Batman and Robin returned to the manor hours after Scarecrow had been arrested by the police force. As they entered their new manor through one of the open windows, Robin took off his mask and let out a sigh "Are you just going to leave Scarecrow in the hands of the police here?" Robin asked.
"I am not quite sure yet." Batman replied as he took out the transportation device from his utility belt which Scarecrow had. "I will return to Gotham to check on everything, make sure to dress back into your normal clothes and observe the news while I am away." The Batman turned towards him.
"What?! Why can't I return with you?!" The boy wonder said a bit agitated.
"It would look like the device was made for the transportation of only one individual who has it in his possession." Batman said as he turned around to face his son.
Robin just sighed slightly once more, his father was right. "Alright, but I expect you to allow me to return once you come back." The boy wonder said as he started walking away to the dressing room, with the mask in his hand.
Batman observed as his son then took a sharp turn towards one of the hallways, before looking down at the teleportation device once more in his hands. He was not quite sure how it operated, and one single mistake could potentially be fatal. This is a device that transports people through different realities, after all.
Batman pressed a black button in the middle of the device, as he then closed his eyes. Shortly after, Batman felt something down his cape...It was rain.
The Dark Knight opened his eyes and he was met with the sight of Gotham City in its usual rainy state, as he was standing atop the Wayne Enterprise building. He did not want waste any more time, putting the device back into his utility belt, activating the comms.
"Alfred?" The Dark Knight said, hoping to get an answer from the other side, but weirdly enough, he received no answer at all.
"Alfred, are you there?" The Dark Knight said once more. Again, there was silence for a few seconds before he heard a familiar voice on the other side.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred said on the other side of the comms.
"Yes, it is me Alfred." Was all Batman muttered out, He could hear the surprise in the voice of the butler, like he had just the voice of an old friend in years.
Alfred let out a huge sigh of relief "Thank God you are alive, you and Master Damian were missing for five days now, me, Master Dick, and Lucius were looking everywhere for you, we were worried that Strange managed to overpower you two." Alfred responded.
"Five days? We were gone for about a week, it seems like time flows more slowly here than there." Batman thought to himself as he listened to what Alfred said.
"It is a long story Alfred, I will explain it to you once I get back to Wayne Manor." Batman said as he disconnected from the comms, before pressing a few buttons on his gauntlets to send over the batwing to his location.
It did not take long for the batwing to arrive at his location, as Batman pulled out his batclaw and launching himself up towards it as it hovered in the air, accessing the pilot seat.
Soon enough, Batman got back to the Batcave as the batwing went through the waterfall from outside the cave, slowly setting itself down on the helipad area of the cave.
As the batwing touched the floor, Batman turned the engines off and jumped out of the aircraft, to be greeted with the sight of his butler waiting right at the entrance of the helipad.
"I have not felt this glad seeing the batwing landing in a long time." Alfred said as he observed Batman coming over towards him.
The Dark Knight took off his cowl, and faced his butler again with a subtle smile "I am glad to see you again Alfred." Bruce said.
"Where is Master Damian?" Alfred said as he took a look around the batwing, he had a feeling that Damian was either pranking him or he did not return alongside his father.
"The teleportation device I used can only hold one person" Batman said as he pulled the device out from his utility belt.
"Teleportation device? So you and Master Damian were indeed sucked into that other universe with Hugo Strange and his new allies." Alfred said. He already had a feeling that they may have gotten trapped in the other universe since they did not return after going to that old factory.
Bruce lightly nodded "I will explain everything to you." He said, making his way towards the Batcomputer.
After some time, Bruce had explained everything to Alfred. From how they got there, how they got settled, to the battle with Scarecrow he had back at the water facility.
"I must say, that this is quite worrying." Alfred responded.
"Correct, and I cannot just leave them be and expect the so-called heroes of that universe to handle them, if it wasn't for me, the entire city would have started killing each other." Batman said as he crossed his arms while sitting in front of the Batcomputer.
"You also said something about a school that Master Damian is now going there. I always thought that you preferred him to be homeschooled, rather than being educated in schools." Alfred asked. This was strange to him, why would he suddenly sign up Damian into a school on the very first day of their arrival?
"It is no ordinary school, Alfred. Apparently, it is a school for training heroes. I had a feeling that the two of us may have to stay in that universe for some time, and it would not hurt for Damian to learn a couple of things there about the responsibility of being a hero." Batman replied.
"I only hope that it somehow changes his attitude to something a bit more positive." Alfred replied. He can see why Bruce wanted to sign him up for it, Damian could learn about being a better hero while Bruce only had to focus on Hugo Strange.
