Chapter 35

Marinette's P.O.V:

"How about some video games?" Adrien asked after we ended the call with my parents.

"That sounds fun." Dick said as he walked over to the giant flat screen in the living room and opened up a cabinet filled all kinds of games. "What do you want to play?" Dick asked everyone.

"Ultimate Mecha Strike" Adrien, Max and I all said at the same time.

"Okay." Dick nodded. "UMS4 it is then. Teams?" He asked.

"Absolutely." Max grinned. "Who's playing first?"

"Tim and I will be on the first team." Dick said putting the disk into the console.

"You and Adrien can go first." I say to Max.

"You just started a loosing battle, my friends." Alix said looking at both Dick and Tim as she got comfortable on the couch.

"I don't know. Timmy here is a beast when it comes to any game ever." Jason said while watching as the game started up.

"May the best team win." I said while Adrien and Max shook the other team's hand.

Everyone watched them play and it was clear to anyone there that Tim was carrying his team. It might have even been a close match if it wasn't for Dick slowing him down.

"Wow." Dick looked over at Adrien and Max. "You two really know how to play." Dick said amazed.

"We didn't even show you our best player." Adrien smirked at me.

"Max, why don't you switch teams so you can give Tim a chance." Kim said excitedly. "I want to see a serious match."

"Only if Dick is willing to give up his spot." Max set down the controller.

"I'm good with that." Dick hands over his controller to me. "I want to see what Cupcakes got."

"Alright, bugaboo, it's your time to shine." Adrien grins at me.

"Sorry, Max." I look sadly at my friend.

"I've been practicing. You might not win this time." Max looked determined as he picked his character.

"Don't hold back." I smiled.

I can tell that even Bruce and Alfred were impressed at the skill we all were showing. A single round lasted until the timer went out and the team with the most health points won. The game lasted the full three rounds and Adrien and I won by only a hair.

"Pound it!" Adrien and I bumped fists. "Good game you guys!" I smiled brightly at everyone. "I seriously think if you two were used to each other's fighting styles that you might have beaten us." I said honestly.

"Yeah, that was fun." Tim nodded. "I don't think I've ever been so challenged by this game before." Tim admitted.

"Hey, anytime you want a challenge you know where to find me." I giggled.

"Where did you learn to play this, Angel?" Damian smiled at me.

"Believe it or not, it's Papa who taught me but now I can beat him with my eyes closed." I said proudly.

"She definitely gets her competitive side from Tom." Adrien informed.

"And her fighting side from Sabine." Chloe added.

"Yeah, Sabine can scare me sometimes." Kim admitted.

"So, who wants to play next?" I lightly shook the controller.-----------"Wow, this food was really good." Alix said while we all sat down to eat dinner.

"I know, right? Alfred made it." I point to the butler.

"Well thank you, Alfred." Alix smiled at the man.

"I'm glad you like it, Miss Kubdel." Alfred bowed his head to her as he collected all the dishes.

"It sucks we are going to have to leave soon." Adrien frowned.

"It's okay. I'll still see you all tomorrow at Gotham Academy." I smiled at my friends.

"I'll see you all there too." Damian said to all my friends.

"Are we going to be in your class?" Chloe asked him.

"That is correct." He nodded.

"Looks like tomorrow is going to be exciting." Kim laughed.

"You bet it will." Jason laughed too.

"You don't like Lila too?" Max raised an eyebrow at Jason.

"She's telling your class that I'm homeless. What is there to like about her?" Jason deadpanned.

"Oh, that's right." Alix looked around the lavish dining room. "You seem to be doing pretty well considering." Alix said amused.--------------"I will see you all tomorrow." I hugged each of my friend's goodbye as each stood in front of their hotel.

Damian and I waited until they were all inside the hotel before getting back inside the limo.

"So, how did you like my friends?" I asked while looking over at my boyfriend.

"They seem to care for you very much so they are all okay in my book." He smiles at me. "They are far better than the rest of your class. Although, maybe that's not saying much. A dead goldfish would be better than the rest of your class."

I laugh at the joke and can see Damian looking at me like he wants to make me laugh more. He looks completely mesmerized and I blush at the way he looks at me.

I could see Alfred watching us in his rear-view mirror and he smiles. Once the laughter has calmed down, Alfred clears his throat to get our attention. "Please don't forget that you two have training tonight with Master Bruce. The two of you need to change and get ready for that once we get home."

"Sure thing, Alfred." I replied.-----------"Demon spawn and Sunshine finally made it." Jason looks at the two of us as we enter the gym.

"Okay everyone, pair up. Marinette, you're with me." Bruce ordered.

All of the boy's pair up with each other and begin to start their own training exercises like they have done it a million times before. I watched their coordination for a second before going to stand in front of Bruce.

"What are we doing today Bruce?" I looked eagerly up at him.

"As you may already know, I was evaluating you the other day while you spared with my boys." I nodded while he talked. "Today I would like to start to refine your skills. We all already know that you are patient, observant and quick but that can't always help you in a fight. You are surprisingly very strong for a girl your size but that wont always be enough. Even with all of these qualities, you and I both know that your best trait is your quick thinking under stressful situations, but do you know your worst trait?" Bruce asked.

"No." I shook my head.

"Think back to your sparring the other day. Did you win every fight?" He asked.

"No. Damian beat me and Dick and I ended on a draw."

"Then let's start with your fight with Dick. Why do you think neither of you won?"

I had to think about that for a moment. They were both pretty evenly matched. When one would advance, the other would counter and move out of the way. It was like constant a dance. "I guess we stuck to the same actions and reactions and never changed it up." I said.

"Correct. You never want to stick to the same thing or else you will be too easy for others to read. Observations and speed will never be enough if your opponent can do the same thing. Now what about with Damian?" He asked.

"Well when I took him to the ground, he was stronger than me. He was able to overpower me and pin me down."

"And you were a little distracted." Bruce raised an eyebrow at me like he was teasing me.

"Okay, maybe." I looked down at my shoes, a bit embarrassed.

"But with Damian, you can turn that around and distract him. You could have done that at the end there if you really wanted to." He smiled at me but then quickly gave me a serious face. "But today we should start with your grappling. Many of the people you will fight here in Gotham will be bigger and stronger than you but you can still beat them in a one on one if you find yourself on the ground with them."

"Usually when I'm in those situations I use my lucky charm. But that only gives me five minutes." I said.

"And you need to not rely on that unless it's an absolute last resort. We especially don't want your classmates to figure things out. We can work more with your magic once you come back after the summer." Bruce says.

"You're right." I nodded. "So tell me what you want me to do."