A/n: And here we have another chapter, focusing on one of Ren's confidants, and you can probably guess from the title who it is. So let's begin.

I do not own Batman Beyond or Persona 5. They are works of Warner Brothers Animation and Atlus respectively.

The Batcave

Bruce was busy typing away on the Batcomputer in the Batcave, taking the moment to go over old case files. He stopped when he heard a familiar sound coming from the entrance of the cave and saw the Batmobile enter the cave. The hood opened up as the Gotham Knights themselves exited the vehicle.

"Ah man! Another bust!" Red Hood shouted as he took off his helmet and threw it onto the ground in anger. While the others weren't as expressive in their emotions as Ryuji was, they too felt the sting of disappointment.

They had intercepted chatter of multiple arms deals happening around the city, some with possible connections to Shido's criminal dealings. They went to investigate, but when they arrived at the locations, they turned out to be a trap. They dealt with the ambushers, but they didn't even have any sort of connection to Shido at any one of the locations, including their most recent one. So it was as Ryuji said, another bust.

"Patience Sakamoto." Bruce advised. "Shido's smart, much smarter than your run-of-the-mill corrupt politician. He knows when someone's one to him, and how to cover his tracks and try to eliminate those who get in his way."

"Yeah, but knowing that doesn't exactly help us catch him." Morgana said, having taken off his own mask.

Ann paid a concerning glance to Ren, he looked down at the cave floor and clenched his fists in anger. He was taking these busts harder than any of them. After all, Shido was the one who ruined his life, so for him to seemingly get so close to taking him down, only for him to slip through his fingers was beyond irritating for him.

"If only we had someone on the inside of the gangs, then we could get not only more intel on arms deals in the city, but we could also figure out which of them has connections to Shido." Bruce stated as he turned back to the screen.

When Bruce mentioned 'someone on the inside' a lightbulb went off in Ryuji's head.

"I think I might know a guy!"

"So… how exactly do you know this guy again?" Ren couldn't help but ask as he and Ryuji walked down Central Street in Shibuya. The two had decided to come themselves, as Ann hadn't wanted to meet with some gangster, and Morgana also stayed behind, partly because he was too young, but also he wanted to stay close to Ann.

"Well I knew him from my days as a Jokerz. Don't worry, he's not a Jokerz himself!" Ryuji quickly said the last part, knowing how much that was a sensitive topic for his friend. Despite Ren looking past Ryuji's history as a Jokerz, he still despised that particular group of criminals with a burning passion. So there would be no way he'd be willing to cooperate with a Jokerz, even if it was a former one, other than Ryuji of course.

Ren let out a sigh as he then asked. "So what exactly is he anyway?"

"He's a former Yakuza enforcer, from what I heard from others who also met him." Ryuji told him. "He got out of the gang over a decade ago, for some unknown reason according to stories I've heard. But he still has some contacts in the gang, so he should probably know any deals having to do with Shido."

The two walked for a bit more before they arrived at their destination located in a back alley hole in the wall, much like how Leblanc was. The sign read, 'Untouchable' in neon green.

"So this is it?" Ren asked. The two had come in normal clothes, not wanting a former gangster to try and track them down by the school they attend. Ren was even wearing his fake glasses, best not to draw attention to himself.

"Yep. Pretty legit, huh?" Ryuji said as he patted Ren on the back and began to walk away. "Good luck man!"

Ren turned to Ryuji dumbfounded. "You're just gonna leave me here?!" Ren shouted in disbelief. "You know him! Shouldn't you come in with me?!"

"Yeah… about that," Ryuji said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "The owner said that if I ever showed up here again, that he'd castrate me! So I'm just gonna stay far away from here."

"H-hold on wait! What do I say to get him to tell me about his dealings?" Ren asked. "'Hey man, I know you're a former Yakuza. Could you tell me, an unsuspecting high school student, about any arms deals your former gang buddies are doing, and if they have a connection with a guy named Shido?'"

"I don't know!" Ryuji said with a shrug. "Just say you're a gun enthusiast looking to buy some model guns!"

"How could that conversation ever transition over to what were here for?"

"You'll figure it out man! You're friggin Batman for crying out loud! I gotta go now!" Ryuji had then sprinted out of the hole in the wall before another word was said.

"Ryuji!" Ren shouted in vain, as he let out a defeated sigh and slumped his shoulders. "That dreg!" He muttered as he turned to the entrance of the shop. 'You've managed to stand your ground against the original Batman, Ren. How bad could one former Yakuza enforcer be?' He thought as he took a deep breath and entered the store.

