DC: A Cop in Gotham

Chapter 43: Red and Blue

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With the activation of the second heart swap, Trigon were transferred to Dean before they were even warmed up by Manaphy.

At the moment when Trigon possessed him, Dean truly understood the pressure Groudon was under. The endless malice poured in, instantly overwhelming Dean's will.

The body of the Demonized Wild Vine continued to expand like a sponge absorbing water. The emerald-green plant body was dyed red, the main color of Hell. The four vine legs that originally had barbs became thicker, more numerous, and spiked. From the shoulders, Venus flytraps extended into two extra heads, each bearing a single carnivorous mouth dripping with sulfur.

Because the Demon Vine had only one eye and no space on its face for others, five tentacles sprouted from around its head, each with an eyeball slightly smaller than the main one hanging from the tip.

If the previous Demon Vine embodied the "wildness" of the jungle, then the Demon Vine soaked in the power of the Three Palaces now emphasized the "demon" of Hell. There was no trace of its alien origins anymore—it had become a full-fledged hellish creature.

"Asshole!"

Trigon stretched out his five eyes to see what he looked like now. He knew that, by controlling the power of the three major sources, his plan to conquer Earth with this body was completely in vain. To avoid losing himself and his troops, he began using the Demon Vine's appendages to carve a teleportation circle.

It didn't matter if the plan failed—as long as he didn't get caught in it.

But before Trigon could even move his "legs," two missiles and a blast of heat vision struck them simultaneously, sending vines flying everywhere.

"Batman, I think I hit the wrong guy."

Superman had been exiled to a different space by Nabu, unable to land a proper hit on anything for so long that he was frustrated. Zatanna had finally located him and opened a space portal. The moment she poked her head through, she saw a monstrous, hellish-looking vine creature. Without hesitation, she fired her heat vision.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Batman was relieved to see Zatanna return with Superman.

"Superman, focus on saving lives for now!"

Wonder Woman didn't know about the Demon Vine's regeneration ability and was worried Superman might end up killing Dean with just two shots.

Batman, on the other hand, remained calm. Before the battle, he had gathered data on the Wild Vine's species and knew that Dean's regeneration ability was formidable after transformation. Without hesitation, he issued a command:

"Batmobile, switch to attack mode. Target: plant roots at the bottom."

Batman didn't intend to kill Dean, but to prevent Trigon from escaping, he decided to destroy all of the Demon Vine's legs.

At first, Superman was worried about friendly fire, but when he saw the Batmobile launch its missiles, his concerns faded. If Batman was willing to attack, then this thing was truly an enemy of the Justice League. His eyes widened in realization.

Zatanna, however, was confused. She recognized the magical power of the Demon Vine as belonging to Trigon.

"Little thing, how did you transfer Triton and Groudon into a plant? Even my father couldn't do that!"

Manaphy was lying in Batman's arms, mentally exhausted from continuously attacking the Three Palaces with mind-swap abilities. But when she saw Batman and Superman relentlessly attacking the Wild Demon Vine, she mustered her remaining strength and tried to fly toward it.

Batman gently grabbed Manaphy's small body.

"Don't go near him. He could hurt you."

"Mana, Mana Mana!"

(Liar! Susu has never hurt me! You're as bad as that mean lady!)

(T/N: Mc's og name is Qin Su, hence the nickname Susu, i decided not to change it because there's no good nickname for Dean, just Dean)

Manaphy slapped Batman with her tentacles, tears falling like beads. Unfortunately, no one except Groudon could understand her anymore.

"Take care of her."

Batman handed Manaphy to Wonder Woman and turned toward Superman.

"This feels as easy as gardening at home."

Superman sliced through all of the Wild Demon Vine's limbs except the main body, but they kept regenerating.

No matter how powerful Trigon's spiritual projection was, his strength depended entirely on the physical body he possessed. The Wild Vine was far from an ideal vessel—its regenerative abilities were formidable, but its body was still plant-like and could be easily overwhelmed by sheer brute force. Superman, with his overwhelming power, rendered Trigon completely helpless.

Even though he had been reduced to nothing more than a piece of meat on the chopping block, Trigon lifted his head and let out a sinister laugh.

"Justice League, I lost! Congratulations—you've defeated me once again! The victory you've achieved at the expense of others must feel absolutely wonderful, doesn't it? Hahaha!"

Superman's expression shifted instantly at those words. His jaw tightened, and his heat vision dimmed slightly as doubt clouded his face.

"Batman… is what Trigon just said true?"

