He currently battled Lady Shiva, a follow up from their last training session which was three days ago.
Lady Shiva stepped back, eyes piercing through the darkness of the training field as Jason stood before her, sweat slick on his body, muscles still aching from their earlier battle. She tilted her head, assessing him with a quiet intensity.
"You've made progress," she said, her voice soft but with a firm undertone. "But now, we test your true limits."
Jason raised an eyebrow, still catching his breath, his mind racing with thoughts of what else she could possibly throw at him. "What, you gonna make me fight blindfolded next?"
Shiva's lips curled into a small, approving smile. "Exactly."
Before Jason could respond, she moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance between them. In the blink of an eye, she had slipped a black cloth over his eyes, binding it firmly behind his head, blocking his vision completely. The world around him plunged into a suffocating darkness.
"Relax, Jase." She tried to help him calm his nerves. "You just lost your sight, what do you have left?" She rhetorically asked him.
He exhaled sharply, his heart rate quickening. His senses were immediately heightened as they were all he had left, the loss of sight forcing him to become acutely aware of every other sound, every subtle shift in the air felt strange since he was genuinely new to this.
The rustling of her movements, the faintest shift of gravel beneath her boots, the whisper of her breath—it all became louder, clearer.
"Focus," Shiva commanded, her voice now barely above a whisper, as if she were speaking from within the very darkness that surrounded him mentally. "Your vision is gone. But you still have your other senses. Use them."
Jason's hands clenched into fists, the familiar weight of the training field pressing against his body. He felt the tension in his muscles, the beat of his heart, the rush of air against his skin.
He couldn't see, but he could feel. He could hear. His mind raced, pushing past the instinctive panic that rose within him. "Stay calm. Stay focused." He muttered to himself.
Shiva's voice broke through. "I will move. You will react. You must feel the shift in the air, listen to the sound of my footsteps. Let your body respond. Feel the subtle shifts in the air and use those instinct of yours without replying on visual images."
He took of his footwear and stood still, holding his breath, trying to concentrate. 'Feel the space around you. Trust your senses. Trust the very senses she previously taught you not to rely fully on.' He thought, humoring himself to her teaching that seem to contradict his last lesson.
A faint sound, like the whisper of silk cutting through the air.
Clearing his mind, Jason snapped into motion, bringing his elbow up just as a fist grazed his ribs. He felt the disturbance, the shift in the air pressure, just moments before Shiva's attack connected.
Shiva took a step back, impressed, though her expression remained as stoic as ever. "Well done. But that was only the beginning."
She moved again, faster this time. Beneath his feet, he could feel mild levels of vibrations made with each step of hers as she closed in on him.
Jason's senses were on high alert now—he could almost hear her calmly regulated breathing, the subtle thud of her feet as they moved across the gravel. But this time, there was no warning.
She came at him from a different angle, from behind. It was a trap, motion signals she feed him as sensed information of her behavior.
Jason's heart pounded, his mind racing as he she really did throw him off guard with that faint. 'Listen. Feel.'
He spun on his heel, twisting his body just in time to feel the sharp brush of Shiva's leg as it came sweeping toward him.
With instinctive precision, he caught it mid-air and forced her off-balance, but it wasn't enough. Shiva's free hand caught his shoulder, twisting him into a controlled fall.
He hit the ground with a thud, the gravel scraping against his skin. A breath escaped his lips, but he didn't let panic creep in. Instead, he pushed himself up with a swift roll, his legs snapping out to meet her as she attempted to regain control.
Shiva was already moving again, but this time, Jason didn't wait for her to strike. He reacted before she even completed her move, the sound of her body's motion almost as clear as a spoken command. He brought his knee up and struck—he didn't see it, but he felt it. The impact was solid.
Shiva's body jerked, a soft grunt escaping her lips as she stumbled back. This time, there was no hiding the slight flicker of approval in her eyes. "Good. Now, again."
Jason nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow, his breath coming fast but steady. He became even more conscious of his immediate surroundings beyond what he thought was possible.
****
The rain fell in relentless sheets, drenching the labyrinthine streets of Gotham City. The gothic architecture loomed like silent sentinels, their shadows stretching long and jagged under the dim glow of flickering streetlights.
