A/N: And I'm back. Here we go! The rebirth of another Bat-Family member.
Again, sorry for the long delay. I had more personal problems and work getting in the way.
I do not own Batman Beyond or the Persona games. They are properties of Warner Bro. Animation and Atlus.
"I'm telling you Renren, my mom's ramen will knock the socks right off of you!" Ryuji assured his best friend as they made their way to his apartment.
"I believe you Ryuji. I also believed you when you told me that thirty seconds ago." Ren groaned slightly. Ryuji and his love for ramen. When he got into it, he could not stop.
"I know but just trust me, this ramen will be unlike anything you've had before." Ryuji continued, which caused Ren to roll his eyes.
Despite Ryuji annoying him with his love of ramen, he was looking forward to this. Finally, since the first time he donned the cowl of Batman, did he have something that resembled a day off in this life, or at least coming into work later. He jumped on this chance to hang out with his friend, knowing that he may not ever get another chance, if ever again.
And besides, Ryuji was right, ramen was delicious, especially homemade.
As the two arrived at the desired floor of Ryuji's apartment building, Ren frowned. If he recalled what Ryuji told him, he lived in the apartment at the end. If that was the case…
"Hey Ryuji."
"Yeah man?" Ryuji asked, looking toward him.
"I know you have a temper, but would that explain why your apartment door is kicked in?" Ren asked as he pointed at the apartment. Ryuji had a confused look on his face before he looked in horror as he saw that the door to him was indeed kicked in.
"No!" Ryuji cried as he sprinted as fast as he could to the apartment with Ren right behind him. Ryuji moved the remains of the door out of the way as he stepped inside. "Mom! Mom, if you're there, answer me!" Ryuji called as he stepped inside with Ren following him.
When he saw the state of the apartment, he froze. The letters 'HA!' spray painted on the walls along with sick smiles, the paint dripping from the letters and pictures, the overturned and busted furniture and broken glass.
He suddenly began to have a hard time breathing, struggling to get air into his lungs. He began shaking violently as the unpleasant and dreadful memories began to resurface.
He jumped when a hand was put on his shoulder, shocking him out of his panic attack before it got too severe. He almost fainted. When he regained a sense of his surroundings, he saw that Ryuji was looking at him in concern. "Hey man, you okay?" He asked.
It was at that moment that Ren felt an intense sense of shame. Ryuji was the one who needed help and someone comforting him at this moment, not him. He had a long way to go to be as good a friend to Ryuji as he was to him. So nodding his head in a 'yes' he got to work to help Ryuji find his mom.
It was a typical Jokerz attack. Valuables were stolen, the apartment was ransacked, and anyone unfortunate enough to be home at the time was caught in the crossfire, most likely-
Ren shook his head. No! Ryuji wouldn't be losing his mother, not if he had anything to say about it! After another minute of searching, Ren spotted what looked like a hand sticking out from under a bookcase.
"Ryuji! Over here!" Ryuji was there before he even finished the second sentence. Together, the two managed to lift the heavy bookcase off the body, revealed to be Mrs. Sakamoto. Ren and Ryuji went to inspect the injured mother. Her head was bashed in, mostly likely with either a crowbar or a metal bat. Ren quickly checked for a pulse, and sighed in relief when he found one.
"She's still breathing!" Ren told his friend as he got up and pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna call an ambulance!"
Ryuji nodded in acknowledgement as Ren stepped out of the apartment and called for help. He then glanced down at his mom, tears of both terror and relief threatening to fall from his face. After his dad had left them when he was young, his mom was the most solid foundation that he had in his life. Without her, he would have collapsed a long time ago.
As he looked over his mom once again to make sure she was okay, he then noticed something in her other hand. He pried the object out of the hand gently to reveal a parchment of paper. He then unfolded it and his eyes widened as he saw what it was.
His hands tightened, almost threatening to tear the paper apart as his eyes shook with an uncontrollable rage and he gritted his teeth. "Those sick dregs!" Ryuji growled.
The ambulance came and took Ryuji's mom to the nearest hospital. She was diagnosed with significant head trauma along with several bruises over her body. Thankfully, due to the advanced medical technology, and the timely action by the hospital staff, Mrs. Sakamato was out of any immediate danger, much to Ryuji and Ren's relief.
The only problem was the cost. Since Ryuji and his family were poor after his father left, the hospital bill would send them into debt. Thankfully, Ren had offered to pay for the bills using his allowance from working for Bruce Wayne, which managed to cover most of the expense. Ryuji was grateful for that.
Currently, the two were sitting out in the waiting room. Ryuji's mom had been put to sleep and would have to stay overnight in the hospital for a few days, and Ryuji didn't feel comfortable going home after what happened.
"Guys!" They turned to see Ann, who Ren had called and told what happened, come in. She wasted no time as she ran up and gave Ryuji a comforting hug. The blonde was left dumbfounded by the action, blushing slightly as Ann continued to give him a tight hug, before he eventually wrapped his arms around her.
As Ren observed them, he was glad that Morgana was not present. He would probably beat Ryuji to death for laying his 'filthy' hands on 'Lady Ann'. Ren chuckled at the thought.
After a long moment, the two broke apart. "I came as soon as Ren called me." Ann told them as she tugged at the purse slung over her shoulder. "Thank goodness I was already on my way here to meet Shiho when I got the call." She then placed a hand on Ryuji's arm, trying to comfort him. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine." Ryuji lied. Neither Ren nor Ann bought it. But they knew the blond wouldn't open up about how he was really feeling. Despite wearing his heart on his sleeve, the boy just wasn't comfortable letting others see his most vulnerable side. But there was something in Ryuji's eyes that Ren couldn't help but feel weary about.
Both anyone could say anything, Ann's phone vibrated. "Oh slaggit!" She cursed as she looked at the boys apologetically. "I'm sorry, I promised I'd come and visit Shiho, so I need to go."
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Ryuji waved off, completely understanding the situation. "She's your best friend, it's only natural you're worried about her. Still, thanks for stopping by Ann, I appreciate it." He said with a genuine smile. "Hey Ren," He called to his own best friend, "you mind taking Ann to see Shiho. I bet she'll be happy to see more than one familiar face. I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on my mom."
Ren didn't want to leave Ryuji alone, but he also did want to check up on Shiho since he learned she woke up, and this would be the perfect opportunity. "Okay, I'll be back later Ryuji. Don't go anywhere."
