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Chapter Text

It was one of those nights when everything went wrong, not in the way they had expected it.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael, also known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, were kneeling before their master/father, Hamato Yoshi, also known as Master Splinter. The father was looking rather furious at the three turtles after learning what had happened tonight, as he calmly yet strictly spoke out:

"Well? Would anyone like to explain why your little brother came home injured by himself?"

"Well, to be fair, we didn't expect him to get hurt," Donnie awkwardly replied.

Splinter sighs in frustration: "Can I get a straight answer for once from any of you boys?"

"It was our fault, sensei," Leo held the responsibility.

"What do you mean, ours?!" Raphael argued.

"You know none of this would've happened if we forced Mikey to stay put alone" Leo argued back.

"Yeah, because he was messing up the plan as usual!" Raphael snapped.

"YAME!" Splinter bellowed before he groaned out: "Luckily for myself, your little brother told me everything that you four went out to stop the purple dragons."

"You four tried to beat them, but he told me he accidentally got in your way with his so-called dance fight moves, and you scolded him for that."

"Because we kept telling him, no celebrating till the fighting is over!" Raphael argued.

"And for that reason, you had to almost break his finger when he told you he thought the fighting was over and just poked you back" Splinter raised an eyebrow at him.

"He has a point," Donnie commented.

"Oh, don't you start, you're the one who told Mikey to stop screwing up and do nothing while we figured out a way to get the mutagen from the purple dragons" Leonardo firmly spoke to Donnie.

"Because he can't keep his hands to himself most of the time" Donnie argued.

"YAME!" Splinter exclaimed again, silencing the turtles: "Look, despite Michelangelo's flaws, you three have behaved appallingly tonight, especially after what he told me the moment you boys decided to split up."

That made the turtle gulp as Splinter reenacted what Mikey had told him:

"Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" Donnie complained

"I don't want him. And I'm in charge!" Leo firmly put his foot down.

"Well, then make Raph take Mikey," Donnie argued.

"Over my dead body!" Raphael grunted.

The turtles look down, red in the face with embarrassment and guilt, before Raphael grumbled: "I-I don't sound like that"

"You three ought to be ashamed of yourselves; your little brother may not be the smartest or strongest, but he is every bit of a ninja with raw talent, just like you three, and without him, the team falls apart just like it almost did tonight," Splinter furiously scolded the turtles.

After the three brothers told Mikey to stay on top of a rooftop while they complete the mission, the poor young turtle was ambushed soon by the purple dragons and fighting them alone, the young turtle tried to call his brothers for help but they were still mad at Mikey that they just assumed that he was calling them over some nonsense and looking back now, they felt entirely guilty.

"We thought Mikey was just calling about something silly and not needed, and...we were too busy to finish the mission," Donnie sadly replied.

"That is no excuse! Your little brother almost died tonight because of your actions, and he is feeling incredibly saddened that he messed up. You had no idea how horrified I was when I found him limping and bleeding in the lair," Splinter exclaimed, livid that the boys had behaved like this:

"What is one of the most important rules of the Hamato Clan?"

"Do no harm unless you mean to do harm, then do lots of harm?" Raphael quizzed.

"No," Splinter shook his head.

"Life is not a video game?" Donnie guessed.

"No!" Splinter groaned.

"If I were to guess, it's never leave one of our own alone, we go together, we leave together," Leonardo replied.

"Exactly, you three broke that important rule, and look what has happened." Splinter sternly nodded before he took a breather and then added:

"In this life, we only have each other, and if one of us falls, then we all fall. Remember that"

"We're really sorry, Sensei, we'll do whatever it takes to make it up for Mikey," Leonardo apologised.

"Good, because until you boys can act as a whole together, I'm forbidding you boys from going to the surface till then" Splinter lays down the punishment.

"WHAT?!" The turtles cried out.

"You three need to work together with Michelangelo to become a better team. You also need to accept that how Michelangelo acts is just his nature, and that's the same for how he is with you three," Splinter said, crossing his arms. 

"But that's going to be impossible," Raphael protested, causing Splinter to narrow his eyes at the hot-headed turtle. "I'm just asking, have you tried working with Mikey before?" 

"Actually, I have, Raphael. Your little brother often comes to me to improve his training, and you have no idea how much he wishes to be like you boys," Splinter replied. 

"What do you mean?" Donatello asked.

"I mean, he often tells me that he wishes he could be as smart as you, Donatello; as wise as Leonardo; or even as strong as Raphael. But he is already unique in his own way, and you three need to recognise that. He has flaws, but so do you, boys. This will be an excellent opportunity for all four of you to come together as a team. Hopefully, you can unite and work together as brothers once again," Splinter replied before dismissing the boys from the dojo.

