The two reappeared in the center of the Dueling Field. The Transcendent jumped down from the Sky Island, came between them, and began interviewing them separately. He first approached the Main Universe Superman and said, "It's a pity, Superman. Your last counterattack was brilliant, but unfortunately, the speed of the Heat Beam wasn't as fast as the dart..."
The Main Universe Superman shook his head and said, "It's not that the speed of the Heat Beam wasn't as fast as the dart. It's that he had already thrown the dart in that direction before leaving the vehicle."
"Are you saying he predicted your action?"
"Yes and no. He can calculate the best dart throwing position. When I threw out the Batmobile, there happened to be a point along its flight path that was one of the best positions. So, when the Batmobile reached that point, he had already thrown the dart. And I only shot the Heat Beam afterward."
"I see." The Transcendent couldn't help but applaud and said, "So you didn't think he would throw a dart?"
"I thought about it. But I had to gamble that he wouldn't aim for the best position under such urgency, but evidently, he is Batman. He wouldn't fail in such a matter."
The Main Universe Superman took a deep breath; those words just now were actually from Batwoman. He couldn't calculate the best position. Then he expressed his own views.
"Actually, I was at a disadvantage from the start of this battle. I can see that his development in the last game was better than mine. He must have acquired several useful items. The skill effects that are guaranteed to knock down won't be available from the start..."
"Alright! Let's ask Batman whether that's the case." The Transcendent handed the microphone to Arkham Batman.
Arkham Batman nodded and said, "Indeed that's the case. But it's not any items, it's skill upgrades. After achieving a certain number of technical moves and knocking down enough enemies, my skills got upgraded, and now all my skills are at full level."
"My goodness, your development is impressive." The Transcendent exclaimed.
"My mode requires no luck, just effort," Arkham Batman said. "If I relied on luck to search for items, I might not be able to win the regional champion."
The Main Universe Superman nodded repeatedly and said, "We rely too much on luck. We should've practiced your skills rather than rush off to find items."
"I've said it before. My skill to summon the Dead Water Army, although it looks strong, has too low a ceiling, usable only in water. Reality proved my choice right. Had we focused on underwater skills, we might not even be able to fight back in the final duel."
Batwoman naturally had his frustrations. In the whole battle just now, his skills weren't used at all. His skill was to summon the Dead Water Army, which was composed of water, and the final Dueling Field was entirely devoid of water.
In previous regional duels, their assigned location happened to be in the Deep Sea, so that set of skills was particularly useful. They could even drive other contestants away, limiting their time to search for resources, thereby winning the final skirmish.
He's quite foresightful. He knows his skill has limitations. No matter how many critical items are found, even when upgraded to the highest level, the ceiling isn't high. Even during the regional duel's final skirmish, victory still relied on Superman's skills. The summoned minions were, at best, an atmosphere group.
Simplifying this complex explanation, Batwoman is a hero suited for the early phases when others aren't strong, and he can summon many minions, naturally grabbing more development time. But later, when everyone has developed, those minions become somewhat dispensable.
"Batman is still extraordinarily strong," the Main Universe Superman said. "I never thought Batman from my universe would team up with another Batman. They usually wouldn't do that."
"This shows he's under considerable pressure," Batwoman said. "For now, you should return and standby. If anything urgent happens, you'll be ready to go immediately."
"What do you mean?" asked the Main Universe Superman.
"I also don't know the specific details. In short, some darkness in the universe is awakening. The Primary Universe Batman is investigating this matter; I don't know how much he knows. But perhaps he feels that he can't resolve it on his own, prompting him to practice collaborating with other Batmen."
"I see," the Main Universe Superman said. "Then I should go find other Supermen to team up with later."
"What do you think?" Arkham Batman asked.
"You're right; your combat mode is unique, unlike anyone else's and hard to cooperate with; you are better suited for solo combat."
"I've always said, it's not that I want to be a lone wolf, but that my combat style is more suited to being an assassin."
"You would be quite a formidable assassin."
And clearly, the Transcendent wasn't planning to let them off easily. Having secured the chance for an interview, he was bound to dig up some gossip. Didn't he know what the audience wanted to hear?
