Raph's POV:
"Toast is done!" Donnie raised his staff and slammed the two pieces of burnt toast away. They flew across the kitchen towards Leo, who was holding a plate up to catch them. Instead, both pieces hit him in the face, and he fell backwards. He took the piece that fell into his mouth out and grimaced. "Might be a little overdone, Donnie." I rolled my eyes as I grabbed two large oranges from the fruit basket and a red cup of the counter. Idiots. I'll show them how breakfast is made!

"Orange juice, comin' right up!" I tossed the oranges into the air as I took out my sais. I leapt up and stabbed each of them onto a blade and brought them down above the cup. I squeezed, but the juice went in every other direction instead of into the cup. One stream went straight for Donnie and hit him right in his eyes. He screamed, holding his face as he started running around the table in panic. "AH! It stings, it stings!" 

There was a loud crash and I turned around to see that Donnie had crashed into Leo while he had been frying some eggs. The pan flipped up off of the stove and came straight for me. It hit me in the chest and knocked me off the table. I groaned as I shot up and looked down. There were two sunny side up eggs stuck to my chest. I frowned as I whipped around to glare at both of them. "Donnie, I told yah scrambled!" "What are you guys doing?"

The other two shot up and we all turned around. Cleo was standing in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at us. She was still in her pajamas and wearing her slippers, her hair was still messy. She must have woken up and ran straight for the kitchen when she heard us yelling. "Ah man," Leo moaned. "This place is a disaster!" "Yeah, no kidding," said Cleo. "You guys better clean this up before father wakes up. I'm surprised he hasn't come out yet." "It's not our fault we're the only ones awake," I retorted. "Mikey usually makes breakfast. What's the deal?" I whipped around. "MIKEY! MIKEY, GET UP!" "Yelling won't help, Raph," said Cleo. "Training isn't til noon. If he wants to sleep in a bit, let him."

I rolled my eyes as I turned and started to pick up the mess I made. The other two did the same, picking up everything before starting to clean the counters. "Did you want scrambled eggs, Cleo?" Donnie asked. "Sure." "Are you gonna actually make scrambled this time?" I barked. Donnie turned and was about to snap back when there was a sudden, loud scream. We all jumped and turned. It was Mikey. "WHAT THE-I'M A MUTANT!" We all turned to look at each other. "Uh... he's just realizing that now?" asked Leo. Before we could say anything there was the sound of footsteps and Mikey burst in through the curtains. "Guys! Look at me! I'M COVERED IN TURTLE ZITS!" 

Mikey pointed up at the top of his head and forehead, which were covered in multiple, tiny green zits. Cleo's hands came up to cover her mouth and we all grimaced in disgust. "Talk about shellance! You look like a green chimichanga," I said, pointing at him. "Eh, don't worry, Mikey. It's... just part of being a teenager," Leo assured him. "Have you ever had them?" "Heck no!" "Real inspirational, Leo," Cleo said matter-of-factly. "Hold up guys," said Donnie. "I think this might be serious." "Do turtles usually get zits?" Cleo asked. "No, and that's what worries me."

Donnie decided to take Mikey into his lab to examine the zits. He had taken one of his devices, another invention whose name I couldn't remember, and used it to scan over the zits on Mikey's head. He did this for about five minutes before finally stopping. "Okay, Mikey," he began. "The good news is these so-called 'zits' aren't gonna hurt you. And, more importantly, they won't interfere with you making us breakfast." I covered my mouth and snickered. Mikey and Cleo both frowned at Donnie, not looking very amused. "That's a relief," he grumbled. Donnie put a hand on his shoulder. 

"But the bad news is they'll continue to spread all over your body. Spreading, and spreading, and spreading, and spreading...!" Donnie stood up from his seat as he spoke, his voice getting progressively creepier and creepier with each word. Mikey was huddled in his chair, as though he were trying to hide. He laughed nervously. "Ha ha ha... and then they disappear in a couple hours, right?" Donnie shook his head. "No, and then your entire body will mutate into one, single, huge, giant, gargantuan ZIT!" Mikey sat in his seat, frozen as he stared up at Donnie. Then, once the silence had settled, he sprang up and let out a huge, horrified scream. As he sat there screaming, Cleo walked right up to Donnie, an angry look on her face, and gave him a good smack to the back of his head. Donnie flinched, muttering at apology.

