid to tell me if he was upset or disheartened about something. His overly positive attitude could be a bit much at times, but overall, his presence has definitely made my life better. But over time, my feelings for him started to evolve. Instead of seeing him as just a platonic friend, I began to feel…attraction to him, like I wanted to be with him. At first, I couldn't believe what I was thinking. Don't get me wrong, Mikey is a great guy, but…he's not human. He's an animal, a humanoid mutated turtle, he and his brothers even described themselves as freaks of nature. I shouldn't fall in love with him! I would be going against nature! It would be unethical! It wouldn't be right! But after arguing with myself for months, I could no longer deny my feelings for him.
I was in love with Mikey. I was in love with a teenage mutant ninja turtle and judging by how he looked at me, I think he had feelings for me too. The problem was that neither of us wanted to say anything about it. Hell, whenever I said anything about romance, even if it was completely out-of-context, he became uncharacteristically shy and somewhat embarrassed.
As much as I wanted to be in a relationship with him, there was this part of me that was hesitant about it because I was still feeling the scars of my last relationship. Oh, I forgot to mention that. Yeah, I had a boyfriend almost 2 years ago and his name was Zach. And my God, he was an ASSHOLE. I mean he started out okay, he was cool with my parents and he treated me with respect. Then a few months after we started dating, he turned into a scumbag. He was looking at other girls, he constantly interrupted me, and he even allowed one of his asshole friends to slap my ass. It was fucking gross.
Eventually, I couldn't take Zach's shitty behavior anymore and I asked my parents about what I should do. They both told me to leave him because of his "toxic" behavior and if I stayed with him, his behavior would've only gotten worse. So, I took their advice and a few days later, I broke up with Zach. And that was a day I would like to forget.
Flashback: October 28, 2011
It was a Friday night. We just left our school's Halloween party. The party was already bad when we got there but Zach managed to make everything worse. Like most days, he was being a toxic bastard. The piece of shit even tried to force me to drink some punch that was clearly spiked with alcohol. How did I know it was spiked? A decent amount of people at the party were stumbling around, slurring their words, and throwing up on the floor. I'm 100% positive he was going to do some "date-rape" shit to me if I drank that punch. So yeah, I did not have a good time.
Anyways, after the party, I decided I was going to choose this moment to dump Zach. And hopefully never see him again.
"Hey babe, what's wrong?" Zach said in his sleazy voice.
"Don't call me babe." I said with an annoyed tone.
"Come on babe, don't be like that." Zach said before attempting to grab my shoulder.
I immediately backed away from him and said, "Don't you fucking touch me!"
"What the hell is your problem?" Zach yelled.
"You! You're my fucking problem! I've given you numerous chances to fix your behavior and all you do is squander them! All you do is get worse and worse and treat me like shit! Well guess what? You can go treat someone else like shit because WE'RE DONE!" I yelled.
"What did you say?" Zach asked in a shocked tone.
"We're done. Finished. Finito. IT'S OVER." I said.
"Bitch, you can't break up with me." said Zach.
"Well, I just did. Enjoy the rest of your life. ALONE." I said before walking away.
I took a few steps, until Zach roughly pulled my arm towards him.
Then…he punched me right in the face and I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My mom looked at me with concern, while my dad was completely distraught.
"He's dead. That fucker is dead." Dad said before leaving the room.
"Kate, it's going to be okay. Dad will deal with that human piece of garbage and trust me when I say, we will NEVER let anything like this happen to you again." Mom said before giving me a kiss on my cheek.
And that's how my first relationship ended.
As you can imagine, it left some emotional scars that may never heal. I stopped thinking about relationships for more than a year and a half. I got nervous when any boy, not named Casey, tried to talk to me. I changed my style, wearing mostly black and red outfits. I even changed my hair, dying the ends red. My mood got relatively worse and I didn't feel like talking to anyone, unless it was April and Casey. It wasn't until I met Mikey when my mood got a lot better.
If you're curious about what happened to Zach, well, let's just say…my dad took care of him and erased him from my life.
But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Mikey was not Zach, in any way, shape, or form. He wouldn't physically or verbally abuse me because it's not in his DNA to do such a thing. We would treat each other right and hopefully have a lost-lasting relationship.
But before I could tell Mikey anything, I needed to tell my dad first. I needed to know if he was fine with the idea of me dating a mutant. I know his best friends are mutants but there's a clear difference between friendly relationships and intimate relationships.
I opened the door to my dad's bedroom and I saw him cleaning a sword from his weapon's cabinet. This was my chance. Hopefully, he would take it well.
"Um, Dad? Can I ask you about something?" I asked.
"Sure thing, princess." said Dad.
"Dad, you know how I feel about you calling me princess." I said.
"I know. I know. You find it embarrassing but I just can't help myself sometimes. You may be 16 today but you'll always be my sweet little princess. Now what was it that you wanted to ask me about?" said Dad.
"Okay, how would you feel if I wanted to date a…mutant?" I asked.
"A mutant?" Dad asked.
"Yes. A mutant." I replied.
"You're talking about Mikey, are you?" Dad asked.
"Shit. He figured me out." I thought to myself.
"No. Why would I be talking about Mikey?" I said with the worst fake laugh in the history of ever.
"Kate, I'm not blind. I've seen the way you've looked at Mikey and I've seen the way he's looked at you. Susan and I gave each other the exact same looks 17 years ago and those looks are the reason you even exist in the first place. Besides, you yourself are talking to a mutant, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Why the heck wouldn't I allow you to be with Mikey?" said Dad.
"Well, I thought you would say it would be unnatural or something." I said.
"Kate, MY VERY EXISTENCE spits in the face of nature. Do you really think I care about what's "natural" and what's not?" Dad asked.
"Not really." I said.
"Exactly. I'm 100% cool with you being with Mikey. I trust him completely. He's infinitely better than that piece of shit, Zach." said Dad.
"True." I said.
"So, when are you planning on telling him?" Dad asked.
"I wanted to do it today since it's both my birthday and his Mutation Day. I wanted to make it super special." I said.
"And I know it will be very special. Oh, I got a surprise for you." said Dad.
