Chapter 52: Something is Blossoming
————————————————————
Listening to the mindless conversation between the two, even Batman—the world's greatest detective—found himself unable to fully grasp what had transpired between them on a spiritual level. He could only make educated guesses, piecing together fragments of information from their words and expressions.
Despite his intellect, something about this exchange remained beyond his complete understanding.
Meanwhile, Raven's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant as she broke the silence, her violet eyes filled with uncertainty.
"But I can feel it… a part of your emotions… your feelings for me."
The words were difficult for her to say, and even as she spoke, her face was full of doubt.
Dean, caught off guard, immediately felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He coughed awkwardly, avoiding her gaze as he tried to downplay the situation.
"Well… just ignore that part," he muttered hastily, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't pay too much attention to the details…"
Desperate for a change in subject, he turned his attention to Lucius Fox, who was monitoring the repair progress of the Omnitrix.
"Mr. Fox! How long will it take for the Omnitrix to be repaired?"
Lucius, whom Dean now viewed as his personal savior in this uncomfortable situation, remained focused on the glowing computer screen in front of him. His fingers moved across the keyboard, running diagnostics as he spoke.
"Just a little longer… almost… there."
As soon as he finished speaking, the laser beam scanning the Omnitrix disappeared. A robotic arm extended from the side of the workstation, pushing out a vial filled with a glowing pink liquid. Without hesitation, it injected the substance directly into Dean's arm.
A few seconds later, sensation returned to his right hand. The numbness faded, replaced by a rush of warmth that signaled his full recovery. He flexed his fingers experimentally, relieved to find that his movements were no longer sluggish.
Lucius continued his report, adjusting the screen to display the latest scan results.
"I've re-examined the Omnitrix. From a physical standpoint, the cracks in the casing have now been sealed. Energy leakage will still occur, but at a much lower rate than before. In fact, the regeneration efficiency of the energy source has now exceeded the loss."
Dean listened carefully, nodding as Lucius spoke.
"Judging by the updated system scans, the Omnitrix has unlocked two new basic functions. You can check them yourself."
Intrigued, Dean twisted the dial on the Omnitrix. As expected, the transformation options were still present, but now, two additional icons had appeared alongside them.
He examined the unfamiliar functions one by one.
"Let's see…" He frowned slightly, focusing. "The first one is 'Capture Mode.' It continuously scans alien individuals who aren't already included in the gene bank, and if successful, their genetic data gets recorded for future transformations."
He nodded in approval. That function would definitely come in handy.
However, as he turned to the second function, his expression changed completely. The color drained from his face, his jaw tightening as his eyes darkened.
His voice was heavy with tension as he read the words aloud.
"The second one is… self-destruct mode."
Batman's eyes flickered with interest at the revelation. Without missing a beat, he adjusted his recording device to capture every detail of the conversation.
"Self-destruct?" he repeated, his tone sharp and analytical.
Dean clenched his fists. "Yeah. It's listed as a core function."
A screen appeared before him, displaying the Omnitrix's updated status:
[Name: Soldered Omnitrix]
[Type: Other]
[Quality: ★★★★ (Awaiting Self-Repair)]
[Special Effects: Gene Conversion, Gene Capture, Self Destruct]
[Description: A large, dark green watch that suffered severe damage in battle, limiting its functions. It has drifted through space for thousands of years.]
[After undergoing an inadequate welding process, energy leakage has been reduced, unlocking three core functions.]
[PS: They say gambling leads to ruin, but if you love gambling, at least make sure you die a good death.]
Dean's expression remained unreadable as he processed the information.
He had always known that the Omnitrix contained a self-destruct mechanism, but he had never expected it to be one of its core functions.
"So Azmuth actually wrote in an insurance measure like this, huh?" Dean muttered under his breath. It made sense, though. The Omnitrix was an incredibly powerful device—too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Having a built-in self-destruct protocol was a logical fail-safe.
Still, the implications were unsettling.
"The self-destruction process relies on continuous charging," he mused aloud. "Now that the energy dissipation problem has been solved… does that mean it could actually activate?"
His mind raced with the potential consequences. If the Omnitrix's self-destruct sequence was triggered, the resulting explosion would be catastrophic. He needed to tread carefully.