The boys left for the living room as Raphael complained, "This is so unfair! I know we messed up, but to be stuck here like the old days just sucks!"

"Let it go, Raph; if anything, we deserved to be punished for what we put Mikey through tonight," Donnie groaned.

"How is he doing, by the way?" Leo asked. "You were checking on him before Splinter called us to the dojo." 

"He's fine—just a few stitches and the bruises will heal in time," Donatello replied. 

"So, according to Splinter, we need to work with Mikey—perhaps do better with him or something?" Raphael shrugged. 

"Splinter wants us to help Mikey grow, but also to accept that his way of acting and fighting is part of who he is. We need to adapt and accept him because, honestly, Splinter is right. We've been criticising him a lot lately, and after tonight, we could have lost Mikey because of our behaviour," Leonardo responded.

"Well, how on earth are we gonna help Mikey grow? It's not like we can magically make him stronger and smarter like he wishes he was," Raphael argued.

Suddenly, an idea came to Donatello's mind as he whispered, "Or can we..."

He quickly rushes into his lab and secures the door, leaving Leo and Raph puzzled. 

"What was that about?" Raphael asked. 

"No idea," Leo replied with a shrug. 

All night, Donatello was focused on a mysterious project he believed could solve their issues. By morning, Leo and Raph head to Donnie's lab front door. 

"Don? Are you in there?" Raphael called. 

"Donatello, we can tell you've been working all night, and we've been over this—pulling all-nighters isn't healthy," Leo added. For a moment, there was no answer, and just as Raph was about to knock again, they heard a loud shout from inside the lab.

"EUREKA!!!"

Soon, the lab door burst open, and Donnie was out of the lab, leaping with joy and holding onto something close as he cheered:

"Eureka! Eureka! I did it! I've done it!"

"Done what? What is going on with you?!" Leonardo cried out in confusion.

Donnie turns to his brothers and reveals a small green-looking pill that looks like a tiny computer USB as the smart turtle proudly announced:

"Gentlemen...Behold! The answer to all our problems!"

Chapter Text

Leo and Raph looked at the pill that Donatello had just created and revealed to the others, as they were confused about its purpose.

"I'm sorry, what exactly is that?" Leo asked.

"This, gentlemen, is the solution to all of our problems," Donnie proudly announced.

"Ya made a Tic Tac?" Raphael quizzed.

"No, it's not a Tic Tac." Donnie frowned at Raph.

"It looks like a tiny computer USB or something," Leo shrugged.

"Not exactly," Donnie shook his head before he explained what he had created:

"This is a pill containing a supercomputer chip that, once swallowed and dissolved, will automatically enter the bloodstream. With GPS guidance installed in this remarkable device, the chip will implant itself inside the user's brain. Soon, this supercomputer chip will take control of the user, enhancing their intelligence, strength, and behaviour, allowing them to become the perfect living being."

Leo and Raph stared at the excited turtle, to which Raphael just replied: "So you created a drug that goes into your brain and helps you...what...level up or something?"

"In a way, yes," Donnie nodded. 

"And how exactly is that going to solve our problems? Because I ain't taking that if dat's what ya plan is," Raphael grumpily quizzed. 

"It's not for us to take; this is for Mikey," Donnie simply replied. 

"What?!" Leo exclaimed. 

"As I said, this is the answer to all our problems," Donnie repeated.

"And how exactly is getting Mikey to take that gonna solve our problems?!" Leo demanded.

"Well, for one thing, it'll be a great way for him to get smarter, stronger and even better at being a ninja like us," Donnie replied.

"He's got a point. If it makes him stop messing up and get better like us, then I say we do it," Raphael agreed.

"Thank you, Raph," Donnie smiled.

"Forget it! We're not drugging our baby brother! This could be dangerous, Donnie," Leo angrily replied.

"Oh, c'mon, Leo, have I ever let you guys down with my inventions?" Donnie scoffed.

Leo gave his response by staring at Donnie unamused, to which Raph chimed in: "Is that a trick question?"

"OK! OK! So, maybe a few have gone wrong, but I'm telling you, this is the real deal! I've worked all night with this," Donnie complained.

"That's not an excuse; we're not drugging Mikey," Leo denied.

"Leo, I've gone through the process of this pill, and according to my calculations, this pill can help Mikey in the best positive way," said Donnie.

"Not if it means using our baby brother as a lab rat!" Leo argued.

"But Leo-!" Donnie complained.

"Forget it! There is no way we're using this on Mikey. We're going to help Mikey the hard way, the way Splinter instructed us to," Leonardo denied.

"All I'm asking is that you give this a chance to help Mikey; I wouldn't do this to hurt Mikey, you know that," Donnie suggested.

"I don't know, you guys, what if this harms Mikey more than it helps him?" Leo sighs.