"I came back here only to let you know what was happening, and to get more supplies." Bruce says, finally booting up the batcomputer.
"While you are gone, who will be watching over Gotham?" Alfred asked, turning towards his master.
"I will take care of that. But the biggest thing I am worried about is...Him." Bruce said in a colder tone.
"He was not invited to Hugo Strange's plan?" Alfred said, instantly knowing who Bruce was referring to.
"Hugo Strange is smart enough to know that he cannot control him, no one can." Bruce said as he stood up from the chair.
"But currently Hugo Strange is the biggest threat if I leave him alone and he manages to manifest those powers into drugs...It could quite possibly be the downfall of everyone." Bruce said with a slight sigh. As much as he did not want to admit it, Hugo Strange and the others were too dangerous to be left alone in the hands of those other heroes.
"Very Well Master Bruce. May I ask, where are you going now?" Alfred asked as he watched Bruce entering the Batmobile, and putting on his cowl.
"Where it all began..." Batman said as he turned on the engines of the Batmobile as the ramps opened, going outside the cave. He started driving the Batmobile out of the Batcave and through the woods surrounding Gotham.
As the Dark Knight was driving through the narrow pathways of the Gotham forest in the Batmobile, he then started calling Lucius Fox on the communication system of the vehicle.
"Mister Wayne?" Lucius said in a surprised tone as he accepted the call, looking at Batman through the screen of the call.
"It is me Lucius, Strange managed to set a trap for me and Robin, transporting us to the other universe. But I managed to come back." The Dark Knight said, lightly glancing over to look at him before looking back up to focus on the road.
"I assume that you managed to stop Hugo Strange and the others?" Lucius Fox asked, but the tone in which Batman spoke made him feel like he didn't manage to stop them.
"Not Really. I managed to apprehend Scarecrow and use the transportation device to come back and reorganize myself and get more gadgets. I can't leave them alone, and will be going back." Batman responded.
"I see, is there any specific reason why you called me?" Lucius asked. He knew Batman well, the Dark Knight would not call him out of the blue just to make his presence known.
"I am heading back to the old factory where the teleporter is. And I will need you to make some adjustments to it, and build a new one so it is connected to the Batcave and my new hideout in the other universe." Batman stated.
"That should not be much of a problem, I believe I can pull this off. But I would require the transportation chip from the teleporter itself so I could set it up properly, as well as link it between the two universes." Lucius replied. Alternate Universes were nothing surprising it to him since there were cases when they themselves engaged with alternative universes numerous times.
"I will acquire the chip for you." Batman said, disconnecting from the communication system.
Soon enough, Batman would arrive at his destination, in front of the old factory where everyone met up last time. Batman exited the batmobile and started making his way towards the front entrance. The factory may be empty, but he could still not let his guard down.
Eventually, Batman came across the area in which the teleported is situated. He almost instantly noticed that it looked broken. It must have stopped working after Hugo Strange made it initiate that force of light that transported them to the other universe.
The Dark Knight approached the teleporter and started looking around, for any signs of where the chip was located at. Eventually, he opened up a small cabinet on the back of the teleporter, and to his luck, the chip was inserted right there.
Batman took the chip out and looked at it, making sure it was not damaged. Fortunately for him, the chip did not sustain any major damage, and it seemed like it could be used once more.
Batman put the chip back into his utility belt and started making his way out of the old factory. He was surprised that the factory was completely empty with nothing stopping him from taking the chip.
Batman went back into the Batmobile and started driving through the woods once more. He then dialed up Lucius Fox on the communication device once more.
"Greetings again Mister Wayne, I believe you had no trouble acquiring the chip?" Lucius asked.
"Hardly any, there was no one present there. You can come by the manor and pick up the chip from there." Batman said, focusing on the road.
"Very well Mister Wayne." Lucius replied before disconnecting from the communication device.
The Dark Knight then noticed the Bat-signal lighting up the sky, and he remembered that Jim was still unaware of his return.
Batman took a sharp turn towards Gotham City and out of the woods, heading towards the GCPD Building.
Meanwhile on the GCPD Rooftop
Jim Gordon was leaning in front of the metal fence of the GCPD Rooftop, looking out into the city.
"Where are you, you son of a bitch" Gordon muttered to himself quietly. Batman had just disappeared out of nowhere five days ago. And he never disappears without letting him know.
"Jim..." Batman said from behind Gordon in his usual dry tone.
Gordon lightly jumped at the sudden voice behind, turning around and letting out a sigh of relief. "Never in my life was I happier to be jumped by you." He said before standing up straight.
