"So you did decided to bring the kid to the school after all, huh?" Mic mused.

"I had some things to handle and I wasn't about to leave him in my home by himself." Aizawa's voice grumbled from the cell phone.

"Riiiight. Right." Mic said, spinning in his chair to look out the window. "It had nothing to do with the excellent idea your's truly mentioned yesterday."

A beleaguered sigh crackled from the other end of the line. "I called to let you know that Nezu is escorting the kid down to you. It shouldn't take me more than an hour to get these papers done, then I'll take him off your hands."

"Who says you need to take him back at all?" Mic asked, twirling a pen between his fingers.

"Hizashi-"

"Hold it right there." Mic interrupted. "How long has it been since you got a full night's sleep?"

"I'm fine. This is more important."

"Well, which is it?" Mic asked. "Are you fine or is watching the kid more important?" he grinned and chuckled. "Come on, Shouta, we both know you were burning the candle at both ends before that kid even showed up." his cheery voice faded to one of concern. "You sound exhausted. What time did you even get home from the hospital last night?"

"Hizashi the kid is dangerous. He's not like the students you're used to. He has multiple abilities that we don't know the full range and power of."

"No different than arriving onto an emergency scene, not knowing who you're gonna face." Mic said. "Look if you're that concerned, I promise I'll hand him back over at the end of the day. But I am going to keep him for a while so that you can get some sleep. Got it?"

"I said I'm fine." Aizawa hissed.

"You can thank me later!" Mic said. Before Aizawa could protest, Mic ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Mic stood and began piling up the papers on his desk. He was grateful now that he'd decided to come in early after all. He'd been wanting to get a peek at this mysterious kid ever since he'd seen the news footage.

He went to go slide his classroom door open and noticed a figure out of the corner of his eye. Not ten feet down the hall, Nezu and a dark haired, rather normal looking teen, were walking towards him. Excellent timing, as always. Mic waved to the pair.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Mic greeted them. "Aizawa just called. I take it this is the kid everyone's been making a fuss over?" Mic asked, gesturing at the teen with a thumb.

"Indeed." Nezu said. Then the principal began speaking in english. "Our American friend here is, Danny Fenton." He then turned his head to Danny. "This is Present Mic, our English teacher and event narrator here at the school."

"Oh, uh, hello." Danny said, giving a brief wave in greeting.

"Hello! Hello, Fentonio!" Mic said, throwing up a pair of finger guns, since the kid didn't seem to want to shake hands.

"You can just call me Danny." he said. Mic could have sworn he heard a hint of agitation in the kid's voice so he decided not to push the issue.

"You got it, Dan, my man."

"Seriously, just Danny." He said, a bit more sternly this time. "Please."

"Picky picky." Mic mumbled under his breath. "Alright then, Danny it is."

"Excellent!" Nezu said, waving a paw. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I can leave this young teen in your care. Do be careful now and try to keep any excessive uses of power to a minimum. Recovery Girl has already left for her vacation and I'd hate to have to call an ambulance to the school."

"You got it, Principal Nezu!" Mic said, flashing a smile at the creature.

"Well then, I shall see you two later then." He said, turning on his heel and making his way back up the hall. "Ta!"

Danny watched the Principal walk away without another word. Mic cleared his throat and Danny turned and blinked up at him.

"So, Danny, I was thinkin' we could hop on outa here and swing by the mall for while. If I had to hazard a guess, Shouta hasn't gotten around to getting you any long term supplies, huh?"

"Shouta?" Danny asked. "You mean Mr. Aizawa?"

"That's the one! He and I've been buds since we attended school here. Hence the first name basis." Mic sighed. "Those were some crazy days, alright. Come on! We haven't got all day!" he said and started making his way to the faculty garage.

"Uh, are you sure it's a good idea to just leave?" Danny asked, following behind. "I was under the impression I was under house arrest and had to stay with Aizawa till I got police clearance"

"You're required to be under supervision." Mic explained, holding up a finger as they walked. "While the authorities would probably prefer Shouta being your guardian, for the time being I'm sure I can keep you out of trouble."