(-)

(Theme song)

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ​​​​​​♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

♫ Here we go! It's the lean, skilled, ninja team ♫
♫ On the scene, cool teens doing ninja things ♫
♫ So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams ♫
♫ Get rocked with the pizza kings and queen ♫
♫ Can't stop these dudes and dudette ♫
♫ The secret of the ooze made the chosen few ♫
♫ Emerge from the shadows to make their move ♫
♫ The good guys win, and the bad guys lose ♫

♫ Leonardo's the leader in blue, ♫
♫ Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through ♫
♫ Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines ♫
♫ Raphael has the most attitude on the team ♫
♫ Cleopatra, she's a special girl, ♫
♫ Does anything to protect everyone she loves ♫
♫ Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, ♫
♫ And you know just where to find him when it's party time ♫
♫ Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need ♫
♫ To be one lean, mean, skilled incredible team ♫

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team​​​​​​​ ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

(-)

Cleo's POV:
"Mikey, come on!" Leo yelled as he pounded Mikey's door. "It's not as bad as you think. And Raph promises not to make fun of you anymore." "And he wants to apologize," I added, glaring at Raph as I folded my arms. He stared at all of us, rolling his eyes before walking forward. "That's right, I'm sorry I called you 'crust muffin', and 'fungus face', and 'Godzitla, King of the Pus Monsters'. Now, come on out here!" "No way!" Mikey yelled from behind the door. "Not while I'm covered in gross, slime-filled zits!" 

"Technically, they're pustules filled with oil and sebum, which is even grosser than slime," Donnie pointed out. Leo held a hand in front of him. "Uh, not helping Donnie, but thanks." He said before pounded Mikey's door again, "Mikey!" "Forget it, guys! I'm too hideous to be a ninja! I'll stay locked away in here... forever! And even longer if I have to..." I sighed. "Let me try," I walked forward and knocked on the door. "Mikey, it's me. Please, open up." "No!" "Mikey, c'mon. I understand how you feel. I went through this once too, you know," I paused. 

"Remember... remember when I was 12, and I started getting pimples all over my face? I was so embarrassed; I'd try to skip training so you guys wouldn't see me." "Oh yeah... I forgot about that," Raph pointed out. "Mikey, if anyone out here understands what you're feeling, it's me. Please, open the door." There was a moment of silence. I turned to look at the others, and they all shrugged. Then, the door creaked open. 

Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist, pulled me into his room and shut the door before the others could stop him. I regained my balance as he locked the door and turned to face me. "I can't leave like this Cleo, not now. I'm gross!" "Listen to yourself, Mikey," I gestured to him. "Are you really gonna get this worked up over having some zits?" Mikey shuffled up to me. He looked like a little kid who had a secret and felt guilty about it. I frowned at him.

(-)

Since Mikey couldn't tell me why, I decided to not ask anymore and left his room. I'm in the living room with the other guys and watching Super Robo Mecha Force. "So? You gonna tell us what you guys talked about or not?" I rolled my eyes as I sat on the couch, already changed into my kunoichi outfit, "How many times do I have to tell you 'No'? I'm sworn to secrecy." Raph shrugged. "Whatever. I don't know why that matters though; he still hasn't left his room yet." "I can only imagine why." He scoffed and went back to reading his comic. I turned to look at the TV when I heard something behind me. I turned and spotted Mikey poking his head out, and he had a pizza box covering his head. 

His eyes locked with mine, and he put a finger to his lips. I nodded. He started to tiptoe around the pit, very far away from it. He was heading in the direction of the kitchen and was almost there when Raph lifted his head and spotted him. "Cool!" Raph yelled. "Mikey brought his own pizza! His face!" Raph pointed at Mikey as he started to roar with laughter. Mikey angrily threw down the pizza box and stomped on it. He glared at Raph, steam spewing from his ears. Raph continued to laugh for a few moments before finally catching his breath. "Okay, okay! I'll stop!" he panted. "Now come on and zit down. HA HA HA, zit down! Oh, I crack myself up!"

"C'mon dude, leave Mikey alone already," I hissed at him. "Oh relax, he's fine. Besides, I can't stop now. My creativity's just flowing right no-" "Raphael!" Raph froze and turned. Father was standing over him, a look of disappointment on his face. "You should know better than to make fun of one's appearance," he said. "After all, how would the humans above react to yours?" Raph stared up at him for a moment, then hung his head in shame. "You're right, Master Splinter... Sorry, Mikey." Mikey nodded. He shuffled over to the pit and sat down on the couch. "Ugh... just kick me out, Master Splinter. I can't be a ninja when I look like a moldy pickle." "And why not? I do not let my appearance affect me." "Well, yeah! Cause old people never care how they look. Or smell..." I snorted into my hands. 