The store seemed like a normal thrift shop. It was filled with military-like gear, most likely 3-D printed. Model guns hung on the walls of the shop, and parts to make them were scattered lined up on the isles. Ren took a moment to look in awe at the craftsmanship and detail of each weapon. While he wasn't a fan of guns, he had to admit that these models looked just like the real thing, and he should know.

"You lost kid?"

Ren jumped as he turned to the source of the voice. A gruff looking man wearing a cap with a pair of headphones sitting on it, sat with his feet up on the checkout counter, reading some guns magazine, probably for research. He had a faint beard growing on his face and a gecko tattoo on the side of his neck.

He assumed this was the store owner.

Ren gulped. Now he had a better idea as to why Ryuji wanted to avoid this guy. He could definitely give Bruce a run for his money in the intimidation department.

"Hey, you deaf?" The man said, causing Ren to come back to the real world. "I asked, are you lost?"

"Oh no! I'm not Mr…." He paused as he glanced at the name on the counter. Munehisa Iwai it read. "Iwai. I'm in the right place."

"Is that a fact?" He grumbled as he went back to his magazine before asking without even looking at Ren. "What'd you doing here?"

Ren's mind went blank for a second. How was he supposed to do this exactly? He then just decided to go with what Ryuji suggested. "I'd like to see some modeled guns."

Iwai raised an eyebrow and looked toward the kid in suspicion, eyeing him from top to bottom. From the looks of it, this kid didn't seem like he belonged to any gang. Nor was he the type to carry a gun around, even if it was fake. And in this city, a fake gun can be even more dangerous than a real one.

"Now why would a kid like you want to buy a gun?" Iwai asked.

"I like guns." Ren said with a nervous smile.

Okay, now Iwai knew the kid was hiding something. What kind of idiot says he likes guns in this city, especially with that face. He figured the kid must've been here because he knew of his past.

Iwai then took a second to look around the store to see if there were any customers. There were none. He then placed his magazine down and stood up from his chair.

"Wanna talk in the back?"

When they arrived in the back storage area, Iwai took a moment to sit down on a pair of boxes, while Ren leaned against a metal shelf. He then looked Ren straight in the eye and asked, "Who the slag are you?"

"A gun enthusiast." Ren answered a little too quickly. He was slightly worried Iwai might just kill him back here.

Iwai shook his head in disbelief. "...At your age? In this city?" He asked rhetorically. There was no way some teenage kid was a gun enthusiast in Nippon-Gotham. He would have already been dead if he was. "I know you know about my time as a Yakuza. So why don't you save us both the trouble and just tell me why you're really here?"

Ren sighed. He really needed to work on his poker face. So he then told Iwai everything, or everything he needed to know.

"So you're looking to take down a piece of slag that ended up framing you for a crime and ruined your life, huh?" Iwai asked for clarification.

Ren nodded.

"Hmm." Iwai brought a hand to his chin and began to stroke it. "Well, I guess you got the heart of an enthusiast, if not for guns anyway. Heh, you're a strange one, kid." Iwai was about to refuse his request when an idea struck him. "...Wait a sec." He then chuckled as he looked up at Ren. "Yeah, this could work."

Ren straightened up as he gave a confused look. "What could make what work?" He asked.

"Hey, I can grant that wish of yours." Iwai told him. "But you better have the money. Information about these kinds of things are worth hundreds of thousands of yen per unit. Sometimes they even reach the millions, depending on how I feel."

"That won't be a problem." Ren said with a smirk. With Bruce's fortune, there was no way he couldn't satisfy Iwai.

"S'that right?" Iwai said as he stood up from the box he was sitting on. "Look, I ain't a bad dude. I've been known to compromise, from time to time. For example…" He then walked over directly in front of Ren and loomed over him. "You help me with my 'business'..." Iwai said the word carefully. "Smuggling goods, destroying evidence… And as a reward, I'll keep you informed of any deals I hear going on with this Shido guy. But what you do with this information is on you. So what d'ya say? Do we have a deal?"

Ren thought about it for a moment. With this he had a way to get information from the Yakuza themselves about what Shido will be doing. But doing this meant letting other criminals get away, something that didn't sit right with him.

"This seems like a terrible deal." He said.

"You don't know what you're talking about. This is a great deal." Iwai tried to convince him while pulling down on his hat before crossing his arms over his chest. "Gotta fight evil with evil… I need a pawn of my own."

Ren looked at him in confusion. Fight evil with evil? What does that mean? Was Iwai trying to stop the gangs?

"Don't tell no one about this. Got it?" Iwai warned. "Just follow my orders."

Ren looked down in contemplation. If he didn't accept this deal, then they wouldn't be any closer to bringing Shido to justice, and how many more people would suffer like he did.

"So what's it gonna be? Do we have a deal or not?" He asked impatient.

Ren then looked him in the eyes. "Alright. But this better not end up with people getting hurt." He answered.