"I just don't want Aizawa getting in trouble if I get caught, that's all." Danny said, scratching at the back of his head.

Mic chuckled. "One day and The Great Sulk already has you wrapped around his finger? That didn't take long."

Danny grumbled something under his breath that Mic couldn't quite pick out. Mic just kept on walking as he spoke. "Don't get me wrong, Shouta's a great guy once you get to know him, but most of the students and even some of the staff have little more than of a fearful respect of the guy, ya dig?"

Danny shrugged. "I mean, he's kinda intimidating, but he seems like a good enough guy. After all, he volunteered to take me in, when he didn't have to, right? That's gotta count for something."

"Not the best argument, but not the worst one ether." Mic looked over his shoulder at the kid and smiled. "Sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders kid. Don't go losin' it anytime soon."

As the two continued down the halls, Mic asked Danny all the usual questions about where he came from and what the fight downtown had been about and Danny answered them in kind. He kept the ghost stuff to a minimum, thankfully. Following the idea of multiple dimensions was hard enough without mixing ghosts into the chaos. Still, Mic could tell the kid had given this speech before, no doubt a few times. He didn't seem too bothered by his situation, but he also wasn't very enthused ether. His home in the other dimension was only briefly mentioned and his focus seemed to be more goal oriented. This is what happened. Here is where I am. That is what I need to do. No room to let himself be human about his situation. Mic could see the potential for an emotional break was building.

"So I take it the minute the police get done with your portal thing, you're gonna scram, huh?" Mic asked.

"That's the plan." Danny said. "I'd like to get back home before everything goes to shit."

"And you think you're the only one who can keep things in check back home?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. I mean, there's other ghost hunters in town that can keep most things at least under control. Not many, but a few, including my parents. But…" Danny paused.

"Not exactly relaxing knowing your home could be under attack and you're stuck here, huh?" Mic surmised.

Danny shrugged, but didn't look up. "Yeah… I guess." Something in the way he spoke told Mic there was more to the story. If the kid didn't want to talk though, he wasn't going to try and make him. At least he was thinking about it though.

The pair made it down to the car park and Mic led the way between the handful of faculty cars. Most of the staff ether walked to the school or took public transit, but a few drove in from time to time. As for Mic, he had his own personal ride that he took everyday. Halfway down the lot was a black sports car with red racing stripes on either side, the same shade of red as his belt. Mic pulled out his keys, clicked a button and the car roared to life.

Danny cursed and jumped back in surprise. Mic laughed. "What? Never seen a remote start before?" He asked.

"A warning would've been nice!" Danny said, glaring at Mic. "Not like I had my heart stop two days ago or anything."

"Lighten up, kid." Mic said with a wave of his hand. "You're fine. Besides, I don't exactly get to show this baby off as much as I'd like to. That was too good a chance to pass up."

Danny rolled his eyes.

"Alright. Alright. No surprises for the killjoy. Got it." Mic said. He clicked another button and the car unlocked. "Hop in! The Mall should be pretty empty on the weekday like this. With any luck we'll get there and back in a couple hours and you'll actually have some stuff to live off of for a week or two."

Mic swung open the door and slid behind the wheel, his hair only just touching the roof of the car. Danny squeezed into the passenger side, admiring the dark leather interior.

"I doubt I'll be stuck here that long." He said as Mic swung out of the parking spot and cruised out onto the street. "Maybe a couple shirts and some socks would be nice, but that's it. Just enough to get through another day or two."

Mic shook his head. "I don't know how legal stuff gets handled in your world, but here these kinda things can take some time. Your case isn't the only one that the fuzz is workin' on and I doubt it's the most pressing."

Danny blinked at him. "A high schooler falls through a portal in downtown, escapes two pro-heroes and is apparently crazy powerful, even by you guys' standards, and that's still not the most pressing matter here?"

Mic glanced at the kid out of the corner of his eye. "Kid, you have no idea what you've fallen into and if I were you I'd be patient and try not to get too involved."