"Really? What is it?" I asked.
"It's someone very special, who promised he would be here today." said Dad.
"No. You're kidding." I said.
"I'm not kidding. He's right outside the door." said Dad.
Being incredibly excited, I dashed to the door and slowly opened it. And what I saw made me explode in happiness.
"Happy birthday, Kate." said Oroku Saki.
I immediately hugged Saki and said, "I'm so glad you're here!"
"I wouldn't miss anything for my favorite godchild. Especially not her 16th birthday." said Saki.
"Saki! My man! What is up?" said Dad as he and Saki gave each other a bro hug.
"Not much. I'm just glad things are deathly slow today." said Saki.
"You shouldn't say that, Saki. You know if someone says something like that, shit will always pop up when you least expect it." said Dad.
And boy, was Dad right when he said that.
Mikey's POV
TODAY'S THE FREAKING DAY! GOODBYE 15 AND HELLO 16!
Today's a very special day for my family and it's a day we call "Mutation Day". It's a day where we celebrate our mutation, since we don't have official birthdays. It's kind of sad but it's still a very exciting day for all of us, especially me. Ever since our 10th Mutation Day, I've been assigned with cake-making duties and the results have been very…hit or miss (mostly miss). All I had to work with was algae and worms, so the results were not great. But this year is different, because now I have actual cake-making ingredients! I'm hoping to make some decent in order to make up for all the previous botched cakes.
I woke up nice and early at 6 am to prepare the cake. It was going to be at least three layers tall and it would be split into 4 different sections. Each section will be represented by a different color. Blue will be for Leo, purple will be for Donnie, red will be for Raph, and orange will be for me. The four sections will be connected by green icing and on each section, I'll put in some decorations of our respective weapons. Katanas for Leo, a Bo staff for Donnie, sais for Raph, and the best weapon of all, the nunchucks, for me.
The cake took two whole hours to make but when it was done, it was worth it. The cake was everything I'd hoped it be. I just hoped no one would see it before I was ready to present it.
"Now that is an awesome cake, Mikey." said Leo, who walked into the kitchen.
Welp, so much for that.
"Thanks, bro. I really appreciate you MURDERING the surprise I had for the whole family. Why are you even in here? Shouldn't you be asleep? Afterall, not only is it Mutation Day but it's also a Sunday, so that gives you a double reason to sleep in." I said.
"Mikey, you know my habits. Ever since Sensei made me leader, I've had to wake up at 5 am almost every single day. You can blame that rat for turning me into a super-duper early riser." said Leo.
Ever since Leo started talking to John, he has shown a lot of straight up hatred towards Sensei. I wasn't exactly sure why Leo talked to Sensei with such contempt, so I asked him why. When he told me what really happened between Sensei, Shredder, and Tang Shen, I WAS PISSED. Sensei lied to us our entire lives and now he's forcing us to fight a battle that HE HIMSELF CAUSED. The dude was an absolute dick.
"Besides, we need to talk." said Leo.
"About what?" I asked.
"Kate. Today's her birthday after all." said Leo.
"I know that. You know it's hard juggling two events, especially since one is a secret we're hiding from everyone. So, what did you get her?" I said.
"I got her some kunai (ninja knives) she can use in case she deals with any of our enemies again." said Leo.
"Good thinking, bro." I said.
"What about you?" asked Leo.
"Well…I'm going to give her a drawing." I said with a smile on my face.
"A drawing? A drawing of what?" asked Leo.
I quickly dashed into my room and pulled out the drawing, before rushing back into the kitchen and showing Leo what I'm going to give to Kate.
"Of this." I said as I showcased the drawing to Leo.
The drawing consisted of me and Kate wearing ghost-hunter outfits and fighting tons of ghosts. It was based directly off Danny Phantom and it was even in the same art style as the show. Since me and Kate were Danny Phantom superfans, it only made sense to make her a drawing based off one of our favorite shows.
Also, I didn't mention this before, but I LOVE art. Drawing, painting, doodling, the whole nine yards. Art has been my passion since I was 6 years old. I've shown some of my work to my family and they've all given me positive feedback. Recently, I've been getting into online art and I even set up a Deviantart page to display my art. In a short amount of time, I gained a small, but loyal fanbase and I made some really good online friends…THAT ARE NOT CHRIS BRADFORD.
"Danny Phantom. Great choice, Mikey. It looks really good." said Leo.
"Thanks bro. How could I not pick DP? Afterall, he's-" I said.
Leo interrupted me by saying, "Don't. Don't say it."
I had a devious smile on my face and I leaned closer to him and whispered, "He's a phantom."
Leo rolled his eyes and said, "I knew letting you discover that show was a bad idea."
"You're just jealous that my favorite show is actually popular. Unlike yours." I said.
"At least my show didn't have a shitty ending." Leo said with smug look on his face.
"Touché." I said before putting a cover over the cake.
A few hours later, it was time to celebrate Mutation Day with the family. I gathered everyone into the kitchen and revealed the cake, which caused everyone's, except for Leo's, mouth to drop.
Raph actually gave me a slow clap before saying, "Mikey, you've really outdone yourself. This is incredible."
"Thanks, Raph." I said.
"My sons, I'm grateful we are all here together, alive and well. This past year has been a challenging one. You four have made many enemies but you have also made allies along the way. Hopefully, your war with the Shredder, the Foot Clan, and the Kraang will end within the next year." said Sensei.
Sensei then went on and on and on about philosophical bullshit, while me and Leo looked at each other, wondering when we should leave to go to Kate's place.
While we were all eating cake, which was delicious by the way, Sensei noticed how neither April nor Casey showed up at the lair.
"Where are Ms. O'Neil and Mr. Jones?" asked Sensei.
"Busy." Raph said a little too quickly.
"They're stuck doing a ton of homework this weekend." Donnie added.
I could tell by the way they answered Sensei's question that they were both hiding something. And whatever they were hiding had something to do with April and Casey. I didn't want to bring up during the party, but I knew something was going on with Raph and Donnie. I just hope it's nothing life-threatening.
"That's too bad. I was hoping they would celebrate with us." said Sensei.