Iwai smiled. "That's alright with me. I wouldn't be asking a soft kid like you to help me hurt a fly." He assured him. "I'll get to work on that info you're after. Remember, what you do with it has nothing to do with me."

Ren nodded in understanding. Iwai's eyes then widened in remembrance. "Oh yeah. When I don't got any business goin' on, I'll have you do some miscellaneous chores. Clean, run errands, there's plenty for you to do around here." He then gave a small laugh as he smiled. "Must be pretty exciting for an enthusiast like you, huh?"

Ren felt beads of sweat dripping down his head. First Sojiro, now Iwai. How many small business owners were gonna exploit him for free labor?!

Over the next week, Ren had begun working at Untouchable, mostly doing small things like Iwai asked of him when they met. The most illegal thing he asked of him was to help him out with a former Yakuza buddy of his who asked to meet up. Ren just sat in a booth in front of them at a restaurant and overheard a phone conversation the guy named Masa had after Iwai left.

Iwai did as promised and provided Ren with information about arms dealings that had any possible relation with Shido. As Batman, he and the Knights proceeded to bust up those deals. While most of them had nothing to do with Shido, they were still able to keep guns off the street, which was a win.

Ren had even met and befriended Iwai's adopted son, Kaoru. The boy had no idea his adopted father was a former member of the Yakuza, or the real story on how he was adopted.

Iwai then decided to reveal to Ren the true circumstances regarding his adoption of Kaoru. Apparently, a woman came up to him one day and just decided to sell her newborn child to the man for drug money. After she ran off after leaving the baby.

When Ren asked Iwai why he didn't tell Kaoru, he countered him by asking Ren how he would feel if his parents were involved in shady business.

"My parents are dead." Ren's answer shocked Iwai as the boy looked down slightly. "They died five years ago by the hands of a random Jokerz gang."

Iwai looked down in shame, feeling guilty he had to bring up bad memories for the kid. He then apologized for his words, but Ren just brushed him off, trying to make it seem like it didn't bother him too much.

Iwai then shared with him his own childhood with his mother who was an alcoholic and drifter. He said he wanted to give Kaoru a better life than the one he had, and that's why he left the Yakuza clan.

He then mentioned how his former brother in arms, Tsuda, threatened to tell Kaoru everything if Iwai didn't make custom guns for him. And Iwai would rather die than have Kaoru go through the same thing he did.

Ren had offered to help Iwai in any way he could, but Iwai just shrugged him off, saying that what he was doing right now was enough to help him find a way to stop Tsuda.

Days later

"So, what are you thinking of eating? I'm buying, so you don't have to worry about the cost." Ren assured his dinner partner.

"I think I'm gonna wait for dad to come before I start ordering. Don't want him to feel left out." Kaoru said as the two of them sat at a booth in a diner located in Shibuya.

That day Iwai had asked Ren to look after Kaoru while he went to take care of some business with Iwai. Ren of course was happy to help in any way he could. Currently the two were waiting for Iwai to show up.

"You know, it's pretty rare for him to invite people out like this." Kaoru pointed out. "He must see something special in you Ren. Even if he doesn't say it."

"Yeah, he sees me as some free slave labor." Ren joked which caused both of them to laugh slightly.

The two then fell swiftly into idle chatter as they waited for Iwai, talking about all sorts of things boys talk about like High School, girls, if the Knights would ever win a game, etc. Eventually the conversation shifted to how Kaoru felt as if he was a burden to his father, which Ren tried to assure him he wasn't.

Kaoru then revealed that he was taken in by Iwai when his parents died in a car crash, the story Iwai made up. He then explained the tattoo of the gecko he had on his neck. Apparently Kaoru had a scar that a bunch of kids made fun of, which Iwai then decided to get the tattoo to make him feel better, saying it was the new family crest of the Iwai's.

Explaining that to Ren helped him remember that the gecko symbolized protecting one's family. It helped him realize that his dad did indeed care about him, in his own way.

"That's cool." Ren said as he took a sip from his glass.

"What about you Ren? You've been sitting here hearing me groan about my family. Why don't you tell me about yours?" Ren froze slightly at his question before he looked down at his reflection in the liquid. Kaoru then looked ashamed. "I'm sorry if I asked something too personal."

"No, it's fine," Ren assured him. "My dad was a scientist in some big name company I can't even remember the name of. And my mom was an astronomer. They both worked a lot so I never got to see them most of the time. And half the time they were fighting a lot. I think they were arguing over whether to have another baby or not. But they always did try to keep me away from it. But looking back on it now, I only really remember all the best parts."

Kaoru looked at Ren with a slight amount of pity. The way he talked about them, the past tense he used when he talked about them.

