"Man, I hate dealing with victims that are wrecks and let themselves get beat on." Jason said as looked out over Gotham with Nightwing. He wasn't sure what prompted him to say it out loud. He had been thinking it a long time.
"I don't know, Hood. Some just don't know any better." He sighed as we just looked out at the city listening to the distinct sounds of the city. "Too bad they couldn't be trained to, I don't know... not be victims?" he paused as he tried to think through what he had just said.
"So what, we open a self-defense studio for free? Only girls would show up to watch Nightwing and Red Hood work out." Jason huffed. If he heard one more comment about Dick Grayson's butt he would twist off that person's arm and beat them with it. Why did people like it so much? He had heard five people say they could recognize him by that feature alone. People are stupid jerks.
"That's not a bad idea. We could teach free classes to anyone." He started smiling evilly, "That way anybody who wanted could learn. It would only be a night a week. Two words: Bro bonding." Dick leapt off the building like he always did. Jason scoffed at the idea of them teaching self-defense to a bunch of hormonal teenage girls. Good thing Dick wasn't seriously going to anything like that.
To Jason's surprise, Dick rented out a studio where every Thursday Red Hood and Nightwing didn't patrol Gotham. They were in a crowded martial arts studio brimming with people. Jason had been wrong it wasn't just adolescent girls, it was grandma's tired of their Social Security checks being stolen, young boys tired of being picked on by the school bully, or it was young mother and father determined to make sure their family's were kept safe. Red Hood had a speech almost every Thursday on why drugs ruined you life. The kids listened to him.
When Jason heard that people took the classes to keep their family safe he almost told them to move out of Gotham. Jason and Dick found that teaching these Gothmites was different from anything they were used to. It wasn't like sparring with a bat they had to be careful not to hurt them, but effectively teach. Jason liked the kids that looked up to him for some reason, so he taught them better than the others. He gave them tips on if they got kidnapped or if someone tried to hurt them. Dick liked teaching everyone. He liked knowing that they were safe even when he or his family of bats and birds weren't patrolling.
It was two months in when they got there first threat. It stated simply, "Close the studio or else." Jason laughed and Dick decided that they should teach the classes twice a week. Mondays and Thursdays nights became something Gothmites looked forward to. One time Batman even came, he and Nightwing showed how to counter act each other style's when they sparred. Robin came once he showed how to make a full-grown man cry with just his pinky. Red Robin came and he taught basic online security, because of that the people knew which emails were suspicious and which were just spam. Black Bat taught how to disable a bad guy in less than thirty seconds. Spoiler on quiet nights would sit in and watch them teach people how to fight. She would assist at times.
Stephanie found that crime was down in all parts of Gotham, except for the main villains. Even then things changed.
The Joker had tried to kidnap a school bus full of girls from Catholic school. In the end Batman almost felt sorry for the Joker, all the girls on the bus attended every single self defense class Nightwing and Red Hood had. The clown would think twice about ever trying to take on Catholic school girls, Batman he could handle he had a moral code. Those girls did not.
The Riddler made an elaborate riddle leading to a old lady tied to the the railroad tracks leading from Gotham to Bludhaven. Riddler gave Batman an ultimatum; rescuing the old woman or capturing him. The elderly lady made the choice for Batman and Robin, she freed herself and had disabled Riddler by the time they arrived.
When a ten year old boy took down Killer Croc. He'd been bullied everyday at school for years. Red Hood had worked with him for weeks to have the courage to stand up for himself. When he had stood up to his tormentor he told Red Hood. Jason had never felt prouder, he felt so proud he bought him a taser that for the bigger bullies that might try to mug him. Killer Croc had appeared out of nowhere, he remembered the belief that Red Hood had in him. He tasered Killer Croc. When Red Robin showed up to take him in custody he told him that it was because of what Red Hood had taught him and like so many other bullies Killer Croc thought the boy would run scared.
A World War ll veteran stopped a robbery in progress. It seemed like Red Robin had fitted his cane with a taser. The would be thief wet himself in terror. The old man cackled as the police came he told them, "I almost didn't go to self-defense classes, but heck if it don't beat bingo night." He was still laughing when he retold the story to anyone who would listen.
A young mother was featured in the national news for bravery, when someone tried to kidnap her baby she knocked both of the men out. "Nightwing, taught me how to knock out someone in less than a minute. I knew Gotham was dangerous, I just never thought I could do that." She was quoted to have said, it was played over and over on TV news. People loved a hopeful story and in Gotham no less.
A year after they started teaching self-defense training Jason and Dick couldn't believe how well it turned out. Students had taken to opening their own Dojo's or teaching nights that they couldn't. Crime was down all over Gotham. It was still there of course, in Crime Alley and in other bad parts of Gotham, criminals had a hard time hurting people when most Gothamites were trained by bats.
Green Arrow and Black Canary started a similar program in Star City. They talked Roy into helping at least once a month. He came more often, in the end. They couldn't get over at how subtle the changes were, people stood up for themselves. They weren't victims anymore.
AN
I don't know exactly where I got the idea for this, but I would go to self-defense classes that were taught by Red Hood and Nightwing.
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