The sky over Manhattan tore open like fabric, revealing a portal to another world. From it emerged a figure cloaked in shadow and vengeance - a Batman.
Peter sensed him moments before the breach. His spider-sense screamed like a siren. He perched atop the Chrysler Building, watching the Dark Knight's silhouette glide between rooftops like a phantom.
Their first clash came fast - too fast for the untrained eye. Batman lunged from the shadows, a blur of gadgets and martial prowess. But Peter wasn't just fast. He was so much faster.
A twist, a spin, a backward somersault... Batman's strike found only air.
"You're not the first ninja I've tangled with," Peter said, his voice cold. "But you're definitely the grumpiest."
Batman responded with silence and a flash grenade. Peter's response was instantaneous. He webbed the device midair and flung it back into the distance.
A benign boom goes off in the shadows.
The fight continued on the roof of the MetLife building. Batman deployed his entire arsenal - shock gauntlets, cryo-bombs, razor-sharp projectiles. Spider-Man neutralized them all.
A low, guttural growl of frustration escaped Batman's lips - a sound as foreign to him as the utter defeat he was simultaneously experiencing.
With every move, Spider-man's strengths became clearer. He caught punches, tore through reinforced armor. No offense Batman could mount could even come close to matching Spider-man's reflexes.
He was reacting to intentions before Batman's muscles could move.
A precise web yank sent the Bat spiraling. A spinning heel kick launched Batman across the rooftop. He crashed into a neon billboard, sparks raining like fireworks.
"You're good," Peter admitted, closing the distance. "But your whole style is about intimidation and control." He stopped just out of reach. "You can't intimidate the laws of physics and you have zero control here."
Batman coughed, blood flecking his lips. He tried to stand, but his ribs were cracked. His cowl was torn. His utility belt lay in pieces. "No," he admitted.
"Go home," Peter said, his voice losing its earlier chill, now just firm. "I don't know why you came but don't come back. And just so we're clear..." He gestured to the wrecked rooftop. "I was pulling my punches."
With that, He webbed the fallen knight to the building's side, the strands hardening stronger than steel.
As the portal reopened, pulling Batman back, his eyes met Peter's one last time. There was no anger. Only a grim, pained respect.
"You'd make a terrifying Batman," Bruce whispered, just before the portal closed.
As silence returned to the skyline, Peter wondered what those final words meant. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a test. But...
To what end.
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Disclaimer: readme
attribution: 640kb.neocities.org
Date: 03 May 2025 (initial release)
Date: 16 Oct 2025 (rewrote various sections)