Chapter Text
The rain pounded mercilessly against the cracked pavement, pooling in the dim light of flickering streetlamps. Izuku Midoriya groaned softly, his eyes blinking open as droplets dripped from his freckled face. His green hero suit was drenched, clinging to his skin uncomfortably.
“Where… am I?” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the distant rumble of thunder.
Rising to his feet, Izuku scanned his surroundings. He was outside, swore to himself he was supposed to be in his dorm. The city loomed ominously around him: jagged skyscrapers, grimy alleys, and an oppressive darkness that seemed to seep into his bones. A neon sign buzzed nearby, flickering faintly: “Welcome to Gotham City.”
“Gotham City?” Izuku repeated aloud. “What is this place? How did I get here? This… this isn’t home.”
Izuku’s heart raced as he wandered cautiously down the desolate streets, gripping his arms tightly. He thought back to the last thing he remembered—training at U.A. Academy, his friends, All Might’s reassuring smile. And now… here. Alone.
"Could it be a supervillain's quirk that i'm here?" Deku asked himself. "No... this situation wouldn't make sense. The whole place doesn't even look i'm in Japan. What does it mean?"
Suddenly, a loud crash drew his attention to a nearby jewelry store. The glass storefront shattered, and three men wearing clown masks scrambled inside, brandishing crowbars and filling sacks with glittering loot.
“No way!” Izuku whispered. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the store, his adrenaline kicking in.
"Now that's what i call a necklace!" One of the robbers said as he inspected the accessories that he broke the stand's glass to steal. "Let's take what we can, boys! We don't want to give time for the bats to get here!" He said to his acolytes, robbing all the jewels they can take. The robbers barely had time to react before Izuku burst through the broken storefront.
“Stop right there!” Izuku shouted, activating One For All. Electricity crackled around him as he lunged forward, sending one of the robbers flying into a display case with a well-placed kick he was practicing.
The remaining two men panicked. “What the—?! Who the hell is this kid?!” one yelled, firing a handgun at Izuku.
Izuku dodged easily, closing the distance with a well-timed kick that disarmed the man. The second robber tried to flee, but Izuku used his enhanced speed to cut him off, knocking the sack of stolen jewels from his hands.
“That’s enough!” Izuku declared, and gave a powerful drop kick on the second robber. Izuku was standing tall with his boy electrifying by his full cowl.
Before the last robber could speak, a shadow descended from above. A heavy thud echoed through the store, and Izuku turned to see a menacing figure in a dark cape and cowl. Batman.
The Dark Knight moved with precision, taking down the fleeing robber with a swift strike. Izuku froze, his breath hitching at the sight of Batman’s imposing form.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Batman growled at the subdued criminal.
Izuku’s eyes widened in alarm. The grim appearance, the cape, the bat-like mask—it screamed villain.
“Who are you?!” Izuku demanded, stepping forward, his fists clenched. “You… you’re one of them, aren’t you?!”
Batman’s piercing gaze snapped to Izuku. “Stand down, kid. You’re interfering.”
“No way!” Izuku activated One For All again, his body glowing faintly. “If you’re with the league of supervillains, I won’t let you get away!”
Izuku charged forward, throwing a powerful punch aimed at Batman. But the Dark Knight was quicker than he looked. With a fluid motion, Batman sidestepped the attack and countered with a grappling hook that snared Izuku’s arm.
“Stay down,” Batman ordered coldly.
Izuku gritted his teeth, twisting free with a burst of energy. He launched another kick, but Batman’s mastery of martial arts and gadgets left Izuku outmatched. Smoke bombs clouded his vision, batarangs disoriented him, and only five strikes were met with precision counters.
Pinned against the wall, Izuku gasped for air. “Why… are you attacking me?!”
“That’s my question,” Batman said, his voice low and gravelly. “You helped them, didn’t you? Who sent you?”
“What?! No!” Izuku protested. “I stopped them! I thought you were a villain!”
Batman’s expression remained unreadable. He turned his attention to a nearby security camera, pulling out a sleek device from his utility belt. Within moments, he hacked the system, playing back the footage.
The video showed Izuku heroically stopping the robbers. Batman narrowed his eyes.
“You’re telling the truth,” he admitted, releasing Izuku.
Izuku sagged in relief, rubbing his sore wrist. “I-I told you!"
