Wow here we go the tenth chapter milestone. Holly cow is this one long. Easily the longest so far.

Alright so I've seen the reviews of the last chapter that predicted this one. You guys we are on the right track, hope the final outcome still leaves you satisfied and smiling ;). Some of what you've said might just come back in future chapters though…

I have also drawn up an outline for the proceeding of the story, the villains, the secondary character developments etc…

Anyhow, I'm going to stop teasing you any further, I'll let you enjoy the chapter and meet you at the end.

Enjoy.

Chapter 10: PLUS ULTRA!

As soon as the challenge was issued and accepted, the energy of the island skyrocketed. Everyone was discussing it, joking about it, and placing the same bet over and over regarding who would emerge victorious.

Amidst all the commotion in the days that followed, Diana was still trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed.

As soon as Bruce had received Phillipus's answer, he immediately took Mala aside and quickly explained to her Gods know what. Diana could only hope he was apologizing for using her as a pawn in his display of arrogance.

The day after that, when Diana had gone to his room to talk to him about the stunt he had pulled, she found that he had already left. She searched the entire palace and asked anyone she could if they knew where he went, but no one knew or saw a thing.

Bruce remained unseen for the whole day; returning just after sundown, exhausted and with a small bruise on his cheek. When Diana confronted him to know what he was doing, he simply said he was training with Mala, giving no further details.

This pattern of disappearance repeated for several days; infuriating Diana to no end, due in part to the fact she had no idea what she was annoyed about. It made sense for him to practice with Mala, after all they were going to fight together. But why pick one of the weakest fighters on the Island as his partner? Why not pick the strongest, she would have obviously accepted? It would have been an opportunity to get to know him better and spend some time with…

WAIT WHAT!

Diana immediately stopped her line of thinking, quickly ruffling her hair to shake the idea away.

I don't care what he does and who he does it with. If he wants to waste his time trying to train a failure of an Amazon that's his problem., she ranted spitefully.

Diana immediately regretted these thoughts. She hated the way Mala was always called weak and a failure behind her back by some. Prowess in combat doesn't make an Amazon; spirit does. Mala had the strongest fighting spirit of any of her sisters, and she felt guilty for letting her newly gained power drive a wedge between them.

I need to apologize to her.

Since it was after sundown, Diana assumed Mala would be in getting ready for bed. She quickly flew out of the palace and towards the barracks.

The person she was looking for was just walking towards the baths. She looked exhausted but beamed with newfound pride and confidence.

Diana landed softly in front of her. Before Mala could open her mouth, she quickly stated:

"Mala I want to apologize. I have grown distant over the past few days, all because I have gained powers I don't fully comprehend. I let my arrogance cloud my judgement, and in that I abandoned a close friend. One of my only friends. I want to apologize Mala and hope we can be friends again."

After a few seconds of silence, Mala's smile grew even wider. Without warning she suddenly wrapped Diana in a surprisingly strong hug.

"Di what are you talking about? Of course we can be friends, I never thought otherwise. I mean seriously if you discover you are able to fly and you don't take some time to reflect, then something is wrong with you."

After a moment of shock, Diana tightened the embrace, not caring that the grime and sweat from Mala's training was now covering her as well.

"Bruce is a really incredible you know?", Mala whispered.

Diana quickly held her at arm's length with an unbelieving expression. How are they suddenly on a first name basis?

"I know, I know. He's a man. He's a pig etc.… But I promise you he's different. He is kind and helpful, but also firm and merciless when necessary. I feel I've learned more from him in only a couple days then I have from my sisters in a year on Themyscira."

Diana didn't say a thing. What could she say? That Mala was lying? That she had been manipulated by him? No. Because she had felt with him the exact same things that her friend was describing.

A thousand years of existence felt meaningless compared to the couple minutes she had spent with him each day. It felt as if even with an extra millennium she couldn't begin to unravel the mystery that was Bruce Wayne, Dark Knight of Gotham City.

"Would you like to join me for a bath? It seems you could use one.", Mala proposed with a smile, breaking Diana out of her reflection.

The latter wanted to ask more about Bruce and what his training consisted of, but a flash of light popped into her head. The perfect way to maybe get some answers to the enigma that was obsessing her.

With a wide smile, Diana accepted Mala's offer and together they headed towards the baths.

They stayed up all through the night; playing in the warm water and discussing all kinds of topics for hours. Bruce was not mentioned once.

Finally, fight day was here.

All the Amazons gathered in a structure Bruce had not been shown on his tour. A coliseum. Basically the same one than in Rome, except completely intact and its seats filled with amped up and screaming Amazons.

Bruce couldn't help his smile. It was impressive the passion and dedication the Amazons placed behind anything they did. Granted the fact he was a man about to face off against one of the island's greatest fighters helped build up the excitement, but it was still a sight to behold.

The queen was also in attendance, trying to look as impassive as possible, while internally sharing the crowd's sentiment as to the outcome of the fight.

