Chapter Text
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The rain fell in fine needles, slicing through the thick Gotham smog and leaving a glistening sheen across the rooftops. Tim crouched near the edge of a building, the lenses of his domino mask lighting up with biometric readings.
“Okay… so this is going to sound crazy,” he said, voice low in the comms. “But I’ve got someone moving like Batman, same route, same patrol points… only he's not Bruce. Height reads at about 5'4", built like a compact tank, and I'm getting weird energy readings.”
"Define 'weird,'" Jason said, already pulling on his helmet.
"Chaos Emerald levels of weird," Tim muttered.
Jason snorted. "Great. Bruce goes missing and Gotham gets a cosplay convention."
“Could be a meta impersonator,” Dick offered as he landed lightly behind them. “Or maybe one of Bruce’s weird contingency clones again.”
“I say we punch first and ask questions never,” Damian growled, eyes locked on a distant rooftop. "There. He's moving."
They didn’t wait. Four capes dropped into the night like thunder.
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Another Rooftop Nearby
The figure moved fast. Too fast. He landed with a thud, his red-and-black hover shoes humming softly, and straightened with perfect control. A flick of energy pulsed from the Chaos Emerald in his grasp. He was clad in sleek black armor with crimson trim, the Bat-symbol glowing faintly on his chest. A modified cape fluttered behind him.
Shadow the Hedgehog exhaled, annoyed. “This city never shuts up.”
Below him, thugs scattered. He’d already incapacitated two.
That’s when a batarang sliced through the air.
Shadow caught it between two fingers.
“Cute.”
The Batkids landed around him in a flurry of coordinated motion—Tim at the front, Dick on the flank, Jason with guns raised, and Damian already moving.
“You mock our symbol,” Damian snarled, blade drawn. “You will regret it.”
Shadow smirked slightly.
Damian launched first, slicing through the rain. Shadow dodged with inhuman speed, kicking the boy back without hesitation. Damian hit the ground, rolled, and popped up again, grinning.
“I like you already,” he spat.
Jason opened fire—not to kill, but to slow. Shadow zipped through the air, Chaos Spear igniting from his fingertips and knocking the guns from Jason’s hands.
"What the—"
Tim engaged next, aiming with stun discs and trying to outthink his opponent. But Shadow didn’t think like a person. He moved like a storm. Chaos Control shimmered around him, warping space with every step.
Dick tried the diplomatic route. “Look, we don’t want to fight you. We just want to know who you are and what you’re doing in our city dressed like our dad.”
Shadow tilted his head. “Then stop fighting.”
Damian ignored that. “Tt. Cowards.” He leapt again.
This time Shadow met the strike head-on. Sparks flew. Blades met Chaos Energy. Tim flanked from the side while Dick tried to contain the fight, and Jason joined the fray with fists now instead of bullets.
It was four-on-one—and they still couldn’t pin him.
Shadow relented only when they were all panting, bruised, and still ready to throw hands.
He landed atop a chimney, arms folded, not a scratch on him.
“…You must be the children,” he said finally, voice like static and thunder.
“Who the hell are you?” Jason barked.
“Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform.”
Dick blinked. “Is that a…title?”
Shadow didn’t answer. Instead, he held up the glowing emerald. “Your father and the others have been displaced. A multiversal crisis involving Darkseid has removed your Justice League from this timeline temporarily. Sonic and his team are substituting. I have taken the role of Batman.”
Silence. The rain seemed louder now.
Tim blinked slowly. “Wait… Sonic the Hedgehog?”
“Yes.”
Damian sheathed his sword. “I demand proof.”
“I can Chaos Blast you into a crater.”
“…Accepted.”
Cass dropped in from above, finally arriving late, looked at Shadow, then at the others. She signed quickly: Are we adopting the hedgehog or fighting him?
Jason looked to Dick. Dick looked to Tim. Tim looked at Shadow.
“…Let’s see what Bruce says,” Dick finally muttered.
Shadow rolled his eyes. “You’re all exhausting.”
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