"But i doesn't mean i'll let you go yet." Batman get closer to Izuku, intimidating him. "Who are you? What are you doing here in Gotham?" Batman asked ad wants answers.
Deku felt really intimidated with the man looking down on him and his serious voice. Izulu gulped and answer: "I-I'm Izuku Midoriya. I'm from japan, a student in U.A."
"U.A? what is it?" Batman asked.
"What? You don't know? It's a school for kids like me to become heroes? How do you not know that?" Izuku was surprised that this man in a black cape doesn't know U.A.
"I don't know what is U.A so answer the next question." Batman glares at Deku.
"I-I don’t know how I got here." Deku responded. "Just what is here?"
"The last place a kid like you should be." Batman helped Izuku to get up in his legs.
"You mean Gotham city? What is that place anyway?" Midoriya asked. "I'm not really familiar with this place but i feel there is something strange in the air."
Before Batman could respond, his communicator buzzed. “Batman,” a gruff voice said through the static. “Joker’s assaulting City Hall. He’s taken hostages.”
Batman’s jaw tightened. He turned back to Izuku.
“You’re coming with me,” he said abruptly, leading the way to his Batmobile parked outside.
“What?! Wait—why?!” Izuku stammered, scrambling to follow.
“Because I don’t trust you yet,” Batman replied, his tone final.
Deku was being dragged and saw a long dark car that screamed Bat theme. "W-Wait a minute! I don't even know you! If you're not a villain, then what are you?" Deku asked.
The dark knight looks at Izuku and simply answers: "I'm Batman."
Izuku sat in the Batmobile, gripping his knees nervously as the sleek vehicle roared through Gotham’s rain-soaked streets. The interior glowed with a cold blue light, its dashboard filled with high-tech controls.
“Stay in the car,” Batman instructed as they arrived at City Hall.
"What? But i can help!" Izuku said. "I'm a hero in training! I got experience!"
"No!" Batman responded. "The last thing i need is to bring a child into a place he doesn't belong to. Especially when HE is here!" Batman then used his grappling hook to get into altitude.
Izuku watched anxiously as the Dark Knight disappeared into "somewhere", he felt that the only thing he can do is to wait. He reflected on what he knows until know but nothing is helping him to know what's going on. But he could here everything from the distance, especially in the buildings. Explosions and maniacal laughter echoed from within.
Minutes felt like hours as Izuku waited, his heart pounding for not being able to help anyone. He felt he would make things difficult for Batman, even though he really wants to go outside and help people but he was trap in the car. Finally, the Batmobile’s doors hissed open, and Batman returned, dragging a handcuffed man in a purple suit—Joker.
"Oh what's the rush?" Joker asked the dark knight. "Can we stop by and get ourselves something to eat?" Joker was shoved. into the back seats. Then Joker noticed Izuku. “Oh-ho! And who’s this, Batsy? A new sidekick in training? How precious! We all know what happened with the last one!” Joker cackled.
Izuku meet the eyes of this clown and felt something terrifying about this individual. “Who’s this guy?” Izuku asked, his voice shaky.
“The Joker,” Batman said flatly. “A dangerous maniac capable to commit numerous crimes in one night."
As they drove toward the infamous asylum, Izuku’s unease grew. The dark city, the relentless rain, the sinister criminals—it was all so different from the world he knew.
"You... what did you do?" Izuku asked Joker for the crime he did in Gotham City Hall.
"Oh a lot of things that would make someone go to a psychologist." Joker smirks to the boy. "As a clown like myself, i simply entertain the good people of Gotham with a good show... Like some say, shooting a lot of innocent bystanders and painting the floor all red."
Izuku was shocked to hear: "What?! Y-You killed innocent people?! How could you?!"
"Well, i do admit i couldn't kill a lot of people tonight, thanks to a certain person." Joker said and whispered to Izuku from the barrier glass between them: "Psst! It's the guy right next to you!" As he points at Batman.
"Enough!" Batman said: "You shouldn't let him taunts you. Joker is know to irritate people. What's important that he is stopped."
Batman... where are we going with him?"
Midoriya asked.
Batman then said: "Only one place where he will be contained. A prison for people just like him. Arkham Asylum.”
Izuku swallowed hard, staring out at the rain-slicked streets in a vehicle, driven by a mask d vigilant and with a psychopathic clown in hancuffed. Whatever had brought him here, he knew one thing for certain: Gotham City was a world unlike any he had ever faced.
To be continued…