Ann and Ren had a quick visit with Shiho, who was grateful to see another person come and visit her. She had even teased the two of them of being in a relationship, which both of them heavily denied.
It was a quick visit, but it was nice to be able to confirm that Shiho was in good health, physically anyway. The mental trauma she suffered from this would probably follow her for the rest of her life. But she was working through it, and having Ann by her side made it easier.
As Ren stood to see Ann off at the hospital, he was slightly baffled by her request. "Watch out for Ryuji?" He asked again.
"Yeah." Ann confirmed as she bit her lip. "Whenever something happens that involves his mom, he usually flips out and can be a bit reckless, like with Kamoshida those two times." They both grimaced as they recalled what happened. The first incident caused Ryuji to have a limp, and the second one had almost got him and Ren expelled.
"Just… keep an eye on him will you?" Ann asked Ren. "He looks up to you. I can tell." Ren was surprised by Ann's praise and statement. "If you tell him to calm down, I'm sure he'll listen."
Ren had a small smile as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't think anyone could get Ryuji to calm down." They both chuckled as they recalled the hotheaded personality that Ryuji was famous for.
"And that goes for you too." Ann's statement caused Ren to stop laughing. "You hide it well, but I can see you're barely keeping yourself together. Whatever you guys saw in that house must've rattled you just as much as Ryuji."
Ren frowned at how easily he was seen through. The state of the house had shaken him up greatly, it reminded him so much of that night five years ago that caused all sense to leave him in one moment. He then faintly noticed his left hand was trembling and quickly used his right to steady it.
"I'll be fine. Really." Ren tried to convince her. Ann didn't buy it. Whether it was because she noticed him trembling or something else, he knew she didn't believe him.
But she dropped the subject as she let out a sigh. "I have to get going. I'm already late for a photo shoot." She groaned as she checked the time
on her phone. "I'll see you tomorrow at school! Let me know how things turn out!" She called out to him with a wave as she made her way to the station.
"Sure thing!" Ren waved back at her as she disappeared into the crowd. When she was out of sight, Ren let out a tired sigh before a determined look formed in his eyes. 'Looks like I'm going clown hunting tonight.' He thought as he made his way back to the room where Ryuji was waiting for him.
Both Ryuji and Ann would be pissed at him when he told them he had to leave for 'work'. But he had to make those dregs pay for what they've done! He wasn't gonna let a gang of Jokerz escape justice, not this time!
By the time he finished coming up with a cover story to leave, he had reached the room where Ryuji's mom was resting. He then gave a quick knock on the door. "Ryuji! It's me, I'm coming in." Ren said.
He got no response.
He frowned slightly. He must've been asleep. That would make this a whole lot easier. Nevertheless, he opened the door, and his eyes widened.
Ryuji was gone! Along with anything he brought with him. Ren knew his friend wasn't the type to abandon someone in need, especially his mom, so why did he leave?
He then turned back to the door and saw a nurse was entering in with some medicine. "Excuse me, where did the young man staying in this room go off to?" At the nurse's confused look, Ren figured she must've not known who he was talking about. "Dyed blonde hair, spiked up, obnoxiously loud voice, hot temper?"
The nurse's eyes widened with recognition. "Oh him. I saw him leave the room about half an hour ago." Half an hour. That was around the same time Ren left with Ann to check up on Shiho.
Ren quickly pulled out his phone and called Ryuji's number. It went through two rings before it cut to voicemail. That meant Ryuji didn't want to be talked to or found.
"Slaggit Ryuji!" Ren groaned as he ran out of the hospital building, despite the protest from the staff to slow down and dialed another number.
The Batcave
*RING* *RING*
The phone connected to the Batcomputer went off and Bruce answered it upon seeing the caller ID. "Amamiya, perfect timing." Bruce said as he got to work. "I just received reports about a break in at-"
"No time for that stuff now Mr. Wayne!" Ren cut the original Batman off, his tone sounding urgent. "I need you to trace a phone signal for me!"
Bruce frowned at being cut off, but he decided he would let it slide and asked, "What happened?"
Ren gave a brief summary of what happened at Ryuji's house, how Ryuji's mom ended up in the hospital and then the boy himself went missing.
"We have to find him!" Ren said frantically after he finished telling them what happened. "I'm worried he's gonna do something stupid if we don't find him soon!"
"Sounds like blondie alright." Morgana said with a snicker. A glare from Bruce quickly shut him up however as he muttered a soft apology. Bruce then quickly got to work as he typed a few commands on the Batcomputer's keyboard. Ren had given Bruce Ryuji's phone so they could track his signal ID.
"I got him!" Bruce said as the Batcomputer's screen pulled up a map of the city with a blinking red dot somewhere in the massive laberiath. "He's heading into the Narrows."
"On my way! Send me the coordinates!" Ren said as he hung up. After he did so, his phone then established a connection with the Batcomputer, and it showed him the same image the computer had with the blinking red dot Ren knew was Ryuji's phone.
As he took off running down the street, he couldn't help but curse. The Narrows were among the poorest part of the city, it was also one of the most dangerous places next to Shinjuku in the whole city. While the rest of the city had advanced greatly in technology over the decades, it seems that Shinjuku was the only place that refused to change. The buildings and streets were rundown, almost close to falling apart. It was a lawless area where only the strong survive, not even the cops have any patrols in such an area.
Which made it the perfect place for more than half the city's Jokerz gangs to gather and hideout in. With the low police patrols and poor citizens, it was essentially Destinyland for criminals like them. So it made sense why that place would be the first Ryuji would search for the gang that attacked his house.
And if he didn't get there in time, probably the gang that would kill him.
As Ryuji stood in front of the entrance to the most heavily concentrated group of Jokerz in the Narrows, he took a deep breath as he steeled himself for this. He probably should have told someone, maybe Ren and Ann, what he was doing. But he quickly shook his head in denial. This didn't concern them. This was his mess, and it was time to clean it up.
As he began walking through the streets of the rundown neighborhood, if it could even be called that anymore, he heard the faint sound of sick laughter coming from all around him. It sent a tingle down his spine that made him run cold, but he pushed forward.
He then arrived at a large clearing in the middle of a four-way stop and that was when he heard it. The sound of multiple motorcycle engines roaring louder and louder as they approached him. The Jokerz on the bikes then began to circle him, laughing while doing so, trying to intimidate him.
It didn't work. Ryuji was used to these kinds of tactics used by gangs like this. When they noticed they wouldn't be getting a scare out of the blond kid, they stopped their bikes and pulled up in front of him.
