As previously mentioned, Arthur went to meet Barbara, and in less than thirty minutes, his arms were already full of shopping bags.
At noon, they went to have lunch at a restaurant, and Barbara asked Arthur an unexpected question.
"Arthur, since when did you become a hero?" Barbara asked, blinking curiously.
"To be honest, I'm no hero at all," Arthur replied truthfully. If it weren't for the current situation, he wouldn't even bother getting involved.
(Judging by Garou's character card, I'd be more like a villain...) Arthur thought.
"Really? You seemed so experienced..."
Barbara was a bit surprised. After all, she had been a heroine for several months, yet Arthur, who looked so confident, apparently wasn't one.
"That's the whole truth. In fact, I'm a complete rookie, so I need the famous Batgirl to guide me," Arthur said with a smile.
Even though she knew he was just trying to flatter her, Barbara still puffed out her chest and lifted her chin, pretending to act proud.
"Alright then, I'll guide you as best as I can."
Barbara and Arthur continued chatting animatedly.
At that moment, a stunning woman—someone Arthur knew—entered the restaurant. She wore a black dress and sunglasses. After scanning the place, her gaze landed on Arthur.
The woman smiled, walked over to him, sat beside him, leaned in, and caressed his face with one hand, acting extremely affectionate.
"Darling, why did you come have lunch with this little girl without telling me? Don't you love me anymore?" Selina's tone was as sorrowful as the wounded look she gave Arthur.
But what she was thinking was completely different:
(Since you dared to ignore me just to meet this girl, you'll have to deal with the consequences!)
Barbara stood there, stunned. She clearly didn't know how to react. A woman she'd never seen before had suddenly embraced the boy she liked and was acting incredibly familiar with him.
"Selina, did you really come here just to mess with me?" Arthur asked, his expression dark. He hadn't expected her to get revenge in such a way.
Wasn't it just because he hadn't paid her attention? Come on—he was a loyal and decent man. He needed to keep his distance from a woman like her.
(Wait... I say that, but I just met up with another girl...) Arthur mentally punched himself for the contradiction.
(Damn it! Gwen's weird fetish must be rubbing off on me!) He gave himself another mental punch.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. Let me introduce myself—my name is Selina, and I'm Arthur's lover," she said, pretending to be surprised as she turned to Barbara, immediately extending her hand.
Barbara snapped out of her daze and shook Selina's hand out of politeness. Their eyes locked, sparking with tension.
"You liar..." Barbara naturally didn't believe Selina's words. Arthur had only just arrived in Gotham—how could he already have such a gorgeous woman as his lover?
While Selina and Barbara exchanged heated glances, Arthur caught a strong scent of plants—something very unusual for a restaurant.
"Excuse me, ladies. I need to step out for a moment. Take this time to get to know each other better," Arthur said, suddenly standing up.
Before either of them could say anything, he had already left the restaurant in search of the source of that strange smell.
It felt as though nature itself was calling him, and considering they were in Gotham, there was only one person capable of something like that: Poison Ivy.
Soon, Arthur located the source of the scent. After thinking for a moment, he decided to meet the infamous Poison Ivy in person.
(It's strictly for research purposes... nothing more.)
He continued walking until he reached a mansion.
Suddenly, the front door opened on its own. With his sharp eyes, Arthur saw a vine in the corner that had triggered the entrance—proof that Poison Ivy was inviting him inside.
"This is really interesting," Arthur murmured, intrigued. Poison Ivy was known to hate humans, yet today she had opened her door for him.
Arthur stepped through the gate. Poison Ivy's mansion wasn't particularly large, but it still deserved the title. There were all sorts of plants everywhere—like a miniature Amazon jungle in the middle of the city.
None of the plants showed hostility. They let him pass freely. That surprised him—it seemed Poison Ivy truly considered him a guest.
Arthur pushed open the front door. There was no furniture inside, only countless plants, and Poison Ivy watched him from the second floor.
"From the moment you showed up outside my door, I sensed something different about you..." Poison Ivy said, descending vines as if they were a staircase.
Her fiery red hair flowed around her face. Her body was wrapped in green leaves. She was elegant, and her blue eyes were dazzling.
Poison Ivy, whose real name was Pamela Isley, had grown up in a wealthy but emotionally distant family. Later, she studied advanced botanical biochemistry with Alec Holland under the supervision of Dr. Jason Woodrue. Pamela, a shy young woman, was easily seduced by her professor. Woodrue used her as a test subject, injecting her with toxins and poisons that caused her transformation. She nearly died twice, and the poisoning left her mentally unstable.
Eventually, Woodrue fled from the authorities, leaving Pamela hospitalized for six months. Enraged by his betrayal, she began to suffer from violent mood swings—sweet one moment, cruel the next.
When her boyfriend mysteriously died in a car accident caused by an overgrowth of fungi, Pamela dropped out of college and left Seattle, ultimately settling in Gotham City.
The Poison Ivy standing before Arthur resembled her appearance from the New 52.
Arthur then remembered what Barbara had told him about her: besides taking revenge on Jason Woodrue, Poison Ivy had also committed crimes involving stolen money, but she never harmed anyone—unless they threatened the environment.
"I'm different?"
Arthur pondered what Poison Ivy had said. He couldn't think of anything about himself that might attract her—except maybe his inexplicably high charm stat... but she didn't even seem to notice that.
The current Poison Ivy no longer knew how to return to having "normal" human skin. Her skin still had its iconic green hue. The beautiful redhead walked closer, her blue eyes roaming over him curiously.
"You have an aura like mine... but yours is so... gentle."
"???"
Arthur's face filled with question marks. The first thing that came to mind was his charm stat—maybe it had risen again, and now he possessed something that attracted Poison Ivy even more.
(Okay... what the hell is going on here?) he thought, confused.
Just as he was still distracted, Poison Ivy slowly leaned in, held Arthur's face, and offered him a kiss without the slightest hesitation.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."