"So my problems aren't important enough?"

"I'm saying, you're one kid and we have an entire country to protect and manage and things aren't exactly steady right now." Mic explained. "You're going to have to accept that it isn't fair, but the boys in blue are doing the best they can. Be patient. They won't forget about ya. These things just take time."

Danny sighed and slumped down into the seat. "Yeah, alright… I guess."

"Awesome! Now then, onto more relevant matters. What kinda style do ya like?"

"Style?" Danny asked.

"Clothes, kid. Are you the cool type? Goth? Sporty? Fancy?"

"Uh… I don't know. Pants that fit and shirts that aren't too tight?" Danny shrugged.

Mic groaned. "Ughhh. You're as bad as Shouta. Then again, at least he has an aesthetic he sticks to. Ok then! How 'bout we swing in and grab the basics first and figure it out from there, alright?"

"Uh, ok."

"Alriiiiight!"

There's nothing quite like shopping for underwear in another country, where you can't read the labels, you don't recognize the brand, and the only interpreter you have is a guy in his thirties that you only met half an hour ago. Thankfully that part of the shopping trip was blissfully short, even with Mic stopping to sign autographs for a pair of fangirls, and the pair were already headed to another store with seven days worth of undergarments tucked away in a bag. Danny found himself staring at the mannequins in the windows as they passed by. Fashion here was certainly brighter and more colorful than what he was used to back home. What was more interesting though was how a number of stores seemed to make special clothes for people with significantly different body types, due to their quirks. One mannequin in such a store sported a form fitting outfit, snugly clinging to a four armed torso and extending down a long tail. The sight brought a thought to his mind.

"Hey, Mic? What happens to someone with quirks like that if Aizawa uses his quirk on them?" Danny asked. "Do they just, appear like a normal person?"

Mic looked over his shoulder at Danny and then glanced at the mannequin. "Not quite, kid. Shouta's quirk doesn't work on mutations."

"Mutations?"

Mic raised a brow and looked at the kid for a minute. "He didn't explain anything to you did he?"

Danny shrugged. "Not unless it was important at the time, I guess."

Mic sighed and started walking again. Danny followed close behind. "Mutation quirks are ones where the quirk affects a person's anatomy in a drastic way." Mic explained. "See, if your quirk involves having an extra body part at all times or your guts are arranged in some unique way, then that counts as a mutation. Shouta's quirk, thankfully doesn't work on those kinds of folks."

"Why do you say that?"

"Why?" he chuckled. "Hell between having to be careful not to accidentally kill someone, by making a vital organ disappear and being constantly asked to make someone look 'normal' for once, he'd be more of a basket case than he already is."

Danny took a moment to arrange his thoughts. "So then, why does his quirk work on me?"

Mic stopped and turned his head to Danny. "Huh?"

"Well, if I'm getting this right, I'd be considered a mutation too." Danny said. "My body, the way it works, it's not normal, regardless of which form I'm in. And, when he tried to use his quirk on me on the roof…" He faltered, not wanting to delve too deeply into that particular memory. "It's like, shutting down my ghost half made the rest of me shut down too. If he's not supposed to be able to accidentally kill other people, why did it affect me at all?"

Mic shook his head. "Kid, I have no idea. You're pretty different, even by our standards. If your whole story about being from another world is right, then maybe that has somethin' to do with it? Hell, I don't know. I'm a radio DJ and an english teacher. This kinda stuff is way my paygrade."

"Yeah. I get it." Danny mumbled. The two started walking again and slipped into another store. "So, you're a radio DJ?" Danny asked.

"Yeaaaah!" Mic exclaimed. "Every Friday night I grace our fair city with the most rockin' tunes I can find. No commercials, no downers, no paid pop pieces. Just the best of the best for all the party peeps out there!"

"Sounds nice." Danny admitted. "I just assumed you were a pro-hero, like Aizawa."