"They're dead. In case you're wondering." Ren answered, which shocked Kaoru. "It happened when I was 11. For the next five years I cycled through a bunch of adoption homes. I didn't stay for too long in any of them before I found my way back here."

"And…" Kaoru began, unsure how he should broach this subject. "What do you think of this home?"

Ren smiled as he thought about it. Leblanc, life at Shujin, his friends, his crush, his "job". "I have to say. This time, it feels like home." He answered.

Kaoru smiled, glad to see Ren's mood improve. He was about to say something when his phone chimed. Thinking it might be a text from his dad, Kaoru excused himself and looked at his phone. His eyes then lit up in excitement.

"No way!"

"What's up?" Ren asked, curious as to what has him so excited.

"There's been an update on the Bat-site!" Ren's eyes widened. That was the website Mishima made where people could anonymously post their problems for Batman to take a look at. Most people thought it was a scam, but after a few weeks and when some requests were answered, people had begun to take it seriously. It even came with an updated feature where the poster could comment on the result.

"'Dear Batman: thank you for helping me with my crazy stalker ex. I now have no need to look over my shoulder in fear since you helped me. Glad to have you back in Gotham!'" Kaoru read excitedly.

Ren remembered that. It happened yesterday. A woman was greatly troubled as her ex was stalking her. It even turns out he was abusing her. So he quickly took care of it and sent the stalker off to Arkham or Blackgate.

Ren then had a small teasing smirk on his face as he then asked, "Karou, do you like Batman?" The boy blushed in embarrassment.

"Is… is there anything weird about that?" He asked, looking away.

Ren's smile softened. "No. In fact, I'm a big fan of Batman myself." He said, which caused Kaoru to look at him in surprise.

"You are?!" Ren nodded yes to his question. "So am I! What's your opinion of this new Batman? A lot of people are saying he's just another copy cat, like the dozens that have shown up over the years, but I don't think so. From the scares photos and footage that people have gathered across the internet, the suit and tech he's using can't possibly belong to some random cosplay. And it's not just that! He even has his own Robin and other crime fighting partners. That's something no other copycat has had over the two decades since he disappeared. And its also his target. Other copycats have targeted either random gangsters or even civilians, trying to look cool. But this guy seems much more decisive about who he goes after, and he doesn't even kill like some of the others had. So I really think that this guy is the real deal! What do you think?!"

Ren was slightly taken aback by how passionate Kaoru was about Batman. He was almost as passionate as Mishima or Morgana. Ren had to answer carefully though. He didn't want to potentially reveal his identity to Kaoru.

He was about to answer when suddenly, Iwai showed up. He then told them to eat without him, since he had 'errands' to run. He left soon after and the two decided to order, Ren having paid for everything.

As he ate, Ren couldn't stop a question forming in his mind. What did Iwai think about Batman?

Later - Leblanc

"Hey, thanks again for watching Kaoru for me. I'll make sure to work extra hard to get you that info you're so desperate to know." Iwai said over the phone as Ren sat at his desk located in his room located in the attic of Lelbanc, taking the rare moment of free time he had to catch up on studying for exams.

Being Batman, working for Sojiro and Iwai, and hanging out with his friends caused him to fall behind on school work. And with exams around the corner, he had to study hard, or else he might get shipped off to prison for failing his studies.

"It's no problem at all, he's a good kid. And thanks." Ren assured him as he looked over his math textbook.

"Well, I'll let you go kid. Take care." Iwai said as he was about to hang up.

"Wait. Wait. Wait!" Ren said frantically as stumbled slightly.

"What's up kid? Need something?" Iwai asked.

"Well, I'd like to ask you something relating to your Yakuza days. It has no relevance to Kaoru or the things you might have done! I promise!" Ren assured him. If he asked this when they first met, Iwai might've kicked him out and asked him to never come back. He might still do that.

However, Iwai sighed, seemingly in annoyance. "What do you want to know?" He asked.

Ren sighed in relief. He figured now was a good time to ask him. "During your time as a Yakuza… Did you ever happen to come across Batman?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath from the other end. Apparently, Iwai wasn't expecting that kind of question. "Why would you want to know?"

Ren scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well… I'm actually a big fan of Batman. So I guess I wanted to see if you had any bat stories you could share with me?" He laughed awkwardly.

Iwai sighed again. "I saw him. Once." Ren's breathing almost stopped as he paid full attention. "It was during my rookie years a part of the Yakuza. Me and Tsuda were working with a bunch of senior members and transporting some drugs. That's when he showed up."

"Now I had heard stories of the Bat ever since I was a kid. And even heard fellow Yakuza talk about him when I first joined the gang. Those stories didn't do him justice." Iwai said as he was lost in his memories. "There were over two dozen of us, most of us had experience in fighting, even had knives and guns. We didn't stand a chance. He tore through us like we were nothing. It wasn't long before it was only me and Tsuda left standing."