"This will work, Leo, trust me; It will help Mikey be the ninja he wants to be, he'll be happier and stronger," Donnie replied.

"Yeah, this'll be great for Mikey," Raphael agreed.

"Just one chance, that's all I'm asking," Donnie nodded.

 Leo looks at his brothers, unable to believe they are willing to give Mikey this strange pill to improve him. It feels wrong--correction--- it is wrong, but he also wonders: what if it actually helps Mikey? 

What if it makes him feel better and happier? As the eldest, it's his responsibility to ensure his brothers are okay. 

Leo genuinely wants to help Mikey get better, as Splinter wishes. Yet, considering his past efforts to help Mikey, which haven't worked, this might be the opportunity to do something for his little brother.

After a long, hard while of deciding, he eventually caved in: "Alright, if this is going to help Mikey, then we'll do it"

"Yes," Raphael pumped his fist in the air.

"But I swear if this ends up horribly wrong--!" Leo warned Donnie with narrowed eyes.

"We'll take full responsibility, alright? Quit ya whining already," Raphael groaned.

"Gentlemen, let's test the B.I.O." Donnie happily spoke.

"The B.I.O.?" Raphael and Leonardo quizzed.

"Yeah, I call it the Bionic-Intelligence-Organism or BIO for short," Donnie responded.

"Let's go see Mikey," Raphael nodded.

"Wait! How are we going to get Mikey to take it, because if memory serves, he doesn't like taking pills," Leo pointed out.

"I'll just put it in a pizza like I always do with his medicine," Donnie replied.

"So we're tricking him into eating a pizza with the pill," Leo firmly quizzed.

"Why not? I do it all the time with his medicine when he gets sick," Donnie shrugged.

"Donnie..." Leo warned.

"No more arguments, let's go." Raphael shut Leo up.

"This better work," Leo sighs out to himself.

--------

In Mikey's room, the young turtle sat bandaged on the head and arm after being mildly injured by the Purple Dragons the night before. He was reading a comic when he heard a knock on the door and soon saw his brothers standing there.

"Oh... hi, guys," Mikey greeted sadly, not wanting to see them for a while after last night.

"Hey, little buddy, how are you feeling?" Leonardo asked softly.

"Terrible," Mikey grumbled.

Leo knelt beside his sad younger brother by the bed. "We're so sorry, Mikey; this is all our fault. We never should've left you alone."

"I did try my hardest, you know that," Mikey whimpered.

"We know, and we're really sorry," Donnie apologised.

"We made you something to cheer you up. We got you a pizza," Raphael smiles and shows the plate of pizza to Mikey.

"For me?" Mikey gasped with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, this pizza is for you, little brother, as a way of saying we're sorry" Raphael nodded and handed him the plate.

"Thanks, guys, this is nice of you," Mikey happily thanked them.

"Anything to make up for what we did to you" Donnie rubbed his brother's head.

"Let us know if you need anything," Leo said with a wink, but he couldn't shake his concern about the BIO pill hidden in the pizza that Mikey was holding. 

Once the others left the room, they peeked out the door and watched as Mikey happily ate the pizza, completely unaware that he had consumed the pill along with it.

"Okay, he ate it. Now what?" Raphael whispered.

"Give it five minutes," Donnie replied quietly. 

As nearly five minutes passed, Mikey continued reading the comic he had before Donnie began the countdown: "Okay, the pill should start working in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... and... BEGIN!" Donnie whispered excitedly.

Soon, they noticed Mikey looking puzzled before he heard grumbling in his stomach. The turtles looked in suspense when suddenly Mikey let out a loud burp and giggled to himself: "Excuse me"

Donnie looked distraught as he realised that his invention had failed again. Raphael grumbled, "Well, your invention failed, again!"

"I don't understand; the process should have worked," Donnie whispered in frustration.

"Maybe the pizza stopped it from working," Leonardo suggested with a shrug.

"Don't be foolish; the pill would have worked even if it was put in soda," Donnie scoffed.

Suddenly, they heard a loud yelp and turned to see Mikey rubbing his head in confusion. "What the...?!" he exclaimed.

Just then, Mikey started holding his head and yowling out in pain, much to the other turtle's shock.

"Mikey!" Leo cried out as he rushed to Mikey's side. The young turtle was shaking and twitching uncontrollably on the bed. 

Leo yelled to Donnie, "Donnie, what's happening?!"

"It's just the transition, Leo," Donnie cried out.

"How long does that take?!" Raphael demanded.

Suddenly, Mikey stops as he speaks in a monotone voice: "Calibration in process. Please excuse some mild discomfort"

Mikey then shook his head and panicked: "W-Wait, what am I saying?!"