"Oh, I'm a pro too." Mic corrected. "This player's got three jobs under his belt, though the pro-hero thing isn't something I do very often. Teaching and Radio are my main gigs."

Danny's brow furrowed ashe went about skimming through a rack of t-shirts. "So then, how do pro-hero jobs even work here? Aizawa made it sound like any other job."

"Depends on the organization you sign up with, kid." Mic said, leaning against a shelf that held stacks of folded pants. "See, my set-up is on an as-needed basis. They got a ton of full timers on hand to deal with most of the crime they handle. Being signed on with a hero organization just ensures that I get paid if I do decide to intervene and I got lawyers in suits to cover my ass if I screw up. Though, that's only happened once. I got a pretty good track record goin', if I do say so myself."

Danny's nose wrinkled up in disgust. "I don't know. The idea of getting paid for trying to help people just sounds too easy to corrupt. And like, yeah I get it, full time heroes need to eat too, but…" he sighed. "It just doesn't sound right to me."

Mic was silent for a moment, something Danny thought was odd. The guy seemed to really enjoying talking. When he did speak up, his voice lacked it's usual zeal. "You're not the only one to think like that, kid."

"Oh?"

Mic nodded. "We've been havin' issues with villains trying to use the idea of corrupt heroes to validate their actions. One of 'em even managed to get his message out to the public... and people have been listening." he paused, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ever since then people have been a bit more critical of everything. How we react and how quickly we do so. What actions we take and who takes them. As of late, heroes have been second guessing themselves a lot. Only a matter of time before that kind of people pleasing behavior gets someone killed. And even then, the public's gonna be lookin' for someone to blame it all on. That's not even counting how the villains are planning to use this kind of undertoned chaos to their advantage."

The subdued way he spoke sent a chill up Danny's spine. Piece by piece he'd been learning about this world and how it worked, but this… this suddenly made it feel real to him. He hadn't just landed in a utopia with a few intrusive reporters and minor bad guys to contend with. This place had social issues bubbling beneath its surface, just like any other society back home. Everything came back to politics and the balance between those in power and the majority and he just happened to arrive when an eruption seemed imminent.

"So… an unknown kid falls through a portal, like the ones villains have used before, displays an unheard of number of quirks, gets taken into custody by a pro-hero and disappears from the public eye." Danny said, piecing together the thought as he spoke. "That kind of thing… that would escalate the already tense mood. Wouldn't it?"

Mic slid his shades down slightly, looking Danny in the eye. "You're not an idiot, I'll give ya that, but I wouldn't flatter myself too much if I were you." In one smooth motion the glasses slid back into place and Mic was absently fiddling with the hem of his jacket. "Something was bound to set the civilians off eventually. Besides, I think everyone who's met you has figured out you didn't do this on purpose. Of all the things to get the public in a frenzy, at least this is something that doesn't mean any harm. The big wigs will figure out how to smooth things over, nothing disastrous will happen, the people will calm down and then we can get back to handling the real problems."

"What do you guys consider 'real problems'." Danny asked, using his fingers to make air quotes.

Mic turned his head towards Danny. "Well, for starters, we've been here for what seems like hours and you still haven't picked anything out. Come on, kid! They're t-shirts. They're all tacky and cheap. Just grab a few and let's get into the quality stuff already."

Danny raised a brow at the older man. "You're the one who brought me in here. I'm just following you." He wasn't exactly pleased at the change in topic, but at the same time, he had been surprised to get as much information as he did out of Mic. Compared to Aizawa, Mic was an open book.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to gravitate toward the sales rack. I mean, you're shopping on someone else's bill, kid. Enjoy yourself a little."

Danny looked up at the red sign above the rack that he still couldn't read and shrugged. "Force of habit I guess. Besides, it's familiar. I'm not exactly keen on walking out of here, head-to-toe in black leather, like you." As he reached the back of the rack he came across a deep blue shirt that a moon and stars scattered across the front of it. He held the shirt up to himself. It looked like it was the right size and the design wasn't too obnoxious ether. A smile pulled at his lips.

