After leaving Ivy's little hideaway, Batman contacted Oracle while Ben and Penny scouted ahead.

"Oracle, I need to find a way into Killer Croc's lair. It's somewhere below Arkham Island."

"There's nothing on the system about where he's kept."

"I found a door near the Batcave but it's shut tight. There's got to be another way in." Batman replied. "I left Guard Cash in the Mansion. Ben, Penny, and I will see if he can shed some light on where Croc's kept."

After ending the call, Batman walks over to see a chasm that Ben and Penny have crossed. On the other side, the two had already beaten up a horde of thugs. Batman shook his head and couldn't resist a chuckle as he used his Line Launcher to get across and join them.

"I see you've been having fun without me."

Penny giggled. "Well, we needed some action ourselves."

Afterward, they quickly retraced their steps through the sewer system and re-emerged in the room where Joker had attempted to kill the guard, the water once again electrified thanks to a couple of cocky thugs.

"Let me take them," Batman told the two youngsters as he zipped across with his Line Launcher and beat the crap out of the two punks.

Ben and Penny quickly flew across the electrified water and rejoined Batman before following him through the doors. Five thugs were patrolling the area, causing the trio to split up. Batman took down the first thug silently while Penny flew down and pulverized three more of the thugs. Ben then came to the last one and snapped his fingers as wooden tentacles wrapped around him and left him wriggling helplessly on the ground.

As they left the room, they suddenly heard Ivy crying out from the intercom.

"I want him dead! I won't let him hurt my precious babies again!"

Joker then spoke up next. "I can't believe you left poor little Ivy crying in the garden. She looked so sad."

As the trio reached the main entrance, the building began to shake and massive roots and vines began sprouting from the ground and even going through walls, blocking their path to the door.

"Oh nutcakes..." Ben cursed silently in realization.

"I gave her a little Titan. Gotta say, the results are a little different. Shall I give her another? I think she wants it."

"This is different than the other Titan monsters..." Penny noted as giant plants began emerging from everywhere.

Joker cackled. "They don't call you Ivy for nothing, do they? I was hoping for a 40-foot killer plant, but you don't always get what you want, do you?"

"We have to get outside and assess the damage. But we'll have to take an alternate route." Batman said, leading Penny and Ben down and around a different path through the vents, but soon the trio reached the door and went outside, observing the chaos.

"Wow, Little Shop of Horrors was preparing me for this..." Ben muttered as he looked around.

Ivy's plants and vines were shooting up everywhere, wrapping themselves around and through even the tallest buildings.

"Titan must be having a different effect on Ivy. Her plants are growing; they'll soon be out of control." Batman said, observing the destruction the massive plants were causing. He then noticed one of the crazies inspecting a massive bud with razor-sharp teeth, that soon spat out a large, glowing spore, which slammed into and killed the crazy.

"Oh my!" Penny gasped.

"Looks like her plants are mutating further. Those pods look similar to the ones Ivy used to attack Gotham last year. Those spores are deadly!" Batman explained.

"Right, don't get hit by poisonous spore energy balls!" Ben noted.

The trio maneuvered around the Ivy Pods, destroying them along the way before reaching the Mansion and making their way to the upper level, going in the same way they did the first time. On the bottom floor, a poisonous pink mist covered everything and large vines were protruding from every area.

"She has terrible taste in decoration." Penny said.

The trio made their way through the next set of vents into the next room and eventually managed to find Cash, who was holed up with the other guards and doctors who had survived.

"I figured you'd be here about now. What's the deal with the plants?"

"It's complicated," Batman answered, but Cash was savvy.

"Lemme guess; Poison Ivy. She's teamed up with Joker."

"That about sums it up, Mr. Cash." Penny nodded.

"All that matters is that we can stop the plants taking over the island, but..." Batman started.

"There's always a 'but', isn't there?" Cash added, making Ben snort.

"Sorry, it just sounded so funny..."

"Where do you keep Killer Croc? I found a door in the sewers, but it's sealed shut." Batman asked.

Cash scowled. "That monster's got his own special cell. It's right below the transfer room back in Intensive Treatment. Elevator goes right down to an old sewer. We just drop meat down there every day or so and try to forget about him. It's locked off. More security than the Joker. You won't get in without the Warden's permission. He has the codes."

"Don't worry, we got the codes covered." Ben said with a thumbs-up.

"Stay here and keep everyone here safe. And don't go near the plants, they're very dangerous." Penny added.

The trio quickly retraced their steps out of the mansion and quickly headed to Intensive Treatment once again. However once they entered the same area of Arkham Island as their target location, they got a call from Oracle.

"Guys, every route into Intensive Treatment is locked and there's nothing I can do to bypass the security."