Batman, ever the strategist, wasted no time. "Try the Capture Mode."
Dean narrowed his eyes slightly. "You just want to collect more data, don't you?"
Batman didn't respond directly, but his silence spoke volumes.
Dean sighed. "Fine. I wanted to test it anyway."
With no aliens present, it was the safest function to experiment with. He carefully pressed down on the dial, activating Capture Mode.
A green scanning beam emerged from the Omnitrix, sweeping over the room and everyone in it. It moved in slow, precise passes, as if analyzing every detail of their genetic structure.
Fifteen seconds later, the scan ended.
Batman made a mental note of the duration. Fifteen seconds. He stored the information away for future analysis.
As the beam faded, the Omnitrix projected a new genetic model.
Everyone in the room immediately assumed it had recorded Manaphy, the aquatic alien Dean had encountered earlier.
But when the image fully materialized…
It wasn't Manaphy.
The projected figure was humanoid. It had sharp, curved horns protruding from its forehead.
Dean's expression remained neutral, but internally, his thoughts were racing.
What… the hell?
And just like that, the room fell into silence.
Zatanna's eyes widened in shock as she processed what had just happened. Her mind struggled to reconcile the information, her deep understanding of magic now clashing with the reality of what she had just witnessed.
"Wait a minute…" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "Raven is half-demon. Half-demon blood… But does that mean demons are also considered aliens?"
It was an entirely new concept, something that defied the boundaries of what she had always understood. The lines between science and the occult, once so distinct in her mind, were now blurred.
Dean, however, remained completely unfazed by her realization.
He simply shrugged. "In the eyes of people from other planets, Earth's magicians probably look like aliens too."
Batman, standing with arms crossed, processed the information in his own way. Unlike Zatanna, who was struggling with the implications, he focused on the most important detail.
"If you transform into Trigon, will you gain the same power as him?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with urgency.
It was a critical question. If Dean could truly replicate Trigon's abilities, then every contingency plan Batman had for him would need to be reassessed. The Anti-Dean Protocol—the backup plan in case Dean ever turned rogue—would have to be completely rewritten. The priority of severing Dean's hand to stop the Omnitrix would need to be increased significantly.
Because if Dean could fully replicate Trigon's power, then there was a real possibility that even the Justice League wouldn't survive the encounter.
But before Batman could take this thought further, Raven spoke up, her voice calm but firm.
"That's impossible, Batman."
She could already sense the concern in his posture, and she knew exactly where his mind was going.
"My father's strength has nothing to do with his race," she continued. "If anything, the reason the demons of his dimension are so strong is because of him. Not the other way around. Even if Dean transforms into a demon of my father's race, he'll only gain a fraction of that power. At most, he'll be able to breathe hellfire or something."
Batman absorbed her explanation, his face unreadable.
Dean, however, seemed entirely unfazed by the conversation. He was already twisting the Omnitrix's dial, his fingers hovering over the newly unlocked form.
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
He glanced at Zatanna and Raven. "Since you're both here, let's test it."
Without hesitation, he selected the Dimensional Demon form and pressed down on the Omnitrix.
A brilliant green flash illuminated the room, casting eerie shadows across the walls.
Dean's body immediately began to change. His form expanded rapidly, growing to a towering three meters tall. His muscles thickened, his once-human frame now becoming something much larger, broader, and more powerful.
Two curved, gleaming horns sprouted from his forehead, glowing faintly in the dim light. His black hair, now much longer, cascaded over his shoulders, making his appearance even more imposing.
As he adjusted to his new form, he straightened up—only to find that his horns were mere inches from the ceiling. He let out a short breath and had no choice but to crouch down, shifting into a more compact position to avoid damaging the room.
"As Raven said," Dean noted, flexing his clawed fingers experimentally, "my physical strength has increased dramatically. I feel much stronger than before."
He clenched his fists and felt the power coursing through him. But… something was missing. He furrowed his brow.
"But I don't feel any magical energy. I can't seem to access anything beyond physical enhancements."
He exhaled, then focused. He concentrated on the idea of summoning hellfire, attempting to unleash some sort of infernal power.
Nothing happened.
His frustration was evident as he turned to Raven. "I can't even breathe fire."
