Spider-Man's words stirred up many unpleasant memories for Jason, like that night when Spider-Man almost destroyed Gotham twice and even came up to him to provoke, then left unscathed and talked nonsense in front of Batman.
Spider-Man even claimed he was bullied at school. Please, who was bullying whom? I had a grudge against Batman, so I returned as Arkham Knight seeking revenge, and you jumped out asking, "Who is now Batman's favorite Robin?"
You say you're not good with words, but who was it that went on and on in front of Batman, pinning all the blame on him?
Of course, Jason could tell that this Little Spider in front of him wasn't the same Spider-Man from back then, but at least in terms of strength, how could Spider-Man possibly be weak?
Spider-Man seemed to not know how to explain either. He could only sigh and say, "Well, you people will never understand. It's no use staying here; I think we can go for a walk on the street."
"To do what?" asked Jason.
"First, my rubber duck exploded in the bath, and I need to buy a new one. I can't do without a little duck when bathing. Secondly, you mentioned that the person chasing you hasn't given up, so let's try to lure him out."
Jason also felt puzzled as he looked around the bedroom and said, "Strange, how come he didn't follow us here?"
"Please, as if he could come here." Spider-Man said with self-mockery. "It's not just a whole hand with Daggers that can't get in here, now he can't even stick a fingertip through."
Jason had no comeback, as the bedroom had indeed become a bit too full. It was like trying to force an eagle into a sparrow's nest, and his neck was sore from staying there.
With no other choice, Jason climbed out the window and waited on the balcony. Spider-Man didn't change into his costume but just wore a jacket as they both slipped away from the balcony.
As they walked on the street, they found it to be so realistically unlike a dream. All the streets and the goods displayed in the shop windows were appropriate, and the lawns, bushes, and trees seemed very normal and not as if monsters would pop out at any moment.
"What were you talking about just now?" Jason asked Spider-Man.
"About what?"
"About that thing you said I wouldn't understand."
"Oh, that." Spider-Man sighed and said, "I mean, I've always been a little poor guy, a nerd and a pushover in the eyes of my classmates. I've lived like that for over a decade, from elementary to high school."
"Yeah, so what? Didn't you get really powerful Spider powers?"
"But I survived all those years without that kind of power. Do you expect me to become someone like Thompson the moment I gained my powers? How could that be possible?"
Jason seemed to understand a bit and said, "So you're still used to living like you did before."
"Not used to it, I can only live that way," Spider-Man said, spreading his hands. "Otherwise, what? Use my newfound powers to beat up Thompson?"
"Why not?"
"Of course not," Spider-Man raised his voice. "Apart from the fact that hitting people is wrong, even if I beat him up, what then?"
"Then you'll feel relieved?"
"But then I would be called in by my parents and might get expelled. Even if I became popular, wouldn't that make me the second Thompson? Nothing but a show-off, threatening others with violence. That's just too obnoxious, and I don't want to become that."
Jason opened his mouth but couldn't reply. Logically, it made sense. As a victim, Peter should know best how annoying people like Thompson were. So if he beat up Thompson right after getting his powers, he'd become just like him.
"So you plan on continuing this way? Keep being a pushover and a little poor guy?"
"Of course not," Spider-Man said. "If he wants to keep bullying me, I'll run. I didn't run before because I couldn't, but now I can leave him far behind, even if his nickname is 'Lightning'."
"Don't you plan on doing something to teach him a lesson?"
"He'll learn his lesson sooner or later," Spider-Man said. "You don't think he can go through life just by throwing punches, do you? This society doesn't work that way. Maybe it works for a while in school, but someone will eventually show him what's what, and by then, getting beaten up won't solve anything."
Jason felt that Spider-Man was making a lot of sense, but sometimes he envisioned himself in between the words.
He too was once a pushover, not becoming Batman's number two with all the strength and smarts just because Batman picked him up. In fact, compared to the criminals he dealt with, he was genuinely weak.
And his situation was much worse than Spider-Man's. Thompson might be arrogant but wouldn't dare kill Peter. But the criminals Jason faced wanted to do more than just kill him; didn't the Joker kidnap and torment him?
So, he wanted revenge, which was only natural and perfectly justified. He wasn't a saint—why shouldn't he take extreme measures for revenge?
If Spider Man's theory were to be applied, then taking revenge using a criminal's methods meant becoming the very person he despised initially. So what? The Jason of the past would certainly have thought so.