"Seriously? That's the one you like?" Mic asked, incredulously.

"What can I say? I've always liked space and astronauts and stuff." Danny stated, shrugging his shoulders. His smile didn't falter.

"Ugh. Alright then. Grab a few more shirts and a couple pants and we'll head out."

A sudden idea broke Danny from his train of thought. "Hey, Mic, um… do you think it'd be ok if we stopped by the police station on the way back to the school? I know they're probably not done inspecting my stuff, but I just wanna check and see how they're coming. It is my only way back home and… I mean… being kept out of the loop is pretty cruddy."

Mic straitened one side of his minute mustache and hummed in thought. "I guess stopping by just to check in isn't that bad, but if they're slammed, you're just gonna have to wait, kid. Like I said, there's a lot more goin' on lately, so getting an audience isn't very likely."

Danny grinned. "That's fine. I just… I just wanna try, you know?"

"Yeah. Yeah, alright. It's on the way, anyways."

Danny grinned. Finally, something was going the way he wanted it to. All he needed to do now was finish this stupid shopping trip and get on the road. He grabbed a few more simple shirts and went over to check out the pants. Once Mic explained how the sizing worked, Danny quickly snagged a couple in his size and made a beeline for the checkout.

Mic laughed. "Hell, if I'd known that promising you a mini field trip would get you to hurry up I'd have said something ages ago."

Mic paid for the clothes and the two exited the store, this time with Danny in the lead.

"Slow your roll, kid. We got a couple more things to grab before we head out." Mic said.

"Like what?"

"A brush, for one thing." Mic said, ruffling Danny's thick head of hair. "And a few other essentials would probably be in your best interest. Unless you wanna run around with bad breath every day."

Mic took the lead and Danny followed, cupping a hand over his mouth and checking just to make sure his breath hadn't been too oppressive this whole time. Satisfied that the suggestion was more precautionary than indicative, he followed Mic as they continued through the mall. If nothing else, Danny was glad to have found at least one thing he actually liked here. Maybe he'd take that shirt back with him when he finally did go home.

"Hey, Mic."

"What's shakin', bacon?" Mic quipped, winking at a group of young ladies as they passed by.

"Well, I was wondering. Do you guys have a space exploration program here?" Danny asked.

"Sheesh, you weren't kidding about being a star nerd, were you?"

Danny chose not to respond to the comment. "Back in my world, different countries have different space programs. The US has NASA, Russia has Roscomos and the Japan I know has JAXA." Danny explained. "Guess I was just curious if a world with super heroes still had interests and funds to explore space."

"Oh, yeah, JAXA's still a thing around here." Mic said.

"Wait really?"

"Yeah, sure. Not as big a deal as it was thirty or forty years ago, but they're still around. From what I've heard they mostly devote resources to projects that are a bit more useful in our current society, but every couple of years they'll send a rocket up for one reason or another."

Danny couldn't help the smile that was plastered on his face. "And NASA? Are they in this world too?"

"Ehhh." Mic waved a hand. "Probably? Look I don't really keep up with all that sciency mumbo jumbo, kid. You wanna know about the latest and greatest musicians around the globe, I'm here for ya. Need the hot news about up and coming heroes, I'm your man. You want to know who the sciency folks are sending up into space, you'll have better luck looking that up on your phone."

Danny gave a dry chuckle. "Heh. That'd be great if I had a phone." he grumbled.

"Oh right! We should totally add that to the list." Mic said, snapping his fingers.

"What? No no no. That's totally unnecessary." Danny protested. "Like I said, I'm only going to be here for a couple of days. Three at the most. All of which is going to be spent under house arrest, why would I need a cell phone?"

"You know, you're right, Danny." Mic started, notes of thick sarcasm in his voice. "Why would you need a tiny computer you can hold in your hand? After all it's not like you're going to spend those next few days at a guy's apartment, unable to leave, with only daytime television and a handful of stray cats to keep you company. Here I thought having a device to keep you entertained would be beneficial, but it sounds like you're going to have wayyyyy more fun without one." Mic peered over his shoulder at Danny, who crossed his arms and glared back.