Once me and Leo finished our pieces of cake, we looked at each other and nodded. This was it. It was time to go to Kate's party.
"Um Sensei, do you mind if Mikey and I went out for a few hours?" asked Leo.
"To do what?" asked Sensei.
"To work out and train. We got to be on our toes at all times." I said.
"But it's our Mutation Day. It is a day to relax." said Sensei.
"Well maybe today we want to do something more PRODUCTIVE." said Leo.
"Plus, I need to burn off all the calories I just gained from eating that cake." I said.
Sensei frowned before he sighed and said, "Very well. Be back here before 6pm. Understand?"
"Hai, Sensei." we said simultaneously before giving Sensei a bow.
We quickly went into our rooms to grab Kate's gifts before rushing out of the lair.
Once we were far enough away, Leo said, "Thank God. I thought he'd never shut up."
"I know, right. I can't believe he still wants to fight this bullshit war. It's ridiculous." I said.
"Even worse, he's going to put a shit-ton of pressure on me just because I'm the oldest and the leader." said Leo.
"God that sucks. Why doesn't he realize how unhealthy that is mentality?" I said.
"I'm just glad we met John and his family. If we didn't, I would've gone insane by now." said Leo.
"Same here, dude. Let's hope Kate's party goes smoothly." I said before we left the sewers and went up to the surface.
Raph's POV
What a surprise. Leo and Mikey leaving the lair by using a vague-ass excuse. I never would've guessed.
For the past few weeks, me, Donnie, April, and Casey have been talking about how Mikey, Leo, and Kate have coincidentally all been acting weird and secretive. Donnie came up with the theory that Mikey and Leo happen to know Kate and could potentially be in cahoots with John. I didn't want to believe that Mikey and Leo would betray us but anything's possible. So, we decided to initiate "Operation: Exposed" whenever Mikey and Leo would make a shitty excuse to leave the lair. And it just so happens that today was that day.
I quickly texted Casey with, "Operation: Exposed is a go"
He replied back with, "Get here ASAP."
I looked at Donnie, I nodded at him, he nodded at me, and we quickly got up and attempted to leave.
"And where are you two going?" asked Sensei.
"I just got a text from April and Casey. They said they needed help with their homework assignment." I said. That was a complete lie. April and Casey finished their assignment yesterday, but Sensei didn't know that.
"But it is a Sunday." said Sensei.
"It's a weekend assignment, Sensei. April told me it's very time consuming." said Donnie.
"But why are you going Raphael? Surely, Donatello can help April and Casey by himself." said Sensei.
"Casey wanted me to be there for moral support. To motivate him to concentrate." I said. I really hope Sensei buys it.
"Very well. You may go." said Sensei. YES, HE BOUGHT IT!
"Thank you, Sensei! Enjoy the rest of the cake!" I yelled as me and Donnie ran out of the lair.
Once we arrived at April's apartment, the four of us discussed how we were going to pull this off.
"Okay, I know Kate is celebrating her birthday today and Casey and I know where she lives." said April.
"Since there's a strong chance of Mikey and Leo being at Kate's place, we need to execute our plan relatively close to their location." said Donnie.
"Okay, so as soon as you see Mikey, Leo, or Kate leave the building, that's when I'll strike. Right?" I said.
"Correct. I'll text you if I see any of them leave the building." said Donnie.
"And I got you the perfect disguise." Casey said before throwing me a large, bulky biker suit, some custom three-finger gloves, a dark biker helmet, and a pair of very large boots.
"I got all of the stuff from eBay. I made the gloves specifically for you since you only have three fingers. Finding the right size for your boots was a pain because your feet are so wide and weird looking, so I just got the biggest size I could find." said Casey.
"Thanks Casey." I said before putting on my outfit. I've never mentioned this before because it's a little embarrassing but before putting on the biker outfit, I've never worn clothes. None of my brothers had any real reason to wear clothes. It's not like we're showing off our turtle bits to anyone. Besides, people would still scream at me if I wore a nice shirt and some slacks, so what's the fucking point of putting on anything?
By far and away, the worst part about wearing this outfit was wearing shoes. Shoes are not my thing and will never be my thing. They made me feel clumsy and I can't have that when I'm in the middle of doing something. It'll kill my reputation.
Once I got the whole outfit on, I asked Donnie, April, and Casey, "What do you think?"
"Dude, you look wicked! You look like you came directly out of a comic book." said Casey.
"It's looks very convincing. Although, you might need to avoid using your hands because if they see your three-fingered glove, it's a dead giveaway." said April.
"Duly noted." I said.
"You might also need a codename. That way no one could tell it's you." said Donnie.
"How about Nightwatcher?" I suggested.
"That's perfect. Plus, it sounds pretty badass." said Donnie.
"Alright, so you'll call Mikey or Leo when you see them outside and tell them that the Nightwatcher is "attacking" April and Casey?" I asked.
"Yep. You need to make sure the fighting looks convincing, otherwise the plan will go up in smoke. Got it?" said Donnie.
"Got it." I said while giving Donnie a thumbs up.
"Good. Let's do this." Donnie said as we all gave each other a simultaneous high-five and yelled, "GO TEAM." Sure, it's a cliché chant but we didn't exactly have a name for our 4-person squad. I'll probably come up with something later.
John's POV
Well, Kate's now 16 years old. It's crazy how much time has passed since Kate came unto the world via me and Susan. It's even crazier to think about everything that's happened in those 16 years. Gaining mutant powers, becoming a multi-billionaire, meeting Bebop and Rocksteady, meeting Mikey and Leo, all sorts of stuff.
And now it seems she wants to start a relationship with Mikey. Now, I have zero problems with Mikey. He's a good kid with a good heart and a great attitude. Plus, he's fun to be around. But there's this tiny part of me, this overprotective Dad part of me, that's worried Kate's going to get hurt again. After what Zach did to Kate, I wasn't sure I could trust any boy with my daughter. And after what I did to Zach, I don't think any boy wanted to be with my daughter. Because they would have to deal with me.