"I apologize for my sudden disappearance, I was hunting down Hugo Strange with Robin, but he set me a trap." Batman said.
"Strange? I haven't heard from him in a long time. How did he make you disappear for five days straight?" Gordon asked.
"He managed to acquire a Teleportation device, but for how long he had it, I'm not sure. He managed to rally Gotham's most dangerous criminals into an Alliance." Batman explained.
"Son of a Bitch...He actually managed to convince them to work together." Gordon said, closely listening to Batman's explanation.
"They all went to this universe where 80% of the entire population has some sort of supernatural ability. Strange seeks to extract those powers and turn them into drugs, which could have a disastrous impact on our world." Batman continued.
"So he basically wants to create his own form of superpowers, so certain people could have powers like the Justice League? Damn it...This is not good." Gordon replied with a sigh.
"Don't worry, Jim. I will make sure Strange is put behind bars, as well as the others. I managed to defeat Scarecrow before coming here. He tried to poison the water supply with his fear toxin. If it wasn't for me, he would have succeeded." Batman said.
"It's a good thing that bastard is now defeated, I wonder how he likes prison there." Gordon said.
"Nevertheless, I have to stay the majority of the time there. Those heroes are not familiar with their way of operation, as we saw with Scarecrow." Batman explained.
"If you're gone, who will be protecting Gotham?" The commissioner asked.
"I have a few allies in Gotham who could take over for me while I am gone. Some Justice League members could also patrol Gotham from time to time, as well." Batman responded.
"If you believe that this is the best solution, then I am with you. At least the majority of those bastards are away, and Gotham is currently safer than ever." Gordon said.
Batman just turned around and started walking up to the ledge of the building, about to glide down until he heard Gordon's voice one more time.
"Batman...Good luck out there." Gordon said with a serious tone, observing the Dark Knight.
Batman just turned his head around to look at Gordon once more, giving him a slight nod before gliding down towards the Batmobile.
The Dark Knight got into the batmobile once again, and started driving towards the Batcave. It was time for him to return.
After a while, Batman once again arrived at the Batcave, parking the Batmobile. He jumped out of it and headed towards the Batcomputer.
"I see you have returned, Master Bruce. I hope that means that everything went alright." Alfred said, watching Batman.
"Surprisingly yes, I did not have any trouble at all." Batman said as he pulled out the chip from his utility belt, placing it at the desk of the Batcomputer.
"Lucius will come later to pick this chip up. With it, we will have our own teleporter." Batman said.
"But don't you already have that device with which you can transport yourself?" Alfred asked.
"With a teleporter, I will be able to send equipment through it. I am thinking of moving the Batmobile there so I can get around easier." Batman replied.
"I see...What are you planning on doing now, sir?" Alfred asked.
"I will head back to the universe to try and find out more clues on where the others are hiding, and what they are planning...Then I am going to find Hugo Strange, and put an end to his scheme." Batman replied as he pulled out the teleporter from his utility belt.
"Very Well, sir. I really hope you and Master Damian are going to look out for yourselves in that other world." Alfred said.
Batman turned his head towards his butler "You know me and Damian well Alfred." He said before fixing his attention on the teleporter, and pressing the red button once more.
Within the blink of an eye, he found himself back at his manor in Musutafu. The Dark Knight let out a sigh as he made his way towards the room where he and Damian leave their suits.
As he was making his way towards the room, he looked to his left towards the living room, seeing Damian fast asleep on the couch in his casual clothes. It was a busy night for them, so it was a good thing he is getting some rest.
But then the TV, which was turned on, grabbed his attention. The Breaking News just came on.
"We have some Breaking News! The villain known as the Scarecrow, had attempted to poison the water supply of Musutafu with an entire crew. Fortunately, the Scarecrow was caught in the raid by police. The police have also confirmed some shocking facts, apparently, the villain was entirely quirkless, and this confirmation shocked the entire hero society." The reporter on the news said.
"But, another mystery surfaced during the raid. A Police Helicopter managed to catch two figures up on the roof in some suits, these two figures vanished almost instantly after being spotted." The reporter then plays the footage from the police chopper, showing Batman and Robin dropping a smoke pellet after being detected.
"Police have said that they had never spotted these individuals before. So the question is, are they allies...Or enemies?" The reporter said.
Batman kept staring at the TV Screen as the reporter was speaking, before moving on towards the room. Now their existence was clear to the world, and they had to be extra careful when operating.
Later That Day
Bruce was sitting in front of a coffee table, reading about the news from Scarecrow's operation. The news of this quirkless man almost bringing the city to its knees spread like wildfire all over the world, and every single person was shocked at this reveal.
