"Your dad is Drake..." Batman's deep voice echoed in the dark alley.
He recalled that Drake was a well-known businessman in Gotham, and the Drake family was also a renowned family of businessmen. They originally came from England and were now in the car import business.
Because he always complained about the difficulties of driving left-hand-drive cars, he was given the nickname, "Rudder Drake". He was an honest man, generous and helpful. Of course, having good relationships with the bosses of the mobs in Gotham City, he often sourced exotic cars for them.
Drake had protected his family well. As a result, the outside world knew little about his family situation. Had it not been for Tim bringing it up, even Bruce would not have known that the Drake family had only one child.
This was rare among Gotham's rich. In a city with such a security situation, having only one child could lead to the end of the line, but soon Batman discovered that old Drake's son was no ordinary boy.
Tim first rattled off an introduction of himself at lightning speed, then popped his head out from Batman's side and shouted down the alleyway, "Oh my God! Is that you, Dick? Dick Grayson? Aren't you the ballet boy from Palm Tree Middle School? Did you also get attacked?!"
Tim dashed off towards Dick so fast, even Batman could not catch him. After reaching Dick, he helped him up. Dick was still somewhat dazed. He looked at Tim's face and attempted to recall. "I remember now... You're little Drake from the elementary school. On the third day of school, you arrived in a luxury car."
"That's right, that was me! But it wasn't my idea. My dad wanted to make a good impression." Tim admitted with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
Dick felt even more embarrassed. He hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance here. Had Tim seen his embarrassing situation just now?
Tim helped Dick walk back to Batman's side and, in his rapid-fire speech, told Batman, "Dick and I were classmates for a while. However, he soon transferred. From what I can recall, he was a good student, he could dance and sing. The teachers loved him."
Batman's eyebrows relaxed slightly upon hearing this, but quickly furrowed again at what Tim said next. Tim let go of Dick and shrugged, "But as you know, in middle school, kids like him aren't popular. My friends in higher grades gave him the nickname 'Ballet Boy', saying he's a sissy. But I didn't agree. When I was young, I was sent to dance classes too. You need a lot of strength to dance ballet well."
Batman turned his gaze towards Dick, but Dick turned his head away to avoid his gaze. Noticing the awkward atmosphere between them, a surprised Tim asked, "Oh, you two know each other? I thought Batman just happened to rescue you too."
Only then did Dick remember that he could not let Tim discover that he was actually Batman's adopted son. Otherwise, it would expose the fact that Batman was Bruce Wayne. So, he turned his head and coughed a few times, pretending not to care as he glanced at the limp puppet on the ground and asked, "What on earth is going on? What is that monster?"
Batman turned to Tim. Tim scratched his head and said, "I have no idea. Tomorrow, I have a banquet to attend, so my dad was picking me up tonight. We were not far from Palm Tree Elementary School when our car got a flat tire."
"My dad's driver, Uncle Willard, got out of the car to check what had happened. It seemed like someone had spread nails on the road. We managed to change the tire, but to avoid blocking the main road, we drove into this alley. But then, this monster suddenly fell from the sky and attacked Uncle Willard."
From his appearance, Tim looked like a third or fourth-grader. He was always talking very fast, but every word was clear and his expression logical—unusual for a child of his age.
Just then, Willard, who was limping, walked over. His expression still reflected a bit of fear. On his way to Tim, he deliberately avoided the monster, but once he reached Tim, he deliberately placed his chubby body between Tim and Batman.
"Sir, thank you so much for saving me and little Tim. I will definitely tell Mr. Drake as soon as I get home so that he can thank you properly!"
"But it's getting late now, and I must rush Tim back to Drake Manor immediately, otherwise, his parents will worry."
Flash a conciliatory smile that was somewhat servile, Willard clearly wanted to leave, but Batman was not ready to let him go. He looked into Willard's eyes and asked, "Where did the monster fall from when you got out of the car to check the flat tire?"
"I...I don't know," replied Willard, shaking his head in apparent discomfort. "At that time, I was about to open the trunk to get the spare tire when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw this terrifying monster."
"I screamed and tried to run, but I tripped and fell. And then, you all showed up."