Chapter 12: Solomon Grundy (3)

[Third Person's PoV] 

"Alright, stay here," Robin ordered in a hushed tone. "I'll try to dispose of them quickly."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Danny scoffed, crossing his arms. "I might not be a ghost right now, but I was still trained by Batman."

"For a week!" Robin hissed through gritted teeth.

"And a few days~," Danny added matter-of-factly. "They count too."

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself, "Was I this insufferable when I first started? How has Batman not gotten rid of me by now..." Shaking his head to refocus, he turned back to Danny.

"Just. Stay. Put," Robin said slowly before leaping onto the crates at the sound of gunfire slowing down. In a swift motion, he threw three birdarangs toward the shelves where most of the gunshots had originated.

Beep Beep Beep

The birdarangs emitted a rapid beeping before exploding, sending the shelves crashing down.

Panicked shouts erupted as the men hiding behind the shelves scrambled. Those on the edges managed to dive out of the way, but one unfortunate man rolled too close to Robin, aiming his weapon in desperation.

Robin kicked the gun aside, then kneed the man in the face. Without missing a beat, he grabbed another birdarang and spun, hurling it at a second man across the room. The birdarang embedded itself in the man's hand, drawing a scream as he dropped his weapon. Robin completed the motion with a backward kick, sending the first man flying into a wall with a loud crash.

Danny peeked from behind the crates, watching with wide eyes. 'Awesome~!' he thought, marveling as Robin shot his grappling hook at the leg of the second man, yanking him off his feet. As the man was pulled toward him, Robin delivered a powerful kick to his face, knocking him unconscious.

"Dodge!" Danny shouted.

Robin didn't hesitate, flipping out of the way just as a bullet whizzed past him. One of the men had crawled out from beneath the toppled shelves and taken aim.

Without pause, Robin charged, dodging the frantic shots. He shoved the gun aside and unleashed a flurry of punches until the man slumped, unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Robin turned. "Thanks for the save."

Danny didn't respond. Robin's gaze shifted to find Danny standing stiffly, hands raised toward the ceiling. A nervous-looking man had an arm wrapped tightly around Danny's neck, pressing a gun to his temple.

"A little conundrum I've found myself in," Danny said dryly. "He snuck up behind me."

"Shut it, kid!" the man barked. His grip tightened as he glanced nervously at Robin. "If he's here," he growled, jerking his chin toward Robin, "then Batman's gotta be close. You're my ticket outta this."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "You need help?"

"Nah~," Danny replied nonchalantly.

Before the man could react, Danny shoved the gun upward with one hand. The weapon discharged, the bullet burying itself harmlessly in the ceiling. At the same time, Danny drove his elbow into the man's gut, forcing a pained grunt as his grip loosened.

In a fluid motion, Danny grabbed the man's arm, twisted it over his shoulder, and flipped him onto the ground with a thunderous thud. He followed up by snapping the man's wrist with a sharp, audible crack. The man screamed, dropping the gun, but Danny didn't give him a chance to recover. A swift strike rendered him unconscious.

Robin blinked, slightly impressed. "Not bad."

Danny dusted off his hands, grinning. "Told you. I've got this."

Danny then shot Robin an incredulous look. "Although, a bit of concern for my safety would've been appreciated. Instead, I got a simple, 'You need help?'"

Robin smirked. "Like you said, you've been trained by Batman—for a week and a few days, no less. You might as well already be an expert. There was no need for concern."

Danny rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go see if Batman needs help already."

Robin nodded, though he silently doubted the possibility. With a flick of his wrist, he launched birdarangs at the door, blowing it open. The two of them rushed out into the chaos.

They had barely stepped into the open when a booming shout echoed through the building.

"SOLOMON GRUNDY, BORN ON A MONDAY!"

A massive, grey-skinned figure burst through the second-floor door, railing creaking under the sheer force of his weight. Batman was on him, tackling him with everything he had. The two figures smashed through the railing, plummeting toward the ground below.

