Chapter 156: Bird in a Circus (2)

Chapter 156: Bird in a Circus (2)

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"It is not our abilities that show what we truly are... it is our choices."

– Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>

The decision of whether to let someone die or not is probably the hardest decision anyone could ever make in their lives, especially if the person in question is innocent. Honestly, killing criminals is quite easy when one has made up their mind to do it. But letting a couple of innocent people die for some greater good? Now, that was a completely different question, one that I was not ready to face yet.

Unfortunately, this was the decision I faced at the moment. Should I allow Dick's parents to perish as the plot originally intended, enabling Dick to become a vigilante, or should I intervene and save them therefore completely changing the future?

Honestly, if this was any other innocent couple, I wouldn't have hesitated to save them at all. But this was Dick Grayson's parents, the same kid who had almost as much plot armor as the original Batman. Fated to become the vigilante named Robin, he would one day defeat dozens if not hundreds of villains, save thousands of people, and maybe even help fend off some apocalyptic-level threats as Batman's protege. But like most other superheroes or vigilantes, he could only become his alter ego if and only if he becomes an orphan because according to shitty comics' logic, only by losing everything, can one truly realize their full potential.

Of course, I had no wish to orphan a kid just because I wanted some help in protecting the world, but Dick Grayson was someone who was supposed to have an extreme amount of plot armor, second only to Batman himself. Plus, I could deduce that he was extremely talented in gymnastics and acrobatics while possessing an excellent physique which automatically made him a good choice as a vigilante. If I were to make him my... sidekick, he would no doubt be able to effectively handle a lot of threats for me, threats that could prove to be tricky even for me.

"Hey Bruce, are you watching the show? You didn't laugh even once at the clowns despite how funny they were." Vicki lightly elbowed me, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Hmm? Of course, I am watching the show. It's just that I am laughing on the inside rather than on the outside." I responded with a straight face.

"Oh... okay," Vicki responded while suspiciously narrowing her eyes at me. "By the way, Dick, when are your parents going to perform?" she asked, looking at the kid who was doing his best to loudly cheer every performer who was coming on the stage to perform.

However, my response was quite different from her expectations. "... Sigh You are right, Vicki. Batman is indeed cool. In fact, he was always supposed to be cool. He isn't just a normal guy who thinks of the greater good like me or most other people but someone who tries his best to save every single person he can, no matter the personal consequences or difficulties he has to face later. That's what makes him a superhero, doesn't it?" I mumbled to myself with a small chuckle, mildly surprising both the girls who were attentively listening to me. "And don't worry boy, I am sure Batman would take care of this Tony Zucco just like every other filth in this city... As for your parents, I think you should tell Mr. Haly to double-check the wires before their performance starts. That wire there looks awfully loose to be dangling like that." I told the little acrobat before pointing at the loose wire which drew a shocked and horrified little squeal from him as he too recognized the fault in the wires after a few seconds of looking at the direction I was pointing.

"Oh, and tell your parents to follow the safety rules as well. Tell them that Bruce Wayne insisted on it. After all, safety rules exist for a reason, no matter how talented someone is. Circuses can even get sued for not maintaining safety standards. Make sure to let Mr. Haly know about this too." I uttered before signaling him to run towards the chubby circus owner to inform him about my warning which he immediately followed without any more questions.

"Wait, is there really a fault in the ropes there? Is it serious? Could it have hurt his parents?" Helena asked in astonishment after Dick ran away to inform Mr. Haly and his parents about the flaw.

"It could have killed them and made little Dick there an orphan." I calmly answered before deciding to make a joke about it to lighten the mood, "But lucky for him, I don't want competition in my line of work. One orphan vigilante cosplaying as a flying animal is enough for this city."

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(A/N: This chapter doesn't mean that Dick Grayson won't be part of Bruce's journey. He might make a comeback later. This only means that Bruce doesn't need him right now and Dick can still enjoy his childhood like all children should... for now)

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