"You lost boy." The leader asked as he and the other clowns began laughing. Ryuji didn't laugh along with them.
"I'm here to see Terminal." He said, which caused all the clowns to stop laughing as they looked at him in shock. Did they hear that right?
"Go home kid!" The leader said, gone was his mocking and seemingly friendly tone, now replaced with malice and warning. "No one sees Terminal, not unless you're chosen."
Ryuji had expected this outcome, which was why he came prepared, for once. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a playing card. It was a Joker card, but not just any card.
The Jokerz gangs all had their own custom made Joker playing cards. The image of the card signifieds what specific gang you belonged to. It was a way to tell friend from foe in this city of Jokerz. And the image that Ryuji's card held depicted said Joker wielding a crowbar over his shoulders. The image belongs to those of the Terminal gang.
The group of Jokerz froze when they saw the card, sweat falling down their faces. The leader then cleared his throat as he then turned down one of the streets and gestured to Ryuji to get on his bike. "Get on. We'll take you to him."
After a quick bike ride, Ryuji hopped off the motorcycle and followed the gang through a garbage center. They walked along mountains of trash and filth that suited criminals like them and made others gag and vomit. Ryuji was used to the smell, so it didn't bother him too much.
They soon arrived in a large clearing, with nearly three dozen groups of Jokerz surrounding them on all sides, and the one who stood above them in a throne made from the same garbage surrounding them was a man with skull face paint covering his face and ragged clothes.
As soon as he saw Ryuji with the other Jokerz, his eyes narrowed as he rose from his throne of filth and made his way down to meet the boy. The two stopped within a couple feet of each other and merely glared at one another in silence.
After a long moment of silence, the skull faced man had a sick smile on his face as he laughed. "Well, well, if it isn't Ryuji Suckamato!" He mocked.
Ryuji's fists clenched at that nickname, remembering when that brat Morgana had called him that, but, somehow miraculously, kept his cool. "Terminal." He said, his tone indifferent. He then looked around him and had something of an impressed smile on his face. "I have to say, this is an impressive little kingdom you've built for yourself."
"You really think so?" Terminal asked rhetorically as he then spread his arms out and gestured to the Jokerz surrounding them. "You know, you could've had a place with us, traitor."
"I didn't come here to talk about the past." Ryuji said, not wishing to discuss what happened.
Terminal eyed Ryuji for a moment. "So what did you come here for if you didn't come to talk about the 'good ol' days'?" He asked.
Ryuji then pulled out a photo from his jacket and showed it to Terminal. It was the same photo he had found next to his mom before she was taken to the hospital. It depicted Terminal, along with a bunch of other Jokerz standing in front of the entrance to the garbage field. And one of the Jokerz, a blond one, strongly resembled Ryuji.
As Terminal looked at the photo, he gave a small chuckle at the hypocrite in front of him. "You say you aren't here to talk about the past, yet the reason you're here has everything to do with what happened in the past. Quite hypocritical don't you think?' He said with a teasing smile.
"Shut your mouth!" Ryuji exploded as he grabbed Terminal by the collar of his ragged clothes. "I knew I would one day have to pay for what happened! I expected that and welcomed it! But why did you go after my mom?!"
"'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'." Terminal quoted, which caused Ryuji to growl. "Your actions caused us to lose someone we loved. So it's only fair that we would make you suffer the way we suffered."
Ryuji looked ready to strangle or bunch the clown king right then and there, but something stopped him.
"Get off of me!" A familiar voice shouted, causing Ryuji to turn and look in shock.
"Hey boss! We found some rat trying to sneak into the yard." One of the many Jokerz holding down the source of the voice as they dragged him into the clearing before throwing him on the ground.
"Ren?!" Ryuji cried in shock as he let go of Terminal and moved to check up on his friend. Terminal watched the exchange with interest before he smiled as he figured it out.
"Is this a friend of yours Ryuji? I'm surprised you have any besides us." Terminal mocked as Ryuji glared up at him.
"What's he talking about Ryuji?" Ren asked as he stood up and looked between Ryuji and Terminal.
"Oh? He didn't tell you?" Terminal asked as he looked over at Ryuji, a smirk donning on his face at another opportunity to hurt Ryuji even further. "You so-called 'friend' here, was once a Jokerz, in fact, a member of this very gang you see before you."
Ren's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned to Ryuji, hoping the blond would explode and claim that accusation false as soon as Ren looked at him. But when he did, Ryuji said nothing. Instead, his face was one of shame and regret, which only confirmed that there was some truth in what he said.
"Well, looks like you two have a lot to talk about." Terminal mocked before his face became deadly serious. "Unfortunately, you'll have to do so in the afterlife." He then addressed the surrounding Jokerz. "Kill them!"
A horde of Jokerz then began to surround the two of them, each with their own sadistic smile. Many were holding weapons, most of them spiked and sharp, with the intent to kill. Ren then stood back to back with Ryuji. While there were a lot of questions he wanted to ask the blond at the moment, that could wait until they got out of here. Ren then reached into his back pocket and prepared a smoke bomb.
Ryuji still looked down, his mind working harder than it ever had before in his life. There was only one way to make sure Ren got out of here alive, he couldn't let another suffer because of his mistakes. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he then shouted, "I invoke the Ring of Laughter!"
The Jokerz all of a sudden stopped and looked toward him in awe, some even began whispering among themselves. Ren looked confused and paid a confused glance to Ryuji who glared at Terminal.
Said clown had a contemplative look on his face before he spoke. "Very well. State your terms."
"I challenge you Terminal," Ryuji declared as he pointed at the clown, "If I win, you take your gang and leave me, my mom, and my friends alone, never to bother us again!"
"Very well." Terminal agreed with a nod. "And if I win, I get to do whatever I want to you and your friends." He said with a sick smirk.
"Deal." Ryuji agreed. As this exchange happened, Ren could only look baffled. What on Earth was Ryuji doing?!
"We'll meet here tomorrow at midnight. To the death." Terminal said as his eyes narrowed on the last sentence.
"Sure thing, I'll be there." Ryuji only looked more shocked. To the death?! "So long as both me and my friend here can leave tonight in peace."
"I'll allow it." Terminal said as he turned to a pair of Jokerz. "You two. Please 'escort' our challenger and his friend out." He said with a mischievous smile.