Oh, Mikey. I glanced up to look at father to see his reaction but was surprised. He didn't look offended or anything. He was staring at Mikey, as tough he was looking for something. Mikey laughed nervously, turning his head and whistling. "My son... I sense there is something you would like to tell us." "What?! No, not at all! Really, I didn't do anything...!" I frowned and leaned forward to stare at Mikey's face. He stared back at me for a moment before he flinched. He knew what I was trying to do. "You're lying, Mikey," I said finally. Everyone in the room was staring at Mikey now. He was looking all around the room, visibly shaken. He was trembling and was starting to sweat. Finally, he snapped. "OKAY, OKAY!" he yelled, making me step back. "You got me! I kinda, um... I sprinkled a little... mutagen. On my skin."

Mikey had reached behind him and pulled out a large jar that was filled with blue and green mutagen. I recognized it from a stowed away batch in the fridge in Donnie's lab. A batch that he had instructed us to not touch. "WHAT?!" the boys and I yelled in unison. "ARE YOU KIDDING? WHY?" "To become better!" Mikey exclaimed. "Cooler, you know? You guys treat me like I'm a big goofball all the time! So, I found this vile in Donnie's lab, and the label says it'll make you 'super cool'." Mikey held up the jar, and there was a piece of scotch tape on there that read 'super cool'. Donnie stomped over and grabbed the jar. "No, it says you're supposed to keep it 'super cooled'! As in temperature!" Donnie turned the jar to reveal that the rest of the tape did say 'super cooled'. "This was a reject batch of retro mutagen, Mikey! IT'S DANGEROUS!" 

"Well, you could've made it a little more clear!" Mikey yelled back. Donnie held the jar up and turned it around. It showed a bunch of stickers on there that said things like 'danger', 'rejects', 'will kill you', even one that said 'Mikey, don't eat me'. "Still not that clear." Donnie let out an exasperated sigh before grabbing Mikey's wrist and dragging him out to the lab. We all followed behind. Donnie took some blood samples from Mikey to check out his system and how it was reacting to the zits. About 10 minutes after, as he was typing away on his computer, the screen lit up as it started beeping. Donnie stopped. "Oh no..." "Please tell me that's a good 'oh no'," Mikey begged. "It's a terrible 'oh no'," said Donnie. "According to these blood tests, the mutagen in your system is unstable. You only have three hours until..." "Until what? Wha-what'll happen to him?!" Leo snapped.

"In scientific terms-go boom!" "I'm gonna explode?!" Mikey yelled. "Like a massive zit!" Raph, Leo and I all grimaced at Donnie's chosen example. Mikey backed up several feet, swaying back and forth. He looked like he was about to vomit. A few seconds later his knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor. "But now that I know what caused this, I think I can engineer an antidote from the remaining sample," said Donnie. Mikey sprang back up to his feet. "Yes, yes, yes! I love you, man!" He flung himself at Donnie, wrapping his arms around him. Donnie pulled his arms back and began prying Mikey off of him. "Ok-OK! Egh, c'mon!" 

"Then you must start right away," Father said calmly. "I'm just missing one key instrument, though," Donnie stood up. "A molecular centrifuge to mix the solution." "No problem!" Mikey declared. "Money is no object!" He stood still for a moment, before he turned and walked right up to Leo. "Leo, can I borrow some cash?" Leo rolled his eyes. Mikey frowned before suddenly popping up in front of me. "Cleo, can we use some of your playing money? Please?" "Um, I don't think this is something we can just buy, Mikey." "The only place I've ever seen a molecular centrifuge was at TCRI," said Donnie. "But we blew that place up when we took down the Kraang," said Raph. "What could be left?" Leo sighed. "Only one way to find out."

(-)

TCRI was trashed. There was no other way to put it. Parts and pieces of the battle were still left behind, along with bits of the building. We were sure that there would be someone there to keep pedestrians from entering the property, but there was no one. We were alone, as far as we knew. We walked through the hallway towards the main room where the Kraang had been hiding before. It was a mess, but some pieces and supplies still seemed to be intact. "Everybody spread out and start looking," said Donnie. Donnie, Mikey, and Leo all went in separate directions, looking around the floor. Raph and I didn't move yet. "How are we supposed to find anything in here? It's so dark," he said. 