"Look, the clothes are one thing, but buying me a phone? Seriously? How much do phones here cost anyway? It can't be cheap and even if I did use it often, only using it for three days is hardly going to make a money drop like that worth it." He sighed. "I appreciate the generosity, but I can't accept that."

"Oh, good lord." Mic mumbled in japanese. "Kid I'm the last person you should worry about when it comes to financial woes. I've got one full time job at the most prestigious school in the country, where I make enough to live comfortably. Then there's the part time on Fridays that I get handsomely paid for, based almost entirely on star-power alone. And, while I don't do hero work often, the few times I do, I make BANK. Where do you think that hotrod of mine came from? Not from inheritance, I'll tell you that."

"Ok, but still-"

"No buts, Danio." Mic said, wrapping an arm around Danny's shoulders and ushering him into a tech store. "Look, if it makes you feel better, once you pop off back home, I'll sign the damned thing and sell it for a profit online. Deal?"

"I guess?"

"Alright!" Mic waved to a man behind a counter, who eagerly rushed forward once he recognized who had entered the store.

The entire transaction took about half an hour, of which Danny sat, slumped into a chair and unable to understand the conversation in front of him. He did recognize a few choice words Mic spoke in english though. An occasional "Alright" and "Totally" were sprinkled in with the Japanese, which Danny found both odd and a little humorous. By the end of it though, Mic handed Danny the phone and showed him how to turn it on and fixed the settings to english for him. The tech was more advanced than the average smart-phone back home, but not by too much. He was still able to wrap his head around it if nothing else.

Once they were out of the phone store, they stopped into one more place and got some basic toiletries for Danny. A hair brush, some toothpaste and a toothbrush, a razor, etc. More than Danny had expected to grab, but nothing he could really argue with ether. Even if he was going to be spending most of his time stuck in the apartment, he didn't want to stink to high heaven the entire time. Besides, getting all this stuff helped keep up the appearance that he intended to be a good little foreigner and wait patiently for things to get worked out for him.

With the last bag of goods in hand the pair made their way back to the car and headed off to the station. This time, Danny was more interested in the buildings they passed than the fancy car's upholstery. If his plan was going to work, he'd need to figure out how to get to the station himself. Even if he couldn't read the street signs, he could remember landmarks. There weren't too many to latch onto, but the ones that stuck out, thankfully, really stuck out.

The car rounded a corner and drove for two blocks before slowing. A building up ahead with a large set of stone steps leading up to the main entrance, was crowded with people, many of which were holding camera equipment or microphones. In the center of the crowd was a large, metal SWAT-like vehicle, from which a few officers in blue uniforms were leading a person in cuffs out onto the sidewalk. The criminal had a mass of tentacle-like growths coming from the top of their head and continuing down their back, all of which had been restrained.

As the officer's started to make their way through the crowd of reporters, Present Mic groaned. "Yeahhhhhh… I don't think this is the best time to stop by, kid."

"But we're so close." Danny protested. "I mean, there's gotta be more officers inside who can help, right?"

Mic shook his head. "I'm more concerned about the press, kid. We've been tryin' to keep you out of the public eye, remember?" He put his foot back on the gas and the care steadily moved past the scene. "Last thing we need is for them to see you with me, put two and two together and get your alter ego plastered all over the news. Sorry, but it's out of the question for today. Maybe you can ask Shouta to run you by tomorrow or somethin'."

Danny sighed. "I doubt it. Thanks for trying though."

"Hey, no prob, kiddo." Mic said, turning up the radio. "Ooo! Here's a good one. This single just dropped a few days ago. I'm totally gonna be jamming it this week on the show."

Mic started singing with the music, but Danny wasn't listening. Whether or not he'd gotten to check on the portal gun didn't really matter. He knew where it was being kept now and he knew how to get there. All he needed was an opportunity to get out from under his guardians' watch and he'd be home free.