Ren and Ryuji were both thrown violently out of the Jokerz territory, a bunch of rubber chickens and toys thrown at them as they were.
Ren had now reached his breaking point. He was tired of this. "Okay Ryuji what the slag is going on?! What the slag is the Ring of Laughter?! What does it mean by to the death?! And why did that dreg say something about you being a Jokerz?!"
Ryuji eyed Ren for a long moment, seemingly contemplating if he should tell him what was going on. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Come on." Ryuji said as he walked down the street to exit the Narrows. "We'll talk while we eat. There's a great little shop near here that sells the best ramen in the city, and I owe you some ramen."
*Slurp!*
Was the noise coming from Ryuji as he downed his bowl of ramen while Ren had barely touched his bowl at all, too set on getting answers to eat anything. As Ryuji finished his bowl, he let out a satisfying sigh and smiled content. He loved ramen noodles. When he turned to face Ren and saw him glaring, his smile dropped and let out another sigh, this time of disappointment, but more of himself.
"So yeah, I ran with the Jokerz for a while." Ryuji confessed as he looked at his reflection in a glass of water he had before him. "It was after Kamoshida had provoked me into attacking him and got the track team disbanded. After that, I was considered nothing more than an outlaw. All my old friends and teammates avoided me and called me a delinquent. That was when I got involved with this other kid from school named Carter Wilson. He was an honor student from second year at the time, who got some of the best grades in school, however, he had a dark secret about him. He was the leader of a Jokerz gang, and went by the name Terminal. He saw how isolated I was, and used that to convince me to join his gang. At that time, I just didn't want to be alone anymore, so I accepted. We didn't do much, mostly just small acts of vandalism and some harmless pranks. I knew deep down it was stupid to be apart of a Jokerz gang, but at the time, it just felt so good to be accepted by others, when everyone else saw you as an outcast, you know what I mean?"
Ren knew exactly what Ryuji meant, but chose not to say anything as Ryuji continued.
"Anyway, I was only a part of the gang for a couple months. It was around the time of the second years' exams. Apparently, when Carter learned that he didn't place top in the rankings, he snapped. Our so-called harmless pranks soon became not-so-harmless. They even started hurting some people." Ryuji's hand tightened around his glass as it began to tremble as he recalled those days.
"One day, when we were in the middle of one of our pranks, we were found out by the cops. As we were making a run for it, Terminal suddenly pulled out a gun, which he never carried with him before, and started shooting at them through a crowd of people. The incident led to three deaths of innocent people. After that, I couldn't stay in the gang any longer. So I went to the cops, told them the names and addresses of those in the gang in exchange for getting away free. Apparently in the process of arresting them, one of the female Jokerz, Carter's girlfriend, resisted arrest and was killed when trying to flee. Carter and the others were taken to prison. I checked any recent breakouts after my house was attacked, and apparently the names of him and his gang were among the recent escapes. It seems he blames me for what happened."
He then gulped down his water and slammed it down on the counter before he continued. "You know when I first joined the gang, I dyed my hair blond, as a symbol of my new 'transformation'. After the gang was arrested, I thought about dying it back to black, but I decided to keep it blonde. For two reasons: The first, a reminder of my time as a Jokerz, so that I always know that despite me wanting to find a place where I belong, it's not worth sacrificing who I am to get it. Second, because it looks cool!" He then gave a little laugh, hoping Ren would join in. When Ren didn't laugh, but merely glared at Ryuji, the boy stopped and cleared his throat.
"As for the Ring of Laughter," Ryuji then explained another one of Ren's questions. "It's a sort of duel between two members of the gang. They can challenge for anything, territory, members, targets, etc. And the duel is to the death, hence what Terminal said." Ryuji finished explaining as he then looked toward Ren, gauging his reaction, hoping to find out what he was thinking.
Ren was merely silent for a long moment, which made Ryuji incredibly uncomfortable. Ren then reached into his back pocket and pulled out some money. "Thanks for the ramen." He told the chef as he handed the payment towards the man. "It was delicious." He said, despite the fact he hadn't taken even a single bite of it.
He then stood up from his seat and left the restaurant without another word spoken. "Ah slag!" Ryuji cried as he stood to chase after him, but stopped when he remembered his still needed to pay. He cursed when he saw how low he was on money and slammed whatever he had on the counter. "Keep the change! Delicious as always my man!" He told the chef before he raced out of the shop after Ren.
He saw Ren walking down the street and moved to catch up to him. "Hey wait up Renren!" Ryuji called as he moved to get closer to him and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't. Touch. Me!"
His words and tone caused Ryuji to freeze with fear. Ryuji gulped as he tried to regain his voice. "Why are you so upset, man? I told you everything you wanted to know." He asked.
"Yeah, you did." Ren said as he glanced at Ryuji over his shoulder, the glare in his eyes caused Ryuji to be even more terrified as he began shivering, despite it almost being summer. "And you expect me to just be buddy buddy with you again after learning you were a Jokerz?"
"I don't see what the big deal is, man." Ryuji said. "So I once wore clown makeup and caused some misdemeanor with a bunch of other kids, so what?"
At those words, Ren had completely lost his cool. Before Ryuji could even register he had moved, Ren had delivered a right hook straight to Ryuji's face, causing the boy to fall down to the ground. He then looked up at Ren in shock as he brought his hand to where Ren had punched his cheek, it still stung from the strike.
"'So what'?" Ren repeated the words as his body shook, barely keeping his rage in check. "Jokerz killed my parents!" Ren's statement caused Ryuji's blood to freeze. "A gang of those deranged scum had shattered my world and ruined my life! And you have the guts to say 'so what' to me after revealing that you were one of them?!"
Ryuji opened his mouth to say something, anything. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing came out. Ren said nothing more as he turned and walked away from the boy, leaving him on the ground.
The Next Day - Shujin Academy
As Ann observed Ren from her position in front of him, she noticed that something was indeed wrong with him. To be honest, she noticed that fact this morning when she saw that Ryuji had tried to speak with Ren but the latter completely blew the former off and ignored him.
Ann frowned in concern when she saw the scene, especially when she noticed the bruise on Ryuji's cheek. When she asked him about it, Ryuji brushed her off, saying he tripped and it was no big deal. She didn't buy it.
As the bell rang and homeroom ended, Ann took the chance as Ren began to gather his school supplies. When he was halfway done with collecting his stuff, he finally acknowledged Ann as she was glaring at him from her seat. "What's with the look?" He asked.