Looking over to his right he saw the young blond girl twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, her feet pacing nervously. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a confident nod, to which she answered with a small smile.

She was a different person from when she had begun her training. She didn't know if they would win, but she knew she would be giving it everything she had and they would have to take her out on a stretcher. She wouldn't surrender here.

Suddenly, the noise in the arena got even louder as the gates on the opposite side of the coliseum started opening, revealing Phillipus alongside…DIANA?!

Both were dressed in similar armor. It combined the right amount of protection, while remaining light enough for them to manoeuver around swiftly. Their expressions were unreadable.

Seeing the princess of Themyscira join the fight, many in the stands began laughing. The two strongest warriors on the island against a man and a weakling. This was feeling more like a comedy show than a fighting match.

Bruce simply smirked as he saw the princess come out onto the dirt. She's taken the bait.

Both pairs of fighters walked up to each other, meeting in the center of the ring. Once they were close, Bruce and Mala bowed. Surprised by this impromptu sign of respect, their opponents quickly bowed as well. Regardless who their opponents were, they wouldn't disgrace themselves by acting conceited.

After the fighters had greeted each other, Hippolyta stood up from her throne and stepped forward to the ledge overlooking the fight. Seeing this, the arena started to quiet down.

When she had everyone's attention, the queen announced in a booming voice:

"My sisters we are gathered here to settle a challenge that was issued by the man Bruce Wayne of Gotham City. He will be fighting alongside Mala, and his opponent Phillipus will be fighting alongside Diana. Weapons are allowed for this match. Victory is attained by rendering your opponent unconscious or forcing them to submit. The matches are to remain strictly one on one and killing is absolutely forbidden. Any who violates these rules will be punished accordingly. Also, for the sake of fairness, Diana has accepted to fight without her powers."

While Bruce was unsure what Hippolyta meant with that last statement he chose to worry about it later. His opponents were already settling into battle positions.

Phillipus was wielding a freakish looking mace, designed to have spikes mounted on its head. Thankfully she was considerate enough to remove them for this match, knowing it would irreparably harm anyone it touched.

Diana was sporting a classic short sword in her right hand with a round shield in her left. It felt strange holding them in her hands after several days of skipping practice, but her muscle memory was already starting to kick in as the thrill of battle permeated through her.

Mala wielded eskrima sticks that Bruce had provided her. They were each about as long as her forearm, and when compared to her opponents' arsenal, didn't seem that impressive. However, everyone was aware that getting hit by a solid piece of metal wasn't something to take lightly.

Finally, Batman, who was just putting on his cowl that completed his costume, simply kept his hands by his side, hidden under his cape. Since he was a man, the Amazons were already expecting underhanded tricks and his current stance certainly didn't alleviate those suspicions.

As the excitement in the coliseum reached a fever pitch, Hippolyta announced in a resounding voice:

"LET THE FIGHT COMMENCE!"

As soon as the words were uttered, each fighter paired up with their chosen opponent, which seemed to have been indirectly agreed upon ahead of time. Mala against Phillipus; Batman against Diana.

Each pair started drifting away from the other, giving themselves the necessary space. For a few seconds no one moved, everyone waiting for their opponent to make the first move. To no one's surprise, Phillipus attacked first.

Gathering up her momentum and holding her mace with both hands, she ran towards Mala, angling her weapon to hit her square in the stomach. If it connected the fight would have been over in seconds, but to everyone's surprise, Mala nimbly ducked her small frame under Phillipus's swing, and swiped one of her batons right in her opponent face.

Everyone was stunned. Diana, who's fight hadn't yet begun, had her jaw glued to the floor. The strike was nothing major, it only left a nasty turquoise bump on Phillipus's forehead, but the fact it had been dealt by Mala made it as significant as a sword to the stomach.

Phillipus quickly shook off her surprise and with an angry scowl started to think up a better tactic, realizing things might not be as straightforward as she initially thought.

Diana turned away from the other two to focus on her opponent, who hadn't moved a muscle since the beginning of the match. His face was an expressionless mask, the lenses on his cowl making him impossible to read.

Choosing to follow Phillipus's example, Diana launched herself at her opponent with a sword swipe aimed directly at his neck. In response, Batman simply backed out of range. Choosing to press her advantage, Diana followed up with a series of swings, which Bruce simply ducked or backed away from.

Diana was starting to grow frustrated, partly because she couldn't hit him, but mostly because his hands were this still hidden under the folds of his cape. He was making light of her, and she was getting annoyed.

Frustrated, Diana started speeding up her sword strikes in combination with her shield to force pressure on Batman. He started backing further and further away, avoiding her strikes with barely an inch of clearance. Finally, as Diana sliced her sword down in a deadly arc towards Batman's head, his right hand emerged from the shadows of his cape, catching the blade on his wrist guard.

Both opponents stayed still for half a second before each took a step back. Diana sported a slight smile on her face at getting a reaction out of this arrogant man, not realizing she was panting hard and had built up a thin layer sweat.

