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Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
At least, that's how she felt, especially with the dark, playful eyes of the other party scanning her up and down with a mocking gleam in them that made her feel underestimated.
No... she couldn't afford to be underestimated...
"Oracle? Or rather, Batgirl now?" Allen said leisurely, his tone drenched in nonchalance.
That one word alone crushed all of her efforts to build herself up.
And what he said next nearly made her explode on the spot.
"Aren't you supposed to be paralyzed?"
Paralyzed? Was he cursing her or something?
She was irritated.
Was this guy always this irritating when he talked?
No, thinking back to how he deliberately ignored the phone calls, this bastard was just as annoying even when he didn't talk.
"Catwoman, Harley, and now Batgirl... Gotham really does know how to surprise people," Allen said with a faint, knowing smile.
But just as he finished his murmuring, he suddenly lunged toward her in a single, lightning-fast stride.
Batgirl hadn't expected this bastard to actually make a move.
Woosh!
She instinctively stepped back to avoid it, but suddenly felt a cold, unfamiliar sensation on her face.
Reaching up, her fingers brushed her own skin…
'This asshole!' He had taken off her mask.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Batgirl immediately struck out in anger no longer in a mood to talk with him.
Allen chuckled softly, holding her bat mask casually in one hand as he moved with the agility of a wildcat, easily dodging and weaving through her flurry of attacks.
His movements, jumping, pivoting, turning midair, were so fluid and precise that all of Batgirl's strikes fell short.
She had known he was agile from watching him, after all, that's why she came to find him, but actually fighting him was far more frustrating than expected.
It was like trying to punch smoke.
One by one, she unleashed the combat techniques she had mastered.
She was fierce, fast, and merciless.
Allen chuckled.
What was the point if she couldn't land a single hit?
Batgirl's combat ability was more refined than Catwoman's, her form more disciplined, but her real-fighting experience was clearly lacking.
And in terms of strength, speed, and flexibility, she was far inferior.
Suddenly, Allen's fighting style changed.
He stopped dodging and began to engage her directly, meeting force with force.
The abrupt shift caught Batgirl off guard.
She could tell he was still using the same techniques, but everything, his strength, speed, skill, and combat experience, completely outclassed her.
Her attacks were now blocked effortlessly, countered without hesitation.
"Huff"
Her stamina was draining fast, and her confident offense gradually collapsed into a desperate defense.
Allen's blows came faster, harder, like a torrential downpour hammering relentlessly.
It felt even more intense than her harshest training sessions with Batman himself.
'This is bad!'
Allen's punches sped up again.
Batgirl had just begun to adjust to his rhythm, but now she was caught off guard.
He then suddenly twisted and gave her a heavy punch.
A sharp, shocking pain suddenly shot through her abdomen, like she'd been hit by a speeding car, and she dropped to her knees with a gasp, the wind knocked out of her.
"I bumped into Catwoman, Harley, and fought them both. If I don't fight you too, it won't be fair to the two beautiful ladies," Allen grinned, squatting down beside her.
He grabbed her hair and lifted her head slightly.
Her eyes shimmered with tears, clear signs of pain she couldn't take.
"Batman's whole mysterious act doesn't suit you. Calling me from a phone booth? What is this, Resident Evil? At least wait until you're in a wheelchair, then you can try again. Or better yet..." Allen squinted at her, still smiling.
"Should I put you in one right now, and then you'll get that chance?"
The previously angry and embarrassed Batgirl shivered subconsciously.
Even though he was smiling like it was a joke, that light tone only made it more terrifying.
Deep down, she believed, he might actually do it.
"Don't worry, if I do it, I'd only paralyze you. I won't take any nude pictures of you," Allen grinned like he was delivering a punchline at a comedy club.
Batgirl gritted her teeth, trying to stop her body from trembling.
She was regretting deciding to pursue this guy for help.
"No? Forget it, then." Allen curled his lip, let go of her hair, and stood up lazily.
He leaned against the wall, spinning her bat mask around his fingers like a toy.
She took that chance to take a deep breath and recompose herself. She tried to stand up, despite the pain.
"Batman's student. Police commissioner's daughter, Barbara Gordon. Why are you looking for me?"
Her efforts were in vain because what he said brought her back to her knees.
'How the hell does he know?'
"You... what's your name?" Batgirl, or rather Barbara, asked through clenched teeth, forcing the words out.
"Allen. Allen Robinson"
"Allen Robinson..."
Barbara etched the name into her memory like carving it into stone.
Gotham had fallen.
Batman was missing. And Barbara Gordon, a Batgirl not yet fully trained, wanted to do something.
Anything.
What was her goal?
She had hacked into satellite feeds, triangulated signals, and searched for patterns, trying to locate either Batman's last known location or the missing nuclear reactor.
But she found nothing concrete.
But on that desperate search, she stumbled onto footage of Allen.
He had, flawless marksmanship.
Unbelievable bullet-dodging reflexes.
The way he moved on camera didn't even look real. Though his wild, chaotic gunplay made her uneasy, she had to admit, he stood out.
She had found no police records on him, and no official trace.
She checked Batman's personal database of known criminals, cross-referenced footage, and compared faces, but Allen wasn't listed.
So, she had decided to make contact and assess him herself.
To see for herself if he was a friend or foe.
The plan had been solid... at first.
But from the very beginning, things went off course.
He ignored her phone booth calls, forcing her hand to show up.
Then, he exposed her identity.
And then, without warning, he attacked her.
Every step of the encounter made Barbara question her decision.
'Was it really right to ask this man for help? Would he even want to help anyone?'
Her eyes flicked to the mask still spinning lazily on Allen's fingers.
Without hesitation, she reached into her utility belt and pulled out a smoke bomb, slamming it to the ground.
Bang!
In the next instant, thick gray smoke filled the alley.
It was blinding and suffocating.
Barbara raised her arm, aimed at a nearby rooftop, and fired her grappling gun.
With a sharp whoosh and a hiss of compressed air, the line extended and she flew up and away, disappearing into the rooftops.
"Tch... damn Bat Family and their stupid habit of tossing smoke bombs and running. Such a waste of resources," Allen muttered, curling his lip in annoyance as he strolled out of the alley, still twirling the mask.