"I can detect a sniper on the roof of that building." Penny said, scanning the area.

"He got there somehow. I'll find a way." Batman said.

Penny nodded and used her jet boots to shoot into the sky, drawing the sniper's fire as Ben scaled up to the rooftop with platforms of solidified air before getting behind him and strangling him into unconsciousness. Batman scaled a nearby guard tower and used his Line Launcher to get across as Penny landed beside Ben.

"That's the power of teamwork!"

They made their way in and maneuvered through the ruined building when Oracle decided to update them on the news.

"I'm seeing seismic activity all over Arkham Island. You all okay?"

"Ivy's plants are taking hold. We've got to stop them before the entire island is under her control!" Batman said.

"Can't you try controlling the plants with your powers, Ben?" Penny asked.

Ben bit his lip. "I don't know if I have the mental fortitude to overpower Ivy's own hold with Titan boosting her."

The trio continued their progress through the building going through more and more vents until they reached the room they'd been through twice before now, but stopped to observe some strange activity through the vent. They watched as Joker's thugs messed around with the gargoyles, Joker impatiently waiting for them to finish over the PA.

"Are they ready? Have you planted the explosives yet?"

"Done!" One thug answered.

"Razor's just finishing his off now." Another confirmed.

"Good! Let's test 'em out!"

"No! No, I'm still up here!" Razor pleaded before the gargoyle exploded, blasting him off his perch and leaving him to fall to his death on the ground below.

"Oops." Joker said almost innocently, before laughing cruelly.

"That's awful..." Penny frowned.

"Looks like we'll have to play this smart," Ben said.

Ben was then surrounded by a crimson mist that made him appear invisible as he jumped down and electrocuted the thug below them into unconsciousness. Penny then took flight and flew into the center of the room to slam the thug positioned there into the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" One of the thugs asked only for Batman to glide over and kick him down, getting on top of him to punch him out cold.

A small group of 4 came out of the room in the center only for Ben to teleport rapidly around them and shoot them with bullets of solid light that left them sprawling on the ground. The last thug panicked and tried to make a break for it, only for Batman to catch him with an Inverted Takedown with the one gargoyle that hadn't been rigged with explosives.

"You two make a good team."

Ben and Penny smiled at each other before suddenly blushing and looking away shyly. Batman resisted the urge to smirk, this was just like with Tim and Barbara when they first were out in the field together as Robin and Batgirl.

The trio began to proceed through the next area, but something was wrong. They felt dizzy and staggered about, desperately fighting off their exhaustion and double vision. Penny began glitching out, her eyes turning from green to dark yellow as a strange announcement jingled on the PA.

"Did anyone catch the game last night?"


Penny slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself back in Remnant. She looked around and gasped, seeing Atlas and Mantle destroyed, having apparently crashed into each other and leaving devastation remaining.

"No..."

Walking through the ruins, dead bodies were strewn everywhere, some of them barely recognizable as the debris had pulverized them. She then saw one body in particular that was all too familiar to her.

"Ruby!"

She ran over, only to see Ruby was alive, sitting on her knees and staring ahead, her pupils dilated in horror and despair.

"We tried to get everyone to safety...but Cinder was waiting for us...Atlas fell...everyone..."

Suddenly Ruby screamed as her skin turned chalk white, black veins appearing as her eyes turned black with red pupils. Her teeth sharpened, her clothes became eldritch in nature, and bone-like armor formed around parts of her body as she rose up and turned to Penny.

"I'm a failure...I'm a MONSTER...I'm...THE VILLAIN."

"Yes, you are..."

Penny gasped as a giant shadow loomed overhead, recognizing it as the shape of Salem, the Queen of the Grimm and the enemy of Remnant. The witch then raised a clawed hand and swung it down on Penny, who was frozen in fear as she tried to shield herself from the incoming giant palm...


Ben was walking through Gotham City...which looked like it was razed to the ground as he silently looked around, seeing nobody around. It was as if all life had been snuffed out in whatever disaster had occurred.

"This again..."

It was a nightmare he remembered having all too well besides the one of him remembering how he accidentally caused his family's death. He found himself responsible for the destruction of the world, his powers too great for him to control.

"Hehehehehehe..."

Hearing demented giggling, Ben then saw what looked like himself...only his skin was chalk white, a bloody smile was painted over his lips, his hair was neon green and his eyes were wide, unblinking, and bloodshot as he clutched his head and laughed to himself.

"All it takes...is ONE BAD DAY..."

He could hear Joker's voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere. Suddenly, the Joker-ized reflection rose up and then punched the ground like a wild animal, causing a giant grinning dragon made of magma and metal to burst out of the ground and fly at the real Ben, who braced himself for impact...