"It seems you're finally taking this seriously", she taunted.

"I think I still need to warm up. Could you continue this for a couple more minutes before we start fighting for real?", he answered with a straight face, keeping his creeping smile at bay.

Diana's eyes became wide as plates, before narrowing into a glare of pure rage and hatred. Bruce frowned ever so slightly. Without a second's hesitation, Diana lunged forward, bringing her sword down with blinding speed.

With equal momentum, Batman swatted the strike aside, getting low inside Diana's defense. Then as he pushed up with the strength of his legs, delivered a shattering uppercut directly to Diana's jaw.

The princess was lifted slightly off the ground, before dropping to the ground onto her back.

The reaction from the crowd was not hard to predict. Shouts and boos filled the arena as some spectators started hurtling whatever they could get their hands on at Batman. Mala and Phillipus, who had been playing an intricate cat and mouse game, stopped their fight to look at the scene in shock.

As the tension in the arena continued to rise, Diana slowly started to pick herself off the ground, leaning on her sword for stability. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was clearly in a daze trying to recollect what had just happened.

However, Bruce had decided to stop pulling his punches, and end this match while he had the advantage. Underhanded? Maybe; but not a violation of the rules. So without a moment's hesitation, Batman kicked Diana's sword out from under her as she was resting on it, making her crumple back down to the ground. Planting a firm boot on her sternum, he looked at her with a serious face:

"Surrender. You can't win."

The audience looked to Hippolyta to have this man executed for stepping on their princess, but the queen of Themyscira simply looked on with a strained expression. Right now there wasn't anything she could do to stop the match without giving in to favoritism towards her daughter, something she had long sworn she would never do.

Phillipus tried to help Diana, but Mala swiftly put herself in her way, determined to keep her focused on her. Batman had been an incredible teacher, and seeing the ease with which he had dispatched the princess imbued her with new confidence.

Diana's vision slowly started to clear as she became aware of the loud buzzing in her ears. As her vision focused on the figure towering over her, she also felt a weight on her chest that kept her from getting up.

When her hearing and eye sight were fully recovered, she finally saw and heard Batman asking her to surrender.

It took a few seconds for Diana to put everything back together in her mind, and when she did her eyes were again filled with a profound hatred. However, it was even more intense than before. It would make most people want to crawl into a ball to escape it.

It surprised Bruce to see her like this, he would never have thought this charming princess to be capable of such a hate filled glare. He was also concerned since he'd seldom seen that look before, and it generally preceded a cataclysmic reaction from the person who was delivering it.

Suddenly, Batman noticed that Diana's skin was glowing a bright golden color.

Before he could wonder what that was, he felt his foot slowly leave his opponents chest as she effortlessly lifted it off.

Sensing trouble, Bruce quickly took a step back, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. Was she hiding her true strength all along? he wondered.

It was only when Diana started floating a few inches off the ground, that Bruce's mind finally flashed back to Hippolyta's announcement before the fight.

God I hate met-…

Before he could finish his thought, what felt like a pound of bricks suddenly connected at high speed with his chest sending him flying into the wall of the arena.

As he focused on the irate Amazon that stood in front of him, Bruce realized several of his ribs had been broken. Not good.

Before he could open his mouth to comment, a flurry of punches started rocking his skull from side to side. Each punch was strong enough to break rocks, and without Batman's reinforced cowl he would have likely passed out on the first two hits. Death would have followed by the fifth.

As he felt the blood start flowing out of his nose and the various cuts on his face, he looked through his rapidly swelling eyes at the figure towering over him.

Her hair was disheveled and sticking out in strange angles. Her breathing was labored and a layer of sweat covered her angelic features. She reminded Bruce of a mermaid. Charming and irresistible, but deadly when underestimated. She's beautiful, Bruce reflected, his consciousness quickly fading. Impulsive, petulant and too proud for her own good, but absolutely stunning.

Bruce was almost sure he was going to die. Not immediately; but unless there was a fully equipped operating room hidden somewhere on the island, he would succumb from his wounds in a couple hours at most.

He didn't know what to think about his death. People around him always said he was too stubborn for it, but now that it was within reach his stubbornness was nowhere to be found.

He just wanted to save her. Her reaction was a product of her unchecked emotions, that if she didn't acknowledge, would lead her down a dark path she could never escape from.

He walked on the edge of that path every day, and had seen those that had fallen into it. Jason…

With what little consciousness he had left, drew a shaky breath; his expanding lungs pushing into his shattered ribs. With his final ounce of strength, he uttered:

"I prefer it when you smile Diana. You're a lot prettier when you smile."

And…breath.

There we go all done. What you expected? Or was I able to surprise you a bit?

Diana and Bruce grow closer and closer with every chapter, but this one is a pretty big turning point in their relationship, but I think you can see that.

Alright well I don't have much to add, apart from asking you to review pretty please.

Also don't forget to comment if you think Bruce makes it or not… ;)