"Hello, Superman, I have another question. It's slightly related to the match, but you can opt not to answer…"
"You mean, this question is completely unrelated to the match, and if I don't answer, the audience will definitely dislike me, right?" The Main Universe Superman didn't hold back. "You are a reporter; you should know this trick, shouldn't you?"
The Transcendent wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Ah, I didn't mean it that way. You know no one can force you. But we're all curious. Why did you pair with Batman from another universe?"
"As for this, I must say. I haven't had any conflict with Batman from my universe. We remain as we always have, and the Justice League is as united as ever. Regarding why I teamed up with other Batmen, the reason isn't complicated; I happened to meet one in the last game and felt our cooperation was good, so I tried it. I believe the significance of Multiverse collaboration is that it frees us from being limited to our own universe. We should make friends with different universe inhabitants, exploring new possibilities. Only then can we better handle future crises because, when darkness strikes, you can't be sure who you'll be with. More communication and practice is necessary."
Oh, heavens. Batwoman said in her mind. You sound just like the PR spokesperson for those cheating Hollywood stars.
Cheating?
The point is Hollywood.
It's the professional ethics of being a journalist.
But the Transcendent seemed to completely ignore all of this. He directly asked. She's very pretty, right?
I think. We shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, that's very superficial...
Alright, let me ask it differently. Batman is handsome, right?
That's a widely accepted fact.
Okay, got it, and I think the audience knows it too. The Transcendent glanced around.
Yes, right after Main Universe Superman answered the question, the audience erupted. Everyone was excited, though they weren't sure what they were excited about.
So they're not a couple? Magneto in the waiting area asked.
Who are you talking about?
Superman and Batman. Aren't they lovers?
Of course not, they're just partners.
Then what's the audience so excited about?
This... I don't know either.
On the other side. Bruce looked at Selina and asked. Darling, do you think I'm handsome?
Of course, Selina answered without hesitation. If you're not a handsome guy, then there are no handsome guys in this world.
So did you fall in love with me because I'm handsome?
Selina closed her eyes tightly, her expression full of confusion or perhaps irritation. But when she opened her eyes again, she looked at Bruce as if he were the dim-witted child of a landowner and said, When I first met you, most of your face was covered by a mask, how could I tell if you're handsome or not?
So you're saying you fell in love with me at first sight?
But for many moments after that, you never took off your mask.
I mean, did you fall in love with me while I was Batman?
Selina became slightly annoyed and said. Weren't we together at that time? Or are you saying we hadn't started dating back then? You damn...
The words "jerk" hadn't left her mouth before Bruce kissed her, stopping her from continuing. Then he asked. Do you think I've changed a lot? Like I'm not the person you liked?
Bruce, when will you realize? You've never changed, you've always been like this. From the beginning, your curiosity about me was uncontrollable. As long as I was around, you would definitely chase after me. Later, you would fulfill every unreasonable demand Aisha made, no matter how exhausting it was to take care of kids. Then, you'd charge into the slums like a fool, making a complete mess of yourself, without even knowing why. From start to finish, your true nature isn't that of a mature and stable adult. The serious Batman image you had before was just you forcing yourself into that mold. That wasn't really you.
Bruce was silent for quite a while. After a moment, he nodded and said. You've got a point.
Look at them, Selina turned to the center of the stage where Arkham Batman stood, she was referring to Arkham Batman and Primary Universe Batman. And she continued. They've long passed the stage of self-exploration and discovering the world, they have their own opinions about everything. Even things they've never encountered can be deduced based on what they have experienced and common sense, and they're usually right. Their viewpoints and assumptions are very mature.
But you've never been like that. Your imagined Batman is off. Your imagined family life isn't like what you might actually encounter. The fantasies you hold about the slums and your situation within them are unrealistic. These are signs of immaturity. You've always been like this, never changed.
Selina pondered a bit more and said. That's also why most Universe's Catwomen can't stay with Batman for long, even if they once stepped into the marriage hall, they would eventually separate. Because essentially, Batman is too mature. Like a towering wall. While Catwoman prefers uncertainty. She needs a tree with countless branches, even if some branches are unstable, making you fall hard when you step on them. It's more joyful than walking on flat, unvarying concrete ground.
So does this mean we're a match made in heaven?
Absolutely, Selina smiled at him. Then with lips dusted with chili powder, she gave him a kiss and said. If you don't want me to treat you like a scratching post, don't let me fall, darling.