Suddenly, he yells out in agony, holding his head, and at some point speaks in the same monotone voice:

"Calibration complete" "YEOW!" "Accessing neural memory" "SOMEBODY HELP ME!!" "Accessing muscle memory" "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" "Access procedure complete... Bionic-Intelligence-Organism implanted and completed"

"Donnie!" Leo cried out.

"It's working!" Donnie cried out.

Suddenly, Mikey stopped and fell back onto the bed like a robot. The turtles approached their unconscious brother with caution. 

"Mikey?" Raphael asked, concern etched on his face. 

"Please tell me he's not dead," Leo said in a panic. 

"I think he's just fainted," Donnie replied, trying to assess the situation. He pressed on Mikey's wrist to check his heart rate when, out of nowhere, Mikey's eyes suddenly opened, flashing bright green for a second before the light faded. 

"Mikey?!" the brothers exclaimed in bewilderment.

The young turtle got up and looked around the room as everything was new to him; the pill had worked, and now standing before the three brothers was a new and improved Michelangelo.

Chapter Text

The three brothers stare intensely in shock at their baby brother, standing before them after the BIO pill takes its effect and implants itself into Mikey's brain, activating something within the turtle.

"Mikey? Are you alright?" Leo quizzed in concern.

Mikey stares at Leo and replies with:

"A little mild discomfort from that strange occurrence that just happened, but other than that, I feel alright."

The trio's eyes widen with bewilderment at the answer that Mikey gave before Raphael said:

"I think we broke him."

"I don't feel broken mentally or physically; why would you assume that, big brother?" Michelangelo looks at his body.

"D-Does this mean...?!" Leo gasped.

"Only one way to find out," Donnie replied before he went to Mikey and asked, "Say, Mikey, what is foible?"

Mikey looks at Donnie for a second and then answers with: "Foibles is a word meaning a minor weakness or falling of character; to which others would also refer to calling it the Achilles heels"

Donnie's mouth opened as wide as it could, like it was about to drop on the ground like in those over-the-top cartoons, as he recollects himself and gasped out: "He...He's right."

"So...does this mean Mikey is smart now?" Leo asked.

"Hey, I got a question, Mikey; what's the best video game in the world?" Raphael excitedly questioned.

Mikey looks at Raph and shrugs: "Sadly, Raphael, there is no such thing as the best video game in the world."

"Huh?" Raphael quizzed.

"You see, humanity as well as the internet per se have a lot of variety of different views and opinions that make it impossible for everyone to agree on one thing without disagreeing with others. You can say you love one game and hail it as the number one thing in the world and expect others to like it, but every reaction has an opposite reaction to such things as video games or movies and such," Mikey answered.

He just shrugged at Raphael, who gawked at him: "It's just the way the internet and mostly how humanity goes, Raphael, as the phrase goes: You say tomato and I say tomato."

"Holy..." Raphael gasped.

"Shell..." Leo also gasped.

"IT WORKED!!!" Donnie cheered and hugged his baby brother close. "THE B.I.O. WORKED!!!"

"What is the BIO? I do not understand this situation at all; could someone please explain to me what the big idea is and why I am saying such things that surprise you three?" Mikey calmly asked.

The three looked at one another, wondering how they were going to explain this to Mikey, before Leo said, "Well, Donnie, since this was your invention, you tell him."

"I agree," Raph nodded.

"Don?" Mikey quizzed.

"Alright, Mikey, promise you won't get mad," Donnie started.

"If this conversation will infuriate me by the end, then I will not hold any promises." Mikey crossed his arms.

"Fair enough," Donnie sighs out before he begins to explain everything.

He reveals to Mikey about the punishment that Splinter gave them and how they must work together with him to make this team whole; since they learned that Mikey wanted to be strong, smart, and better like the others, Donnie explained to Mikey how he created the BIO, and the three wanted to use it on Mikey to help him.

By the time Donatello finishes explaining the entire BIO process and how Michelangelo was persuaded to take it, the young turtle appears surprisingly calm despite being told he was deceived into taking something against his will.

"So, from what I understand: you wanted me to be smarter, stronger, and better at things... So, you developed a drug to do that for me, and instead of asking me to take it, you tricked me into eating a pizza with it," Michelangelo pointed out calmly.

"Exactly," Donatello said awkwardly, scratching his head.

"I see," Mikey nodded, before sitting back on the bed.

"You...You okay, little buddy?" Leo asked cautiously.

"Yes...Now change me back," Mikey simply said.

"What?" Donnie quizzed.

"Change me back; there is no way this is going to work." Mikey shook his head.

"I...I can't," Donnie awkwardly chuckled.

"What do you mean you can't?!" Leo demanded.

"I thought this would have a better reaction and well..." Donnie squeaked.

