Dick stared at the "human" before him—a being with an ordinary appearance, expressionless face, and rigid demeanor—and found himself more bewildered than ever.
Seeing Dick's look of confusion, Avery got up, walked over to the mechanical assistant, and casually detached its arm, displaying it to Dick.
The cross-section of the arm had no blood, veins, or bones—it looked like a simple fake limb. But the realistic appearance was almost eerie.
Dick: "..."
Seeing that Dick had taken it in stride and wasn't frightened, Avery calmly reattached the arm. Then, as if to make a point, he removed the assistant's head, holding it up to show Dick.
"Now, while you may not have the talent for magic, you could still learn to make these mechanical assistants. They run on just a bit of energy, and if you don't have crystals, even oil would work. It's something anyone can learn," Avery explained, spinning the head as its eyes blinked at Dick.
Dick, frozen and wide-eyed, stammered, "So… does that mean Batman's actually a bat spirit who's taken human form?"
Avery blinked, momentarily taken aback. Then he gave a small smile, replying with amused sincerity, "You're certainly a creative kid."
He couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh.
"Ha... ha..."
"You're at it again, pulling people's legs," came Bruce's voice suddenly. Dick turned around to see his foster father walking over, his expression one of resigned exasperation.
Avery smiled calmly, replying, "Oh, is that so? A certain bat spirit was the one who told the child I'd be training him, correct?"
"Since you left me with such a directive, I thought I'd choose a skill I could actually teach him. After all, hand-to-hand combat is hardly my forte." His tone was innocently unbothered.
Dick, caught between two adults who seemed intent on confusing him, blurted, "So, what exactly is going on here?"
"It means, Master Dick," Alfred's voice chimed in as he emerged to break up the confusion, "you've gotten their roles entirely mixed up. Mr. Bruce is the one you're looking for."
Alfred had been monitoring everything from the Batcave below, watching Dick's request to Avery play out. By now, he understood the situation better than anyone.
Dick: "..."
Bruce cast an accusing look at his young butler. "I'm not convinced you didn't know exactly what was happening."
Avery offered a polite smile. "Of course, sir. I knew. But don't you think it's entertaining? A harmless little mishap like this can help strengthen the father-son bond."
Dick with his cheeks flushed red: "..."
Batman shot a disapproving look at Avery. "We'll talk about this later."
Avery didn't seem concerned; he was used to being "dealt with" and knew it would end in a different sort of face-off altogether.
Even though the misunderstanding was cleared up…
"So, Bruce is Batman? And Mr. Avery is actually… a wizard?" Dick said in shock. Thinking back on his foster father's appearances during previous kidnappings—seemingly helpless and innocent—Dick found himself skeptical.
Honestly, the idea that Batman was some kind of magical bat spirit seemed more plausible to him than his mild-mannered foster father being Batman.
Batman: "…"
Avery reassured him, "Look at it this way, Master Dick—this proves that your guardian has a talent for acting."
Bruce, slightly frustrated, couldn't help but think that his butler had a knack for rubbing salt in the wound and thoroughly enjoyed watching his employer squirm.
Alfred chuckled as he took over watering the plants.
Bruce sighed, letting go of any hope of persuading Dick with mere words. He took his son to the spacious training room, prepared to prove he was Batman through action.
As Batman, Bruce didn't need to move a single step to counter Dick's attacks, smoothly disarming him with ease each time. After several rounds of being countered at every move, Dick finally had no choice but to throw up his hands in surrender, realizing he was thoroughly outmatched.
Thus began a long period of training for Bruce and Dick. Every day after school, Dick would throw himself into the training room, while Bruce would guide him whenever he returned from night patrols or had free time. During the rest of the day, Dick followed a rigorous training plan laid out by Bruce.
Meanwhile, the events surrounding the kidnapping quickly reached a conclusion.
It was reported that Gotham's entire police force had been mobilized on the day of the incident, with officers stretched to their limits. They had to dispatch units to maintain public order, search for their district attorney Harvey, and address the lingering effects of the Joker's laughing gas.
Fortunately, the citizens who had accidentally inhaled the laughing gas suffered no fatalities after being administered an antidote. However, the chaos from the initial bomb scare had led to a few robberies and minor car accidents, though thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The remaining canister of laughing gas was safely disposed of, and Harvey, who managed to return to his office without any further abduction attempts, assisted in handling the fallout from the incident.
The first wave of kidnappers turned out to be nothing more than a ragtag group. They all ended up dead, leaving behind a case that was quickly wrapped up once authorities confirmed their identities and investigated recent communication to rule out any lingering threats.
The second wave of kidnappers was a group Harvey was already familiar with—they had been threatening him recently, even sending him letters. If it hadn't been for the events that unfolded, Harvey would likely have faced them in court. Unfortunately for them, that day would never come, as they were all blown to bits by the Joker, leaving no trace of DNA.
Since the group had been plotting to kidnap Harvey with extreme secrecy, it was only thanks to the testimonies of Bruce and Harvey that the late leader, Mr. Jeffrey, avoided being marked as simply "missing" in official records.
Naturally, Harvey took swift action afterward, filing lawsuits to dissolve Jeffrey's illicit businesses and bring his pre-existing crimes to light. Instead of a "missing" tag on his record, Jeffrey was soon branded with an "indefinite fugitive" label.
In the end, though, none of this mattered anymore. Jeffrey's final fate was established as death, and whatever power he had accumulated was either purged from Gotham's underworld or quietly absorbed by rival factions.
The third wave of kidnappers had been rounded up by the Joker himself. However, given the Joker's legal status as criminally insane, he was simply returned to Arkham Asylum under even stricter supervision.
Avery's opinion on this development? "A waste of effort."
As for the Joker's henchmen, they were not so lucky. All of them, being legally sane, were sentenced to serve time at Blackgate Penitentiary, once again proving that Joker's associates were little more than disposable minions.
Public opinion gradually settled, soon replaced by new issues, and in the aftermath, Batman met with Harvey. The two of them forged an effective partnership: Batman would discreetly gather evidence through less-than-legal means, Gordon would lead the arrests, and Harvey would handle the prosecutions, ending in public trials.
In Gotham's newspapers, Harvey's nickname as the "White Knight" — a foil to the Dark Knight — gained traction. Harvey became a beloved figure, praised by the public for his integrity. Meanwhile, those whose interests were threatened by his work harbored a deep resentment, wishing to see him being eliminated.
It seemed that things were finally moving in a better direction.
During this period, Avery attended a secret gathering of his own. The organization discussed sightings of a "mysterious wizard," yet no one had succeeded in tracking him down. It seemed the enigmatic figure had lost interest in stirring up trouble, causing the group to lose his trail naturally. These gatherings, typically more focused on maintaining control over members than on significant matters, passed uneventfully.
At the same time, Amanda Waller's investigation into the incident was progressing, closely aligning with the information Avery had provided. The U.S. government was outraged, and before long, Alexander Thompson, the current Secretary of the Interior, was quietly replaced. His "official" cause of death was reported as a sudden illness, though only a handful of insiders knew whether this was true. Outside this circle, few people paid much attention to the fate of a fallen political player.
As one of the mastermind behind these unfolding events, Avery showed little reaction; to him, this was just the first step.
Leaving aside the irrelevant people and matters...
One morning, Avery left Bruce's bedroom, wearing Bruce's clothes — and finally, their relationship was exposed. He ran straight into his father in the hallway.