Flashback: November 5, 2011
A week has passed since Kate was put in the hospital by that piece of shit, Zach. The doctors said she was now free to go home and rest up. The second we got home, I called Casey to ask him about Zach and where he might be located because I wanted to beat him into unconsciousness.
I waited for a few seconds, before Casey finally answered.
"Hello?" asked Casey.
"Casey, it's me. It's John. Kate's father." I said.
"Oh, hi Mr. Kasai. How are you?" said Casey.
"Casey, we've been over this. You don't need to call me Mr. Kasai. Just call me John." I responded.
"Sorry, force of habit. So, do you need anything?" asked Casey.
"Yes, I do need something. Do you know a kid by the name of Zach?" I asked.
"Yeah, Kate told me all about him and what he did and…GOD, it makes me want to beat the fuck of him with my hockey stick! Sorry about the language." said Casey.
"It's fine. You have every right to be this upset. I just wanted to know where he might be located this weekend." I said.
"Why?" asked Casey.
"So, I can have a little "talk" with him." I said with gritted teeth.
"Oh, well, I did hear he's throwing a party at his house tonight. One of his friends gave me an invitation, even though there was NO WAY IN HELL I was going. Again, sorry about the language." said Casey.
"WHERE? TELL ME THE ADDRESS!" I yelled.
Casey quickly told me the address and I wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper.
"Thanks, Casey." I said before hanging up the phone.
Thanks to my teleportation powers, I didn't need to drive all the way to his house. I simply teleported relatively close to his location and walked the rest of the way there. The only weapon I had on me was a metal baseball bat. I didn't feel like bringing anything TOO lethal. I only wanted to pulverize the kid, not kill him. I was also wearing my ninja gear, in order to make sure no one recognized me because if they did, it would be a very awkward conversation.
Once I made it to Zach's house, I loudly knocked on the front door and some teenage girl opened the door to respond to me. I could tell by the way she was moving and by the stench of her breath that she was drinking beer. I wasn't surprised by this. When I was researching American culture, I found out that a sizable number of adolescent youths like to drink alcohol, even though it's illegal to drink under the age of 21. I could've called the cops on them and shut the whole party down but I didn't. That's not what I was there for. Besides, it would be highly hypocritical of me, a co-leader of a deadly crime organization, to demonize anyone for doing a relatively low-level illegal act. Now if you're touching kids, sexually assaulting people or being a human piece of shit, that's a whole different story.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I need to speak to Zach. NOW." I said.
"Wait…are you a cop?" she asked.
"Do I look like a cop?" I replied.
"Sort of. I'm guessing you're here to arrest us. If you are, arrest Megan first. She is such a slut." she said in her drunken stupor.
"I'M NOT A FUCKING COP! NOW WHERE THE HELL IS ZACH?!" I yelled, my patience was completely gone at this point.
My outburst caused the girl to step back in shock and she said, "He's in the living room."
I quickly made my way inside the house. Loud music was playing on speakers, teens were either socializing or drinking beer, and there was not one adult in sight.
Once I entered the living room, I saw him. I saw the motherfucker who put my daughter, my princess, in the goddamn hospital. I didn't waste a single second when I walked up to him and simply said, "Hello Zach.", before delivering a straight punch to his face, knocking him to the floor.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and were now looking at me. I grabbed Zach by his shirt collar, picked him off the ground, and threw him into a glass table, which shattered on impact. A number of the teens were shocked and many gasped at my actions but I didn't care.
I then grabbed Zach's arm and dragged him out of his house. All of teens followed me, likely curious on what else I was going to do with him.
I stopped dragging him when I got on his front lawn. At this point, I wasn't going to hold back. I grabbed my baseball bat and began my assault.
"So, you like hitting girls? You think it makes you cool? You think it makes you a badass? WELL, IT DOESN'T!" I yelled before kicking him right in the stomach.
"Please…please stop. Please. I'm sorry. I'm…I'm sorry." Zach said while blood was dripping from his mouth.
"Sorry doesn't cut it." I said.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" yelled Zach.
"Your worst fucking nightmare." I said before I rained hell on his bitch ass.
I'm not sure how many times I hit him with that baseball bat, but I think it was around 10. By the time I was done, Zach passed out from the pain and there were nasty bruises on his body.
I then looked at the group of teens who watched the whole thing, before teleporting back to my main house.
I didn't feel much regret for my actions. Anyone who has a brain should know that you never piss off a girl's father, especially if said father had mutant powers and a cold-blooded fighting style.
But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Mikey will NEVER be another Zach. It's just not in his blood to be an asshole. So, when Kate asked me about it earlier today, I told her I was cool with her being with Mikey. And why wouldn't I be cool with it? Sure, Mikey's a mutant, but so am I. Not to mention that my two best friends are mutants. The only potential bad thing about Mikey being with Kate is that Mikey and his brothers are… a magnet for trouble. But I tend to be a magnet for trouble too, so it's not that much of a problem.
Speaking of potential bad things, I'm worried about how Leo and Mikey will react to seeing Oroku Saki at Kate's party. Now, I've already told the two of them Saki was not the enemy and he was a close friend of mine. It still doesn't change the fact that they've been fighting Saki and the Foot Clan for exactly 1 year and all those feelings of bad blood and anger don't just simply disappear.
I didn't even tell them what happened with Saki and the Foot Clan a few months ago because I doubt they would believe it. Hell, I barely believed it until Saki told me in extensive detail.
"So, when Mikey and Leo come over, are you going to tell them?" I asked.
"I should. It will take some time to them to be convinced but it would definitely be for the best." said Saki.
"Let's hope it doesn't lead to a fight." I said while drinking some punch.
Around two minutes passed, before Mikey and Leo came out of the elevator with their gifts.
"We're here!" yelled Mikey.
"And we got gifts for a certain someone's birthday!" yelled Leo.
Kate quickly rushed to greet the two turtles and they presented their gifts.
"I got you some kunai. You can use them whenever you end up in a bad situation." said Leo.
"And I made you this drawing. I thought you would like it since we're both huge fans of Danny Phantom." said Mikey.
"Guys, these are so cool! I LOVE THEM! Thank you so much!" Kate said before hugging the two turtles.