"You didn't make an antidote for this, didn't you?" Mikey revealed.

Raphael and Leonardo looked at Donnie, who just nervously smiled: "About that..."

"YOU DIDN'T MAKE AN ANTIDOTE FOR THIS?!" Leonardo yelled at Donnie.

"It slipped my mind by accident," Donnie tried to excuse himself.

"What are the side effects of this BIO?" Mikey asked Donnie.

"What now?" Donnie quizzed again.

"Side effects; did you even test this before you used it on me? Or like your other inventions, you didn't even bother testing it beforehand; Can't say I'm surprised, though," Michelangelo calmly shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a good point; did you even test this BIO before you used it on Mikey?" Leo demanded.

Donnie gulped before Raphael groaned: "Ya didn't even think about this, didn't ya."

"I was just that excited that I made something that could solve our problems," Donnie protested.

Leonardo leans down to Michelangelo: "I'm so sorry, Mikey, I would never let Donnie or Raph make you take it if I knew this was the case."

"And yet you went along with it, just as always when it comes to them questioning your leadership," Mikey stoically answered.

"Touché," Leonardo cringed at himself, knowing that it was true.

"I'm guessing you three did this to take the easy way out of your punishment," Michelangelo suggested.

"That's not true, Mikey," Donnie shook his head.

"It's a little true," Raphael pointed out.

"Shut up, Raph," Leo snapped.

"We only want to help you, Mikey, and we thought this would be a great way to do it; I know we tricked you, but you know what you're like with medicine pills, you find them hard to swallow," Donnie replied.

"True...In retrospect, I actually did wish to be better at things with you guys, and honestly, I feel like my brain is slowly making me see and think things I've never felt before," Mikey replied.

"So that's a good thing, right?" Donnie asked with hopeful eyes.

"I suppose...This whole thing is new to me," Mikey slowly nodded.

"We'll help you with anything you want to do, Mikey," Donnie replied

Michelangelo soon looked at the three brothers and asked, "Does father know about this?"

That question got the three brothers to look away in awkward silence before Michelangelo nodded: "He doesn't...Can't say I'm not surprised at that as well. 95 per cent of the stuff we do is without father's consent."

"You're...um...You're not gonna tell him, are you?" Leo quizzed.

"I should, considering you guys put me in a situation that is against father's wishes," Michelangelo shrugged.

"See? He's gonna rat us out!" Raphael then angrily got in front of Mikey: "If you tell Splinter any of this, I'll beat the green out of you."

"Typical immature response from you, Raphael; Which I can quite see that Splinter has a hard time training you when it comes to your hair-trigger temper," Michelangelo remarked with a stoic look.

Raphael attempted to slap Mikey on the back of the head for that remark, but suddenly the young turtle caught Raph's wrist in time, he began to grip onto it hard, making Raph yelp in pain and lowering the hot head to his eye level before he sighed out:

"Dumb move on your part...The next time you feel like slapping me...don't. Mikey stoically shook his head and let Raph go, but not before slapping him on the back of the head.

"Ow!!!" Raph yelped and jumped back from Mikey, rubbing his head from the hard slap: "Yeow!! That really hurt!"

"Now you know how Mikey felt all that time," Leo smirked at the grumpy turtle.

"I can't say I'm thrilled that you tricked me into this, however, I'm interested in how this would go. I'll play along with your experiment and I will not tell Splinter about any of this if you're willing to help me through, am I right?" said Michelangelo with such a mature voice coming out of his mouth.

"Of course we will, Mikey," Leo nodded.

"You can count on us," Donnie agreed.

Raphael just awkwardly gave a thumbs up before Mikey said:

"Let's get started, shall we?"

--------

The turtles took Mikey to a secluded part of the sewers where no one could find them. The young turtle, now enhanced with the Bionic Intelligence Organism (BIO) in his system, looked at his brothers and asked, "Are you ever going to tell me why we're out of the lair instead of training?"

"That's the thing," Donatello replied. "We need to be somewhere private to test the BIO's effects on you. We're going to train here and see how you function with the BIO in your system."

Mikey glanced at his bandaged arm and then felt the bandages on his head. "You do realize I'm still recovering from my injuries, right?"

"That's an excellent point," Leo glanced at Donnie.

"True, but thanks to the BIO, your body should heal quickly now, making you stronger and more capable of movement," Donnie pointed out.

"So if I remove my bandages..." Mikey began. With a flex of his arm, the bandages snapped, revealing strong muscles that he had developed not just in his arms but throughout his entire body. His muscular coordination had noticeably improved.

"Whoa, his muscles have grown!" Raphael exclaimed.

"Indeed, my muscular coordination has improved," Mikey said calmly. He then added, "My eyesight has gotten better too; I can see clearly now and even make out things in the dark, like spiders crawling around the pipes."