"Really? I can see just fine," I said as I started walking forward. "Oh, lucky you then." I giggled and started looking around in the rubble. I felt something tap my arm and turned to see Mikey, and he was holding something in his hand that I couldn't see. "Cleo, do you know what a centerfudge looks like?" he asked. "Uh..." It just dawned on me that I wasn't quite sure what it looked like either. I straightened up and turned to Donnie. "Hey Donnie!" and I whistled. He turned his head and Mikey raised the object in his hand. Only now did I see that it was a glass beaker. "Is this a centerfudge?" he asked loudly. "Centrifuge," Donnie corrected. "No, that's a beaker."

Mikey tossed it and looked around. I turned and started digging through the rubble again. I found a microscope and tossed it away but couldn't find anything else. I was about to start on another pile when I heard something. My head snapped up as I turned towards the end of the room. Footsteps. Definitely footsteps, and they were getting louder. "Ohh we're never gonna find it!" Donnie yelled. "This place is-" "Shh sh sh! Listen!" Leo hissed. "You hear that?" We all stopped and listened. I backed up slowly, the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I reached behind me and grabbed the end of my tessen. I stepped back into the shadows, and I saw the others do that same. The footsteps and voice got louder and louder until finally, somebody appeared. 

A tall man wearing glasses... and an ugly pink sweater. It was Baxter Stockman. He was carrying a large box full of what looked like his Mouser robots. He set the box down and picked up a piece. "Soon, I'll be able to create my own mutant army! Powerful! Unstoppable-" "Dorkster Blockhead?" Raph yelled out. "It's Baxter Stockman!" he screamed. Then he gasped. "Ah! Turtles! Here? Now?!" We all hopped out of our hiding spots and started to walk towards him. Stockman picked up his box and started to back up, knees shaking. "He's got the centrifuge!" Donnie gasped. "Hand it over, Storkman!"

Stockman was such a nervous mess. He shook so much that everything he was carrying started to fall out of his arms. He managed to grab the centrifuge before dropping the box of bots. "Stockman!" he emphasized. "And no! I found it first! MOUSERS! ATTACK!" Suddenly, a large army of Mousers appeared out of all corners of the room. They screeched loudly before advancing on us. Mikey screamed, backing up as far as he could. "AHH! Don't let 'em pop me!" We all made a circle around Mikey, standing between him and the Mousers. One came straight for my face, and I sliced it when my tessen. Another came at my legs, and I kicked it back so hard it smashed against the wall. 

I reached into my back pockets, pulled out several throwing knives, and tossed them out. They all embedded themselves into several Mousers heads, knocking them down instantly. There was a loud crash, and I turned to see what appeared to be part of the roof laying on the floor. We all looked up in time to see Dogpound falling through a hole in the ceiling. He landed with a loud bang, crushing several Mousers with his feet. "Dogpound?!" Stockman cried. "Well, if it isn't weasly little Stinkman!" "Back off, Dogpound," Leo raised his katana to the mutant dog. "We found him first." "Stinkman and the turtles?" Dogpound chuckled as he flexed his muscles. "HA! And I thought I was having a bad day."

Dogpound immediately turned his attention to us, wasting no time in charging at us. Making sure Mikey was back far enough, we all charged at Dogpound with our weapons. He charged back, his massive fists raised. Donnie and Leo ran forward first, then Raph, then me. Dogpound was able to smack us out of the way with just his hand. I flew back several feet, rolling on the ground. I skidded to a halt on my feet and immediately jumped back into the fight. Everyone except Mikey was laying it all out on Dogpound. 

Leo swung his katanas, Raph tossed his sais, Donnie smacked Dogpound in the head, and I tossed my tessen up at him. He ducked his head to avoid it, and I caught it in my hand as it came back. Dogpound brought both of his hands down, Leo and Donnie both raising their weapons to block him. While he was blocked, Raph knelt down in front of him. I ran forward, ran up Raph's back, jumped up, and landed a kick right across Dogpound's face. He shook his head, and with an angry growl he pushed all of us back several feet, knocking us into a pile on top of each other.

"Guys! He's got the centerfudge!" Mikey yelled. I raised my head to see Mikey chasing after Stockman, who was about to run out the door. Suddenly, Dogpound leapt up and landed right in front of Stockman, blocking his path. "You're comin' with me!" Dogpound grabbed Stockman with one hand and picked him up. "Wha- N-no! please! I'm extremely fragile!" We all quickly got to our feet, grabbing our weapons as we ran forward. Dogpound turned, and just before walking out he raised his other fist and punched a column. 