Somewhere deep within this urban maze, two of Penguin's henchmen sprinted through the slick, rain-soaked alleys, their breaths ragged and panicked.
The night was alive with the sound of pounding rain and their own frantic footsteps, each splash in the puddles echoing like a drumbeat of dread.
They weren't running for their lives—not exactly. But the fear of what—or who—was chasing them was enough to make their hearts race. A broken bone or two was the least of their worries if their pursuer caught up.
"Where is he?" one of them gasped, his voice barely audible over the downpour. His boots splashed through a puddle as he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide with terror.
The other henchman, equally breathless, kept throwing nervous glances behind them. The streets were empty, save for the rain and the occasional flicker of a distant neon sign. "I don't see him," he replied, his voice trembling. "Maybe… maybe he's gone?"
They skidded to a halt in the middle of the alley, their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath.
The rain soaked through their coats, clinging to their skin like a cold, unwelcome embrace. For a moment, the only sound was the rhythmic patter of rain hitting the pavement.
"Think he gave up?" the first henchman asked, his voice tinged with desperate hope.
"Think again," a voice growled from above, low and menacing, like thunder rolling in the distance.
Before they could react, the Dark Knight descended from the shadows, his cape billowing like the wings of a vengeful specter.
His boots struck the ground with a force that sent both men sprawling into the wet pavement. They scrambled to their knees, hands raised in immediate surrender, their faces pale with fear.
"Wise choice," Batman said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. He loomed over them, his cowl casting dark shadows over his piercing eyes. "Give it to me."
One of the henchmen, his hands shaking uncontrollably, reached into his jacket pocket. He fumbled for a moment before pulling out a small, gleaming object—a gold ring adorned with a blood-red diamond. The stone seemed to glint ominously in the dim light, as if it carried a curse of its own.
Batman took the ring, his gloved hand closing around it with a firm grip. "You two will wait here," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. In one swift motion, he cuffed both men to a nearby steel pipe, the cold metal biting into their wrists.
"But the police…" one of the henchmen stammered, his voice cracking.
"Will be here soon," Batman interrupted, his voice cutting through the rain with a stern tone. "You stole a rare and valuable artifact from Gotham City's Museum. Hope you get comfortable in jail—you'll be there for a while."
With that, he turned and fired his grapple gun. The sharp clang of metal echoed through the alley as the line shot upward, anchoring to a rooftop. In an instant, he was gone, disappearing into the night as quickly as he had arrived.
The two henchmen sat In stunned silence, the rain washing over them as the reality of their situation sank in.
"Thank God," one of them muttered, exhaling a deep breath of relief. "I can't believe we're still in one piece."
His companion nodded shakily. "That's why we didn't fight. You've heard the stories, right? Anyone who resists him ends up in the hospital—or worse."
From the distance, the faint wail of sirens grew louder, cutting through the rain like a warning.
The flashing lights of police cars soon illuminated the alley, painting the walls in alternating shades of red and blue. The officers stepped out, their expressions grim as they approached the cuffed men.
Batman had done his part. The heavy lifting was over. Now, it was up to Gotham's finest to clean up the mess. As the henchmen were hauled into the back of a squad car, the rain continued to fall, washing away the traces of the night's chaos.
But in Gotham, the shadows always remained, and somewhere among them, the Dark Knight watched, ever vigilant, ready to strike again. Either sending criminals to jail, or putting them in a wheel chair.
***
It had been over a week since Jason Todd began his intensive training under the legendary Lady Shiva. The arrangement was temporary, a favor she owed to Ra's al Ghul, but it was an opportunity Jason couldn't afford to waste.
He had put all his League activities and other training on hold, dedicating himself entirely to her teachings. Lady Shiva was a force of nature, a martial artist whose reputation was built on precision, lethality, and an almost supernatural understanding of combat.
Talia had told him this was his chance to learn from one of the best, even if it meant enduring her relentless and often brutal methods.
To her surprise, Jason proved to be an unusually quick study. His natural talent for combat, honed through years of street brawls and League training, allowed him to pick up techniques with remarkable speed.