Batman didn't answer. He ignored Superman entirely and walked straight toward Trigon, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. Without hesitation, he delivered a devastating long-eared bat-punch directly into Trigon's enormous eye.

Zatanna gasped at Batman's actions. She had known him for years, long enough to recognize the emotions flickering in his usually cold gaze—remorse, anger, and a trace of sadness. If even she could see it, then there was no doubt: what Trigon said must have had some truth to it. This was a victory that had come at a cost.

Batman's voice was cold, laced with controlled fury.

"Get out of his body. Now. Immediately. Or I will make you understand what real pain is."

But Trigon merely chuckled, completely unfazed by the threat.

"Pain? Batman, you amuse me. You speak as if you know what suffering is. But pain is nothing more than my dessert—my favorite meal is despair. And right now, you are reeking of it. You are a feast laid out before me."

Batman didn't waste another word. He reached into his utility belt, pulled out a high-powered stun device, and without hesitation, cranked it up to maximum power.

At that exact moment, the badge on the Demon Vine's chest—the hourglass logo of the Omnitrix—began flashing.

Trigon's expression changed for the first time. The red glow of his demonic aura flickered, and an eerie green light washed over his face.

"No, no, no! This body… YoU dAre dECeiveD mE, YOU FUCKING BRAT!!!"

A blinding green light erupted from the Demon Vine's body, engulfing everything in its glow. Batman instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes from the intensity.

As the light faded, Batman felt the weight in his grip shift. Something was different.

Then, a voice—hoarse but unmistakably familiar—broke the silence.

"Hey, Batman, look here."

Batman looked down, only to hear a faint clicking sound.

Dean, who was now back in his human form, was grinning as he proudly held up his phone. The screen displayed a freshly captured image: Batman's hand still gripping Dean by the throat.

"Got it. Solid evidence that Batman attacked an officer."

Batman's face remained expressionless, but his grip tightened. His other hand curled into a fist, his knuckles cracking slightly as he raised it.

"If you don't explain yourself right now, I'll ask Superman to be your witness."

Dean quickly waved his free hand in surrender, his smirk faltering just a little.

"No, no, no, no, I swear I didn't deceive you! Batman, listen—this wasn't a sure thing. I wasn't even sure if it would work!"

The Omnitrix's transformation process wasn't just about altering DNA—if it were that simple, Dean's genetic structure would have collapsed several times over by now. Instead, the Omnitrix functioned by generating a brand-new alien body based on the selected DNA. It stored that body, along with his clothing and other essentials, inside the watch.

That meant the Wild Vine itself had never possessed a true consciousness—it had simply been a transformation state. But Dean had remembered that some versions of the Omnitrix could store conscious beings. He had taken a gamble, hoping that the Omnitrix's system would contain Trigon if he triggered the transformation release.

And it had worked.

When the twenty-second transformation timer expired, the Omnitrix automatically returned Dean to his human form, sealing both Trigon's consciousness and the Wild Vine within the device.

Dean shrugged, attempting to sound nonchalant.

"I mean, let's be real—I'm weak as hell. Even if my plan to trap Trigon failed, you guys could still just arrest me afterward, right? I figured you'd eventually find a way to separate him from me anyway."

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Reckless."

Superman, however, smiled slightly and gave Dean a thumbs-up. "Brave."

Batman turned his glare toward Superman.

Superman immediately turned away, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I, uh… I should go check on Wonder Woman."

"Not so fast." Batman grabbed his cape before he could fly away. "I need you to do something first."

"What?! We have to tear it down again?!"

Damian stared at the demolition equipment being repositioned, his face twisted in disbelief.

"Is Batman screwing with us?!"

"Technology is amazing."

Zatanna muttered to herself as she studied the Omnitrix, her fingers lightly tracing the alien device strapped to Dean's wrist.

"A small watch that can imprison a being like Trigon… If I could use magic to replicate it…"

Dean immediately yanked his arm away, his voice full of panic.

"Don't even think about it! I just want to know if we can get Trigon out of there safely."

Zatanna shook her head, her expression grim. "Unfortunately, Trigon isn't like the demons from Hell. Ordinary exorcism rituals won't work on him. We'll have to wait until my father, or Doctor Fate, wakes up. He knows nearly every kind of magic in existence—he'll definitely be able to help you."

In other words, until Doctor Fate was available, Dean couldn't even think about transforming into the Wild Vine again. And with Trigon's essence sealed inside the Omnitrix, that particular alien form was effectively unusable for the time being.

Dean let out a frustrated sigh. "Great. So now I have a watch that doesn't even tell time."