"What about your hearing?" Leo asked. 

Mikey looked around and replied, "I can hear things from far away, like water dripping and rushing through the sewers."

"I can't hear anything," Raphael pointed out. 

"Of course not; your hearing hasn't been enhanced as mine has," Mikey shook his head.

"My goodness! This is amazing!" Donnie cheered, circling Mikey. "Mikey, your body has developed such fantastic qualities that I can scarcely imagine."

"However, my feelings and impulses are limited; I can't seem to feel overjoyed, depressed, or angry. All I experience is a sense of calmness and obedience... It's like I'm completely stoic all the time," Mikey explained.

"Could that be a side effect?" Leo asked, concern in his voice.

"That's highly possible," Mikey nodded.

Leo frowned at Donnie, who then said, "Well, we'll figure something out. But in the meantime, try sparring with us for a bit and see how you handle us with the BIO intact."

"Very well," Mikey said and got into position. "Who's first?"

Leo and Donnie looked at Raph, who groaned and said, "Fine, but this will be over quickly." 

Leo felt a lingering concern about Mikey; it was strange to see his younger brother acting differently after the BIO enhancements, but he chose to do this with both Don and Raph, so he had to deal with the consequences.

"Don't worry, little bro. I ain't gonna hurt you—at least, not much," Raphael said as he got ready to spar with Mikey.

"Your overconfidence can be a weakness, Raphael," Mikey calmly responded.

"And buddy, you reek of weakness," Raphael teased.

Mikey didn't react to the mockery; instead, he stood his ground as Raph charged at him, and the fight began. At first, the sparring resembled their usual practice sessions, but then Mikey executed moves that surprised even Raphael. With quick reflexes and attacks, the young turtle shockingly overpowered Raphael, knocking him to the ground.

"Holy shell..." Leo gasped in disbelief.

"Such reflexes... such movement," Donnie exclaimed in amazement.

"What the...?! Ow!" Raphael groaned, feeling the impact of the defeat.

"That was kind of fun," Mikey shrugged before turning to Donnie and Leo. "Who's next?"

"We're fine!" both Leo and Donnie quickly answered.

"Wait, did you guys set me up to be tested?!" Raphael complained.

"And it worked," Leo replied with a smile.

"Thanks for nothing," Raphael groaned as he got up, feeling sore.

"Mikey, your reflexes and skills are amazing," Donnie praised.

"Thank you... I never knew I was capable of this," Mikey nodded in appreciation.

Soon, Michelangelo decided to try something new. He performed a few flips and turns to test out his new BIO self and ventured into the darkness of the sewers.

"Mikey, wait! Mikey, come back!" Donnie cried out as he chased after him. 

But when he reached the dark part of the sewers, he nearly bumped into the wall, and there was nothing in sight.

"Mikey's gone," Donnie gasped.

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Leo exclaimed.

"He just disappeared!" Donnie panicked.

"How did he just disappear like that?" Raphael snapped at Donnie.

"Relax, I'm right here," came Mikey's voice from the shadows.

Leo and Raph jumped back in fright when they saw Mikey behind them.

"How did you—?!" Leo gasped.

"I used the shadows as you guys do. We're ninjas, aren't we?" Mikey replied casually.

"Yeah, but you're not the best at hiding in the shadows, Mikey," Raphael pointed out.

"And yet here I am right behind you, having just scared the living daylights out of you guys and hiding in the shadows perfectly well," Mikey remarked. "I'd say that's an improvement, wouldn't you agree, guys?"

Donnie giggles with such giddiness and hugs Mikey: "You are such an achievement, Mikey! Have I ever told you I loved you?!"

"Not often" Mikey answered with full honesty.

"Well, I do," Donnie replied, still feeling giddy.

"How do you really feel about this, Mikey?" Leo asked.

"At first, I was a little hesitant about this, but now that I've seen how this upgrade has improved what I've always hoped for in the past, I'm actually pleased with it," Mikey answered.

"Great! So this means we're in the clear," Raphael replied happily.

"Not yet," Mikey shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Donnie questioned.

"Splinter," Mikey reminded them.

"Oh yeah," Leo nodded. "If he finds out, we'll all be in trouble."

"That is, if no one tells him," Donnie pointed out.

"Relax, I promised I wouldn't tell him," Mikey replied. "However, I do recommend that you tell him about this."

"Why would we want to do that?" Raphael asked firmly.

"Well, if memory serves, the odds of Splinter finding out about this, either way, are about... I'd say 95 percent. He's no fool and tends to figure things out quickly," Mikey pointed out.

"He has a point. Splinter is smart and quick to notice things; with Mikey's new changes, he's bound to find out," Leo agreed.

