In the elegant British-style study room, the soft morning light seeped in through the deep red curtains. The polished wood floors, well-maintained, had each and every grain clearly visible.
From the cracks of rows of wooden bookshelves and display cases, specks of light slipped out. When they landed on the figure sitting in front of the desk, they illuminated the patterns on his pajamas and the black cat he was holding.
Without the preceding story, this scene could effortlessly be mistaken for a shot from "The Godfather." But the truth is, one man and one cat had been wrestling all night, neither having had a good night's sleep.
Eventually, the two fell asleep in the study but not because they became friends; it was because Shiller could no longer stand Bat Cat's destruction. So, he knocked him out using Mad Liquor and they continued their fight in their dreams.
Keeping Batman as a pet?
When you hear this question and seriously consider the possibility, even to the point of it enticing you, it can only be said that while the love for pets is free, it is advisable to see a doctor.
Batman's character may seem cool in comics and many readers enjoy this dark, unbeatable Riddler-style protagonist. However, in real life, getting beaten up three times just by stepping out is not unusual.
Many people absolutely hate collecting Riddler's Trophies in the Batman games and even shouted out, "Riddler get out of Gotham!" But if your family member, lover or even a pet was Batman, it would be equivalent to constantly doing Riddler side tasks. Hundreds in one day, which then refresh the next day.
The character composition of Batman dictates that if he appeared in your life, you would institutionalize him within three days - enough evidence of his lethality.
So, what kind of combination would Batman's character and a cat's temperament present? The sleeping man and cat on the study chair answers it all. Even Shiller couldn't tolerate such a pet.
As mentioned before, when Shiller wasn't busy, he would arrange a bunch of puzzles in the rooms of his manor. Taking advantage of his Flash ability, he would freely roam around, disregarding the increased workload of Merkel.
The large manor was a natural cat's paradise. If it had been an ordinary cat, there would be enough playfulness from pushing bottles off tables, dropping dishes, scratching walls, paintings, and doors.
However, Bat Cat was a cat that had evolved from petty pleasures. He had little interest in pushing plates off the table, but he found the riddles left by Shiller to be exactly to his taste. Thus, between scratching at doors, he also dismantled all the riddles left by Shiller.
Shiller's riddles were basically set for humans. He didn't consider a cat would try to solve them. So when Bat Cat was unable to perform some human moves, he would adopt a violent approach.
The scattered debris meant nothing because Merkel was there to clean it up. However, the destruction often came with a loud noise. Shiller would be triggered by the noise, except when he was nearing sleep. At all other times, he would pounce on the noise-making Bat Cat.
From this point, one could tell that Shiller really had no pet-keeping experience. Confronting a rowdy cat, the best method isn't to catch it as that would make the cat think you're playing with it, causing it to become even rowdier.
Shiller didn't understand this. So he could only resort to some unconventional measures. That is, dragging it into his Thought Palace, and then fighting it.
Unsurprisingly, Shiller won. But those who had raised cats would know, winning once doesn't mean ending it. In fact, it means the beginning of a lengthy battle.
After several days of cat-and-man struggles, Shiller could no longer bear it. He went to the Green Lantern Corps headquarters, brought Pikachu back from the Green Lantern Central Power Battery where it was working, and pinned his hopes on the chatterbox yellow electric rat beating Bat Cat.
Ten minutes later, chased all over the place by Bat Cat, Pikachu yelled, "Shiller!! What were you thinking?!! How could you!! Let a mouse!! Deal with a cat?!!"
With a flash to his left, Shiller dodged the electric current released by Pikachu. He shouted, "What about your 100,000 volts?! Shock him!"
"Are you sure? Are you willing to give up your manor?!!" While Pikachu was on the move, he disturbed Bat Cat with electric current. Shiller, on the other hand, attempted to catch Bat Cat while avoiding Pikachu's electric current.
In the end, seething with anger, Shiller yelled at Pikachu: "Use 100,000 volts!"
"Zap!!!!!"
Clark, who had just flown to the sky above Gotham City, saw the destination he was heading for, Professor Shearer's manor; it suddenly burst into a strong electric light. The electricity scattered out from the windows and doors in all directions, and the whole manor became an orb of lightning.
Clark, standing dumbfounded above the manor was about to rush down to rescue people when he saw Shiller walking out with something in tow.
Shiller was dragging Bat Cat by the tail. Bat Cat was already a black cat, so being charred black didn't make much of a difference. Bat Cat had Pikachu's tail in his mouth, and behind Pikachu was Merkel who had come out as well.
"What happened? Professor, did a ball lightning break into your house?" Clark flew down and asked worriedly.
Shiller, dragging the black cat by the tail, picked up both Pikachu and Bat Cat and held them up to Clark, "Tell me, which of them looks like ball lightning to you?"
"...What is this? Is this a mouse? Why is it so yellow? And this black cat, why does it seem somewhat familiar?? Oh my God... Bruce! Why are you a cat again? Am I still dreaming?!!"
