"Go!"
The Lizard flicked his tail, hurling a tree over twenty centimeters in diameter and thirteen meters tall into the sky.
At his command, Devil Dinosaur lunged forward, its massive feet hitting the ground with a thunderous roar. It caught the falling tree in its maw, wagged its tail like a dog presenting a prize, and dropped it before the Lizard.
"Good boy," the Lizard nodded repeatedly. He turned sideways, coiled his tail around the tree, and tossed it into the sky once more.
When Batman arrived at the core area of Batman Island carrying a small suitcase, this was the scene he witnessed—a display that looked remarkably like a man training a dog.
Although Devil Dinosaur's injuries hadn't fully healed, the most serious wounds—aside from its missing horns—were merely superficial burns. Thanks to the various reptiles the Lizard had summoned via pheromones to keep the beast fed, its recovery speed was incredibly fast. Only yesterday it had been lying on the ground at death's door; today, it was already running and jumping.
"Batman," the Lizard greeted him, baring a mouthful of fangs.
"Professor, it seems you and the big guy are getting along well," Batman said.
"Exceedingly well. He has completely accepted me as a father figure," the Lizard replied. "When do you plan to send him away?"
"The day after tomorrow."
The Lizard nodded. "Still, giving him to the little girl, Lunella, is essentially putting him in the hands of Reed Richards. Aren't you afraid he'll use this dinosaur to cause more trouble?"
"Compared to the dinosaur, I'm more concerned about the Omni-Wave Projector," Batman said.
"So, where is it?" the Lizard asked. "You should have taken the Omni-Wave Projector away by now."
"It's already been handled."
The Lizard watched as Devil Dinosaur trotted back again, tree in mouth. He took it with one hand, but instead of throwing it this time, he casually thrust it into the ground.
It was as if the tree had never been uprooted.
Batman looked down at his feet. This was the core area of Batman Island—the site where the Parker Estate and the Batcave beneath it were being constructed. With a single thrust, the Lizard had driven the trunk deep into the unfinished foundation.
Noticing Batman's gaze, the Lizard looked down, pulled the tree back out, and with a few swipes of his claws, shredded it into countless pieces of lumber.
Devil Dinosaur waited expectantly for its "father" to continue the game of fetch. Seeing the tree was gone, it let out a low whimper and slumped onto the ground.
The Lizard took a few steps forward, gently stroking Devil Dinosaur's head with his claws. He turned to Batman and said, "I'd like to find some time to go back and see my children, Batman."
"I'll go with you," Batman said.
"You'll terrify them. My wife is easily frightened," the Lizard said with a bitter smile.
"I will use my other identity," Batman responded.
Only then did the Lizard realize that Batman meant he would go as Peter Parker.
In the span of nearly a month and a week, Peter Parker had only visited South Brother Island once. The rest of the time, he was Batman, clad in the Arkham suit. The image was so pervasive that the Lizard had almost forgotten the person beneath the mask was a young man barely in his early twenties.
"They will be very happy to see you, Peter," the Lizard said, a gruesome smile appearing on his face.
"I want to discuss something with you privately, Professor." Batman looked into the Lizard's eyes. "I am about to form an alliance."
"Like in the movies? A group of like-minded people coming together for a common goal?" the Lizard asked, still stroking the dinosaur's head.
Batman remained noncommittal.
"I accept," the Lizard said without hesitation. He didn't even ask what the alliance was called or what its purpose was.
"You trust me?" Batman asked.
"Of course. Not just because I trust Peter Parker, but because I trust who you are now as Batman," the Lizard laughed. Though it was a genuine laugh, on his reptilian face, it looked nothing short of terrifying.
"I thought you would hesitate," Batman said expressionlessly.
"There's nothing to hesitate about, Peter," the Lizard said. "Ever since you brought Professor Morbius to South Brother Island, I knew you would eventually propose this."
"Why?" Batman asked.
"Because you don't have enough energy to deal with more and more... monsters like us." The Lizard paused. "You need us to keep each other in check. The formation of an alliance was inevitable."
As he spoke, the Lizard pointed to the suitcase in Batman's hand. "What's in there?"
Batman didn't answer but handed the suitcase over.
The Lizard didn't bother opening it properly; he simply shredded the casing with a claw, revealing the contents: a pair of briefs and a white lab coat.
"Just what I needed." The Lizard chuckled. As his bones began to crack and shift, his body shrank from a massive lizard back into a naked human form.
He quickly pulled on the underwear and the lab coat, then let out a long, comfortable stretch.
Batman's gaze wasn't on the now-human Dr. Connors, but past him, fixed on Devil Dinosaur. The moment Connors reverted to human form, Batman was prepared to strike if the dinosaur showed any sign of aggression.
But Devil Dinosaur didn't move. It remained lying obediently on the ground, maintaining its sluggish, toy-less pout.
Dr. Connors noticed Batman's wary look and glanced back at the dinosaur.
"Don't worry, Peter. It's very smart. Aside from not being able to speak, it fully understands that I am the Lizard."
"If it's truly that smart, I need to consider whether it will expose our identities after I give it to Lunella," Batman said cautiously.
"Uh, it's not that smart," Dr. Connors said, straightening his lab coat. "Think of it like a Border Collie. Intelligent, but still a dog."
"Regarding the alliance, what are your thoughts?" Batman changed the subject.
"Many," Connors replied.
"Tony, I'm here on behalf of the U.S. Air Force to make an offer for a prototype of the Iron Man suit."
At Stark Tower, Colonel Rhodes spoke to Tony.
"I'm sorry, Rhodey." Tony poured a drink for the Colonel. "You know as well as I do that this acquisition isn't going to happen, right?"
Colonel Rhodes took the glass, downed it in one go, and set it aside.
"Of course I know. The first thing those generals would do the moment they got their hands on your suit is turn it into a weapon. But have you considered that even if I can't buy it from you, other generals will come for you? They might even use public opinion to force your hand."
Tony Stark's eyes were bright as he looked at Rhodes.
"Then let them come."
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