บท 3375: Chapter 2515: Cape Battle (34)
The vines set Batman down on the ground, holding his cape with one hand. Poison Ivy jumped down from the rooftop and stood in front of Batman, straightening her clothes, hand on her hip. "Why are you wearing this old outfit again? Where's your armor?"
"I'm not the Batman of this cosmos," Batman denied, adding, "The Batman of your universe isn't dead; he just needs time to recover. I need to check inside the hospital."
"No, you better not go in there," Poison Ivy warned. "There's something very dangerous inside. I barely managed to lure those crazy plants here. If you get caught up in there, don't blame me for not warning you."
"Something dangerous? What is it?" Batman frowned slightly.
"A whirlpool," Poison Ivy glanced back at the hospital building with a shiver and continued, "In fact, I don't know what it really is. The rooms and corridors of this hospital form a huge whirlpool that can draw everything around it in. Once you enter, there's no way out."
Remembering his previous escapades within the snail shell and those bizarrely shaped street lamps, Batman asked, "Is the whirlpool some kind of special symbol?"
"I don't understand all that supernatural stuff," Poison Ivy shook her head and said, "But I know it's a very eye-catching pattern. I can hardly take my eyes off them once I see them. Maybe that's what makes it special."
"Of course, it is special," Batman didn't disagree, recalling the whirlpool-patterned curtains he had seen while climbing onto a balcony. They were indeed attention-grabbing; one's gaze would unconsciously drift upwards, and staring at them for too long might cause a bit of distraction.
Those eyes… Batman thought of the eyes he had seen in the fog before and surmised that if one stayed in one place for too long, more of those eyes would appear, and they were very likely to attack them. Was the illusion he just experienced an attack by those eyes?
The attack didn't seem very forceful, Batman considered. It only dragged him into an illusion, causing him to fall from the building, but it also provided him with some information.
Batman speculated that the town he saw in the illusion might be the origin of the whirlpool, and the spiraling black smoke in the sky might also be the starting point of the whirlpool.
Ending his reflection, Batman looked at Poison Ivy and said, "It looks like you've run into some trouble."
"You can't hide anything from me," Poison Ivy shrugged, admitting, "I've been violently attacked by plants contaminated by some force. Luckily, I found this place and dealt with them temporarily, but…"
Poison Ivy turned to glance at the lawn. Batman followed her gaze and saw the grass on the lawn eerily and uniformly turn towards them, making the whole scene appear strange and terrifying.
Together, they walked to the back of the hospital. Batman planned to take Arkham Batman to the transfer portal. Originally, it was because Arkham Batman had previously set up protective measures near the portal; he was familiar with the place and could help handle unexpected situations.
But if he could get Poison Ivy's help now, the two of them could proceed. After all, Batman believed the transfer portal was too mysterious, and he wasn't certain of victory on his own.
When the transfer portal came up in the conversation, Poison Ivy had plenty to say. She described how she activated the portal, then started to complain, "If it hadn't been for you and your apprentice... What I mean is, the Batman of this universe and that damned Spider-Man, why would I resort to such measures? Now look, I've lost my nerve toxin and am being chased by a bunch of crazy plants. Don't think he can avoid compensation by playing dead."
"We'll talk about compensation later," Batman consoled her, actually not minding offering Poison Ivy some amends. After all, the nerve toxin used by Spider-Man was real, and since Arkham Batman was responsible for bringing Spider-Man to this universe, it would be normal for Arkham Batman to pay some money.
"You said that after the source of the Dark Power exploded, it became a transfer portal. This means the other side planned carefully and was prepared."
"Isn't that the truth?" Poison Ivy tapped her cheek with her finger and pondered. "I have to admit, that little bastard King Robin got one over on me. If he falls into my hands..."
As Poison Ivy's voice grew colder, Batman thought about another matter. According to Arkham Batman, King Robin was lured there by him, and King Robin's goal should have only been him.
Given King Robin's strength, opening a transfer portal wouldn't be hard for him, so why did he choose to open it this way? Just to draw Poison Ivy into the game?
But what would be the benefit for him? Leaving aside whether Poison Ivy would have helped Batman without a bunch of crazy plants chasing her, your target is Bruce Wayne, who's becoming president, so why didn't you open the portal in Washington instead of insisting on Gotham?
Batman felt there were many suspicious points in this matter, and the only explanation he could come up with was that King Robin might not be the mastermind behind the combination of the Joker and Batman.
King Robin acted somewhat accordingly, so initially, Batman included him in the list of suspects, even considering him the prime suspect because he was a Batman who laughed maniacally.
