Brewing Pot.

*BOOM*

The sounds of thunder and lightning woke our protagonist up out of his sleep. Mikey's first night in his apartment was on the floor and an empty bowl of cereal was next to him.

'Good morning Mikey, great sleep huh?' Alan asked as Mikey yawned and walked to the bathroom. He put water on his face to help wake him up and then he soon realized he didn't have toothpaste or a toothbrush, or any sanitary products.

"Fuck..." Mikey said in a whisper as he also realized he only had one outfit, the one he was currently wearing, 'Perhaps we should go shopping today?'

"Would love to, but remember, I have school now..." Mikey sighed and he opened the blinds only to close them immediately because of the rain.

'Indeed, but I doubt they would care if you missed a few hours. Besides, if you want your suit made, shopping is a must,' Alan said to Mikey who was playing around with his webs, "I guess you're right, what materials do I need for this 'ideal' suit anyway? I was just gonna go with cotton or something equivalent."

'Cotton is a terrible material to make a suit out of. The materials needed are carbon fiber, spandex, your silk, chrome and plastic lenses,' Mikey's eyes widened at the list, "You do realize I probably can't buy most of this stuff in a store y'know? Also, this sounds like it costs a fortune! Aside from my own silk of course," Mikey said as the rain slowed down and the sun began to peak through the clouds.

'Yes, but they're necessary. If you swing around in a cotton suit, you're bound to get injured some way shape or form. Or get hot, or get cold, or when it rains it'll get wet. My suit design is designed to keep you comfortable but most importantly safe,' Alan explained which put a small smile on Mikey's face, "Alright fine, I'll get the materials for your suit design but if I end up broke I expect more money from you!" Mikey laughed as he walked out of the door.

As he walked downstairs, he got various looks from people you don't want to get looks from, and eventually one of them went up to him.

"Hey kid, you new around here?" A man with a pot belly and beanie asked, Mikey nodded, "Yeah I am, why?"

The man laughed, "Because you'll have to pay your dues to Mr. Chen, if you wanna have all five fingers that is," The man said with another laugh and his buddies chuckled with him as well. Mikey frowned, "Who is Mr. Chen?"

The man scowled, "You're askin' too many questions kid, just go here and pay your dues," The man handed Mikey a menu for a Chinese restaurant.

'How stereotypical, I'm guessing Mr. Chen is some big crime boss around here,' Mikey mentally said to Alan as he walked out of his apartment complex and sat on a bench, waiting for the bus.

'Yes, according to local databases, Yan Chen is a notorious crime boss whose been arrested multiple times. He's even encountered Batman but made a narrow escape, since then he's been in hiding, or so I assume as there is no more data on him after that day, which was 3 months ago.' Alan said which made Mikey nod in understanding.

'So despite being in hiding, he's still collecting money from newbies huh? If that's the case then that obviously means someone is running his businesses. Can you find out what businesses he has and what he does on the streets?' Mikey asked as the bus pulled up and he got on. The bus was headed towards North Gotham which was much more pristine and also where Gotham Academy was located.

'Sure thing, give me a moment...' As Mikey waited, he looked outside the bus window and saw crime on every corner, from small drug deals, to muggings, to assault, nothing was sacred in Gotham.

'Alright, so from what I gathered Mr. Chen owns five known businesses. Three Chinese restaurants and two laundry mats. These businesses are a front for his drug running and money laundering. He's also had a few hits put out on his competitors, some of whom were civilians who had no connection to any rival gangs. His biggest money maker is probably his sixth business, a warehouse by the harbor. This was really hard to find, as it's where Mr. Chen manufactures explosives. These explosives are incredibly powerful for their small size, so be careful about that. That's all I could find on the web, but there is probably more that wasn't put on the internet, so if we're going to go after this guy, we have to be cautious.' Mikey tightened his fists as this information, 'Alright...we'll start tonight, or after my suit is made.'

'I believe it's wiser to start after your suit is made. You have an identity now, a name to match your face. This guy isn't like those thugs you beat up, he's the leader of an organized crime ring, he has a vast amount of resources available to him. Being safe, careful, and stealthy should be our top priority,' Mikey exhaled and nodded his head, 'I hate that you're right sometimes, but the fact that a guy like this COULD be roaming the streets boils my blood. If I could patrol all night and stop as many crimes as I could, I would...'

'Yes, I know you would. But for right now, keep your mind off of him and focus on getting materials for your suit and supplies for school,' Alan said as the bus reached it's destination and Mikey walked off.

North Gotham was as pristine as Gotham could get. Crime was still prevalent but took place in places people couldn't really see, the sidewalks didn't have a serious amount of trash, and the smog wasn't as thick as it was in West Gotham.

'Okay, your first stop is Johnny's Hardware and Maintenance,' Alan gave Mikey the directions and he made it there in 15 minutes, 'The plastic and chrome lenses are in here,' Alan said and Mikey eventually found them. After reaching the register and paying $95.78, Mikey left the store with his first bag.

'Alan, I think I left a piece of my soul in there...' Mikey clenched his chest and fell to his knees, gaining the attention of onlookers, 'You're overreacting, your next stop is Roger's Autotopia, you'll find the carbon fiber there.'

Alan directed Mikey to the next store and Mikey bought a sheet of carbon fiber for $45, 'Wow, that wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I dunno why, but carbon fiber just sounds really expensive y'know?' Mikey said to Alan who have him no response...'Loser...' Mikey said a bit embarrassed.

'Sorry, I'm just tired of hearing you complain about the price of things. Anyway, your final stop is going to be Annie's Costume Shop.' Mikey feigned being hurt by Alan's words but laughed as he walked to his final destination.

Once inside the store, he found an aisle of spandex and decided he wanted his suit to be black. Once he picked it up, he paid $25 for it and exited the store with his final bag.

'I'm amazing aren't I? You were complaining about how expensive they could be and how you probably couldn't buy them in a store but here you are, holding three bags full of stuff that you could totally buy in a store,' Alan said with a sense of pride that made Mikey roll his eyes, 'It's because half the shit you said sounded like shit you couldn't buy in a store...what do you expect me to say?'

'Thank you glorious Alan for taking the time out of your busy day to help me acquire the materials needed for me to become a safe and stealthy superhero. Duh...'

"I hate you..." Mikey verbalized as he walked back to the bus mumbling stuff under his breath.