Black... All Penny could see was black as she felt herself falling without end. Suddenly, the darkness above her crumbled slightly and a ray of light shot through, along with an arm. Instinctively, she shot out her own arm and grabbed it, allowing herself to be pulled into the light. She then burst from the ground, pulling herself up out of a grave marked after her.

"Batman...!" She gasped as she looked at the Caped Crusader, who looked like he had just gotten through a bad nightmare himself.

"Ben..."

Realizing what he meant, Penny saw a grave with Ben's name marked on it and quickly tore through it, reaching inside and pulling Ben free as he coughed, shaking his head in shock as he regained his bearings.

"Was I dead...dear god, that was horrible..."

"Fear is what Scarecrow wants. You have to be brave and conquer those fears." Batman said.

Penny helped Ben to his feet as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He then wrapped his arms tightly around Penny, making her blush before gently hugging back, helping him get over the last of the fear he felt before he calmed down.

"Alright, what hellhole did Scarecrow's Nightmare Death Gas send us this time?"

"We'll just have to find out," Batman said as the trio continued down the only path they had. Batman used his Line Launcher to clear the gap as Penny and Ben simply flew across.

"What was that?!" Scarecrow demanded, looking around for the source of the noise, but was unable to find it. They began to make their way through the maze of a realm they found themselves in while trying to avoid Scarecrow's gaze.

"What are you trying to do?!" The villainous former doctor demanded, stabbing the ground and creating a small army of skeletons that came at the three vigilantes, but they easily dispatched the walking piles of bones.

"Wow, is this the best you got, Scarecrow?!" Ben taunted. "I'm not so scared anymore!"

Eventually, the three carefully navigated Scarecrow's twisted world and reached the floodlight, pointing it at the massive illusion and breaking it. Scarecrow was shocked at this as the trio of heroes began to break free from the torment of his Fear Gas, but wasn't completely devastated.

"I think you need a little more!" He snarled, preparing to stab the arm Batman held his throat by.

"I don't think so!" Penny shouted as green flames emitted from her eyes. Scarecrow looked in shock to see his syringe claws freezing over before shattering like glass.

"Impossible! All of you broke free?!" He gasped as he saw Penny and Ben glaring while Batman pushed him back. "You've all ingested enough toxins to drive ten men insane! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"Because I am vengeance, I am the night...I AM BATMAN!" Batman declared.

"Oh damn, he said the thing..." Ben whispered in admiration.

Seeing he was outgunned and defenseless, Scarecrow made a break for it as the trio gave chase.

"Why fight it? You're as crazy as the rest of us! You need us as much as we need you. And to prove it, I'll flood the catacombs with enough fear gas to break the minds of Gotham for a hundred years."

"We can't let him do that!" Penny said, hurrying her pace. "We have to hurry!"

The trio hurried through the next room, watching the elevator Scarecrow was in descend down into the lower area of the asylum. They quickly dropped down after it, but a blast door soon covered the elevator before they landed on it.

"The controls must be in that room up there!" Batman said, pointing to it.

"Then let's make haste!" Ben said.

The three hurried up the stair, Ben blasting the 3 thugs with smoke bullets as Batman went to work disabling the door. It worked and the door soon opened, allowing them to drop down onto the elevator on the bottom level. They dealt with a group of thugs in the way and quickly chased after Scarecrow, making their way into the catacombs.

"He couldn't have gotten far." Penny noted as she scanned the area.

Batman then noticed a strange plant that looked like one of Ivy's spore pods and inspected it before Scarecrow's voice alerted him and his two wards.

"Too late, Batman! One step closer...and this goes in the water!" The villain warned, showing a pouch filled with his Fear Gas. "The cave will fill with your deepest, darkest nightmares and you will never reach your precious Venom roots!"

"Don't do it, Crane!" Batman warned.

"This won't end the way you think!" Penny added.

However, Scarecrow continued cackling like a madman, not noticing a shape rising from the waters behind him until it was too late.

"LOOK OUT!" Ben shouted.

It was too late, Killer Croc burst out of the water and grabbed Scarecrow, whose laughter died out and gave way to terrified screaming as he dropped his pouch, which landed harmlessly on the ground and deflated.

Despite the evils Scarecrow had committed, Batman knew he couldn't let him die and threw a batarang at Croc's shock collar, stunning him as he reeled and growled in anger before diving into the water, taking Scarecrow with him.

"He was horrible... But not even he deserved to die like that..." Penny said.

"I'm sure Croc will let him go. Did you see how skinny he was? He wouldn't be a filling meal." Ben said, trying to add some levity only for Batman to shake his head, making the younger man slump in defeat.


Scarecrow has been vanquished and now it's time to deal with Killer Croc! Will our heroes survive or will they be Croc's next meal?