"It's no problem, Kate. Happy birthday." said Leo.
"HAPPY B-Day AND M-Day!" said Mikey.
"M-Day?" asked Leo.
"Yeah, our Mutation Day. B-Day means birthday, so M-Day means Mutation Day." said Mikey.
"I guess that makes sense." said Leo.
"So John, how's it go-" Leo stopped himself when he saw Oroku Saki. Both Leo and Mikey drew their weapons out and the only thing I could say in that particular moment was…
"Shit."
Shredder's POV
"Shredder!" Leonardo yelled as he and his brother, Michelangelo, drew out their weapons and pointed them at me.
Great. Just what I needed. All I wanted to do was celebrate my goddaughter's birthday in peace. But I guess that's too much to ask for.
"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! I AM NOT GOING TO ALLOW A WAR TO TAKE PLACE ON MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY. NOW, PUT AWAY THE WEAPONS." yelled Susan. It was at this moment I was eternally grateful that John chose to marry this woman.
"John, explain this. WHY IN THE HELL IS THE SHREDDER HERE?" Leonardo said with fury.
"Because I wanted him to be here. I wanted him to celebrate Kate's birthday with me and Susan." said John.
"But why?" asked Mikey.
"One, I've known John for over 20 years and he's my closest friend. And two, Kate is my goddaughter." I said.
"Kate's your god-what?" Michelangelo said with a confused tone.
"Goddaughter. I'm essentially her guardian, besides John and Susan." I said.
Michelangelo simply responded with "Oh."
"Well, how do we not know that you're planning something with the Foot Clan?" Leonardo asked me.
"The Foot doesn't even know I'm here." I said.
"And how is that?" Leonardo asked.
I sighed and said, "Because I'm not in the Foot Clan anymore."
As soon as those words left my mouth, the whole room went silent. Both Leonardo and Michelangelo looked highly confused and simultaneously asked, "WHAT?"
"I no longer associate myself with the Foot Clan." I said.
The two turtles looked at each other and laughed, clearly thinking I'm telling a joke, even though the punchline doesn't exist.
"I'm sorry. Are you seriously trying to tell us that you, THE SHREDDER, are OUT of the Foot Clan? Because if you are, that's the funniest shit I've heard all year." said Leonardo.
I was surprised by Leonardo's use of profanity. From what I've personally seen, Leonardo seemed like he was the most mature and respectful out of his brothers. I'm 100% positive he got it from John, since John always had a…crude way of expressing his thoughts.
"I assure you I am telling the truth. I left the Foot Clan several months ago." I said.
"And where's your proof? You can't just say things without proper evidence." said Michelangelo.
"I'm his proof. He told me everything that happened in extensive detail. Because unlike your father, Saki is actually honest." said John.
"Okay, then tell us. What made you quit the Foot Clan?" asked Leonardo.
I sighed before telling the two turtles what caused me to break away from the ninja clan that I brought back from the grave.
"For the longest time, I thought I would be happy when Hamato Yoshi was out of my life entirely. I thought that by brutalizing him and by extension his children, all the anger, sadness, and pain I've held in for 16 years would dissipate. It didn't. Like John, I became angry with myself after that night last October. I hated myself for not knowing beforehand that Yoshi brainwashed you into thinking that I started all of this. When John left, the morale in the Clan plummeted. Half of the Foot Soldiers walked out with John and the overall atmosphere was simply terrible. Not to mention that Karai had been doing things BEHIND MY BACK THAT I NEVER APPROVED OF. She made various deals with the Kraang and violent extremist groups, which made everyone uncomfortable. We argued for hours and hours. She refused to accept that she was disrespecting the Clan's legacy. MY legacy. And eventually, I came to the realization that the Foot Clan I knew and built up was dead. Gone. The "new" Foot Clan was a shell of its former self. So, I decided I was done. I didn't want to be apart of this "new" Foot Clan. And I left. Naturally, I was met with some resistance but I quickly took care of that problem. And now, I'm a target of the Foot Clan and although John offered to let me stay at his home, I'm currently living in my own apartment." I said.
The stunned faces of Leonardo and Michelangelo were all I needed to see to know if they believed me or not.
"Wow. That's just…wow." said Leonardo.
"So that's why we haven't seen you for so long? I thought you went a business trip to Japan or something." said Michelangelo.
"I wish I did." I said simply.
I then walked up to the two turtles and said, "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. I've done great harm to you and the rest of your family. Nothing can change that. But what I can say is that hurting you and attempting to kill you is something I will NEVER forgive myself for. I'm ashamed of my actions and I wish I could take it all back."
Before I could say anything else, Michelangelo gave me a hug and said, "It's okay. We forgive you."
I was shocked by his words, which made me ask him, "How could you forgive me so easily? After everything I've done?"
"Like you said, we were brainwashed. Conditioned to think that you caused all these problems, when in reality, it couldn't've been further from the truth." said Leonardo.
"I…I don't know what to say." I said.
"You don't need to say anything, dude. You're cool with us. Not to mention that you're apart of our family, since you're technically our uncle." said Michelangelo.
"That is true." I said with a smile.
"Did anyone kill each other yet?" Susan asked from another room.
"No! Everything's fine! No one's dead!" yelled John.
"Good because I am not dealing with any bloodshed today." said Susan.
As I was chuckling at Susan's response, I got this sick feeling that something was going to happen. It would come at the most inconvenient time and it would either lead to injury or tragedy. I know this feeling better than anyone because it's the story of my goddamn life. I've learned that if something bad can happen, it will happen.
Mikey's POV
For some super random reason, Kate wanted me to come outside with her, so she can tell me something "important". I wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that but I went along with it. As long as she didn't sell me out to crazy scientists, I was willing to fulfill her requests.
So we're now standing outside, at the very top of the skyscraper and my God, the view is just unbelievable. You could literally see most of the city from the height we were at.
Kate looked a little nervous, like she was afraid of telling me something. I really hoped she wasn't going through anything serious.
"Kate, is something wrong?" I asked, wanting to know what was going on with her.