The walls started shaking, and pieces started falling from the ceiling. He smirked at us before running out of the room. Mikey was still running after them. "My centerfudge!" "Look out!" Leo ran forward, grabbed Mikey, and pushed him out of the way just as the roof started to cave in. We all coughed and rubbed our eyes. Once my vision was clear I stood up and looked around to make sure the others were alright. I could see everyone around me. Mikey sprang to his feet and ran over to the others. "Oh no! Guys! Are you okay?" "Thanks Mikey," Leo said, coughing as Mikey helped him to his feet. "They're gone," said Raph. "And they have the centerfudge!" "Centrifuge!" Donnie groaned out.

(-)

We were back at the lair now. There wasn't anything else we could do at the moment. We had lost Dogpound and Stockman with no idea where they are, we still didn't have the centrifuge, and Mikey's condition was getting worse and worse. His whole head and even his shell was covered in larger zits-if you could even call them that anymore. "I can't believe that fleabag beat us!" Raph said angrily as he punched a beanbag chair. "I want a rematch!" "Easy, Raph," said Leo. "Focus on what's important. We need to get that centrifuge to cure Mikey." "He's getting worse and worse every minute," I said. "Is there anything we can do?" "Not without the centrifuge," Donnie poked his head out of his lab. 

"His zits are getting more unstable. If any of them get popped, they could cause a chain reaction? Ala my zit popping diagram here..." "You have a zit popping diagram...?" I asked him weirdly. He didn't answer me, but instead pulled out a large marker board with several pictures on it. The first one showed Mikey covered in zits from head to toe. The second one showed a zit being popped. The third was of the other zits growing bigger and bigger. The fourth was of many other zits popping on their own. Donnie flipped the board to the other side, where there was a fifth and final picture of Mikey completely exploding.

"WHAT?! So I pop either way?" he screamed. "We just have to keep you safe," Donnie put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's too dangerous to leave the lair." "But, I never got to visit a wax museum. Or learn pig Latin. Or open a mummy's tomb and the mummy comes alive, but he's so cool, we form a hip-hop group and travel around the world together in a golden UFO!" Mikey took a long deep breath. "I wanna do that..." "Right..." Raph shook his head. "Listen Mikey, we're gonna get that centrifuge. We'll do whatever it takes to fix you." Mikey beamed. "Wow, Raph!" He raised his arms and went in for a hug, but Raph grimaced and quickly backed away. 

"Okay, Dogpound and Boxcar," said Leo. "Where could they be? The old city dump?" "Nah. They turned it into a retirement home," said Raph. "The abandoned nuclear plant?" "Now it's a nursery school," said Donnie. "Ugh, what about that abandoned Kraang lab? The one where we found those wasps?" I shook my head. "No go, dude. They turned that building into a pastry shop. A pretty good one, too." "Oh! What about Baxter's old lab?" Mikey piped up. The other three looked at each other for a moment, then shook their heads. "Why would Dogpound capture Dexter and take him to his own lab?" Raph asked. "It makes no sense." "See! You guys never take me seriously!" Mikey said, pointing at all of them. 

"Maybe they went to Bradford's dojo..." "Possibly... you think he went back to TCRI?" "No, why would he go back there? It makes no sense." I wasn't listening to them bickering. I was paying much more attention to the orange-clad turtle sneaking his way around us and out over the turnstiles. He hadn't noticed me. The others didn't notice me either as I backed away slowly and made my way over to the exit. I peeked my head out and saw Mikey sitting just a few feet away. I saw him hit his fist against the wall. "Fine! If you guys aren't gonna listen to me, I'm not waiting around to explode." He stood up and started to run. I started running, too. I ran faster and faster until I caught up to him. He didn't turn around as he continued to run. "Don't try to stop me, Cleo!" "I'm not trying to!" Mikey turned to look at me. "Wha-?" "I told you that if you ever plan on running off again, take me with you. Remember?" Mikey stared at me through his swollen eyes, and smiled.

(-)

Mikey was right. Just like I knew he would be. Dogpound did take Stockman to his old lab. And boy, was it different. It had all kinds of gadgets and things that certainly weren't there before. The biggest difference being the gigantic tank of green, glowing mutagen. Looks like he really was trying to make his own mutant army. "Stay quiet," I whispered in Mikey's ear. "If we do this right, we'll be in and out, no problem." Mikey nodded. He and I both stood up, hunched over, as we slowly and carefully walked along the beams by the ceiling. I looked down to see Dogpound, Stockman, and surprisingly Fishface as well. I could hear their voices all the way from up here. "Why haven't you taken this traitorous lump of flesh to Karai?" "I will! After he turns me human again!" Fishface gasped. "You can turn us human again?" 