But later, yes, later when Jason met Shiller, he realized that criminals also had their hierarchies.
In that cramped room, under the dim lights, Shiller pointed at the Joker lying unconscious on the operating table and, when he instructed Jason to cut him open, Jason deeply realized that he wasn't as extreme as he had imagined, and this method of revenge was too avant-garde even for the Arkham Knight.
So this made Jason start to think from another's perspective; he didn't care about becoming the person he despised most, but what about Batman?
Batman, of course, despised criminals. If he became a criminal, would Batman despise him too? That was obvious, Jason felt that Batman did not like him much either, so a little more hatred didn't matter.
But Jason often recalled Batman's past, how a brutal criminal killed his parents, and ever since, that criminal became the epitome of criminals in Batman's eyes. Did he want to become such a criminal?
Just thinking about being categorized with the criminal who killed Batman's parents made Jason feel sick to his stomach.
He, of course, had his justifiable reasons, but what if that criminal had them too?
Jason didn't dare to continue the thought; one step forward was like Shiller, one step back was like the murderer who killed Batman's parents. It seemed being a criminal was a dead end.
Spider Man's words made Jason remember how he used to live when he was not a criminal, just as Spider Man had lived before he gained his spider powers.
Jason posed this question, and Spider Man actually gave it some serious thought before answering, "Just muddle through. He can't kill me, so I dodge if I can. If I really can't dodge, I take a beating. Life has to go on."
"Haven't you ever thought about fighting back?"
"I fought back, but I was beaten." Spider Man sighed and said, "I didn't want to trouble my aunt and uncle, so I focused on studying hard, at least to be better than them in one aspect."
Jason felt that Spider Man and his younger self were very similar, both unfortunate enough to be born in this city, as kids they couldn't run away and could only roam the streets, diligently learning a useful skill, and in the end, wasn't he picked up by Batman anyway? Just like Spider Man finally gained his spider powers.
Jason was a bit curious about what had happened to that Spider Man, Thompson, he had encountered the other night, but he could guess that Thompson either matured or was ruined, someone like him was bound to learn his lesson.
So what happened to the Joker later on? Jason thought about it, and actually, for the Joker, being dissected on an operating table wasn't such a big problem.
The biggest issue now was someone breaking into this cosmos, claiming to have killed Batman, leaving Batman covered in wounds, while the Robins busied themselves with counterattacks.
Both sides were embroiled in a fierce fight. Though he couldn't join in due to his mental issues, the Joker didn't join in either!
He wasn't much for crowds, and lying in bed was quite nice, but the Joker was different. The mere claim that someone had killed Batman was no different from a slap in the Joker's face.
Where is the Joker? Where are you? You aren't in Gotham at all!
It was then Jason remembered that, in fact, his cosmos no longer had a Joker. Shiller used some technical means to extract the Joker virus from Henry's body. Although some virus remained in the blood, as long as the Arkham Batman didn't act as Batman, the virus wouldn't turn Henry into the Joker.
Meaning, the Joker was already dead.
How did the Joker die? Because of Shiller. But why did Shiller come? Because of that Peter. And why did Peter arrive? Because Batman was short-staffed. And why was Batman short-staffed? Because Jason became the Arkham Knight, hindering instead of helping. But how did Jason become the Arkham Knight? Because he was kidnapped by the Joker. Isn't that what the Joker deserved?
In a way, wasn't this like Thompson, who also faced consequences according to some natural social rules?
So, the idea of hoping for the perpetrator to learn a lesson wasn't entirely baseless... But what about Batman?
Jason had long known that being kidnapped by the Joker was nothing; what really bothered him was that Batman immediately found a new favorite after his disappearance. Why hadn't Batman learned his lesson?
Jason completely forgot that he initially cornered Batman in a hotel room, utterly shattering the patriarchal authority of Batman. He now pondered what lesson Batman had learned.
"Hey, we're here." Spider Man called to Jason, pointing at a shop window and said, "Look at that duckling, dressed up for Christmas. Pretty, isn't it?"
Both approached the window and stared at the rows upon rows of ducklings. Jason glanced dismissively at the Christmas-dressed rubber duck, instead pointing to the side and saying, "I think that one is better."
"You serious? Halloween passed ages ago. Oh, I get it, you like that bat, don't you? But I can afford only one, and I think this one is better."
Chatting, they walked into the store, and the moment they stepped in, they both paused in unison.
"Batman?"
Jason and Spider Man exclaimed in chorus.