"Tsuda charged him swinging a bat like an idiot. He fell down with one punch." Iwai gave a small chuckle as he continued. "And then it was just me. Some new kid face-to-face with a guy that took down almost 30 mobsters in under 5 minutes. You have no idea how much that terrified me, I had nightmares for years, still do sometimes. I'm warning you kid, you do not want to be on the receiving end of that glare."

'Oh how I sometimes wish I wasn't.' Ren thought to himself, slightly shuddering as Bruce's signature glare entered his mind. That gaze was already nerve wracking as is with Bruce as an old man, he didn't want to know what it was like when he was at his prime.

"Anyway, I was shaking so much I thought I was gonna die just from him staring at me with those white eyes." Iwai continued. "I thought for sure I was next, but he just kept looking at me. And then he actually spoke to me! He said 'You can do better than this Munehisa'. He knew my name, that was the most shocking part of it. I then got distracted by the sound of something falling. When I turned back, he was gone. Vanished! Almost as if he wasn't there!"

"I was still so shocked by the fact he knew my name. And when he said that I could do better. I thought maybe I could." Iwai's voice was then full of shame. "But I doubted it. I mean, I was still fairly new to the Yakuza at the time, but I had gotten my hands plenty dirty with a number of stuff I'm not proud of."

"After Batman disappeared I had forgotten about the whole thing. I went about my life still working for the Yakuza until almost a decade later, the woman carrying Kaoru showed up and begged me to take her son." Ren could almost feel the smile from the other end of the phone on Iwai's lips. "I was totally about ready to abandon the kid, but as I looked at his face, those words came back to me at that moment. 'You can do better'."

"Batman, a guy who went around every night beating the crap out of guys like me, told me I could do better, even called me by my name. And then it hit me. If he knew my name back then, then that probably meant that he really knew me. And if he knew me, then maybe I could be better, and this kid was my second chance to be better. So I left the clan and decided to raise Kaoru."

"Wow." Was all Ren could say. He was in complete awe. "I never knew he was like that."

Iwai then chuckled. "The way you're talking almost makes it sound like you know him." Ren then quickly got nervous and was about to explain himself when Iwai continued. "Well you are his fan. So I guess fans try to make it a priority to know who they are obsessed with, even if they don't have much to go on."

"Y-Yeah! Yeah." Ren said, glad Iwai didn't read too much into it.

"Anyway, I gotta go. Night Ren." Iwai said as he hung up.

Ren then put his phone back on the desk and looked towards his bag that held his Batsuit. Hearing a story about his mentor from a former Yakuza had inspired Ren to take action like he did. He then smirked as he gazed at the cowl hanging out from the bag.

"Geometry can wait another night." He said as he bolted out of his seat and pulled his suit out of his bag.

A few days later, Iwai then asked Ren for a huge favor. He was going to meet Tsuda face-to-face and confront him for the blackmail, and he wanted Ren to come with him as a witness, to keep him from doing anything too crazy.

Ren agreed, even though Iwai assured him he could have said no. The two then went to confront the guy later that night underneath a bridge. The conversation seemed to be going smoothly, until Tsuda suddenly pulled out a gun.

He then threatened to hurt both Kaoru and Ren if Iwai didn't make those guns. And both of them could tell Tsuda was serious in his threat. Ren could have disarmed him if it was just the two of them, but with Iwai here, he didn't want to risk it and make Kaoru an orphan. Even if he did promise Iwai to look after him, he would do his best to make sure Kaoru didn't have to go through what he did.

After Tsuda made his threat, he then left the two of them alone. After a long moment of silence, Iwai started kicking the ground in anger. "I'm such a slagging idiot… that guy ain't the Tsuda I know…!"

He looked down in contemplation before speaking up. "Based on what just happened here, I'm done the second I make those guns for him…" He then looked over to Ren. "Look kid, you should probably go. I don't have any more tasks for you to take care of. Just forget any of this ever happened."

Ren clenched his fists in anger. "I can't! I want to help you!" Ren declared.

Iwai was touched by his desire to help, but, "I appreciate the offer, I really do. I just… can't let you do that. Not for me." He then folded his arms across his chest. "I… I'm gonna make those guns for him. I gotta do what I can to protect Kaoru… even if it means helping that psychopath."

Ren looked at him in worry. Iwai would most likely die if he didn't do something to help him. "What's his full name?" He asked.

Iwai looked at Ren with shock. "Huh? Why would you…?" He then stopped as he thought about it. "Actually, it's probably best you know, just in case. His name is Akimitsu Tsuda. He was famous around here for being an incredible martial artist back in the day. If you see him around town, run. Go to the police if you hafta. They'll keep you safe as long as they know who's after you."