"Uh-Yes! Yes, of course! My intellect knows no bounds! Hehe... none." I smirked. I knew Stockman had no idea how to make a retro mutagen. If Donnie couldn't come up with one, then there was no way anyone else could. "Good! First order of business..." Dogpound pulled out what looked like a silver collar and snapped it around Stockman's neck. Even from up here I could see what looked like vials of mutagen hooked to the collar. "Ah! Is this... mutagen?!" "I call it 'insurance'," Dogpound held up what looked like a switch in his hand. "Double-cross us, and boom! We get to see what you turn into. Some kind of lowly bug, I bet!" "Psst!"

I looked up to see that Mikey was further ahead than I was. I hadn't even noticed that I stopped moving. I quickly made my way over to him, crouching next to him. I looked down to where he was looking and saw the centrifuge sitting on a table below. "I knew it!" he whispered. "I knew Baxter would be here, hatching a plan, wearing a dog collar!" I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" "Well, maybe not the dog collar part..." At that moment we heard a strange noise coming from behind Mikey. It was the zits. They were shifting and morphing, making these strange wheezing sounds. Mikey gasped. "No no no no, please! Not yet!" At that moment they stopped moving and making noise. Mikey let out a sigh. "You know what to do?" I asked. 

He nodded, and then pulled out his kusarigama chain. He let go of the blade end, and slowly started to lower it down towards the centrifuge. It got lower and lower until finally, it reached the same level as the centrifuge. But it swung out and poked Dogpound's shoulder. We both froze, but he just scratched his shoulder and didn't move. I leaned in and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, and I smiled at him. He smiled back. I reached down with both of my hands, and together we lowered the blade down to the centrifuge. We moved it just a little closer, and then finally it was hooked. We looked at each other, beaming. Slowly, we started to gently lift the centrifuge up. This was it. Just a little closer...

A large, fury hand came out and grabbed the chain, causing the centrifuge to fall. I was so surprised I let go of the chain. Dogpound glared up at us before yanking the chain down. Mikey was pulled from the beam and down to the ground below. "Mikey!" He turned back to his feet just in time to land on the ground in front of everyone. "Fool!" "Don't touch me! I'm highly contagious!" Mikey faked coughing. "Ack! See? So how 'bout I take that gadget and get outta your fur?" Dogpound slammed his fist on the table. "I'd rather you stay," he growled. "And people think I'm ugly! Watch, Stinkman! I'm gonna tear this turtle apart myself!" I leapt up and dived down, aiming my foot directly for Dogpounds head. He was about to charge at Mikey just when I landed on him. 

He whimpered as I leapt off of him and landed on my feet behind him. He whipped around to glare at me just as I pulled out my kamas. I was about to charge at him when I heard the sound of blades flying behind me. I whipped around in time to block a couple of throwing knives that were coming for my torso. Fishface stood there, smirking. "Hello, beautiful," he pulled out his butterfly knife. "Did you miss me?" "Oh yeah, about as much as I miss seeing your ugly mutt!" He growled and charged at me. I raised my right kama and blocked the attack for my face. I sliced at him, and he dodged it. He spun his knife in his hand and threw it at me. I leaned back as far as I could to avoid it, and he leapt over me to catch it. At that moment I looked up and saw that Dogpound had chased Mikey back up to the beams and was fighting him there.

I suddenly leaned my head back to avoid a knife that had been heading straight for me. A second later my feet were kicked out from under me, and I landed on my back, my kamas falling out of my hands. One of Fishface's large metal feet came down on my arm, pinning me in place. I grunted as I tried to push him off. He chuckled, and I glared. There was loud creaking and a sudden crash. We all looked up to see Mikey hanging from the beams, holding only onto a broken piece of wood. Dogpound was hanging down now too, holding onto Mikey's ankle for dear life. And for good reason, for he was hovering over the giant tank of mutagen. I took this opportunity to kick Fishface in the gut and knock him off of me. I sprung to my feet and looked back up to see that Mikey's grip on the broken beam was slowly slipping, and Dogpound's added weight wasn't helping. 

