DC: A Cop in Gotham

Chapter 13: Victory

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When Dean assumed the Iai stance, Damian instinctively adjusted his footing and stepped back, creating space between them. He recognized the danger of directly engaging against such a precise stance—one wrong move could lead to defeat. His best option was to retreat and wait for the right moment to counter

Yet, even as Damian thought he had retreated swiftly enough, the next moment left him utterly bewildered. When he finally focused, Dean was already behind him.

"What just happened…?"

The fragmented sequence of events left Damian frozen in disbelief.

Dean had turned his back to Damian, half-kneeling, with Hoshikudaki planted firmly into the ground. All the muscles in his body trembled faintly. The force he unleashed in that instant had pushed him beyond his physical limits, leaving him struggling to even remain upright.

Nightwing, observing from the sidelines, felt a mix of awe and concern. Despite Dean's vulnerable state, the outcome of this clash was unmistakable—Damian had lost.

Damian looked down at the shattered remnants of his blade, watching them fall alongside his pride. The reality struck him hard.

"I lost," he admitted, his voice tinged with resignation.

Dean's precision had been undeniable. The fact that he could sever Damian's weapon so cleanly, without the boy even realizing it, was proof of the lethal difference in their abilities. If Dean had wanted to, killing him would've been a mere thought.

As his strength began to return, Dean prepared to leave but found his path blocked by Damian.

Dean frowned slightly, his exhaustion evident in his voice. "Do you still want to fight?"

He was too worn out to continue. If Damian decided to ignore basic martial ethics and attack again, Dean would have no choice but to admit defeat.

"So, this is your true strength," Damian muttered, his voice low. "Have you been pretending all along? I really failed…"

There was no malice in Damian's tone. Despite his disappointment, he couldn't fault Dean for withholding his true capabilities. Trained as an assassin, Damian understood the importance of concealing one's power. Misjudging a target's strength was an error he could not afford to repeat.

On the surface, Dean maintained his composure, but internally he was wincing. Pretending to be strong? Hardly. The powerful strike Damian witnessed was a fluke, a result of Hoshikudaki's hidden properties. It was as if he'd accidentally executed a combo move on an arcade machine—repeating it would be impossible.

Yet, Hoshikudaki's unstable power came at a cost, depleting his energy and leaving him defenseless. Against a serious foe like Black Mask, such risks could prove fatal.

Damian, meanwhile, was grappling with his emotions. He hadn't sought Dean out solely to reclaim his pride. What he wanted was a partnership, but his ingrained pride compelled him to seek dominance, hoping to prove himself worthy through strength. Instead, he'd been humbled.

After a long pause, Damian finally swallowed his pride. "I lost. From now on, I'll follow your lead…partner."

The balance of power between the two was clear now. Damian's attempt to dominate had only deepened his respect for Dean, even as he vowed to turn the tables one day.

"But!" Damian raised the broken blade in his hand. "This isn't over. One day, I'll defeat you and prove who the real boss is!"

Dean couldn't help but smirk at Damian's fiery determination. Beneath his brash exterior, the boy was quick to adapt and learn. It was a hallmark of the Wayne lineage. Even Batman, as an adult, had once stood on rooftops, reciting melodramatic lines like "Avenger in the Dark." Compared to that, Damian's antics at his age weren't so bad.

Dean ruffled Damian's hair, venting his lingering irritation. At the same time, he began plotting how best to utilize Robin's unique skills.

"Robin," Dean said casually, "you can enter the Batcave anytime, right?"

Damian pushed Dean's hand away, narrowing his eyes. "I may recognize you as my partner, but that doesn't mean I'll take you to the Batcave."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "I'm not asking you to take me there. Just answer the question—can you go in?"

"Of course… I can." Damian's response lacked conviction.

The truth was, no one entered the Batcave without Bruce's permission. Even Damian, as Batman's son, wasn't exempt. Alfred was the only exception.

Dean leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Good. I've got a plan to make Batman finally acknowledge you."

Damian's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Tell me."

For someone who craved his father's approval above all else, nothing could be more enticing.

Dean laid out his proposal. "You know Batman's been tracking Black Mask, right? He hasn't made a move yet, but as the world's greatest detective, he must have leads. We'll sneak into the Batcave, grab any data on Black Mask's possible hideouts, and investigate before Batman does. If we succeed, he'll have no choice but to recognize your talent."

Dean spoke with such confidence that Damian, despite his rebellious streak, couldn't help but feel excited.

During his time in Gotham, Batman had shielded him from the more dangerous criminals, insisting he wasn't ready. Damian clenched his fists. "I'll show him I'm no weakling!"

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From a distance, Nightwing observed the two, marveling at the rapid shift in their dynamic.

"First they're trying to kill each other, and now they're teaming up. Their relationship changes faster than Two-Face's mood," Nightwing muttered.

Yet, despite his amusement, Nightwing couldn't shake an ominous feeling as he watched Damian and Dean part ways. With a sigh, he decided to follow Dean, just in case.

Chapter 13: Now I Know Who's the Boss (Part 2)

That night, in the depths of the Batcave, Bruce Wayne reviewed his surveillance logs, his transformation into Gotham's Dark Knight complete. As the recordings from earlier in the day played on his screen, something unusual caught his attention.

At precisely 10:23 AM, Damian appeared on the footage, entering the Batcave unauthorized.

Frowning, Bruce activated his communicator. "Alfred, why didn't you stop Damian from accessing the Batcave this morning?"

Alfred's face appeared on the monitor, looking perplexed. "Master Damian? But I thought he accompanied you to Wayne Enterprises. I even prepared his favorite milk pudding."

Bruce exhaled sharply and rewound the footage to show Alfred.

"Damian spent twenty minutes combing through the system's data. How did you not notice?"

Alfred straightened, his expression carefully neutral. "I was occupied at the time, cleaning your quarters. Perhaps you recall, you haven't slept in that bed for weeks."

Bruce's jaw tightened. Alfred's tone was subtle, but Bruce knew the butler well enough to sense the deliberate oversight.

"You're supposed to keep him in check, not indulge him."

"Perhaps," Alfred replied evenly, "but what Master Damian needs is not constant monitoring but a father who trusts him."

Bruce's response was a sharp inhale, but he chose not to press further. Instead, he focused on the data Damian had accessed.

The logs included locations tied to Penguin and mostly Black Mask places and club he owned. It wasn't difficult to connect the dots. Damian wasn't just snooping; he was planning something.

Bruce's face darkened. "He's going after Black Mask…"

Without hesitation, Batman climbed into the Batplane, determined to stop Damian before he went too far. As he launched into the night, he tried contacting Damian's communicator, but every attempt went unanswered.