Clark rubbed his eyes and shook his head, looking at the black cat with a shocked expression because this black cat was exactly the same as the one Bruce had turned into in his dream.
Shiller clung to that string of items, looking at Clark, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's like this...I just wanted to ask, what on earth is going on? Ever since that person entered my mind and stole my memory, everything that's happened is a bit...a bit…"
"A bit incomprehensible, isn't it?" Shiller turned his head to look at his manor, which was spouting black smoke. He walked over, patted Clark's shoulder, and the two of them strolled along the path in the manor grounds.
As he walked, Shiller said, "Not everything in this world can be understood by people, like even if I told you that my house exploded because of a cat and mouse war, you probably wouldn't believe me."
"A war between a cat and a mouse, you say? That I can understand. The time my cat was hunting mice in the barn, it turned the haystack into a mess. Once, somehow, it even caught fire. Both the cats barely escaped. If I couldn't fly and was immune to fire, they might have been roasted."
"Wait, you're saying that you raised more than one cat at home? ... How are they?" Shiller gazed at Clark as he asked.
"They're great. I like these little guys. They're smart and capable. Not only can they help my mom with the chores at home, but they also help my dad catch mice. They're the best pets you could ask for."
"I thought you would prefer pet dogs."
"We have a dog at home, a hunting dog. My dad takes them into the woods to hunt rabbits. They're also capable little fellows." Clark laughed, clearly recalling many heartwarming moments. His cheerful demeanor was a stark contrast to the gloominess of Gotham, his stories of family touched people's hearts, a rarity in these parts."
"So you have some experience in taking care of pets?"
"Indeed, I manage the cat and dog house at home, and I'm in charge of their baths. When you have certain superpowers, dealing with them becomes much easier. Isn't it?" Clark shrugged his shoulders, whenever he spoke with Shiller, who had the same abilities as him, he always seemed relaxed and spoke his mind, without beating around the bush."
"That's good, you noticed that my house is ruined, so I have no place to keep my pets. These two…" Shiller held onto Pikachu's and Bat Cat's tails and handed them over to Clark saying, "They'll stay with you for now. You can take them back to your farm in Kansas. They'll help you catch mice."
"But I'm not going back to the farm, the semester isn't over yet, I have to stay in Metropolis to study." Clark scratched his head and said: "But, I'd be happy to help. Only, I don't think I can keep this mouse. Its fur is too noticeable, I'm afraid my classmates will find out."
"No worries, once you go back to Metropolis, hand it over to Lex. Let him keep it."
While speaking, Shiller took a phone from Merkel's hand and started dialing. Hearing Lex's name, Clark widened his eyes and said, "Lex? You mean Lex Luther? But I'd heard from him that he was admitted to Gotham University. The semester at Gotham University should not be over yet either. How can I meet him in Metropolis?"
"Indeed, the semester isn't over, but he had a minor injury and had to take a break from school to recover at home. Doesn't he live in Metropolis?"
"What injury did he sustain?" Clark asked, "I warned him not to apply to Gotham University. It's dangerous here. But he didn't listen to me. Not only did he ignore my advice, but he also mocked me at my school...hope he's okay?"
"Hello?" Shiller held up one hand, signaling Clark to keep quiet. He asked on the phone, "Cobblepot, it's me. Is Lex okay?"
"Oh… of course, I understand you… What? No, you misunderstood me. I'm not blaming you for attacking Lex."
"My point is, if he's not in trouble, could you make some trouble for him?"
A few hours later, in the dark dormitory of Gotham University, Lex suddenly woke up. He quickly rolled out of the bed. Reflecting the cold moonlight was the tip of a knife that Cobblepot was raising in front of the bed.
However, Lex did not show that panicked expression anymore. He shifted slightly towards the bed, grabbed the blanket, and flung it straight at Cobblepot.
He turned and ran towards the window as Cobblepot's vision was momentarily obstructed by the blanket. He paused briefly in the shadow by the window, but he suddenly realized that this was not a dream, but reality.
So, he ended up hopping over the window ledge. He hesitated for a moment then jumped, four floors down. It was like a cliff considering his height. K'Rallax, having hesitated only for a split second, jumped.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, a cloud of gray mist enveloped him, gently lowering him to the ground. A gasping Lex opened his eyes wide, looking at Shiller who had appeared beside him. He said, "Professor... You saved me again, thank you..."
Shiller, standing by his side, help an umbrella under his left arm, held a pen in one hand, and a medical record book in the other. He was jotting something down.
When Lex got up from the ground, he was about to say something, but Shiller had already put away his medical record book and pen. Then, grabbing the umbrella with both hands, Lex noticed Shiller's expression, took a step back and said: "Wait a minute…"
"Bam!"
The last thing Lex saw was Shiller holding up the umbrella with a blank expression, and hearing him say:
"No need to thank me, take a three-month medical leave."