"You know well what this look is for." Ann said qas Ren continued to pack his bags. "I told, no, I begged you to keep an eye on Ryuji so he wouldn't do anything reckless last night! And the next morning, I see him with a bruise on his cheek, obviously from a punch, and you two didn't even talk to each other! Aren't you worried about your friend at all?!"
"He's not my friend." Ren's words and tone caught Ann off guard. The way he said it, sounded almost as if he was disgusted by the idea of being Ryuji's friend, even though yesterday he couldn't be happier to have been. He then abruptly stood up from his desk and made his way out the door to grab lunch for the day before they ran out, not saying another word.
Ren bit into the first decent sandwich he had from the school cafeteria since coming to Shujin. But despite having something good to eat, the taste felt hollow in his stomach. He felt empty, despite filling his body up with nutrients and food. He knew the reason why, but he refused to acknowledge it.
He then heard the sound of the rooftop door opening. He already knew who it was, so he didn't need to turn to see them.
"Hey man." Ryuji said from the door. "I assume you planned on eating alone today? That's fair I suppose." Ryuji said as he scratched the back of his head while Ren continued to look out to the city before him.
It was so awkward.
Finally, after a long moment of awkward silence, Ryuji spoke. "I'm heading to the Narrows to take care of Terminal tonight. So you don't have to worry about him coming after you anymore. After that," Ryuji seemed hesitant to speak his next words, but he managed to force them out, "We don't have to see or speak to each other again. Okay?"
Ren said nothing, so Ryuji took that as a sign of acceptance as he headed back downstairs.
"Are you going to kill him?"
The question caused Ryuji to freeze, partly because it was the first time Ren spoke to him since last night, but mostly due to the question itself.
"This whole challenge is to the death, right?" Ren asked, remembering what Terminal said last night. "You know he has every intention to kill you right, so the only option you have of making sure you come away the victor is if you kill him. Can you do that?"
Ryuji didn't answer right away, a contemplative look formed on his face as he looked down to his hands. Could he really bring himself to kill someone, even if it was a person as sick as Terminal?
He didn' honestly have an answer, so he just said, "Isn't that what you expect of scum like me?" Ren's eyes widened at the sudden question. He then finally turned around to face Ryuji, only to find he was gone, leaving him alone.
"Not from you Ryuji." He muttered in a low voice.
Leblanc
"Hey, are you okay kid?" Sojiro asked Ren as the teenage boy who was currently living in his restaurant's attic was doing the dishes. Despite the boy now working for a big shot like Bruce Wayne, Sojiro still had the kid help with things around Leblanc for free whenever he had the time, which was rare.
Seeing as how the kid would be even more busy with working for him, and with no pay, Sojiro had offered to teach him how to make the perfect cup of coffee and the perfect dish of curry. He claimed that the former was the key to get ladies to love a man and the latter would probably help him with getting a raise from Mr. Wayne.
So far, the kid wasn't doing too bad, having only started about a month ago. While his coffee and curry were still far from perfect, they weren't too bad either, not something he would serve his customers if he still wanted to have a business though.
Today, however, Sojiro noticed that Ren was out of it, more than normal. Ever since he got home, he had just been moving like a robot and machine. He was so lifeless, that it even became apparent in the coffee and curry he made. There was no way that brew would ever capture the gals heart, and Mr. Wayne might even just fire him for such a lifeless dish.
Ren's head perked up at the question as he then turned back to Sojiro and gave him a fake smile. "I'm fine boss, thanks for asking."
Sojiro sighed as he rubbed his head. "Kid, there's no way you could ever keep a secret with a lie like that." Sojiro told him.
'You'd be surprised.' Ren thought to himself. But he still sighed. There was no use hiding this particular secret from Sojiro. "What would you do if someone you trusted, and valued, was actually hiding a part of themselves that, no matter what, you just couldn't accept?"
Sojiro's eyes widened at the question, not expecting the kid to open up to him, especially with a question like that. Still, Sojiro pondered over the question for a long moment, rubbing his hand over his goatee.
"Well I guess it depends." Sojiro said. "Is this aspect from their past, or something that's a part of them now?" Sojiro asked. When Ren didn't answer, the older man continued. "If it's the latter, and he intentionally hid it from you as a way to hurt you later on, then you shouldn't forgive that dreg."
"But if it's the former," Sojiro continued, "And he's actively trying to change and better erase that part of himself, then shouldn't you give him a chance to do so? Especially if he was so bold as to look past your history, whether it was true or not."
Ren's eyes widened. That's right. From the beginning, Ryuji had never judged Ren based on the rumors he heard, despite them being true, and even believed him when he said that he didn't assault anyone, despite just meeting him. If Ryuji had the courage to tell Ren about his past as a Jokerz, shouldn't Ren extend the same courtesy to him as he did to Ren when he told Ryuji what happened.
Ren then turned toward Sojiro and gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Boss. I needed that."
Sojiro just waved him off. "If you're really that grateful, then make the best brew of coffee and serve it to me. I need something to keep me going after this whole heartfelt speech."
"You got it Boss!" Ren said as he got to work. In record time, Ren had brewed up his best cup of coffee yet, though according to Sojiro, he still wasn't close to perfect. But Boss was satisfied enough with it to keep him going.
After a few more hours of work, Ren was relieved from working, saying Mr. Wayne needed him for an errand. It was late into the night and business was running slow, so Sojiro decided to let him go.
As Ren exited the cafe he had called home, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hey frizzy hair, what's up?" Morgana's voice came from the other end of the line.
"I'm heading to the manor now, Morgana. Get ready to suit up." He could see the stars sparkling in the boy's eyes in his imagination as he said those words. "We've got ourselves a blonde idiot to rescue."
And he could vividly imagine the disappointment on his face as he said that.
Ryuji was escorted by a Jokerz toward the center of the garbage yard where the fight would be taking place. As they moved closer and closer towards the center, Ryuji could feel his heart beating faster and louder with every step closer he took. This was his first Ring of Laughter, both seeing or participating in. But he steeled his nerves. If he wanted his mom and his friend to be safe, he had to settle things with Terminal once and for all.
Soon enough, they eventually arrived in the center of the trash yard, where a large clearing was made for the occasion. Ryuji looked all around him to see dozens of Jokerz surrounding him. There was absolutely no chance for him to escape. But he didn't want to.
Terminal stood at the other end of the clearing, a smirk plastered on his skull painted face as he took a step into the center of the garbage yard.