However, his progress was uneven. While he excelled in physical combat—hitting, blocking, and countering with precision—he struggled to master the mental discipline required to control his chaotic impulses.
Lady Shiva observed this with a mix of amusement and frustration. He was a storm, unpredictable and raw, but she could see the potential beneath the turbulence.
At the very least, he hadn't sent anyone to the infirmary since she arrived. That was a small victory, though it might have been because she was the only one he'd been sparring with lately.
Their sessions were intense, often pushing Jason to his limits, but he never backed down. He was determined to prove himself, to show her—and himself—that he could rise above his own limitations.
On this particular day, they were deep into another training session. Jason stood in the center of the training ground, blindfolded, his senses heightened as he focused on the world around him.
Lady Shiva circled him like a predator, her movements silent and fluid, betraying no hint of her next attack. She was a shadow, moving like a whisper, her presence felt more than seen. Jason's body was tense, his muscles coiled like springs, ready to react at the slightest provocation.
When she lunged, he didn't just react—he moved with her. His body twisted and ducked in a fluid dance, his movements guided not by sight but by sound, by the subtle shifts in the air, by the vibrations beneath his bare feet.
Lady Shiva struck again, this time with a flurry of rapid blows, each one aimed to take him down.
But Jason didn't flinch. He didn't hesitate. He moved with the rhythm of her attack, his body a reflection of the space between them, anticipating her every motion before she even made it.
Although going easy on him, each strike was blocked or redirected, each step taken in perfect harmony with the chaos of the fight.
Shiva's voice cut through the air, low and measured, carrying a note of satisfaction. "Better. You're learning to listen to your surroundings, not just with your ears, but with subtle shifts in the air."
Jason, still moving in tandem with her, felt a strange sense of calm at the moment. For the first time, it wasn't about overpowering his opponent. It wasn't about brute force or sheer will.
It was about understanding, about engaging a fight with a flow as if it were a dance. He was no longer a blind man stumbling through the dark. He was averagely aware of her movements, every shift in the air around him.
Lady Shiva shifted again, faster this time, as if testing him. But Jason was ready. He felt the force of her leg sweeping toward him and, with a fluid motion, stepped inside the arc of her attack.
His palm connected with her midsection, sending her back with a controlled force that was more about precision than power.
She stopped, her breath steady, her gaze locked onto him. For a long moment, she said nothing. The quiet of the training ground stretched out between them like a chasm, filled with unspoken respect and acknowledgement.
Finally, she spoke, her voice low but rich with approval. "You've done it. You've learned to fight without relying solely on your vision. In doing so, you've engaged your other senses in a way that few ever master."
Jason stood there, breathing heavily as he removed his blindfold. His senses felt sharper, more attuned to the world around him. A new clarity washed over him, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a sense of accomplishment. "I get it now," he said, his voice steady, a familiar smirk creeping back onto his lips.
Lady Shiva's lips curled into the faintest of smiles—so subtle it barely counted as a smile. But it was there, a rare acknowledgment of his progress. She believed she had done her part. The rest was up to him.
"As much as you enjoy spending time with me," she said, running a hand through her hair, which had been tousled by the intensity of their sparring and the mountain breeze, "this concludes our training together."
Jason blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?!" he responded, his voice tinged with confusion. "I barely have a grasp on your teachings. I'm not ready to just move on. There's still so much I need to learn."
She fixed him with a cool, unyielding gaze. "I only came here because I owed the Demon's Head a favor. I am not obligated to be your instructor."
Jason opened his mouth to argue but found he couldn't. She was right. This had always been temporary, a brief interlude in his journey. He nodded, swallowing his frustration.
"Good," she said, seeing his acceptance. Without another word, she turned to leave.
"Thank you," Jason called after her, his voice sincere. "For everything you've done. Hopefully, our paths will cross again."
She paused, glancing back at him over her shoulder. "I'm sure they will," she replied. "Keep on your path of self-discovery, and don't slack off with your training. You have a long journey ahead of you."
With that, she walked away, her figure disappearing into the building across the courtyard. Jason stood there, watching her go, a mix of gratitude and determination burning in his chest.