Out of curiosity, he pressed the Omnitrix's interface and scrolled through its selection. When he reached the Wild Demon Vine icon, an eerie, distorted roar echoed from the device. Red tendrils suddenly lashed out from the dial, writhing like living things, reaching toward him.

Dean yelped and immediately slapped the Omnitrix shut, deactivating the interface.

Zatanna took a cautious step back, her brows furrowing. "Yeah, I don't think your watch can fully contain Trigon. Honestly, I wouldn't trust a piece of alien tech to handle a demon like him. You should take it off—immediately."

"Oh, believe me, I'd love to," Dean muttered. "The problem is, I can't. Unless I want to lose my entire right hand."

He was only half-joking, but the thought unsettled him. What if Trigon found a way to manipulate the Omnitrix from within? What if one night, while he was sleeping, the demon's influence seeped through and turned his arm against him?

"It sounds more like a cursed object than advanced technology," Zatanna noted. Without hesitation, she attempted to dispel any enchantments lingering around the device, muttering an incantation and gesturing toward the Omnitrix. But the watch didn't even react.

Batman silently grabbed Dean's wrist, scanning the device with his suit's built-in systems. A moment later, he uploaded the data to his tech network. Within seconds, Lucius Fox responded.

"Mr. Wayne," Lucius's voice crackled through the communicator, "I have no idea where you found this… watch, but based on my preliminary analysis, its level of technology is at least hundred years ahead of anything humans have developed. And that's just the part I can analyze."

Batman's gaze didn't waver. "What else?"

"The Omnitrix relies on a self-regenerating energy source. However, due to some form of internal damage, there's been a serious energy leak—about 80% of its regenerated power is being wasted."

"I need you to fix it."

Lucius sighed. "If you want a full repair, Wayne Enterprises isn't equipped for that—it's just too advanced. But if all you need is a temporary fix to patch the energy loss, give me three days. I can come up with a solution."

Batman didn't hesitate. "Do it."

Lucius hesitated before adding, "However, the actual repairs will have to wait until Wayne Tower is rebuilt. Gotham doesn't have many functioning high-tech labs left."

The devastation was still evident all around them. Wayne Tower, which had stood as one of Gotham's tallest landmarks, had partially collapsed during the battle. Alongside it, several other skyscrapers had suffered similar fates.

Standing amidst the ruins, Dean took it all in. He noticed the battle scars on Batman's tattered cape and the way Wonder Woman, despite her strength, now carried herself with the exhaustion of someone who had fought for hours without pause.

It wasn't just the Omnitrix that needed repairs. Gotham itself too.

The sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow over the harbor. The ocean shimmered with a blend of red and blue—Groudon's deep crimson and Manaphy's serene azure reflecting against the waves.

Batman stood beside Dean, silent but ever-watchful. Dean held Manaphy in his arms, feeling the tiny creature's warmth against his chest.

As the sky darkened, the city lights struggled to flicker back to life. Gotham was wounded. The people would be afraid. Fear thrived in the shadows, and right now, there were a lot of shadows.

Manaphy gazed up at Dean with curious, wide eyes.

"Mana?"

Dean looked down at her and smiled. "Do you know how to make people stop being afraid of the dark?"

Manaphy tilted her head and shook it.

"It's simple." Dean raised his hand, lifting Manaphy gently into the air. "You make them believe the sun will rise again."

Manaphy's tiny body glowed, and she released a cascade of shimmering blue bubbles. They drifted upward, catching the faint light of the stars, illuminating the night like tiny floating lanterns.

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Meanwhile, beneath the remains of a half-collapsed house, two voices were locked in an argument.

"You're insane! The entire house came down, and instead of grabbing the safe with all our money, you saved… a wooden stick?!"

A girl with long pink hair clutched the jagged, spiked wooden club tightly to her chest, her eyes burning with defiance.

"Hey! You don't get to talk trash about my baby! This thing cracked open five skulls today!"

Harleen Quinzel let out a frustrated groan, rubbing her temples. "I bust my ass workin' in Arkham just so you can screw around all day—"

The pink-haired girl cut her off with an indignant shriek. "Liar! You just wanted an excuse to spend time with Mr. J!"

Harley glared at her. "It's called work, ya brat!"

Their bickering continued, neither of them noticing the faint glow emanating from a yin-yang fish pendant hanging around the girl's neck.

In the distance, Gotham's battered skyline stood against the night, its people waiting—hoping—that tomorrow would bring light once more.

—End of the first volume: "Red and Blue."

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