"So just act like the old Mikey; that should fool him," Raph suggested to Mikey.

"I could do that, but I'm not sure it would work," Mikey nodded. "Are you sure Splinter will be alright with this if he finds out?"

"I don't know; maybe not," Leo shook his head.

"Then we'll have to make him see that this is for the best for all of us if we get discovered. But until then, this is just between us four, got it?" Donnie replied.

"Got it," the three turtles nodded.

"Now let's get back before Splinter starts wondering where we are," Leo said.

Soon, the turtles left, hoping to keep Mikey's new change a secret until the time came to reveal the truth. But Mikey knew that Splinter would eventually find out, so he chose not to say anything; instead, he focused on dealing with the new changes himself.

Chapter Text

Over the next month, the three turtles assisted Mikey with everything related to the BIO. They believed these improvements significantly enhanced Mikey's life. 

The pranks had stopped, the mistakes were gone, and Mikey no longer spoke with silliness or foolishness. Instead, he responded to his brothers with maturity and concise replies, much to their delight.

Sadly Mikey puts on the façade when it comes to Splinter, acting like the original Mikey or Mikey 1.0 as Donnie would call him, much to Leo's displeasure of that nickname.

So far Splinter hasn't noticed the changes due to the BIO's clever disguising Mikey's new features but even the upgraded turtle knew it was only going to be a matter of time before Splinter finds out.

After the end of the month, Splinter evaluated how well the boys had worked together, unaware of the changes in Mikey. He stood in front of the kneeling turtles and said, "I am very impressed with all four of you. You managed to work as one, and you have improved a lot together both as brothers and as a team."

Leo then asked, "So what happens now?"

Splinter replied, "I am happy to inform you that you all can go to the surface together. Just remember everything you have learned and practiced as a team."

The four celebrated the lifting of their ban and bowed before Splinter. Leo added, "Thank you, Sensei. We won't disappoint you like that again."

"I doubt that" Mikey whispered to Leo.

"Is something on your mind, Michelangelo?" Splinter asked, raising an eyebrow.

The BIO-Mikey looked up at Splinter and responded with his typical 1.0 attitude, saying, "I'm just looking forward to eating pizza up there again, Sensei!" 

He flashed a cheerful smile and gave a thumbs-up. Splinter stared at him for a moment before nodding and replying, "Very well. You four are dismissed, and be careful out there."

"We will," Donnie assured him, nodding.

"Thanks, Pops," Raphael said as the four of them left the lair.

Soon, they returned to the city, and Donnie exclaimed, "Hello, city!"

"It's good to be back up," Raphael chuckled.

"Well fellows, I must say your plan to trick Splinter into lifting the ban worked; congratulations" Mikey replied in the same monotone voice.

"I do worry if Sensei is catching on," Donnie stated while twaddling his fingers. "He didn't look entirely convinced back there."

"Then you should confess now or reap the consequences of your actions," Mikey warned the trio.

"Look, we'll let Splinter know about the BIO and all that...eventually," Raphael argued.

Mikey stared for a moment before shrugging. "If you insist. So, what's the plan here, Leo?"

"We just look around and see what comes up," Leo replied.

"Lead the way then, sir," Mikey said with a nod.

"Sir?" Leo blushed.

"You are the leader, aren't you? Then lead on, and we'll follow," Mikey said, nodding again.

Leonardo felt pride that Mikey was addressing him as a leader with respect to which Donnie mocked: "And you said this was a bad idea"

Leo shook his head and pushed Donnie back. 

"Shut up, let's just get going," he said. 

The team explored the city in the shadows, and it felt different from their previous patrols. This outing was quiet and lacked any excitement. 

Finally, Raphael groaned, "This is getting boring. Whose face do I need to punch to get some action around here?"

"Mine is off-limits" Michelangelo spoke in a rather cold tone.

"It was just a figure of speech, Mikey! Geez!" Raphael exclaimed, looking at his brother in disbelief.

Mikey glanced ahead and said, "Look, Purple Dragons are not too far away."

The trio turned to see the gang perched on top of a building, guarding a canister of mutagen—the same one they had tried to grab last time.

"It's the same mutagen canister!" Donnie gasped in shock.

"It's payback time!" Raphael growled, pulling out his sais.

"Hold on!" Leo stopped Raph. "We need to come up with a plan first."

Raphael was about to protest but soon he remembers what happened last time and sighs: "OK Leo, what's your plan?"

"Simple, we stick to the shadows, then here's what we do: Mikey, you distract them, Don, Raph, you're with me; we will cover the area with smoke bombs, surprise attack them, grab the mutagen, and we split back to the lair with it." Leo planned the attack.

"Sounds simple," Donnie nodded.

"Let's do this!" Raphael agreed.