I was about to reach back and throw a knife at him to make him let go, but Mikey was one step ahead of me. He raised his nunchucks and smacked Dogpound right in the face. He yelped as he fell quickly downward and landed in the huge tank with a loud splash. Mikey leapt from the beam and landed on his feet beside me. There were loud, muffled screams coming from inside the tank. We all stared in shock and concern at the tank. I wasn't sure whether to be happy he fell or worried that he fell in. I've never seen a mutant get mutated again before. "Oh snap! Dogs hate gettin' wet!" said Mikey. There was a loud splash as the surface of the mutagen broke, and something big shot from it. It landed in a giant, black heap in front of us. "Eh, some dogs..." Mikey muttered.

My heart dropped for a moment. What I saw looked like something I would see in a horror movie. It looked like a zombie dog that came from the underworld. Solid black, painfully thin, and claws and teeth that were the size of butcher knives, and just as sharp. Suddenly, I felt something knock me over and I landed on my side. "Cleo!" I looked up in time to see Mikey get pushed away towards the tank by Fishface. I glared up at the fish but paid him no mind as I watched Bradford walk quickly towards Mikey, one of his claws scratching the glass of the tank. Fishface threw one of his knives at me and I rolled over to avoid it. 

I jumped to my feet and started sprinting forward. I jumped up and leapt over Fishface, landing behind him and running towards Bradford. I heard something shift behind me and I turned around, raising my kama just in time to stop Fishface's knife from going into my chest. I heard a yell and turned my head to see Bradford holding Mikey in his claws. "I feel the mutagen coursing through me!" Bradford growled in a deeper, snarlier voice. "I'm faster, stronger, more powerful than ever! I feel like a ninja again!" "Plus, you don't have zits, which is a bonus," said Mikey. "To thank you for this, I'll make your end swift."

Bradford raised Mikey and threw him, shell first, right at the wall in front of him. Mikey screamed, tossing his chain out to hook around a nearby beam, and slow him down. He slowed down just in time that when he touched the wall, the zits didn't burst. I turned back to Fishface and quickly elbowed him in the face, kneed him in the gut, and roundhouse kicked him off of his feet. I looked back around as Bradford roared. "Raaah yourself, you razor-faced dog!" "Don't ever call me dog!" "You got it, Razar!" Razar growled and reached his claws out for Mikey. At that moment, a large sai flew through the air and hit Razar's paw, knocking it out of the way. "Get away from my brother!" I looked up to see Raph fly through the air as he gave him a powerful kick to the chest, knocking him down. 

There was a loud smack, and I turned to see Fishface go flying. Leo and Donnie suddenly appeared, landing on either side of me. "Oh, hey guys," said Mikey. "You're lucky we noticed you were gone in time, Mikey," Leo snapped. "Even luckier that I knew you'd come here," said Raph. "What were you think-" But he was cut off as Fishface leapt forward and kicked him aside. I reached into my back pocket and threw several knives in his direction, and he dodged them. Razar had gotten up again and had started charging towards all of us. "Scatter!" "Um... so what happened to Dogpound?" Donnie asked as we ran away to avoid the oncoming mutant. "A huge mistake, that's what," I answered seriously. "He got double mutated!" said Mikey. "Now I call him 'Razar'!"

Razar raised his head and let out a mighty roar, causing us all to flinch. Leo suddenly appeared beside him and lunged forward, holding his katanas in the air. Razar blocked him, picked him up in one hand and threw him aside. Donnie ran forward, hollering as he spun his Bo staff above his head. Razar blocked it and grabbed Donnie by his shoulders before he could avoid him. Then Raph, who had climbed to the top of the tank when no one was looking, leapt down while aiming his sais right for Razar's head. Knowing what was going to happen before it did, I took out my kamas and charged forward. 

Razar used Donnie to smack Raph out of the way, knocking them both away in the process. I leapt up and brought my kamas down, the blades slashing into his raised arm. They did nothing. There were no marks left behind. I was so surprised that he had time to grab me by the forearm and fling me away. I slammed against the tank and crumpled to the floor. "AH! The centerfudge!" I looked up to see Mikey sprinting past Razar and snatching the centrifuge that had been laying by the mutant dog's feet. But just as Mikey grabbed it, Razar shove him away, knocking the device away. 

I grabbed my kamas, pushing myself back up. As I did, I heard loud screeching coming from the side of the room. Stockman had summoned more Mousers. I heard the others groan in annoyance as we charged the robots with our weapons. As we fought the Mousers, I could see Razar continuing to chase Mikey around. Mikey literally bounced and crawled all over the walls and ceiling, and Razar continued to keep up. "Guys, I'm bursting at the seams," Mikey yelled as he hung from the upper beams. 

