After calling Dick's name reflexively, Thomas was stunned. How could Dick grow so big overnight?
What did he miss? Then he realized that this couldn't be Dick, at least it certainly wasn't the Dick he knew.
Thomas took two steps back very quickly, lifted up the hem of his suit with one hand, took out the Batarang from his waist, stared at Nightwing coldly, and asked, "Who are you? Why are you in Wayne Manor?" After seeing Thomas's familiar reaction, Nightwing retreated back out of the shooting position as a conditioned reflex, stretched out his hands to block his body and said, "Wait a minute, Batman, I am..." Nightwing's voice suddenly stopped. Only then did he realize what he had said, and then he looked at the face of Thomas in front of him in shock. Thomas looked so much like the Batman he knew.
People who know the Flashpoint universe should know that Thomas, the old man of the Flashpoint universe, is actually the biological father of Batman in the main universe. Their appearance, height, and body shape are very similar, so Nightwing immediately recognized him as someone he was familiar with. The main universe of Batman.
Although Nightwing felt that the previous Batman who was about the same age as him was a bit difficult to accept, the Batman in front of him was a bit too old.
Two Batmans in one Gotham City? Just thinking of this, Yeyi felt his head buzzing.
The batarang in Thomas' hand was already tightened. Nightwing saw him taking an attacking stance and immediately wanted to explain, but Thomas was obviously the kind of Batman who wouldn't listen to explanations, so he wanted to throw the dart. The moment before going out, another figure wandered out of the room.
Thomas looked at the familiar Dick leaning against the guardrail with half-closed eyes and a very sleepy look. He loosened his grip on the weapon, and then heard Dick holding the pillow say: "Didn't Bruce tell you? This It’s the Bat family from another universe, which is us from another universe.”
"Oh, by the way, I read the letter written by the professor. He said that the Batman of that universe is your biological son, and these people are his good helpers and good partners." Thomas paused. He recalled Barry Allen telling him about the origins of the Flashpoint world and a completely different story in another universe.
Are they from the universe where Bruce Jr. became Batman? Thomas' expression remained unchanged, still staring at Nightwing seriously, but he put away the weapon in his hand, rearranged his suit and walked quickly to the sofa, sitting down.
He waved his hand to Dick first and said, "You go back to bed first. You have to get up for class tomorrow morning. By the way, put your French homework on the table. I will go over and check it later." Dick suddenly stiffened, and he The sleepiness flew out of the sky, and he rushed back to the room in a panic.
Then he pointed at Yeyi and said, "You, come here, sit down."
"But I'm going to..."
"You can't go anywhere." Thomas looked at his face and said calmly: "The moment I touched the batarang, all the airports, train stations, and bus stations in Gotham were suspended. Where are you? I can't go either." Yeyi stood there and looked at him, then reluctantly walked over and sat on the sofa after more than ten seconds.
"Name."
"Are you interrogating a prisoner?"
"Answer my question, or it will be."
"Dick Grayson."
"Legal name."
"Richard Grayson."
"Your surname is not Wayne?" Dick pursed his lips and turned his head to the side and said, "In order to commemorate my parents who passed away, I kept my surname."
"Are you Batman's adopted son?"
"So be it."
"Yes or no?"
"I'm his Robin."
"Okay, let me ask another question, is he your legal guardian?" Thomas asked, staring into Nightwing's eyes.
"We have no legal relationship and we don't need that."
"Why doesn't he legally adopt you?" Nightwing opened his mouth, but still emphasized: "That makes no sense, and the conditions are not met. According to the laws of New Jersey..."
"His last name is Wayne, and he still cares about the laws of New Jersey?" Nightwing could have retorted firmly, but there were some confusing thoughts plaguing his mind.
He looked back into Thomas's eyes and couldn't help but ask: "Dick in this world...I mean, his parents are healthy, why would Batman adopt him? And why would he change his surname to Wayne?"
"Of course it is to give Dick a better education. Bruce, myself, and the Graysons all agree on this. Where are there any good schools and teachers in Bludhaven?"
"Of course!" Nightwing instinctively wanted to protect his hometown, but then he said a little unsurely: "Although it may not be as good as Gotham, it is by no means a bad school. The children there are very sensible and the teachers are very good. friendly."
"Happy education, huh?" Thomas snorted from his nostrils. Just when Nightwing was about to open his mouth to ask again, Thomas leaned against the back of the sofa and said to Dick, "Are you very proud of your last name?" Although Nightwing felt a little embarrassed and angry that someone had exposed his secrets so quickly, he still Some eagerly asked: "Batman changed Dick's surname. Do his parents agree?"
"I had this same question when I first came here." Thomas turned around and took the hot tea from Alfred's hand. He glanced down and found that there were some medicinal ingredients he didn't quite recognize in it.
But he still took a sip and continued: "I don't want Bruce to snatch other people's children, but he convinced me."