"This fight is to the death, only one of these two will walk away from this ring tonight!" A Jokerz announced standing on a heap of garbage. "Will it be our king and lord Terminal!?" He waved his hand toward Terminal, and the crowd erupted in cheers as they screamed his name. "Or will it be the challenger, the traitor Ryuji Sakamato." He gestured to Ryuji, who received cries of boos and even had some trash thrown at him, but he paid them no mind.
"Participantes, choose your weapons!" The announcer declared. Both Ryuji and Terminal turned toward the pile of junk around them to choose a weapon. You could use anything you ever found in the scrapyard, with the exception of firearms, after all, it was much more satisfying for the crowd to see someone beaten to death with a crowbar than just seeing them shot.
Terminal had pulled out his weapon of choice, a steel crowbar, much like the one the monster they named themselves after used to beat a Robin to death with. Ryuji had decided on a lead pipe, something he was used to swinging around when he was still a part of the Jokerz.
The two stood got back to their ends of the clearing and readied themselves. "Ready!" Terminal and Ryuji's eyes narrowed as they glared at each other. "DIE!"
Terminal was moving even before the second word was uttered. Ryuji was caught off guard as he brought up his weapon to block a downward slash. The attack dented the pipe significantly, but he was still able to protect himself. Ryuji struggled to recover as he tried to sluggishly block and evade the attacks from Terminal.
The crowd cheered as Terminal had moved to back Ryuji into a corner. Getting desperate, Ryuji decided to play the only way these clowns knew how, dirty. He brought up his good knee and nailed Terminal in the balls. The crowd then winced in sympathetic pain as Terminal then dropped his crowbar and brought his hands toward the striking area as he slumped to the ground.
Ryuji didn't let this opportunity pass as he swung the lead pipe across Terminal's face. He kept the pressure on as kept hitting Terminal over and over again. He eventually managed to have Terminal at his mercy as he laid on the ground before Ryuji.
Ryuji had a furious look on his face as he raised his pipe for the final blow. But he froze. It then dawned on him what he was doing. He was about to kill someone in cold blood. He could argue that he was doing this in defense of his friends and family, but the truth is, when he learned that Terminal had been the one to attack his house, he wanted nothing more than to beat the clown to death.
But that wasn't him. That wasn't the Ryuji Sakamato his mother raised. That wasn't the Ryuji Sakamato that Ren Amamiya was friends with, even if they weren't anymore. So, he then dropped the lead pipe, much to the displeasure of the crowd.
"You stay away from my friends and family." Ryuji warned as he made his way to the exit of the ring. However, he failed to notice that Terminal had reached over and grabbed his fallen crowbar.
"Didn't you hear me yesterday?" Terminal asked menacingly. Ryuji turned to him only for a crowbar to come swinging viciously into his face and knock him to the ground. "This fight is to the DEATH!"
The crowd went wild as Terminal stood over Ryuji. He swung the crowbar down on Ryuji's bad knee, causing the boy to cry out in pain. Terminal didn't stop there as he continued to bring the crowbar down on Ryuji over and over and over again.
When Terminal finally stopped, Ryuji was a mess. His body was bruised all over, his face almost dented and covered in blood. His knee was the worst as it was now in the same condition it was when he first broke it, if not worst.
"This is why you never could be one of us Ryuji." Terminal said gazed down at Ryuji. "You're soft. Weak. You could never follow through with anything. And now you'll die the same way I found you alone. But don't worry," He then held a sick smile on his face as he raised the crowbar over his head. "I'll be sure to send your mom and that friend of yours with you soon enough."
As Ryuji laid there on the ground, he couldn't help but feel a sense of failure. He couldn't protect his mom, he couldn't protect his friend, nor could he even keep his friend. Maybe this was what he deserved, for being such a pathetic human being.
An object whirled through the air as it hit the crowbar in Terminal's hands, causing him to drop the weapon.
"He's not alone!" A voice declared, causing all the Jokerz, and Ryuji, to look up in shock at the two figures looming over them. A figure clad in black dressed as a bat, his white eyes narrowed and his mouth contorted in a frown. The one beside him, dressed in more brighter colors with an 'R' symbol placed over his heart had an excited smirk on his face.
"Ah slaggit! It's Batman and Robin!" A Jokerz cried as a newfound panic arose among the clowns. Batman then leapt from his spot on the mountain of garbage and dived towards Terminal. He tackled the leader to the ground before rolling over and throwing him toward a pile of trash. Robin followed suit as he gave a flying kick towards the Jokerz on the stand, knocking him down.
Ryuji was shocked beyond belief. The legendary Batman and Robin were here?! They came for him?! A boy that couldn't even protect his family and friends?! He was so absorbed in these thoughts that he didn't notice Batman walk up to him until he held out his hand.
"Need a hand kid?" Batman asked with a smile on his face. Ryuji's eyes sparkled for a moment before he chuckled, which was painful considering he was sure he had broken a rib or two. But he pushed through the pain and took Batman's hand to be helped up.
Robin then came up to them as the three then stood back to back as they began to be surrounded by Jokerz, most of them holding weapons, a lot of them spiked.
"We're surrounded Batman!" Robin cried.
"I can see that Robin." Batman said as he clenched his fists. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out."
"Just leave me." Ryuji's voice caused them to look at him in surprise. "I'll only be holding you guys down. So just go. I'll-"
"Not an option!" Batman's stern tone cut Ryuji off. "We won't leave someone to die, even if the odds are stacked against us. And if you're worried about being a burden…" Batman then reached into his belt and pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into Ryuji before pushing.
"OW!" Ryuji cried as Robin snickered at his pain. "What'd you do that for?!"
"That drug is filled with adrenaline and something to help dull the pain temporarily." Batman answered as he turned back to the clowns. "We need all hands on deck. So are you with us Ryuji?!"
Ryuji's eyes widened when Batman called him by his name. How did he know? Was it some sort of special power he had? Regardless, Ryuji pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he reached down and picked up the lead pipe. The pain was already starting to fade and he could feel a burst of energy within him.
"Let's do this!" Ryuji cried as the three sprang into action.
"Get the pipsqueak!" A clown declared as Robin came face-to-face with three clowns. Being the smallest of the three, the trio of clowns thought he would become easy pickings for them. However, Robin quickly proved them wrong as he used his small size to his advantage.