"Mikey, there's something I've wanted to tell you for quite a while. I was worried about what could happen but after talking with my dad, I'm now comfortable with telling you." said Kate.
"Telling me what?" I asked.
"Mikey, I love you." said Kate.
Of all the things I thought she would say, this wasn't it.
"What?" I asked.
"I love you Mikey. I've had feelings for you for a few months now and I really needed to get it off my chest." said Kate.
"Is…is this real? Is this a prank? Because if it's a prank, then you're just as skilled as me." I said.
"No, it's not a prank. This is me speaking truthfully." said Kate.
I could tell by her eyes that she wasn't bullshitting. She actually did have feelings for me. A girl actually wanted to be with me.
"Wow. Well, I've had romantic feelings about you too, but I never said anything. I thought you would say no because I'm a turtle and you're a human. Plus, I was worried your dad might kill me." I said.
"Mikey, my dad would never kill you. Unlike my last boyfriend, you're actually a good person. You're funny, likable, caring, badass, trustworthy, and you display so much positive energy. I can't imagine being with anyone else but you." said Kate.
"Really? Wow. Thanks. I honestly never thought I would ever find a romantic partner in my life. I was worried that my dad would tell me that humans can't have relationships with mutants and a ninja shouldn't be distracted by romantic feelings." I said.
"Mikey, what your dad told you is bullshit. You deserve happiness, you deserve a great life, and you definitely deserve more than living in the sewers with an awful parent." said Kate.
"True. So, now what?" I asked, legitimately not knowing what to do in this situation.
"Well, we could kiss, if you want to." said Kate.
"Um, sure. I guess." I said, cringing internally at how awkward I was being.
Just as our lips were about to touch, my T-phone started ringing. I looked at the screen and saw that Donnie was calling me. I wanted to punch him so hard for cockblocking me but I let those thoughts go and answered his call.
"Hello, this is Mikey, the coolest turtle in the universe. How can I help you?" I said.
"MIKEY, it's DONNIE! I NEED YOU, ASAP!" Donnie yelled.
"Woah, woah, woah. CALM DOWN. What's happening?" I asked.
"Some guy just jumped April and Casey in an alleyway. He calls himself "The Nightwatcher" and I don't think he's here to protect anybody." said Donnie.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"I'm right by a very large skyscraper, near the TCRI headquarters where we lost Leatherhead." said Donnie.
Leatherhead. Just hearing his name brought back sad memories. The poor alligator went through so much at the hands of the Kraang and I was the first person who gave him any type of love. It tore my heart when he sacrificed himself by pulling himself and that Traag monster into Dimension X. I really hope he's still alive because I enjoyed being around him. He made me feel protected and I made him feel loved.
"I'm relatively close. I'll be there shortly." I said before hanging up the phone.
"What's going on?" asked Kate.
"My bro and friends are in trouble. You want to come with me? I could use your skills." I said with a smile.
"Sure. Lead the way." Kate said before the two of us ran back inside.
We quickly rushed to the elevator, hoping no one would bombard us with questions.
"Mikey? Kate? Is everything alright?" asked John.
I was wrong.
"Yeah, I got an emergency call. No big deal. Nothing life-threatening. Bye." I said right before the door closed.
In hindsight, I shouldn't've said that because now I know I just worried everyone. Once again, good job Mikey.
The second we left the skyscraper, we heard screams coming from a nearby alley. We quickly made our way there and when we arrived, we saw some weird, masked biker dude attacking April and Casey. I didn't see Donnie anywhere.
"HEY!" I yelled. The biker dude turned around and starred right at me.
"Step away from my friends. NOW." I said.
"Or what?" The biker dude asked.
"You'll be spending a long time in the hospital." I said before converting one of my nunchucks into a kusarigama and swinging it around, in order to intimidate the biker dude.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" The biker dude asked.
"It should." I said.
"Hmmm. I see you got your little girlfriend with you. I think she outta know that you still wet the bed on an infrequent basis." The biker dude said.
What?! How the fuck does he know that? The only person I've ever told that to was Raph and that was years ago. Unless…
Before I could say anything, Donnie came out of nowhere and stood right beside the biker dude.
"Donnie, what are you doing?" I asked, being very confused.
Then, April and Casey got up like nothing even happened and stood right next to Donnie and the biker dude.
"What…what is this? Seriously, what the hell is this?" I asked.
The biker dude took off his helmet and it turned out to be Raph. Cue the Dun Dun Dun sound.
"Surprise." said Raph.
"Shit. You planned this, didn't you?" I said with anger in my tone.
"Damn right. Now, you're going to tell us everything. You're going to tell us why you and Leo betrayed our family!" yelled Raph.
"Betrayed you? I didn't betray anyone." I said.
"Okay. Keep lying. Because if you don't start explaining shit right now, I will beat the truth out of you and trust me Mikey, I'm not pulling any punches this time." said Raph.
Leo's POV
"Did anyone else find that strange?" I asked right after Mikey and Kate rushed to the elevator.
"I certainly did. I doubt it's good." said John.
"I say we follow them. There's a good chance they could get ambushed." said Shredder.
"Good point. Let's go." I said.
"Alright. Grab my hands." John said as Shredder and I grabbed John's hands and the three of us teleported out of John's living room and onto a nearby rooftop.
"Okay, now where are they?" asked John.
We looked around for a bit, until Shredder said, "I see them."
John and I walked to Shredder, looked down, and what do you know? Mikey and Kate were there. With April…and Casey…and Donnie…and Raph, who was wearing a weird biker outfit. And they were all arguing.
Oh. No.
"Oh shit, they found out." I said quietly, even though I was about to have a heart attack.
"Great, just what we need. I fucking jinxed myself." said John.
"I jinxed myself as well. I knew something would happen because something always does happen." said Shredder.
"Why is Raph even wearing that outfit? He hates clothes." I said.
"Must have used it as a disguise." said Shredder.
"And they all ambushed Mikey and Kate?" I asked.
"Precisely. Plus, it's something both John and I would do." said Shredder.
"True fact. But I think we need to get down there because it's looking pretty tense and from what you've told me about Raph, it's only going to get worse." said John.