Ren nodded. Though he honestly had no plans of going to the police to handle Tsuda, not if he could do it himself.

"...Anyways, we're done here." Iwai said. "Thanks for all the help you've given me. And…" He then stopped, slightly awkward to say what was gonna come out of his mouth next. "Take care of yourself kid. Hope you get your dirty politician."

Iwai then turned and walked away. When he was certain Iwai was out of earshot, Ren pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Hey Bruce, it's Ren. I need a favor. Can you give me all the information you got on a Yakuza named Akimitsu Tsuda."

Later

Tsuda sat within his apartment, counting all the money he gathered for the day, snickering as he did so. The look on Iwai's face was priceless when he pulled the gun on him. He totally didn't expect anything like that.

Soon he would have the guns and then he would take Iwai out of the picture. He laughed gleefully as the thought of how perfectly this all was going. He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he was oblivious to the breeze that came into his apartment from the supposedly closed window.

He then felt a hand grab the back of his head, then slammed it onto the glass coffee table. Dazed, he was then grabbed by the shoulders and thrown onto the glass table, shattering it. He groaned as he tried to sit up, but a pair of hands wrapped around his neck and kept him pinned down.

At first he thought it must've been Iwai, or one of those punks from Hong Metropolis that jumped him. But as he opened his eyes and saw his attacker, his blood froze.

It was worse, it was so much worse.

"You can never escape me." Batman said. Tsuda reached and pulled out his gun, only for one of Batman's hands to grab his and slammed it to the floor, crushing it in his grip, causing him to let go of the gun. "Nothing harms me."

"But I know pain." Tsuda struggled to move as he opened one eye to look at Batman. "I know… pain." Batman's white eyes narrowed as he said that. Tsuda's eyes were shaking in fear as Batman's shadow loomed over him.

"Sometimes I share it… with someone like you!"

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

The Next Day

Ren opened the door to Untouchable and saw Iwai, who was watching the news with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on the former Yakuza's face. He turned to see who came and his smile got even bigger somehow.

"Hah! You won't believe the crazy thing that just happened! Take a listen to this!" He then turned up the volume on the TV.

"In other news, local Yakuza enforcer Akimitsu Tsuda was arrested this morning for charges of murder, blackmail, and arms dealing. While there has been no information released on how he was apprehended, it is confirmed that when he was apprehended, he was brought in with a shattered collarbone along with a broken wrist suggesting that he was attempting to resist arrest. We'll give you more details as time goes on!"

Iwai then muted the TV as he turned to Ren, his smile still on his face. "You hear that! Tsuda's going to jail! Kind of suspicious that he went to jail right when we needed him to." He then eyed Ren with a raised eyebrow. "You wouldn't possibly have anything to do with this would ya?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ren said with a smirk and a shrug.

"Ah. Doesn't really matter if you did or didn't." Iwai decided to let him off the hook. "Besides, with Tsuda now locked up, this will be a real weight off my shoulders. Of course I can't be too careless, he's got tons of guys on the outside that could carry out his deeds. But with his screw up and arrest made public, he's sure to be kicked out of the clan, losing all his power with it. So we should be good for now."

"That's a relief." Ren said. He was slightly worried about the Yakuza coming after Iwai and Kaoru, but it looks like they didn't know Tsuda was seeking out Iwai's help. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"Well I gotta make sure I follow through on our deal." Iwai said with a smile. "I pull together an even bigger list of any arms deals that have to do with Shido and hand them over to you as soon as I can."

Ren smiled in gratitude. "I appreciate that."

Iwai looked like he was gonna say something else, but then his phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered the phone and brought it to his ears. "Hello? Oh it's you. Do you want to talk about Tsuda-"

His eyes then widened in horror. "Wait, what?!" He shouted as he shot up from his seat. His eyes then narrowed. "What the heck are you doing?! You sick dreg! Hey, hold on!" The call then ended. Iwai looked down at his phone in anger, almost looking like he was gonna crush it in his hands. "Slaggit!"

"What happened?!" Ren asked, worried.

"That dreg Masa abducted Kaoru!"

"What?! Is Kaoru okay?!"

"He better be, or else that punk Masa's dead!" Iwai said with a murderous look in his eyes. "He knew about Tsuda's failure the whole time, and was most likely waiting for a chance like this."

Ren looked down with guilt at that. He gave Masa the chance he needed by taking down Tsuda. Kaoru could now get killed, because of him.

"There over in seaside park! Come on, I'll grab the keys and lock up!" Iwai then went into hyperspeed as he got to work. Ren wanted to go with him, he really did.