He leapt onto the shoulders of the closest clown, wrapping his legs around his upper body then causing him to fall over. He then quickly knocked him out with a punch to the head. He then unwrapped his legs and rolled backwards, shooting out his legs to kick a clown that was coming up behind him. The power behind the kick sent the clown flying and knocked him lut when he hit the ground. He then sweaped his leg and tripped up the last clown before pouncing on him and delivering a punch to his face that knocked him out cold.
"Don't call me a pipsqueak!" Robin said as he had a cocky smile on his face, proud of his achievement.
Two Jokerz had come toward Ryuji, each holding a spiked weapon. The boy ducked under the first swing and hit the attack in the stomach with his pipe. He then evaded a downward swing from the second clown, which ended up hitting his fellow Jokerz. Ryuji then swung the pipe like a baseball bat into the clown's skull, knocking him down for the count.
The action caused a flare of pain to form in Ryuji's ribs, as he held a hand to that area. Despite the drug Batman gave him to dull the pain and give him a burst of energy, he still felt the pain from Terminal's earlier beatdown.
Speaking of Batman, the Dark Knight had found himself faced with five combatants, most holding a weapon and all holding a murderous intent in their eyes. Batman just smirked. One of his favorite parts of this job was knocking Jokerz heads in.
A clown charged at him, raising a lead pipe and swung downwards, Batman extended his claws and swiped at the weapon, a second later, the piped had fallen apart, cut at multiple ends. The clown was so shocked that he failed to notice Batman delivering a roundhouse that sent him flying. Another came up and threw a punch at him, which he dodged, then grabbed the clown by the outstretched arm and used it to throw them into another charging clown.
A Jokerz came up and swung a large wrench at Batman, which he ducked under, followed by a jump to avoid the follow up attack, delivering a kick to the clown's face. The clown stumbled as he tried to regain his balance, but Batman didn't give him a chance as he wrapped his arm around the one that was carrying the wrench and delivered a series of strikes to his chest and face, before finishing with an uppercut that knocked him out.
The last clown began shaking as he ran up to strike Batman with a crowbar, only for him to catch it and then disarm the clown. Deciding to put a little fear into this last Jokerz, Batman used the suit's enhanced strength, then bent the crowbar in front of the clown, displaying his supposed superior strength. That caused the clown to rolls his eyes over and faint from the shock.
"Hmmp." Batman then tossed the bent crowbar to the ground as he then observed around the junkyard, it seems that Morgana and Ryuji had taken care of their own Jokerz, the others having run away in fear.
Ryuji then looked at Batman with a smirk on his face, only for it to change quickly into horror. "Watch out Bats!" He cried as he then threw the lead pipe over to Batman. His eyes widened as he quickly moved out of the way of the incoming projectile, confused as to why Ryuji would throw a weapon at him-
CLANK!
-Only to see the pipe hit the face of Terminal himself, who had recovered and tried to hit Batman from behind. The impact caused Terminal to fall to the ground unconscious once again.
Batman then looked from Terminal over to Ryuji, impressed by the boy's throwing skill. So much that he gave an impressed smirk. "Nice work kid!" The praise caused Ryuji to beam with pride.
Soon enough, the police had arrived and had taken the unconscious Jokerz into custody after Batman gave them an anonymous tip. Terminal and about a dozen of his Jokerz gang were taken into custody and would be sent to either Blackgate or Arkham.
Standing on a nearby building overseeing the arrest was none other than the trio that had made this possible. Ryuji let out a sigh of relief, glad that his mom and him were now gonna be safe for the time being.
"Aw man! Talk about a Schway night!" Ryuji whooped as he pumped his fists in excitement. He then looked toward Batman and Robin with sparkles in his eyes. "I got to team up with Batman and Robin! Awe man, wait till Renren hears about-"
He then stopped when it dawned on him, and then frowned in sadness. That's right, he and Ren weren't friends anymore. In all the excitement of the last few hours, he had forgotten that, and remembering it caused him more pain than any of Terminal's punches.
"Thanks for the help." Ryuji told them in a dejected tone of voice. "I'll see you guys around. Maybe…" Ryuji said as he turned away and made his way over to the fire escape.
As he watched Ryuji leave, Batman couldn't help but feel an ache in his heart. He knew he was the cause of Ryuji's sudden depression. He knew he had to do something to restore their friendship, but only one thing came to mind.
"Ryuji!" He called to the blonde, the boy stopped and turned back to the Batman as he walked up to him, slightly afraid that he was gonna beat him up. Batman opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He then sighed. 'Bruce is gonna kill me.' He thought as he pulled off his mask to reveal his face to Ryuji.
Robin was shocked at the action. One of the important lessons that Bruce had drilled into both him and Ren was that they were to, under no circumstances, reveal their identities to others. And this frizzy haired idiot had just done that to the biggest loudmouth on the planet.
Ryuji himself was shocked dumb. His jaw reached the floor and kept falling. His eyes were blown so wide open, that they may as well just fall out. He was silent for a long moment, which caused Ren to feel awkward slightly as he waved his hands in front of his eyes to see if he was resposnive.
"Ryuji?" Ren asked, slightly concerned if he had broken the his friend. "Are you ok-"
"WWWHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT?!" Ryuji shouted, shocking both Ren and Morgana. "REN?! YOU'RE BATMAN?! YOU'RE ACTUALLY BATMAN?! HOLY SLAG! YOU'RE REALLY BATMA-"
He didn't get to continue as Ren had clamped a hand down on Ryuji's mouth to keep him quiet. "Keep your voice down!" Ren told him in a stern whisper. "I don't want the whole city to know that!"
After a few more seconds, Ren finally removed his hand from Ryuji's mouth. Ryuji took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart as he then found his voice again. "Sorry about that." Ryuji apologized. "But man, you're really him! You're Batman!" He then turned towards Robin. "And is that you Morgana?" He asked.
"Who else would it be?" Morgana asked in a superior tone.
Ryuji gasped as he then asked. "Does that mean he told you too?" He asked in disbelief, shocked that his best friend would tell this kid first before him.
"He didn't need to." Morgan said in a condescending tone of voice. "I figured it out all on my own, cause I'm just that good."
Ryuji then scowled. "That condescending attitude, you've gotta be Morgana."
"You were still doubting me?!" Morgana asked in disbelief as he moved to strangle the blonde, only for him to be stopped by Ren.
"Can you two please for once stop trying to kill each other the moment you see one another!" Ren begged as he finally managed to get Morgana to calm down.