"And Razar's gonna pop me!" Razar ran forward, looking like he was ready to pounce. I immediately changed targets and ran straight for him, throwing one of my kamas at his head. It his him pretty hard, and he turned his head and snapped at me. I thrusted my other kama up to his face, but he dodged and suddenly body slammed me. I turned on my side to grab my kama and suddenly I could feel him stepping on my back hard, pinning me to the ground. He dug his foot into my back, a sharp pain went through my body, and my vision went dark. 

I was in a dark messy living room; the same little girl was being pulled by her hair by the same mental ill woman. The woman was pulling her to a closet as the girl screams, cries and begs for help and mercy as the woman locked the door, screaming, "Pray little girl, you pray for forgiveness!" "Mommy, let me go! Let me out!" "What?... This again?"

My vision cleared again as I felt the sharp pressure disappear. I lifted my head to see Razar running off in the opposite direction, directly towards Mikey. Before I could move Razar reached him, and slashed. Mikey dodged in time, and Razar's claws dug into the fat power cable plugged into the wall. He lit up like a Christmas tree as he was electrocuted. Mikey raised his hands and cheered. "Yeah! You just got shell-shocked, son!" "Everyone, to high ground. Now!" shouted Donnie. 

I quickly got up on my feet and followed the others as they all climbed and jumped the walls. As soon as all of us were up on the ceiling beams, Donnie took his staff and smacked a nearby sprinkler. All of the sprinklers started spewing water onto the ground below. There was a pause, and then a flash as everything below was electrocuted. All the Mousers below blew up, one by one. And each of those goons fell down, one by one.

Once all was quiet except for the sprinkling water, I finally turned to get a good look at Mikey. I blinked. The amount and size of the zits had doubled in the last 20 minutes. They were covering his whole shell, legs, arms, especially his face. The zits around his eyes were so huge it was a wonder he could even see. He looked beyond recognizable at this point. "Dude, I'm about to pop and I think we destroyed the centerfudge!" Mikey cried out. "Don't be so sure." Raph grinned proudly as he reached behind him, and pulled out what was obviously the centerfudge. Mikey gasped, beaming with delight. Knowing that Mikey was going to be okay was all I could think about, and without caring I gave Raph a relieved smile. He smiled back.

(-)

Once we got home, Donnie immediately raced to his lab to fix up the antidote. Once he had the centrifuge, making it was no problem; only took thirty minutes. I watched curiously as he dripped the solution onto the little, white cleaning pads he had insisted we needed. "Antidote's ready, Mikey," Donnie said. "Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!" Mikey ran forward and flung himself onto the lab table, sweeping his arms around the surface just the grab the tiny pads. He turned and shuffled away, scrubbing the solution onto his bulging zits. From beside me, I could hear Leo and Raph snickering quietly. 

"Did you have to put the antidote on those acne pads?" Leo whispered. Donnie smirked. "No, but it is hilarious." I elbowed Donnie in the arm, and he just laughed. Mikey continued to rub the antidote on himself for a good five minutes before the zits are all gone. "It worked!" he hollered. "Look at me! Yeah boy! I'm super cute again. Woo!" Mikey suddenly ran forward and wrapped his arms around Donnie, lifting him up off the ground in a massive hug. "Thanks Donnie, you're the best!" Donnie groaned at the pressure before he was quickly released.

We all heard Donnie's lab door slide opened as we all turned. Father had entered the living room. His eyes landed on Mikey, and he smiled proudly as he walked towards him. Mikey stepped out of the pit to stand beside him. "I must commend you on your resolve, Michelangelo," he said. "You thought you needed to improve yourself, but you had everything you already needed inside. In here..." He pressed a finger to Mikey's chest. Mikey smiled up at father, looking very proud of himself. He suddenly whipped around, smirking at us. "See guys? Who's right about Baxter's secret hideout, huh? Me. Yep." 

"You had no clue," Leo jeered. "As I recall, he was the one that suggested it and you shellbrains said it was nothing," I mentioned. "Don't be getting a swollen ego over though, Mikey." Suddenly, Donnie gasped. "Oh no... Mikey! You- you have a zit forming on the end of your nose!" "Are you kidding me?! No! WHYYY!" Mikey threw his arms up into the air, yelling in fear and despair. Before I could decide whether or not to say something, he suddenly stopped screaming. He felt all over his face and head, looked at his arms and shoulders, and only then did he realize that there was nothing. I covered my mouth as I nearly snorted. The boys however, were not shy about laughing out loud to his face. Mikey glared and jumped up to tackle all of them. "Donnie, I'm gonna-!"