"No," Mikey objected.

The three stared at Mikey, to which Leo quizzed: "No?"

"What did you mean by no?" Raphael demanded.

"No, it means I object to your decision, shall I bring a vocalbury to you, Raphael?" Mikey tilts his head at Raph.

"I know what no means! Gees, you may be smarter now, but you're still a shell-for-brains," Raphael snapped.

"Speaks the voice of experience," Mikey retorted.

Raphael growled and moved forward, ready to attack either verbally or physically, until Mikey raised his hand as if to hit him. The red-masked turtle flinched instantly and pulled back from Mikey.

"Don't tempt me, dear brother." Mikey stoically shook his head.

He then approached Leo and added, "Despite your enthusiasm, your plan has a few flaws."

"What do you mean by that, Mikey?" Leo asked.

"I don't mean to put you down, Leo. I'm just saying that maybe we can find a better way to deal with the Purple Dragons," Mikey responded.

"And I suppose you have any better ideas, smart guy?" Raphael grumbled.

"Disregarding your immaturity is one of those," Mikey strictly retorted before resuming his gaze at Leo: "I do have another strategy if you wish for me to explain it."

The three of them looked at each other in confusion before Leo shrugged back. "Alright, Mikey. What do you have in mind?"

"First of all, one flaw in your plan is that you fail to notice the surveillance cameras on the rooftop," Mikey began.

The others noticed a few cameras on the roof recording and sending a live feed back to whoever owns the building. 

"You know how Master Splinter warns us about the importance of avoiding detection, especially when it comes to recording devices," Mikey reminded his brothers. 

"That's true," Leo agreed with a nod. 

"Donnie! Can you try to disable the cameras using your T-Phone?" Mikey asked. "You're a skilled hacker, right?" 

"I am! Well... I'll see if I can hack into the system," Donnie replied, nodding as he prepared to use his T-Phone to attempt the hack.

"So my plan is this: Donatello, you disable the cameras; Raphael, you create a distraction."

"Wait, why me?!" Raphael protested.

"Because compared to Mikey 1.0, you're the second loudest person in the team, and your obnoxious behaviour tends to alert the enemies from time to time. It only makes sense that you cause the distraction since you can take the hits."

"I'M NOT OBNOXIOUS!!" Raphael exclaimed in anger.

The turtles dashed down and peeked back up when they noticed the purple dragons hadn't heard them, miraculously. 

"Case in point," Mikey pointed out.

"Okay, okay, I understand your point," Raphael growled.

"And what should I do?" Leo asked.

"You grab the canister and hide; you can blend into the shadows more easily than the rest of us," Mikey replied.

"What about you, Mikey? What are you going to do?" Donnie asked.

"Simple. I'm going to take them down one by one," Mikey said confidently.

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Leo asked with concern.

"Well, since this plan has a 98 percent chance of success compared to your original plan, what do you have to lose?" Michelangelo shrugged.

The three looked at Mikey puzzled then to each other once more before Leo just awkwardly responded with: "OK, I never thought I say this but let's give Mikey's plan a go"

"Seriously?" Raphael incredulously quizzed.

"Well, we are working together as a team, aren't we?" Leo reminded the others.

"Yes," both Donatello and Raphael nodded in agreement.

"Then let's give this plan a shot and see if we can pull it off! Donnie, find a way to shut down those cameras," Leo commanded.

"Okay, I'll do my best," Donatello replied, nodding as he worked on his T-Phone to hack into the security system.

The others got into position, and as soon as Donatello successfully shut down the cameras, Leo gave Raphael the cue. Raph groaned, "I'm going to regret doing this."

He stepped into plain sight from another building, facing the Purple Dragons, and called out, "Oi! Purple Dragons!"

The thugs turned in bewilderment to see Raph, who flipped them off and taunted, "You suck!"

"Oh, hell no!" one of the thugs shouted as he brandished a lead pipe.

"Let's teach that freak a lesson!" another thug growled.

Seeing this as his opportunity, Michelangelo took action. With his improved strength and fighting methods, he struck at the thugs and managed to overpower them in the blink of an eye, much to the shock of his older brothers.

"Leonardo, the canister," Mikey reminded his eldest while fighting the remaining thugs.

"O-Oh! Right," Leo cleared his throat.

The leader grabbed the mutagen canister and, using the shadows, sneaked back to position with Donatello and Raphael as they watched as Mikey beat down the rest of the thugs with no sweat whatsoever.

"H-He did it!" Donnie gasped.

"He beat them all like they were nothing," Raphael exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Mikey..." Leo whispered in shock.

Soon, the BIO-enhanced turtle returned to his brothers as if nothing much had happened before he said:

"Gentlemen, I can happily report that this mission has been successfully accomplished"