A few days later, across the city and in the sewers, singing could be heard. The notes of Happy Birthday drifted through the tunnels, originating from a secret lair underground.
Michelangelo sat at the table with a birthday cake in front of him. Surrounding him, singing, were Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Master Splinter, April O'Neil, Baron Draxum, Cassandra Jones, and Todd, who had lovingly made the beautifully decorated cake.
Mikey took a deep breath, kept his wish in his head, and blew out the candles. Presents had already been open, but that was okay. His wish wasn't an object or a possession. It never was. It was the same thing he had been wishing for since he was fifteen.
"Looks like the baby of the family is all grown up." April teased, taking a picture of the cake before Todd started cutting it into even pieces for everybody, served with delicious lemonade.
"So how's it feel to be eighteen, Mikey?" Raph asked.
"You guys were overselling it." Mikey replied, although inside, he was ecstatic to officially be considered an adult.
"Overselling it?!" Leo took on a look of fake hurt. "Michael, we would never lie to you!" He posed dramatically. "How it hurts, to be accused of such things!"
Everybody laughed a little at Leo's antics, and dug into cake, ice cream and Todd's lemonade.
Down in the Hidden City, in the seedy part of town under a crummy, rundown warehouse in another secret lair, a similar group of Yokai were partaking in a similar, slightly more sinister initiation.
Princess Amingethia sat atop her plush armchair, which had of course been stolen and decorated with other stolen gems to make a small throne, watching with amusement as her four imbeciles wrestled each other for the biggest slice of cake, stolen fresh from the bakery.
"Enough." A voice commanded. The four Yokai disentangled themselves from each other, standing in the shadows on either side of their master.
Amingethia looked up at the opening to their lair. She had a visitor.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my brother, come down from on high as Helen's right hand. What news do you bring us, down here in the gutters of crime?" She teased, as Prince Damien of Hell stepped through her doors.
"Helen wants to know where the rest of the money is." He replied. "She wants to meet with you."
"I already sent a messenger to tell her Big Mama came up short because of some vigilantes or something." Amingethia snorted. "You can leave now."
Damien growled. "Fine. You. You're coming with me." He pointed at one of the Yokai that stood at attention in the shadows.
The Yokai growled at him. Amingethia immediately stood and snarled at Damien. "What in all of Hell's name makes you think you can order my guys around, or that I would ever let you take them on any heist?"
"Why not? Helen lets me boss her henchmen around."
"I'm not Helen, and you are not my right hand." Amingethia hissed. "And, more importantly, I wouldn't trust you to run this team anymore than I would've trusted you in the past."
"In the past, you were a vigilante." Damien pointed out. "Now you run a small gang of idiots who sound, act and look similar. The only difference here is that the smartest one has the brains of a train robber that got caught three different times. And that they're all criminals."
Amingethia shook her head. "Now, now, that's no way to talk about my students, Damien." Her hand crackled with electricity. "You should leave. Now."
"I'm not scared of you." Damien flipped his sister the bird as he walked out. Amingethia's tail twitched in annoyance, and she turned back to her team of Yokai.
"What's your plan?" One asked, knowing the princess would want to start meddling in her brother's business.
"You four are going to go find those vigilantes. You are going to fight them. You are going to use everything I taught you. Report back and let me know exactly what level they are." Amingethia replied.
The four Yokai bowed to her, and headed out of the lair, grabbing weapons on the way. They headed into a shady, dark alley and opened a portal to New York, taking off into the darkness of the cloudy night.