"What did he say?" Nightwing leaned forward and asked.
"Whether it's Grayson or Wayne is not going to sway the relationship between the two of them, but it will change how others view Dick."
"If Dick can't have a connection with Bruce Wayne in appearance, surname and legal sense that others can see at a glance, then everyone will just see Dick as a poor little guy who was picked up by Mr. Wayne, and they will think that he is not Being taken seriously, I think I might be kicked out one day.”
"But if his name is Richard Wayne, then regardless of whether he is related to Bruce by blood or not, as long as his surname is Wayne, others must give him the respect that Wayne deserves, otherwise it will be contempt for the Wayne family. Not many people in this world can afford such a price." Thomas put down the teacup, sighed and said, "Dick is not originally from Gotham, and outsiders will not be accepted immediately in any environment. Quickly gaining his due status in an unfamiliar circle, Dick needs help and guidance." Thomas keenly noticed that when he finished his last sentence, Nightwing's hand tightened suddenly, but he soon loosened it. .
"Tell me about you." Thomas said at the right time.
"Talk about me? What can I say?" Yeyi looked a little nervous. The atmosphere was obviously like a chat, but it became like an exam because of his tense facial expression and stiff body language.
Thomas felt that such a state was not conducive to conversation, and that being too defensive might lead to fruitless conversations. Therefore, he planned to relieve the tension and start talking about daily life.
Thomas looked Nightwing up and down, estimated his age based on the size difference between him and Dick, picked a topic that might be most acceptable to boys of this age, and asked.
"How is college life? Do you have a girlfriend?" Nightwing blinked, and he answered instinctively: "I don't have a college, and I don't have a girlfriend." Thomas frowned immediately, but he tried to calm down his emotions. He didn't show it too obviously, but deliberately said: "Oh? Did Batman hire a tutor for you?"
"Well, he has been tutoring me..."
"Is it about the Wayne family's business?" Thomas' expression softened slightly and he asked with some concern: "When did you first take over the Wayne family's business? Bruce's business strategy is still relatively conservative, so I guess...fourteen years old?" Nightwing looked a little surprised, but Thomas still asked himself: "What industry did he give you training for the first time? Chemical industry? Construction industry or logistics industry? It's impossible. Is it the military industry?" Looking at Nightwing's expression, Thomas' eyebrows slowly wrinkled again, and he said in a rather unhappy tone: "Don't tell me, he asked you to go and fight with those gangsters on Wall Street. Do you want to engage in finance together with the boss? I remember that when he was a child, I repeatedly emphasized to him that industry is the foundation of Wayne Group, and he didn’t listen at all, right?"
"No." Nightwing replied instinctively. He hurriedly wanted to explain and said hurriedly: "What he taught me was not these, but some methods of fighting crime. Just like Batman, I am his assistant. , do you understand?" Thomas didn't seem to understand, so he asked more specifically: "Then what exactly did he teach you? How many languages do you know? How are your scores in Latin and Arabic?" Nightwing suddenly Feeling one head and two big, he whispered: "Arabic??? Tim doesn't know this, does he? Oh my God, please spare me!" Thomas finally felt that something was wrong, his face After sinking, Nightwing immediately felt the dark atmosphere of Batman enveloped the entire Wayne Manor.
"Let's start at the beginning," Thomas said. "Did you go to a parochial school or a grammar school?"
"I think you may have misunderstood something. Before I was adopted, I had been performing with my parents everywhere..."
"I'm asking after you were adopted!"
"Uh." Nightwing also keenly noticed that something was wrong with Thomas' tone. He woke up a little from the series of questions. He looked at Thomas and asked, "Who are you? Why should I sue you?"
"I am Bruce Wayne's father!" Nightwing's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth opened as wide as if he could fit an egg in. Thomas leaned forward with an aggressive attitude.
Nightwing looked at his face that was very similar to Batman's, and didn't even have the courage to escape. He explained with some dejection: "Batman adopts family education..."
"Then who is your tutor? Professor Rodriguez? Dr. Freese? Is he a professor at Gotham University? Or a full-time tutor at the seminary?"
"It's Batman," Nightwing replied.
"So what did Batman teach you?"
"I told you, he taught me how to fight crime!"
"So what is that method?!" Thomas put one hand on his knee and asked in confusion: "An adult with sound limbs still needs someone to teach him to pull the trigger?"
"Batman doesn't use a gun," Nightwing defended in a low voice.
"You can't even use a gun?!"
"I haven't used it much, but I can pull the trigger..." Nightwing's tone became increasingly unconfident: "He also taught me close combat, driving and rope skills, balance, and tracking skills." Thomas Looking at him with wide eyes, he asked: "What about criminal investigation? What about reasoning? What about information and data collection technology? What about communication science? What about mechanical engineering? Medicine? Law?" Looking at the clear emotion revealed in Ye Yi's expression Stupid, Thomas' fist hardened.