Grundy growled, twisting in midair to pin Batman beneath him. His enormous arms locked around Batman like steel cables, intent on taking him down hard.

"I'm going ghost!" Danny declared suddenly, twin white rings appearing around his waist.

In an instant, he transformed into his ghost form, his legs dissolving into a wispy tail. With a burst of speed—112 mph/180 km/h, to be exact—Danny shot toward the falling duo. The entire sequence played out in seconds.

Danny zipped beneath the pair, taking hold of Batman's shoulders. Activating his intangibility, he phased himself and Batman right through Grundy's bulk.

BOOM!

Grundy hit the ground face-first with an earth-shaking impact. The floor cracked and splintered beneath his massive frame, chunks of debris scattering everywhere.

Danny gently lowered Batman to the ground, his breathing labored from the exertion of transforming back and forth so quickly.

"Stay focused," Batman ordered firmly, as Danny caught his breath. Grundy let out a low growl, already beginning to rise. "He's not the type to go down after just one hit."

Batman turned to both Danny and Robin. "Follow my lead."

He stepped forward, raising a hand to Grundy. "Grundy, I don't want to hurt you. We're trying to help, but you have to let us."

Grundy snarled in response, his red eyes blazing with fury.

Danny leaned closer to Batman, whispering, "I think he's mad because you threw him off the second floor."

"Not helping," Batman replied coldly, his focus unbroken.

Grundy roared, charging toward them with reckless abandon. Batman braced himself, slipping on his brass knuckles as he fell into a fighting stance.

"Get ready," Batman said, his voice low and steady.

Grundy ignored both Danny and Robin, his red eyes locked on Batman as he charged. He swung a massive fist at Batman, who sidestepped gracefully and countered with a sharp uppercut to Grundy's jaw.

Grundy roared and retaliated, swinging his enormous arms in chaotic arcs. Batman ducked, weaved, and moved fluidly, evading each wild strike.

Danny, seizing an opportunity, fired a green ghost ray at the back of Grundy's knee. The beam hit its mark, forcing Grundy to drop to one knee with a growl of frustration.

Robin was already in motion. He leapt onto Grundy's broad back, planting two electric shock disks into the brute's shoulders. The devices sparked and crackled as they discharged their energy, sending jolts of pain through Grundy's body.

Grundy bellowed, thrashing violently in an attempt to shake Robin off. He reached back to grab him, but Robin flipped gracefully off his back before Grundy could make contact.

Grundy spun around, swinging his massive fist in a wide arc, attempting to backhand anyone within range.

"We need to pin him down!" Batman barked.

"I'll stall him," Danny said, stepping forward. "I can handle his strength. You two handle the pinning."

Grundy roared again, slamming a fist toward Danny, who caught it with both hands. When Grundy swung his other fist, Danny intercepted it by breaking free one of his hands and catching it. The two were locked in a fierce stalemate, each trying to overpower the other.

"Solomon Grundy…" the monster growled, his strength pressing down on Danny.

"Yes, yes, I know," Danny grunted through clenched teeth, his arms trembling as he held his ground. "You were born on a Monday."

Meanwhile, Batman and Robin moved in perfect sync, firing their grappling hooks. Strong, reinforced cables wrapped around Grundy's arms, torso, and legs , tightening with every pull.

"He needs one more push to go down!" Robin shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Danny replied.

He turned his hands intangible, slipping free of Grundy's grip. With a burst of speed, Danny flew upward, his fist glowing with an intense green energy. He clenched his other hand over it for support, channeling all his power into the strike.

"It's time for the dead to lay to rest!" Danny shouted, rocketing forward and delivering a devastating uppercut to Grundy's jaw.

The force sent Grundy tumbling backward. As he hit the ground, Batman and Robin moved swiftly, anchoring the cables securely to the floor.

Grundy roared and struggled, but the cables held firm. They had been reinforced to withstand immense pressure, and no matter how much Grundy flexed and thrashed, he couldn't break free.

Finally, the massive figure lay immobilized, securely bound and unable to fight back.

And just like that, Solomon Grundy was taken down.

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