James went airborne. Batman controlled his fall. Slammed him into the concrete floor.
Boom!
The impact rattled James's teeth. His enhanced durability absorbed most of it, but it still hurt.
Batman followed up instantly. Mounted position. Arm drawn back for the finishing strike.
James bucked. Used his enhanced strength to throw Batman off despite the superior positioning.
Both fighters rolled to their feet. Faced each other again.
"You're good," Batman said. "Better than most. But you rely too much on your physical advantages. Against someone with comparable enhancements, you'd struggle."
James knew it was true. His technique was solid, but Batman's was transcendent. The only reason this fight was competitive was James's superhuman physicals.
"Third point?" James asked.
"Not yet. You've earned more respect than that."
They came together one last time. This exchange was different. Less aggressive. More technical. Both fighters showing what they could do without trying for the finish.
James threw techniques from all thirty-seven of his martial arts. Batman countered each one perfectly. Showed him why one hundred and twenty-seven styles was better than thirty-seven.
It was educational and...humbling.
After another minute, they separated by mutual agreement.
"Draw?" James suggested.
Batman considered. Then nodded. "Draw."
They stood in the warehouse, surrounded by unconscious criminals, both having proven their capabilities.
"You're legitimate," Batman said finally. "Enhanced, but you've trained properly. You have real skill. You're not just relying on powers."
"Thank you."
"But you're also reckless. You challenged me without knowing if I was going to hold back. Without knowing if I'd use weapons or gadgets. That was stupid."
"Calculated risk."
"Stupid risk."
James shrugged. "Worked out."
Batman's expression was unreadable behind the cowl. "What's your goal? Why are you doing this?"
"Same reason you are. Gotham needs help. You're one man. You can't be everywhere. I can handle some of the load."
"This city is more complicated than you understand. The criminals are just symptoms. The real problems are structural. Systemic."
"Then we fix the systems. But we can't do that if the symptoms kill everyone first."
Batman studied him for another long moment. Then, surprisingly, he relaxed slightly.
"If you're going to operate here, we need ground rules. First: no killing. Ever. For any reason."
"Agreed. I've never killed anyone as Sovereign."
"Second: if you're out of your depth, call for backup. Pride gets people killed."
"How do I call you?"
Batman pulled a small device from his belt. Tossed it to James. "Emergency communicator. Encrypted frequency. Use it if you need help."
James caught the device. Pocketed it. "Anything else?"
"Stay away from the major players. Joker, Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow's large-scale attacks. You're not ready for that level yet."
"I took down Scarecrow two weeks ago."
"You stopped one small operation. That's different from facing him when he's really trying. Trust me on this."
James wanted to argue. But Batman had just proven he was the better fighter. Maybe his tactical advice was worth listening to.
"Okay. I'll be careful."
"And one more thing," Batman said. "Your identity. Keep it protected. Don't trust anyone. The moment people know who you are under that helmet, everyone you care about becomes a target."
"Noted."
Sirens wailed in the distance. GCPD responding to the disturbance.
"Time to go," Batman said. He fired a grapple gun and launched toward the roof.
James did the same. His custom grapple gun pulled him up to the rooftop in seconds.
They stood on opposite sides of the warehouse roof. Gotham's skyline stretched around them.
"Sovereign," Batman called out.
James turned.
"Welcome to Gotham. Try not to die."
Then the Dark Knight disappeared into the shadows.
James stood alone on the rooftop. His first real meeting with Batman. It had gone better than expected.
He'd proven his competence. Earned a measure of respect. Established communication.
And he'd learned just how far he still had to go. Batman had held back during their fight. James knew it. The Dark Knight could have escalated to weapons, gadgets, and environmental usage. Could have ended the fight decisively if he'd wanted to.
But he'd chosen to test James's skills directly. And found them acceptable, if not exceptional.
"AEGIS, analysis," James said as he grappled toward home.
"Engagement with Batman provided valuable data. Subject's combat capabilities are significantly beyond projected parameters. Estimated combat effectiveness: ninety-seventh percentile globally. Your current capabilities: seventy-second percentile. Gap assessment: substantial but not insurmountable with additional training and experience."
Seventy-second percentile. Better than average. Far from the best.
James had achieved Batman-level physical capability through Compound Alpha. But he hadn't achieved Batman-level skill yet.
That would take time. More training. More real experience.
But he was on the path. And he had Batman's cautious approval.
That was progress.
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