"So this is what you've been doing all this time?" Ryuji asked. "All those times when you said you were busy or you had work, you were really doing all of this?" Ryuji asked, gesturing to his suit, Ren nodded in 'yes'. "Man, to think I was best friends with the new Batman this whole time and I didn't even know it. But why tell me now?"
"Well, you trusted me with your darkest secret. It only seemed fair that I did the same." Ren then looked down in shame. "Speaking of, I'm sorry about how I've been treating you Ryuji. I was just using my previous experience as an excuse to get angry. You didn't deserve that. After all, you accepted me despite the rumors going about me."
Ryuji seemed shocked as he looked at his friend, before smiling. "Hey man, we're cool!" Ryuji said as he held out a fist bump to his best friend. "I should have been more sensitive when I told you about my past. I had no idea you went through that at the hands of Jokerz. If I had known, I wouldn't have made such a small deal about me being a Jokerz. So we're good man."
Ren looked toward Ryuji in surprise before he smiled and returned the fist bump. "Hey." Ren spoke, "How would you like to see the schwayest thing ever?"
The Batcave
As Bruce looked over the batcomputer, trying to find any calls or emergencies that he would need to send Ren and Morgana on, an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed through the Batcave!
"Woah!" Bruce turned to the source of the voice to see Ren and Morgana, along with a familiar blonde kid he recognized as Ryuji Sakamato. "This is the Batcave! This is so schway!" He yelled in excitement as he ran to look at all the cool stuff. His eyes then lingered on the original batsuit in a display case and moved to touch the glass.
"Don't touch that!" Bruce yelled out, causing Ryuji to freeze in fear as the intimidating old man walked up to him with a glare that almost made Ryuji wet himself. Ace barking a threat didn't help alleviate Ryuji's fears.
"Bruce! Ace! Stop!" Ren yelled as he came between them and Ryuji, holding out his arms in defense. "I can explain!"
"Yes, explain tio me why you've brought some high schooler into the Batcave without my permission!" Bruce asked with a glare. Ren was about to open his mouth to explain, but Ryuji spoke first.
"Wait? You're Bruce Wayne!" He then looked back to the batsuit in the display and then back to Bruce. "Bruce Wayne was the original Batman! Holy cow! That's so schway!"
Ren groaned as he rubbed a hand down his face. Ryuji was not making this easy for him. He then looked back at Bruce, who was waiting for an answer. "Let me explain. Here's what happened…"
Ren then gave a summary of what happened over the last couple of days, of how he found out Ryuji was once a Jokerz, their brief shattered friendship, the fight with Terminal, Ryuji sparing the leader, Batman and Robin helping him, and finally Ren revealing his identity to him.
When he was done explaining, Bruce was silent for a long moment, which made the three uncomfortable as they waited for him to speak. Finally Bruce asked, "Why did you bring him here?"
"I was thinking that… maybe he could join us." As he noticed that Bruce was about to say something, Ren cut him off. "Before you say anything, let me make my case. Ryuji is incredibly brave: he was willing to walk into Jokerz infested territory, despite knowing some clowns were out for his blood, all to make sure his mom and friends wouldn't suffer. Not only that, but he also has a respect for life, having spared Terminal, despite having every reason to kill him. And finally," He then glanced back at the blonde boy with a smile. "I trust him." The words shocked those in the Batcave. "I know that Ryuji wouldn't do anything to betray us, because if one thing is certain, it's that Ryuji is without a doubt loyal to those he considers his friends."
Ryuji was incredibly touched by Ren's words. No one, with the exception of his mom, had ever defended him and vouched for him in such a way before, not even his old friends or teammates on the track team. The action caused some tears to form in his eyes.
"Are you crying?" Morgana asked with a smirk.
Not wanting to be teased by this brat, Ryuji quickly wiped his eyes and came up with an excuse. "No! It's just dusty in this cave!"
Bruce and Ren continued to stare each other down, seeing which one of them would break first. Bruce finally sighed. "Remember your vow?" Bruce asked. "That you would be responsible for anyone you happened to drag into this life?"
"I do." Ren said firmly. "And I will."
Bruce looked towards Ren in the eyes, and could tell he was serious. "Very well." Bruce said as he walked back to the computer with Ace trailing alongside him.
Ren then let out a sigh of relief as he placed a hand over his heart. He honestly wasn't sure that convincing Bruce was gonna be possible, but he somehow managed to pull it then turned back over to Ryuji and gave him a smile. "You're in." He said.
Ryuji hollered and jumped up in excitement. "Aww yeah!" He pumped his fists. "What's my codename? Can I be Robin?!"
"I'm Robin you blonde oaf!" Morgana cried.
"What was that pipsqueak?!" Ryuji yelled as he moved to strangle the kid.
"Enough!" Ren shouted, causing both of them to stop. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. "Morgana is already Robin, why don't you pick something else Ryuji?"
Ryuji slightly groaned, mad that his first choice was already taken. He then glanced over at the different display cases to see if any caught his eye. His eyes finally settled on one that he couldn't help but find awesome.
The suit had the look of a gangster, with a blood red colored bat symbol on the chest. A brown leather jacket with red hoodie underneath. And the finishing touch was a red mask with white lenses. Ryuji's eyes widened as he recognized the identity of this suit's former wearer.
"I got it!" Ryuji declared as he turned back to Ren and Morgana. "I'll be… Red Hood!"
A/N: And now another new addition has joined the bat family.
I have to say, Ryuji was probably the hardest character to figure out which Bat Family member he would become. I first thought of Nightwing, but then advice from patrickthenobleman made me reconsider, the I decided on Red Robin, but again, patrickthenobleman again made me reconsider and choose Red Hood. Bless his heart. Without patrickthenobleman, I would never have been able to make this story a reality. Thanks a lot man!
And also, Ryuji's Red Hood outfit is inspired by the one from the Titans Season Three on HBOMax. I have to say that it's the show's best season yet.
Also that stuff I had about the Jokerz, I made all that up. I have no idea if any of the stuff I wrote down for them, (like they used Joker cards to identify which gang they belong to, or that they have a death match challenge) is actually true, but I just thought it would be cool to add a little culture or details to how all these different gangs function and work.
Next chapter we'll introduce another member of the Bat Family, here's a preview.
The Cat Strikes:
When a new vigilante appears in Nippon-Gotham, targeting criminals that prey on young women, Ren finds that this new figure is closer to home than he ever expected.