But…

"I… I can't." He said, causing Iwai to stop in his tracks.

"What?" Iwai said, disbelief all over his face.

"This was more than I ever signed up for." Ren said, trying to convey the image of a scared teenage kid, even though he hated what he was doing. "This is someone's life in actual danger. I can't do this."

Iwai eyed Ren for a long moment before he looked away in disgust. "I thought you were different, kid. But it looks like you're the same as those scum. All bark, no bite." Iwai said as he walked past Ren. "Don't bother showing up here again." And with that, Iwai left.

Ren watched as Iwai left with a sad look on his face. He hated having to do that, but Ren Amamiya couldn't help them. But he knew Batman could.

After quickly changing into his suit, Batman began flying toward Seaside Park as fast as he could. This was his fault that Kaoru had gotten abducted, so he had to save him.

He arrived at the park and activated detective vision in his cowl to find them. Soon enough he found them. Masa was holding Kaoru by the throat with a knife pointed at his neck. Iwai was standing there, begging to have Kaoru be let go.

Batman then pulled out a Batarang and prepared to throw it at Masa. He had done a number of AR training that focused on this particular situation, but this was his first time doing it in real life, and if he screwed up, Kaoru would die. He needed to wait until the time was right.

He then activated the enhanced hearing in his cowl and picked up on the conversation between Iwai and Masa. Apparently Masa was threatening to reveal the truth of Kaoru's birth. So Iwai had no choice but to tell Kaoru the truth.

Masa then laughed like it was all some joke, which made Batman really want to hit him, but he still didn't have his opening. Kaoru seemed shocked at first, almost disappointed, but he surprised them all when he stated that he didn't care about the truth and that he and Iwai were connected by the gecko they both had.

"So you know what?" Kaoru said as he looked toward Masa. "I don't care what you have to say about us! I'm me, and Munehisa Iwai… is my dad!"

Batman smiled proudly at Kaoru. He didn't care about the past, nor about what other people thought of him or his dad. He knew who he was and who Iwai was to him.

"Heh." Iwai chuckled as he looked at his boy proudly. "Atta boy Kaoru. You're all grown up now." He then looked over at Masa. "Listen Masa, let's put an end to this, right here, right now. We can start fresh." He tried to reason with the man holding his son.

But Masa wouldn't have any of it. "You seriously still don't get it do you?!" Masa said as he aimed the knife at the tip of Kaoru's neck as he stuck his head out to the side.

'Now's my chance!' Batman thought as he threw the Batarang and jumped off the building and flew down to them.

"I'm the one with the power here Iwai! You can't do-" He stopped when something whirled past him. He didn't get a good look at it so he was about to continue talking. However, the Batarang then curved in the air and came back like a boomerang, hitting the back of Masa's head, causing him to let go of Kaoru.

He looked up just in time to have a flying kick hit him in the face that sent him flying back. Batman then landed on the ground, his wings folding back into his suit as he turned to look at the reunited father and son.

"Are you both alright?" He asked. Once the two of them were in each other's arms, they turned and looked in shock to see the identity of their Savior.

"B-B-B-Batman?!" Kaoru stuttered in disbelief while Iwai was also shocked at the Dark Knight coming to their rescue.

Meanwhile, Masa was starting to come to, and he saw the identity of the one who just sent him flying. "Batman!" He growled as he picked up his knife. "You're dead you bat freak!" He shouted as he charged the masked vigilante.

He swung his knife as the Dark Knight effortlessly dodged his first two attacks. On the third swing, Batman caught his knife hand and struck him in the face with his free hand. He then twisted the arm holding the knife causing Masa to let go of it as he fell to his knees.

"If you go after this family again," Batman warned as he whispered in Masa's ear, causing him to shiver. "I'll be sure to break every bone in your body!" He then brought his right knee up to Masa's face and knocked him out.

He then brought a hand to his ears. "Send an anonymous tip to the police about an attemptive murder in Seaside Park."

"Already en route. You should get out of there." Bruce's voice came from the other end.

"Will do. And thanks." He then closed down the comm and turned to the father and son. "The police are on their way. You should make yourself scarce." He then turned and began to walk away before he stopped and turned to Iwai.

"I told you, you could be better." His words shocked Iwai as Batman pulled out a grapple gun and fired it in the air. Without another word spoken, he ascended into the sky, leaving the father and son duo in silent awe.

Iwai was the first out of his stupor as he then placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Let's go home, Kaoru." He said with a smile, which Kaoru returned.

"Yeah. Sure thing dad." He said as they turned to walk away. But Iwai caught something in the corner of his eyes. Bending down, he picked up the object. It was a Batarang, different from the ones he saw in his day, but a Batarang nonetheless.