Raven, who had been silently watching him, took a small, instinctive step backward.
Her violet eyes were locked on him, unblinking. Her usually calm expression was shifting, betraying something unfamiliar. Something unexpected.
Fear.
Batman, Zatanna, and even Dean had been too focused on his transformation to notice, but Raven's body was trembling ever so slightly beneath her black cloak. Goosebumps had formed across her skin.
Her entire being was reacting.
Because Dean's transformation was too familiar.
His horns, his height, the shape of his body—it was exactly like her father.
Yet, at the same time, it wasn't.
His presence lacked the overwhelming malice that Trigon radiated. His voice, his expressions—everything about him was fundamentally different from the demon she had feared for so long.
And that contrast was unsettling.
Raven couldn't understand why she felt this way. Why seeing Dean in this form made her stomach twist into knots. It was like her body was rejecting what her mind already knew—this wasn't her father.
And yet…
She didn't know how to deal with the emotions surging through her.
Meanwhile, Dean had no idea what was going through Raven's mind. He was too focused on analyzing his transformation.
He glanced down at the Omnitrix symbol embedded in his massive chest. The green hourglass icon was still shining, but after almost seven minutes, it began to blink.
A signal that time was running out.
A few moments later, a familiar glow surrounded him as the Omnitrix forcibly reverted his body back to normal.
Dean landed back on his feet, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted to being human again.
He examined the Omnitrix. "The transformation limit increased… from twenty seconds to seven minutes."
He grinned. "Finally. I'm not a second-rate shapeshifter anymore."
Lucius Fox chuckled at Dean's enthusiasm.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Wayne. He's the one who funded the repairs."
Dean nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Bruce."
Batman didn't respond, merely giving a curt nod before shifting his gaze back to the Omnitrix, already making mental calculations about its potential.
Dean then turned to Zatanna and Raven. "Thanks for helping out."
Zatanna simply smiled, but Raven said nothing. Her hood was drawn over her face, hiding her expression.
She was still shaken.
Meanwhile, Zatanna's gaze flickered toward Batman.
"No need to thank me," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "Whoever called me here owes me a favor."
Batman, predictably, remained calm. "I'll approve your magic tour in Gotham. But no magic is allowed in performances."
Zatanna's smile faltered. "You're questioning the professional ethics of a magician? I would never use magic in a stage act!"
Despite her words, she absolutely used magic to enhance her performances.
She had simply never been caught.
Dean's gaze lingered on Raven's pale face. She had barely spoken since his transformation, and even now, she seemed strangely distant. Her violet eyes, usually filled with quiet intelligence, were shadowed with something else—something unreadable.
He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing against the soul gem he had been carrying. Without hesitation, he pulled it out and extended it toward her.
"Well, aside from your father, there's nothing particularly mysterious about me." He spoke casually, as if the words meant nothing, but there was a careful gentleness in his tone. "This gem doesn't have any special abilities, but it looks nice. It'd make a good necklace. Consider it a thank-you gift."
Raven's gaze flickered to the gemstone in his hand. For a moment, she didn't move.
Then, slowly—almost hesitantly—she reached out. Her fingers trembled slightly as they brushed against the gem's smooth surface.
The moment she took hold of it, she reacted instantly.
She pulled her hood down over her face, as if trying to hide something.
But Dean had already seen it. The slight, involuntary curl at the corner of her lips. The expression she hadn't been able to suppress in time.
It was a smile.
Not her usual soft, controlled smile. No.
This was something different.
Something genuine. Something warm.
Yet, before Dean could even react, Raven abruptly turned away.
"Take care of yourself," she said quickly, her voice quieter than usual. "And… don't let my father take advantage of the situation."
With those words, she vanished.
A portal of swirling darkness opened before her, and she stepped through without hesitation, disappearing into the void.
The portal sealed behind her in an instant, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
Dean blinked, staring at the empty space where she had just been.
His mind replayed the scene—her trembling fingers, her hurried movements, the way she had hidden her face the moment she smiled.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Raven stood alone.
Candles burned softly, casting flickering green flames over the six-pointed star drawn on the ground. The symbols around her pulsed with quiet energy, ancient and powerful.
For a long time, she said nothing. She simply stared at the gemstone in her hands.