However, judging by his current actions, Batman thought he lacked the wits to plot this interlocking conspiracy, and he didn't fully understand his own process of getting here and what he was doing. This meant he was just a tool as well, and the true mastermind was someone else.
Understanding this, Batman realized the transfer portal was probably not as simple as it seemed. After some contemplation, he deduced it must be another trap laid by the mastermind. He had to go and see what was going on.
"I know what you want to do, and that jerk owes me one too," Poison Ivy clenched her teeth, hatred and madness brimming in her eyes. "I will catch him and turn him into fertilizer for my plants."
In the Bell Tower's rest area, Spider-Man propped his chin on the base of his palm, his spider eyes opening and closing, then closing and opening again. After a while, he adjusted his posture in the chair, stretched out his arms with a big yawn, and let out a long sigh.
Others come to Gotham to either fight villains or go on adventures with the Batman Family. And me? My first job here is to look after a big invalid.
While it's called looking after, there isn't actually much to care for. The Arkham Knight is sleeping all the time, sometimes slightly waking, but without any action. Spider-Man would give him some water during these moments, but it's not really necessary since he's on an IV drip and isn't short on fluids.
Spider-Man is still in school, an age when sleep is needed. He's been sitting around here half the day and is already extremely tired. Barbara keeps typing on the computer next to him, and the persistent tapping of the keyboard is even more hypnotic.
It wasn't long before Spider-Man's multiple eyes completely closed. When he opened them next, he found himself lying in the bathtub.
"Peter... Peter! Why have you taken such a long bath again? Stop playing with the toys in the tub and come out to eat!"
Aunt May's voice came from outside the door, and Spider-Man felt bewildered. He looked down and saw the floating rubber duck in his bathtub.
Was he dreaming, or was his trip to Gotham the dream? Spider-Man wasn't entirely sure.
Logically, Spider-Man was inclined to believe the latter. He's just a normal student and just a normal Spider-Man; how could he possibly have such an incredible adventure? If it was all a dream, that would make sense.
Spider-Man sighed, rubbed his wet hair, and slowly sank down into the bathtub, blowing a few bubbles with his mouth.
Regardless, it was a bit disappointing, but what could he do about it? Better to think about how to deal with the bigger kids at school tomorrow.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated Spider-Man became. His Aunt May would never understand that he liked to linger in the bathroom because watching the little ducks float back and forth was one of his rare moments of relaxation.
During these times, he could empty his mind, not thinking about life's trivial matters. It could be considered his happiest times since entering high school.
As usual while taking a bath, Spider-Man played with the little duck, his mind wandering aimlessly. Suddenly, he remembered an advertisement he saw on the streets a few days ago — the company that made these rubber ducks had released a new version.
Thinking of this, Spider-Man's gaze landed on the bathtub's rubber duck. Just then, he noticed the rubber duck in the bathtub beginning to blink red with its eyes, emitting a beeping sound.
His spider-sense tingled. Spider-Man suddenly leaped out of the bathtub, his back just touching the door when, with a loud bang, the rubber duck exploded.
The water from the bathtub sprayed everywhere, and Spider-Man was drenched. Hearing the commotion, Aunt May opened the door, and both were stunned.
The result, of course, was that Spider-Man got scolded. He now had to return to his room to reflect, and Aunt May would bring his dinner there.
Dejected, Spider-Man went back to his room. He couldn't understand why his bathtub duck exploded, but as soon as his behind touched the mattress, he felt hungry. The scent of dinner wafted from outside his room.
Luckily, Aunt May quickly brought the food. Spider-Man placed his meal on the table and was about to start eating, but after some thought, he decided to change clothes first. He could eat and then go out immediately to buy a new bathtub duck, perhaps a Christmas version this time.
Spider-Man walked to the wardrobe. When he opened it, two pairs of startled eyes met. He and the Arkham Knight froze.
It wasn't quite accurate to call him the Arkham Knight since he wasn't wearing his armor, which made him Jason Todd. The only distinction from any other Jason was the "J" scar on his face.
"Why are you here?!!" Both exclaimed in unison.
"I was about to ask you that!!" Again, in unison.
Spider-Man quickly stepped back to let Jason out. After Jason stepped out, he looked around, confused, then he and Spider-Man locked eyes.
"This is my house," Spider-Man emphasized, pointing back to his bed, "That's my bed, that's my dinner, these are my pajamas, so why are you in my wardrobe?!"
"I..." Jason furrowed his brows deeply and said, "I remember being chased by something, I was running, pushed open a door, and then... and then I ended up in your house???"
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