Two crouched figures carefully observed the movement beyond the reinforced door.
Robin turned, raising an eyebrow at the young woman beside him.
"Batgirl... are you sure you can do this?" he whispered, watching her agile fingers type commands on the microcomputer strapped to her forearm.
"Have you ever seen me fail?" Batgirl replied with a faint smirk, her eyes still locked on the screen. Her voice was firm, confident—the same voice that made villains tremble and allies breathe a sigh of relief.
"Well... technically, yes. That incident with the Cobblepot Tech drones doesn't count?"
"Robin..." she glanced at him with a sarcastic glint in her eyes. "I was bored. Calculated sabotage. Now, hush."
"Alright. I'll count to three. When the lights go out, we go in and take them down."
"Got it," Robin nodded, getting into position.
"Lights out in three... two... one."
With one final command, Batgirl hacked the room's electrical system. A dry snap—then darkness swallowed the area. Inside, a chorus of confused voices erupted.
"What the—?! Power's out!"
"Damn it, did someone forget to pay the bill?"
"Go open a window, idiot!"
As the thugs stumbled in the dark, two sleek silhouettes dropped through the ventilation shafts like living shadows. Batgirl and Robin moved in perfect sync, gliding through the chaos like night predators.
One goon reached out to grab a teammate—but his hand found nothing.
"Hey, why are you just stan... bro?"
A muffled thud—as if a body hit the floor. Then another. And another.
"Guys...?"
Before he could react, the curtains were yanked open. Light flooded the room, revealing a silent massacre—every one of his allies lay unconscious on the floor.
Standing before him, like figures from an urban nightmare, were Robin and Batgirl.
"I-I give up! I surrender!" The last thug dropped his baseball bat with a clunk, raised his hands, and dropped to his knees.
Robin stepped forward, expression cold. Without hesitation, he landed a clean punch to the man's jaw, knocking him out like a felled tree.
"Well, that's this room done."
"Are you going to help me, or planning to dive headfirst into the next fight on your own?"
"Why not both?" Robin smirked. "We're already here... might as well take down a few real villains too."
"Robin..." she started, clearly concerned. "We still have hostages to protect. We can't just—"
"This is my chance, Batgirl," he interrupted, eyes shining with resolve. "To prove I'm more than just Batman's sidekick."
Without waiting for a reply, he dashed down the hallway, slipping into the shadows like a living arrow.
Batgirl sighed. Trying to stop him now was pointless. She ran in the opposite direction, determined to free the hostages before things got worse.
---
As for Robin, he moved through the building's corridors, taking down thugs with ease. His strikes were fast and precise, wielding his electric staff like a master.
BOOOOM!
A metal door exploded in front of him. Dust. Debris. And then—a guttural roar.
From the smoke emerged Killer Croc. A monstrous figure covered in scales, standing over eight feet tall, with glowing yellow eyes filled with rage.
"Was hoping for the Bat himself... but you'll do for a snack."
"Then get ready to choke," Robin snapped into a battle stance, spinning his staff. "Let's see if you can handle me."
Croc charged like an enraged bull. Robin jumped, rolled, and dodged the crushing blows. Each punch shattered concrete—one misstep and he'd be pulp.
Robin retaliated with electricity, targeting exposed nerves and softer scales. But Croc was tough. Really tough.
---
On the other side, Batgirl had just freed the hostages when a glass wall exploded.
Firefly appeared like a winged demon, flamethrower in hand.
"Always wanted to roast a Bat," he laughed, unleashing a torrent of fire.
Batgirl dove behind a counter, rolling with precision. She threw explosive and smoke batarangs, aiming for blind spots—but Firefly was experienced, weaving in the air and hurling fire with savage glee.
Then—a different sound: fast-approaching footsteps.
A figure wearing a white mask sprinted down the corridor toward them. Only when Arthur was nearly upon them did Firefly snap out of it and aim his flamethrower at him.
Unfortunately for him, the flames had no effect.
Arthur—now going by the name Garou—launched himself like a missile and slammed Firefly into the ground.
"Gah!" Firefly gasped, the air knocked from his lungs.
Garou tore off his equipment one piece at a time with surgical brutality, and with a single punch, crushed his helmet and knocked him out cold.
Batgirl stood up, still stunned.
"You...?"
After finishing the fight in seconds, Arthur looked at Batgirl, who was still watching him intently. He couldn't help but smile and say:
"Don't be so tense. I promise I'll buy you a coffee later."
The familiar tone and words made Batgirl realize immediately who the masked figure was.
"You're..." she started to say his name, but Arthur cut her off.
"Shh~ We'll talk about that later."
Barbara smiled. She was just about to speak with Arthur when a distant sound of fighting caught her attention—reminding her that Robin was still in the middle of a battle.
"Uh, what should I call you?" Batgirl asked, still unsure how to address him.
"Call me Garou."
Robin was beginning to wear down. Croc was a living wall. The teen staggered after a glancing blow, nearly losing his balance.
Then—a white blur streaked across his vision. Garou appeared like lightning, unleashing a flurry of strikes to the monster's vital points.
Neck. Ribs. Base of the skull. Knees.
Croc crashed to the ground, unconscious.
Robin blinked, stunned.
"What just happened?" he muttered, trying to process.
Batgirl approached, and Robin, still bewildered, pointed at Garou:
"Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Barbara raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
"None of your business."
"Just... asking," Robin mumbled, crossing his arms as he kept processing the events.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."