"Hey! You two pieces of trash! Didn't you hear me? Hand over everything you've got!"
The tall bully swung his baseball bat lazily, pointing it straight at Dean and Cassandra with a cruel grin.
"Or do you want me to shove this where it hurts?"
His voice echoed in the narrow alley, full of cheap bravado.
Dean didn't react immediately.
Instead, his eyes moved slightly—sharp, cautious.
He glanced behind him first.
No footsteps.
No shadows shifting.
No backup waiting in ambush.
Just… empty space.
Dean's expression twitched slightly.
"Seriously?" he thought.
These guys weren't even trying.
Blocking people in an alley was one thing—but not even securing the escape route? No weapons beyond bats? No coordination?
This wasn't a robbery. This was amateur hour.
"If criminals in Gotham were all like this," Dean thought dryly, "Batman could retire tomorrow."
Even the Gotham City Police Department might not need detectives anymore—just traffic officers.
The tall bully snapped his fingers.
The other two stepped forward, gripping their weapons tightly.
The three of them began to close in slowly.
Dean sighed.
"Gotham really is full of surprises…"
And then—
Whoosh!
Cassandra moved.
No warning.
No hesitation.
One second she was standing beside Dean—
The next—
She was gone.
A blur of motion shot forward like a shadow tearing through the air.
Dean's eyes widened slightly.
"She's even faster than before…"
But the three bullies?
They didn't notice anything unusual.
All they saw was a small girl charging at them.
And they laughed.
"Look at her!" the leader mocked, making exaggerated faces. "That expression! I'm so scared, I might cry!"
The other two burst out laughing.
"And that guy over there—" he pointed at Dean, still standing still—"he's so scared he can't even move!"
He smirked.
"What are you—"
CRACK!
A sharp, brutal sound cut him off.
His expression twisted instantly.
"AAAHHHHH!"
The leader collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg.
Cassandra stood in front of him, her foot just retracting from the kick.
She had shattered his calf in a single strike.
"YOU—YOU BITCH!" he screamed, rolling on the ground in agony. "MY LEG! MY LEG!"
"Mom! MOM!"
The two others froze for half a second.
Then—
"Boss!"
They roared and charged forward, swinging their bats wildly.
But Cassandra didn't even flinch.
She stepped sideways—once, twice—
Effortlessly dodging both attacks.
Then she moved.
Her body slipped between them like flowing water.
Before they could react—
SWEEP!
Her leg struck low, taking one of them off his feet instantly.
He crashed to the ground.
The other one panicked and swung his bat again.
Too slow.
Cassandra had already moved.
She leaped forward—
Her hand struck his wrist with pinpoint precision.
CRACK!
The bat fell from his hand.
Before he could scream—
THUD!
Her elbow slammed into his ribs.
Once.
Twice.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sound of bones breaking echoed in the alley.
The boy's body folded forward, his mouth open in silent agony.
He couldn't even scream.
Cassandra grabbed his arm, twisted her body—
And in one smooth motion—
THREW HIM.
A perfect over-the-shoulder throw.
His body flew through the air—
And crashed into his fallen companion.
BOOM!
Both of them hit the ground hard.
One lost consciousness instantly.
The other lay on top, gasping in pain, unable to move.
Silence fell.
Cassandra stood still.
Her expression calm.
Her breathing steady.
To her left—
The leader writhed on the ground, crying in pain.
To her right—
Two broken bodies lay tangled together.
The entire fight—
Lasted only seconds.
Dean blinked slowly.
He looked down at his hand.
A few small stones rested in his palm.
He had been ready to intervene.
Ready to throw them.
Ready to act.
But now—
"…Guess I didn't need these," he muttered.
His eyes lifted again, studying Cassandra carefully.
Her movements hadn't been random.
Every strike—precise.
Every action—efficient.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
She didn't fight to scare them. She fought to disable them.
And she had done it with frightening ease.
Dean narrowed his eyes slightly.
"This isn't natural…"
This wasn't street fighting.
This was training.
Professional training.
The kind that turned people into weapons.
For a brief moment, one name flashed in his mind—
Robin.
Young.
Skilled.
Deadly.
And yet—
Cassandra felt even colder.
More focused.
As if violence was something she had long accepted.
As if breaking bones…
Was just routine.
Nearby, the boy with glasses—Mikey—sat frozen against the wall.
His mouth hung open slightly.
"H-how…"
He stared at Cassandra with wide eyes.
His thoughts raced wildly.
"Is this… some kind of ancient martial art?"
"Is she one of those hidden masters?"
"Did I just witness something unreal?"
Cassandra turned back toward Dean.
She waved lightly.
Then signed with calm confidence—
"It's okay now. Come."
"I've already taken care of them."
But she didn't see it.
Behind her—
Mikey's expression changed.
The fear disappeared.
Replaced by something darker.
Greed.
Slowly, carefully—
He reached into his pocket.
And pulled out—
A handgun.
His hand trembled slightly as he raised it.
His eyes locked onto Cassandra's back.
"Those idiots were useless…" he muttered under his breath.
"They couldn't even handle a little girl…"
His gaze shifted briefly toward Dean.
Recognition flashed.
"Wait… that's Dean Thurston…"
"A famous magician…"
"Rich…"
His breathing quickened.
"If I take him down…"
"I'll never have to worry about money again…"
His lips curled into a greedy smile.
But first—
He had to remove the threat.
Cassandra.
He tightened his grip.
And pulled the trigger.
BANG—!
—or at least, it should have been.
But before the sound could even fully echo—
WHOOSH!
A stone cut through the air like a bullet.
SMACK!
It struck Mikey's wrist with brutal force.
"AAAH!"
The gun flew from his hand instantly.
He clutched his wrist, screaming in pain.
Cassandra turned immediately.
Her eyes locked onto the fallen gun.
Then onto Mikey.
Understanding hit instantly.
The boy she had just saved—
Had tried to shoot her.
For a moment—
Her expression didn't change.
But then—
Something shifted.
A quiet anger.
Cold.
Sharp.
Real.
The air around her seemed to grow heavier.
And for the first time—
Cassandra Cain was truly angry.
-------------------------------------------------
Want more?
Daily updates. No waiting.❤️🔥
Patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------------