CHOOSING ROBIN
It was time. Things couldn't continue as they had been.
Someday, Bruce wouldn't be able to go out as Batman and defend his city. That uncertain future scared him more than the idea of him not getting internet service when The Riddler asked one of his riddles. Something had to be done.
"What I need..." Bruce said, clenching his right fist and staring off into the infinite darkness of the Batcave. "Is a successor. One that I can train and mold into someone super boss."
Alfred was intrigued by the idea. "Perhaps he would even become better than you, Master Wayne."
Bruce nearly spit out his coffee. "Please Alfred." He rolled his eyes as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "No one could be cooler than me."
One of Alfred's eyebrows rose. "Fascinating."
"But who?" Bruce continued. "Who to chose? Thousands of children in the world and only one can be my student..."
"I'm sure you'll find someone suitable."
"Alfred, this will probably be the most important decision of my whole life. Who this kid is, what his name is, what he looks like..."
Later that day Bruce stood outside a school playground and watched the kids out on recess play. What he was looking for was physical fitness, something that would show a future of acrobatic ass kicking in the child's future.
Hey, that kid's pretty good on the monkey bars. Bruce thought. In fact, he was pretty much good at everything. He watched the kid jump off the swings and land perfectly, do push-ups over scorching gravel, and knock one of the other kids out with just one punch. Bruce nodded to himself. Impressive right hook. Bruce watched the little kid beat his chest and hoot loudly in supremacy of the playground. Somehow, it seemed that one child of Gotham actually thrived on the polluted air.
This kid's got a lot of potential...Bruce thought to himself. But something...something wasn't right. Bruce frowned to himself as he pulled out his binoculars to better survey the child that stood twenty feet away. The little boy had blond curly hair, big green eyes and a ruddy complexion. He's...he's just...ugly.
Bruce shook his head. No side-kick of mine is going to be ugly. Bruce panned his binoculars around and spotted a small little boy on the swing set, his hands folded solemnly in his lap. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and a thin face. "Helloooo handsome."
Bruce promised himself as he was drug away by the police for acting like a pedophile that he would find out who that child was and make him his sidekick.
So after Bruce sabotaged the little boy's parent's trapeze line and they died, leaving the kid an orphan, Bruce took custody over the child.
"Bruce, this is Dick Grayson."
"Dick Grayson?" Bruce's face went white with horror.
"Yes." The child services lady said, giving him a weird look.
Bruce then realized he'd made a horrible mistake. He should never have tried to pick a child from the world. They might have a dumb name like Dick. So Bruce vowed to never make such a mistake again. Instead, he would clone himself. And to his little clones he would give cool names like, Jason, Tim, and Damien.
Shit, Bruce thought as he looked at the child before him. You may be hot, but your name sucks. I was going to give you a cool superhero name like...I dunno...Kreature, but, now...meh, I'll call you Robin.
THE END