Shredder and I both agreed with John's words and we all jumped down into the alley, causing the massive argument to stop temporarily.
"Well, look who it is. Mikey's partner in crime." said Raph.
"Raph, it's not what you think." I said.
"It's exactly what I think! You and Mikey have been going behind our backs to be Kasai and Shredder's puppets." said Raph.
"That's not it at all, Raph." I said.
"You probably have a wire on you and the Foot Clan will show up any second to kill us all." said Raph.
"That's not going to happen." said John.
"And why is that?" asked Donnie.
"Because I'm not apart of the Foot Clan anymore and neither is Saki." said John.
Raph laughed before saying, "You're kidding me, right? You're pulling my leg. You know the leg that YOU broke."
"I left the Clan days after I nearly killed your whole family. I hated myself for what I did that night and I still regret it every single day. Saki left the Clan because it was going into a direction that he didn't approve of and I doubt any of you would've liked it either." said John.
"I don't believe you. You're lying. You're fucking lying!" said Raph.
"Okay, then explain why you haven't seen or heard from me in several months. And it wasn't because of a business trip or me coming up with a diabolical plan to take over the world." said Shredder, his last words dripping in sarcasm.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you! You're a murderous scumbag who put us all in this shitty situation." said Raph.
Shredder looked at me and said, "He has no idea, does he?"
"What?" asked Raph.
"I planned on telling him and everyone else eventually. In a PRIVATE location." I said.
"I have no idea about what?" asked Raph.
"You wouldn't listen to me anyway." I said.
"What makes you think I wouldn't listen?" asked Raph.
"BECAUSE YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME! You never take anything I say seriously! Any time I give you a simple order during a patrol, you end up doing your own fucking thing! So, why the hell should I tell you anything?!" I yelled.
"Maybe I would listen, if you weren't such an ass all time. If you weren't such a pretentious douchebag, always giving me shit and treating me like shit." said Raph.
"I probably wouldn't have to do that if you didn't have such a piss-poor attitude and an uncontrollable temper. Hell, Splinter might have chosen you to be leader if you weren't such an angry, jealous, vindictive child who brings down others to hide his own insecurities." said Leo.
"Woah Leo. You need to cool it." said Casey.
"Why should I, Casey? It's the fucking truth. And I find it very rich that you complain about me and Mikey doing something behind your backs, yet you do the EXACT SAME THING. You, Raph, Donnie, and April have been doing nothing but calling and texting each other, talking about how you want to "spend more time together". You make up lame excuses to leave the lair almost every day. It's like you're all in relationships with each other or something." I said.
Raph, Donnie, April, and Casey all looked at each other awkwardly and right before Raph was about to speak, Casey put his hand on Raph's shoulder.
"Dude, you don't have to tell him." said Casey.
"No Casey, I do. Since we're all airing out our dirty laundry, I might as well come out the fucking closet. Guess what Leo? I'm gay. I like guys. Casey's bisexual. We've been together since January. Donnie and April have been together since December. Happy, Leo? HAPPY?!" said Raph.
Wow. I did not expect that.
"You're gay? Dude, you could've told me! I would've been 100% supportive of you and Casey. Same to Donnie and April." said Mikey.
"You would've made jokes. BAD jokes." said Raph.
"Dude, I make bad jokes all the time. But I know when I shouldn't cross the line. I'm not immature as you think, Raph." said Mikey.
"Same here. I wouldn't make fun of you for liking guys. I mean love is love for Christ's sake." said Leo.
"Well, Sensei would disown me if he found out. So, that's why I didn't tell anyone except Donnie, April, and Casey." said Raph.
"Raph, fuck what your father thinks. There's nothing wrong with being gay." said John.
"And how would you know?" asked Raph.
"Because my two best friends happen to be in a gay relationship with each other and I never gave them shit about their love. As Leo said, love is love. If your father can't accept that, then that's his problem, not yours. Besides, he's a lying piece of shit anyway." said John.
"What do you mean?" asked Raph.
Right before John was about to tell Raph the truth about Splinter, I saw a walking stick being thrown in the air and it landed right in the middle of all of us.
Well, things have now gone from bad to worse.
Splinter jumped off a rooftop and landed right in front of us. He stared at me and my brothers specifically. He looked like he was going to explode in rage.
"Sensei?" said Raph, clearly looking terrified.
"Because of what I've heard, you four are officially disowned. You are no longer my children. Especially you, Raphael. You disgust me. A faggot should never be a ninja." said Splinter.
I wanted to scream at Splinter. Tell him how he couldn't abandon his children. Tell him how he shouldn't hate Raphael because he was gay. But I couldn't. I was numb. I was in shock. And so were my brothers. Thankfully, John tackled Splinter hard to ground and punched him several times before screaming in his face.
"WHAT TYPE OF FATHER ARE YOU?! DISOWNING YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T WHAT YOU WANTED?! AND HATING YOUR SON BECAUSE HE'S NOT STRAIGHT?! THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" John screamed.
"They're disappointments. All of them. They're weak, pathetic, ignorant children. They're a disgrace to ninjutsu." said Splinter.
Oh, the fucking irony of that last statement.
"They're a disgrace? They're the disgrace? Have you looked yourself in a mirror lately because the only disgrace I see is you. And I'm about to expose you for the bastard you truly are." said John.
And for the next 5 minutes, John and Shredder told Raph, Donnie, Casey, and April what REALLY happened between Yoshi, Saki, and Tang Shen. They told them everything. And I mean everything. Saki marrying Shen, Yoshi impregnating Shen, Yoshi never telling Saki, Saki fighting Yoshi, Yoshi inadvertently murdering Shen. They didn't leave out a single detail.
Once the TRUE story was told, Splinter knew he was fucked. He couldn't lie his way out of this. He couldn't use his garbage wisdom to convince any of us that he was a good person. He was scum and he knew it.
But John decided to twist the knife even further than he already did.
"Hey Donnie, you want to know why Timothy's dead?" John asked.
Timothy was a very touchy subject for Donnie. He felt extremely guilty about Timothy's death, so just bringing up his name would cause Donnie to get uncomfortable. And sometimes even volatile.