He then looked at the unconscious Masa and began thinking. How did Batman know they were here? He could just say it was a flyby, but he doubted he was that lucky. The only one who knew where they were was–

His eyes then widened in realization. "No slagging way!"

A few days later, Ren got a text from Iwai, saying to come to Untouchable, that he needed to give something back to Ren. Ren was for sure after the act he put up, Iwai wouldn't want anything to do with him. But curiosity got the best of him, so he went to visit the shop when school let out. Plus he wasn't sure what it was he must've left behind at Untouchable, hopefully not any of his school work.

As he opened the door, he saw Iwai was slouching at his desk, reading another gun magazine, much like how he was when Ren first saw him. He turned his gaze towards Ren.

An awkward silence soon enveloped them, well awkward for Ren anyway.

"I got your text. What is it you want to give back to me?" Ren asked, awkward. Iwai smirked as he put his feet off the counter and stood up.

"Let me just grab it." He said with a chuckle which made Ren slightly nervous he was gonna kill him. Iwai then reached into his jacket and pulled out an object.

"Think fast!" He shouted as he turned and threw the Batarang he picked up the other day at Ren. Ren's body acted before his brain could think and effortlessly caught the Batarang in his hand, like how one trained to use them would.

Iwai then smirked. "I knew it." Ren's eyes then widened as he realized what was happening. He was about to deny whatever Iwai was thinking, but the former enforcer held up his hand to silence him. "No need to waste your breath trying to hide it kid. There's no way a normal kid would ever be able to catch something like that without enough heads up."

Ren then sighed. He was right. It would be a waste of time to try and deny it. So he then asked, "How did you find out?"

Iwai then crossed his arms as he leaned back on the counter. "I knew you were hiding something the moment you stepped into my store. What with those fake glasses you're wearing." He pointed to the pair of spectacles Ren was currently wearing. "Over time, hearing about your parents and your vendetta against Shido, I figured you must've been maybe a member of another gang sent to spy on a former Yakuza. But as I got to know you, I figured you were too soft for that kind of life. But not soft enough to be completely normal as it turns out. And then you asked me about Batman, and what you said at Seaside Park only increased my suspicion. As I thought about it more, it made sense. Those deals I told you about, I found it slightly suspicious that a few days after I told you about them, I heard they were stopped by Batman. I thought maybe you posted it on that Bat-site thing I see Kaoru looking at. But I never found any post about those deals. And Tsuda suddenly being sent to jail after he threatens us, beaten and bruised all over, that fits Batman's MO. But even with all that, it was still a hunch. You catching that toy like it was nothing was the last piece of evidence I needed." Iwai then smirked teasingly. "You really need to work on your wimpy act kid, or else pretty soon, everyone will find out."

Ren sighed as he looked back at the Batarang, then noticed something was taped to it. He pulled it off and saw that it was a flash drive. "What's this?" He asked.

"That's a full manifest of all the Yakuza's drug and weapon shipments that have been planned for the next year." Iwai revealed. "I highlighted the ones that might have something to do with Shido in red. Finding out the rest took me a couple of days, which was why it took me so long to get it to you."

Ren was shocked. "I-I don't know what to say. Why?" He asked. He figured that by doing this Iwai was fully turning his back on the clan.

Iwai turned to see a picture of him and Kaoru sitting on his desk. "I want to help make this city a safe place for Kaoru. And if it means turning my back on the clan to make sure more guns and drugs don't get on the street, then I'll do it in a heartbeat." He then turned back to Ren and had a smirk on his face. "Besides, Kaoru's a big fan of yours. So if I help you out, he could totally brag that his dad helped Batman."

Ren laughed slightly as he looked back at the drive. "Thanks Iwai. I really appreciate it." He told the man honestly.

"Ah, don't mention it. I'll also do my best to let you know of any more shadier stuff happening in this city. For a price anyway, gotta keep my business afloat somehow." He then extended his hand toward Ren. "Do we have a deal?"

Ren smirked as he clasped Iwai's hand with his own. "It's a deal!"

A/N: And we're done! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, mainly because out of all the confidants, I felt that Iwai had the most relation to Batman, so it was fun to do my own take on the confidant. And I hope you all enjoyed it too.

It's shorter than my last couple of chapters, but that may be the case with most of my confident focused chapters. Cause I only want to focus on bits where I can include Batman well into the story. Just assume that the content I don't include happens like it normally does in the Persona 5 game.

And now we're gonna get into the next arc of my story, which will introduce a new Knight and a new villain. Here's the preview.

The Next Target:

As the Gotham Knights work to dismantle a recent string of drug smuggling, they learn that the drugs are a possible connection to a famous artist. In order to get close to the man, the Knights try to befriend his passionate, and eccentric, apprentice.