[Third Person's PoV]
Jim Gordon stood on the rooftop of the Gotham City Police Department, his trench coat whipping around him in the chill night air. The sky above was dark and foreboding, clouds hiding even the faintest trace of the moon. The only illumination came from the massive Bat-Signal, a glowing beacon casting a pale light from the concrete rooftop, cutting through the gloom of the city.
With narrowed eyes, Gordon scanned the shadows, awaiting the arrival of Batman. It was an old ritual by now—he called, Batman came. Simple. Reliable. But tonight, something felt off. A prickling chill crept down his neck, the kind that comes when you're being watched. Slowly, Gordon turned his head, and what he saw nearly made him jump.
There, emerging from the darkness, were two pairs of glowing white eyes—one set sharp and intimidating, the unmistakable gaze of Batman. The other, smaller but equally piercing, belonged to Robin, perched just behind the Dark Knight. But it wasn't them that caused Gordon's heartbeat to skip.
Floating slightly above the ground beside Batman was…something else entirely. A third pair of eyes stared at him—these glowed a ghostly, eerie green. They hovered in the air, seemingly disembodied at first, but as Gordon's eyes adjusted, he saw the figure attached to them. A pale-skinned boy with white hair and a black-and-white suit, a spectral green tail wiggling slightly where his legs should have been. He floated effortlessly, arms hanging lazily in front of him as if completely at ease.
Gordon blinked, rubbed his eyes, then lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, Jim… You've been working too hard," he muttered. "When I open my eyes, that ghost kid better be gone. Just a trick of the light, or maybe sleep deprivation…"
But when Gordon opened his eyes again, the boy was still there, floating casually with a small, almost mischievous smile. He lifted a hand and waved cheerfully.
"Hi there!"
Gordon let out a long, tired sigh, the kind only decades of dealing with Gotham's insanity could produce. His gaze shifted to Batman, voice deadpan. "Batman… What. Is. This?"
The boy frowned, clearly offended. "This has a name, y'know."
Batman, of course, remained as stoic and unshakeable as ever. His deep voice rumbled, steady as stone. "He's under my protection now. I've taken him on as an ally. His name is Danny."
"Danny Phantom, at your service, Commissioner Gordon!" Danny chirped, saluting with two fingers and a bright grin.
Gordon squinted at the boy, processing the situation—or trying to. His mind, wired to accept Batman's usual theatrics, was having trouble with this one. He looked back at Batman, mouthing silently, "Is he dead?"
Batman's expression remained unreadable. "His situation is…complicated." Then, with his usual tendency to dismiss questions he didn't want to answer, he continued, "Why did you call us?"
Gordon exhaled deeply, deciding—for now—to ignore the floating ghost boy and focus on the matter at hand. "Fine. We've got a situation," he began grimly, crossing his arms as he paced. "An abandoned factory on the outskirts of Gotham. Normally, I wouldn't call you about squatters, but this is different. Solomon Grundy is involved."
Robin tensed immediately, stepping forward. "Grundy? What's he doing there?"
Gordon stopped pacing, his expression dark. "The place used to be a steelworks plant, shut down years ago. But recently, we've had reports of strange activity—loud crashes, heavy machinery, strange lights at night. My officers went to investigate, and they barely made it out alive. Grundy's moved in, and he's not alone. There's a gang running operations there—drugs, weapons, something big—and they're using Grundy as their muscle."
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl. "They've convinced him it's his territory."
"Exactly," Gordon confirmed. "They've fed him some story that the factory is his 'home.' Anyone who steps foot near it? Enemy. Grundy's been chasing off or nearly crushing anyone who gets too close." He turned, his voice hard. "I'm not sending more men in there just to get hurt. Grundy's too much for them to handle. That's why I called you."
Batman nodded curtly. "We'll handle it."
Gordon gave them the address, but as he glanced at his watch, something occurred to him. "Now, before you go—about that ghost kid—"
But when he looked up, the rooftop was empty. Batman, Robin, and the ghostly boy were gone.
Gordon threw up his hands, exasperated. "How does he do that? I looked away for one second!"
Unbeknownst to him, Danny had turned both Batman and Robin invisible and flown them swiftly into the night.
---
They reappeared on a nearby rooftop, Batman's cape rippling as his boots hit the ground. Robin landed in a practiced roll, while Danny hovered above them, grinning with pride as he phased back into view. His skills were improving, and tonight was already shaping up to be something exciting.
The Batmobile roared to life, responding instantly to Batman's remote command. As they climbed inside, Robin and Batman began filling Danny in.
Batman's voice was low, gravelly. "Solomon Grundy's story is one of tragedy. He was once Cyrus Gold, a man from the 19th century—murdered and dumped in Slaughter Swamp."
Robin leaned forward. "And then, decades later, his body reanimated. Now he's Solomon Grundy, an undead powerhouse. Super strong, almost impossible to kill."
Danny's eyes widened slightly. "So… why's he called Solomon Grundy?"
"Because that's the only name he remembers," Batman said, eyes fixed on the road. "It's tied to an old nursery rhyme. 'Born on a Monday…' It's all that's left of who he was."
Robin sighed. "He's not a bad guy, really. Grundy's confused—manipulated easily. He's like a child. People use him because of that."
"Alright, I think I got the gist of the situation now." Danny said as he was shifted to the side due to a wild turn.
After a pause Danny said, "And to think, my first day of patrol I will have to fight an undead, talk about a irony"
Robin snorted. "At least it's not Halloween. That's when the real freaks come out."
The Batmobile screeched to a halt, silent as a predator as it approached the steelworks factory. Batman turned to face them, voice commanding.
"Danny. Robin. Your job is to locate and disable the gang. Take down their operations. I'll deal with Grundy."
Danny opened his mouth to say something however it appeared that Batman had already anticipated Danny's interjection.
"Don't question it. I'll be trying to calm Grundy down, Grundy is simply too strong for you to handle right now. You've only just started to master your abilities after all" Batman said before he gave them their final orders, "Once you two are done taking down and apprehending everyone and you see that I am still engaging with Grundy that's when you'll be allowed to intervene. Do I make myself clear?"
Robin and Danny exchanged a glance before nodding in unison. "Understood."
With that, Batman exited the vehicle, his cape billowing ominously. Robin leaped out next, flipping effortlessly onto the ground. Danny hovered beside them.
"Let's do this," Danny muttered, his grin sharp and eager as they launched into action, since it was his first real Batman mission he might as well make it memorable.
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