Her fingers traced its smooth edges, feeling the warmth still lingering from when Dean had held it. She exhaled, steadying herself.
Then, clasping her hands together, she resumed her meditation. Yet, something was different.
The candle flames that is once green, turned orange little by little…
Back in Gotham, Dean returned to Jim Gordon's house after a long day.
For once, he felt refreshed instead of exhausted.
As he stepped through the door, the familiar scent of home-cooked food filled the air, mingling with the subtle scent of old books and coffee—a trademark of Gordon's house.
He had barely settled in when he noticed something unusual.
At the dinner table, Barbara was quiet.
Too quiet.
Recently, she had been acting strange. Normally, she had no problem talking—whether it was about work, Gotham's crime rate, or just general banter. But lately, she had been distracted, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Dean and Gordon exchanged a glance.
They had both noticed.
Gordon, being a father, seemed hesitant to bring it up. Dean, on the other hand, had no such reservations.
He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Alright, what's up with you?"
Barbara glanced at him, startled. "What?"
"You've been acting weird lately." He gestured vaguely. "You're quieter than usual, and it's definitely not because of work. So what's going on?"
Barbara hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around her fork.
She opened her mouth—then closed it again, as if reconsidering her words.
Dean immediately knew.
He didn't need telepathy or detective skills to figure it out.
It was relationship drama.
Given the timing, he could take a pretty solid guess.
Nightwing and Starfire.
Dean had a strong feeling that whatever was bothering Barbara had something to do with them. If he had to bet, he'd say the affair between Nightwing and Starfire had finally come to light.
Maybe there had been a fight. Maybe Nightwing had sided with Starfire a little too much.
Whatever had happened, Barbara wasn't happy about it.
Of course, Dean wasn't going to say any of that out loud.
Instead, he simply shrugged and backed off. "Alright. If you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine."
Barbara shot him a grateful look. "Thanks."
Gordon, however, wasn't quite as willing to let it go. He had a different topic on his mind.
He set down his fork, glancing at Dean. "Strange thing happened today."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Gordon leaned back in his chair. "Hamilton signed off on increased police funding."
Dean froze mid-bite. "Wait. Hamilton? The same guy who's been trying to cut the police budget for years?"
"The very same."
Dean put his fork down. "That's suspicious as hell."
Gordon nodded. "I thought so too. He also asked me to keep an eye on Penguin—said I could issue a search warrant or even an arrest warrant at any time."
Dean's mind raced.
Hamilton was the current mayor of Gotham. A corrupt politician through and through.
And now, all of a sudden, he was handing Gordon an open invitation to go after Penguin?
That meant one thing.
Hamilton was confident.
He had enough support to start making moves against Gotham's criminal underworld.
Dean leaned back, tapping his fingers against the table. "That means he's got enough of the city council on his side."
"Exactly." Gordon nodded. "If he's this bold, it means Penguin is still a long way from winning the mayor's seat."
Dean smirked. "So it's Hamilton's 'elites' versus Penguin's 'people's campaign.'"
Gordon exhaled. "Who do you think will win?"
Dean chuckled. "Honestly? I have no idea. But I'm looking forward to watching it play out."
Just then, Dean's phone buzzed.
A message from Penguin.
He glanced at the screen, eyes narrowing at the contents.
[We've tracked the sales chain for the Trench corpses. The scavengers changed hands multiple times, but the bodies all ended up in the same place.]
Dean's pupils shrank.
His expression shifted in an instant.
Gordon noticed. "What's wrong?"
Dean exhaled slowly. "Nothing."
Gordon didn't buy it. "Your face says otherwise."
Dean forced a casual tone. "Just an informant sending some unexpected news."
Gordon wasn't convinced. He frowned. "Are you sure you can trust your informant?"
Dean hesitated.
Then after a pause, he smirked. "Let's just say… if it's a trap, they should be more worried about me than I am about them."
And he wasn't lying.
Even without the Omnitrix, he had Manaphy's protection.
If someone wanted to take him down, they'd need to bring both science and magic to the fight.
And that wasn't an easy combination to come by.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
FINALLY a romance!!!
If you like the story please support me by giving powerstones, comments and reviews. Your support will be very much appreciated!