"When the Foot Clan and I found out that Timothy was a spy, we didn't kill him right away. No, instead we came up with a different idea. We gave your dear old dad a choice. Either he sacrificed his life for Timothy or he saved himself by letting Timothy die. Guess what the motherfucker chose?" said John.
Donnie knew exactly what Splinter chose and my God, Donnie was ANGRY. Now, I've seen Donnie get angry before on multiple occasions. But that was "Why are you so stupid?" type of anger. This was the "I'm going to murder you" type of anger and it was truly scary.
With zero hesitation, Donnie rushed towards Splinter and beat the living shit out of him. I'm talking punches, kicks, knee strikes, slaps, scratches, you name it. Raph had to pull him off of Splinter as Donnie yelled, "I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU!", with tears flowing from his eyes.
After we got Donnie to calm down, I put one of my katanas to Splinter's neck before saying the following:
"Here's what's going to happen. Me and my brothers are going to go back to the lair, we're going to pack our things, and we're going to leave you. FOR GOOD. And if you even try to go near any of my brothers, I WILL KILL YOU with NO REMORSE. UNDERSTAND?"
Splinter was silent. All he did was put his head down in shame. He was so fucking pathetic.
To make sure Splinter didn't try anything, John delivered a running stomp to the back of his head, knocking him out cold.
"Once you get your things, the four of you can stay at my place. There's plenty of room, trust me." said John.
My brothers and I went back into the sewers and entered our home…for the very last time. As we were all gathering our personal belongings, I had this bittersweet feeling in my heart. I mean we lived here our entire lives. Sure, the sewers smelled like shit, but it didn't change the fact that it was our home. It was where we were born, where we lived, where we began our ninja training, where Splinter made me leader, which in hindsight was a horrible decision. I still remember when Splinter gave us our ninja masks and weapons when we were only 7 years old. I was so ecstatic about becoming a ninja and being like Sensei. If only I could tell my past self about the monster that posed as my father.
Right before leaving the lair, I took one last look at the dojo, where Splinter taught me my first kata. It made my heart ache a bit. Sure, Splinter turned out to be an absolute bastard and I wouldn't shed a tear if he died in a ditch, but still…it made my heart hurt.
Once my brothers and I got all our belongings, we put them in the Shellraiser, got inside, and drove out of the lair.
The car ride was deathly quiet. No one wanted to say anything and I don't blame my brothers one bit for the lack of conversations. They were likely still trying to process what happened earlier. How Sensei just abandoned us all and us knowing his REAL origin story. I didn't even want to think what was going through Raph's mind, considering his own father called him a vulgar slur.
When we arrived at John's place, he had a surprised look on his face.
"Didn't know you guys had a vehicle." said John.
"Yeah, it's called the Shellraiser. Mikey came up with the name. We use it for patrol." I said.
"Okay, well, you can park your vehicle in my garage. It's underneath the building." said John.
I parked the Shellraiser with relative ease, reasonably close to John's own car. Once that was done, we grabbed our belongings and followed John to the underground elevator.
While in the elevator, I told John, "Thank you. You didn't have to do this."
"Leo, I want to help you and your brothers. Your parent was terrible. No child should ever have to deal with a terrible parent. You four deserve far better than Hamato Yoshi." said John.
When we made it to the top floor, we put our personal items on the floor and sat down on a large couch. Kate sat right next to Mikey, while April and Casey sat next to Donnie and Raph, leaving me somewhat in the middle.
John, Susan, and Shredder were in a huddle formation, whispering to each other, before turning around and facing us.
"Alright, so…a lot has happened these past few hours. Secrets were revealed. Relationships were discovered. A father abandoned his children. It's quite clear that things will never be the same again. And while change can be terrifying, it can also be a blessing." said John.
"We understand that as much as you're angry at Hamato Yoshi, he is still your father. He raised you from birth and made you into the warriors you are today. We know we can't pretend to be your parents, but we still want to give you all equal amounts of love and support." said Susan.
"So, here's how things are going to go. I have four bedrooms on the top floor. Susan and I share one and Kate has another. Since there are four of you, it will be 2 to a room. Leo will be with Mikey and Raph will be with Donnie. This will only be temporary, as the four of you will soon have separate rooms. I will make a schedule and a set of rules for you to follow very soon." said John.
"And after much thought, I believe it is best for me to move in and join John and Susan as your guardian, in order to help you all heal from your emotional pain. As your nonbiological uncle, it pains me to see my innocent nephews suffer from their father's poor choices." said Shredder.
"Susan, Saki, and I all want you to be happy and live long, fulfilling lives. I know it will be a struggle and there will be heartbreak and suffering, but I promise you, we will NEVER EVER give up on any of you. I will die to make sure you all live the greatest lives imaginable. Understand?" said John.
I looked at my brothers who all responded by nodding to John. Raph looked like he was about to break down in tears at any second.
"Raph, are you okay? Do you need a hug?" John asked softly.
Raph nodded again as tears began to fall down his cheeks. John walked over to Raph and gave him a firm hug. And once John hugged Raph, Raph completely broke down.
As Raph was crying, John said softly, "It's okay. It's okay. Let it all out. You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."
Soon enough, everyone in the room enveloped him in a group hug.
It was definitely a dark day for all of us. But as they say, even in the darkest of places, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
And that's it for Chapter 9. Boy, that was A LOT. 26 pages worth of writing, but I think it was definitely worth it. I really hate putting the turtles through so much emotional pain. They don't deserve all the bad shit that's happened to them. Now, three of the four turtles have partners (Mikey/Kate, Donnie/April, and Raph/Casey). Poor Leo is the odd turtle out. I used Raph's Nightwatcher persona from the 2007 movie because I think it's super underrated. Also, I really enjoy writing Mikey as a Danny Phantom fan, it fits him perfectly. The next and final chapter of this story shouldn't be as long this chapter, but it will include a Foot Clan attack, an alien dimension, a fan favorite character, and an unexpected ending. Other than that, I hope you all have a wonderful day. Bye for now and stay safe.