As Bruce was reading the paper, he suddenly heard the communication device beeping from the inside of his pocket. He took it into his free hand and instantly knew that Tsukauchi was calling him, and he was interested to see what he wanted.
Bruce answered the call and put it to his ear "Good Day Detective." He said in a deeper tone.
"Good Day Batman, I apologize if I am disturbing you, but I have some news. The President of the Hero Public Safety Commission wants to talk to you."
Bruce's eyes lightly widened, and he put the newspaper down on the coffee table. "Why does she want to talk to me?" He asked.
"The President had changed her mind about you, and she wants to give you free access to investigate cases of your villains." Tsukauchi replied.
After that warning the President made to Batman to stay out of their way, he was obviously very suspicious about this sudden change of mind, is she trying to set him a trap? "I accept...Under one condition. The talk will be held over the device, and not publicly." Bruce replied.
Tsukauchi understood Batman's suspicion, so he would grant his wish. "Are you fine with the meeting being held tonight at 10 PM?" Tsukauchi asked.
"Gladly..." Bruce responded as he then hung up on the communication device. Tonight he was going to talk to the President of the HPSF, and it would be impossible for them to try and hack into his location through the device due to strong Encryption.
He had to get ready for this talk with the President, because if she really means to give him free access, then it would be very beneficial for his mission to stop Hugo Strange.
10 P.M
Bruce was in a dark room with his Batsuit on. The device was on the wall, directly facing the head of the Dark Knight, since they would be talking with facetime.
And then, he saw the device giving him the notification that someone was calling him. "Accept." Batman said, as the device accepted the call with voice recognition.
The president was also in a dark room, with only her head visible. The President looked at the Dark Knight through the device "Salutations, Batman." The President said.
Batman gave the President a light head bow out of respect "President..." He said before lifting his head back up, to face the President again.
"I believe you are already aware of the purpose of my call." The president said.
"Yes, I am. What made you suddenly change your mind, even after that warning you gave me?" The Batman asked.
"When I issued Tsukauchi to bring you that warning, the Scarecrow had only robbed the jewelry store. Back then, all I saw was a common burglar that could have been easily dealt with, especially since he was quirkless. But I never imagined that the villain would be capable of so much more destruction." The President stated.
Batman listened closely to her words, and carefully observed her face and eyes for any physical signs of lying, which some people use to make. For now, he was unable to detect any changes that could indicate a lie.
"The attack on the restaurant happened, and then his attempt to poison the water supply. I greatly underestimated the villain and his capabilities. He came dangerously close to destroying the entire city, something no other villain could do in only one night. And without your intervention, he would have succeeded." The President said.
"That is exactly what I expected to happen. That they would be underestimated, leaving them a chance to cause great destruction." Batman responded.
"Yes, that is a fault I admit to having made. And if the other villains are as dangerous and capable as the Scarecrow, then Musutafu could currently be having an even bigger threat than the recently established League of Villains." The President said.
Batman listened carefully once again, and everything the President said made sense as to why she suddenly changed her mind.
"You and your partner managed to defeat the Scarecrow and stop his plan of poisoning the water supply. And for that..." The president then bowed down her head "Me and the city are eternally in your debt." She said before lifting her head back up. "You and your partner are the only ones familiar with their way of operation, and with you on our side, we could defeat them." She said.
"Thank you for your words, President." Batman replied.
"So that is why, I will personally give you two free roam around the area, as well as give you personal protection by me. the Police will also be open for cooperation in case you need them." The President said.
"I am extremely grateful for your offer, President. And I gladly accept. This will certainly lead us one step closer to their downfall" Batman responded.
"And one more thing. I think it would be best that the public and others do not find out about the truth that you and they are from another universe. I will make something up that would be more believable and easier to swallow. The truth will only be known by me and Detective Tsukauchi." The President said.
"As long as I approve of your alternative story before making it official, we have a deal." Batman responded.
Meanwhile
While the talk between the President and Batman was going on, Damian was in his room on the computer. He was trying to find some details on All Might's quirk, but it seemed like no one knew what his quirk was.
He kept thinking back to that moment at the USJ, when Cementos stopped him from helping Midoriya and All Might. Why was he prevented from going near them, and it seemed like Midoriya was trying to stop him as well.
He also thought back to the moments Midoriya was using his quirk, and it strangely resembled that of All Might a lot. A quirk similar to the number one pro-hero, and Midoriya trying to stop him from helping him and All Might, and the mystery behind All Might's quirk...Something was not right here.
"All of these things have to be connected somehow..." Damian thought to himself before looking up.
"I think it would be time to visit Midoriya and talk to him face to face."