Recaps

Dick recounted how Bruce tested the Bat Family for vampirism and described the vampires’ efforts to infiltrate the heroes and turn them against one another. The chapter ended with Green Lantern and the newly turned Wonder Woman gathering the other superheroes and accusing Batman of killing The Flash.

• Bruce gathered the Bat Family in sunlight, gave them Alfred’s holy water tea, and had them hold blessed crosses before revealing his vampire-killing equipment.
• Dick revealed that his vampire counterpart had imprisoned Starfire and used her blood to hide his vampiric traits; Barbara reported that Dick’s tests showed no obvious abnormalities.
• Dick recounted how Green Lantern killed The Flash and used the death to sow suspicion among the Justice League, while vampire thralls turned heroes and villains across Gotham and elsewhere.
• Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Arsenal worked to identify which heroes had been turned, while Damian and Black Canary fought after finding Penguin’s body.
• Wonder Woman used the Lasso of Truth on Green Lantern, but he hypnotized and turned her after shielding himself with Green Lantern energy.
• Green Lantern and the turned Wonder Woman gathered the superheroes other than Batman and claimed they had evidence that Batman had murdered The Flash.

Dick recounted a dream in which vampires infiltrated the Justice League and Batman’s allies, while Miaomiao worried that Bruce had been hurt. The Bat Family’s plan to capture Wonder Woman and Green Lantern left Alfred poised to reveal their real trump card.

• Dick explained how Barbara found evidence linking Mary Shakleton to Blood Queen Mary, while Jason and Cassandra wounded Grodd but let him escape.
• Dick described Batman and Green Arrow fighting after mistaking each other for vampires, then learning that the Justice League had turned against Batman.
• Wonder Woman revealed her vampire form, and Tim and Damian helped Batman escape before he destroyed the Batcave; the survivors regrouped at the Safehouse.
• Batman lured Wonder Woman into the Sunlight Lamp’s light and restrained her, but Green Lantern used his ring to bind the others.
• Batman revealed that Alfred, the overlooked noncombatant, was their true trump card against Green Lantern.

Dick recounted how the Vampire King killed Bruce in a parallel universe, terrifying Miaomiao and the Bat Family. Bruce reassured Miaomiao that they could change their future, and the family began considering how to prevent the disasters Dick described.

• Alfred severed Green Lantern's ring-wearing hand, and Green Arrow killed Green Lantern beneath the Sunlight Lamp.
• Barbara found Joker dead, and the Bat Family realized the Vampire King was one of their own before Dick's parallel-universe self punched through Bruce's chest.
• Miaomiao broke a plate and panicked, but Bruce and the others reassured her that Dick's account came from another timeline and that they could change their future.
• Bruce concluded that Dick had experienced a projection of a real parallel universe and said they could prepare for the threats it revealed.
• Jason asked what had happened to him in the universe where Dick became the Vampire King.

Dick recounted a parallel world where he turned members of the Bat-family into vampires and war broke out between vampires and humans. Bruce, Barbara, and Tim documented his answers to prepare for the dangers that might still threaten them.

• Dick explained that his counterpart killed Bruce and Tim, turned Damian into a vampire, and tried unsuccessfully to turn Jason.
• Dick said Damian retained some of his will, escaped, and later helped the human resistance, while Alfred, Cassandra, and Green Arrow fled.
• Dick described how Superman destroyed the White House and Firestorm burned forests, blotting out the sun and allowing vampires to dominate the world.
• Tim and Barbara challenged Dick's apparent enthusiasm about vampire rule, and Miaomiao reassured him that she would stop him if he transformed.
• Bruce questioned Dick about the vampire war, its factions, abilities, weaknesses, and resistance, while Barbara and Tim recorded and organized the details.
• Jason noted that Dick's dream had not mentioned the Avengers.

Dick realized his dream of Ghost King Nightwing’s vampire war had omitted the Avengers, mutants, and other heroes, while Bruce and the others considered how their world had more defenses. The group left the Batcave for dinner, only to face an angry Damian, who demanded to know why no one had told him about their discussions.

• Dick recognized that many powerful heroes and factions in his world had been absent from his dream of the vampire war.
• Jason and Tim noted that their world had more allies than the dream world, while Tim warned that the threat could still overwhelm them.
• Bruce reassured Dick that he was not facing the danger alone, and Jason teased Bruce for comforting him.
• Miaomiao arrived with Titus to summon everyone to dinner, and the group left the Batcave.
• Damian confronted Bruce and the others for discussing the danger all day without telling him.

Damian completed his overdue homework, apologized to Miss Susie, and waited through her lecture to regain his communicator and night patrol privileges. When he returned home, he found the family gathered without him and confronted Bruce, suspecting they had excluded him because he was too young or because of his ties to the League of Assassins.

• Damian's teacher, Miss Susie, reported his missing homework to Bruce, who confiscated Damian's communicator and barred him from night patrol until he finished the assignment and apologized.
• Damian recalled how Miss Susie had previously rejected his bribes and threats, scolded Bruce over his parenting, and refused a promotion offered through his donations.
• Damian completed his homework, apologized to Miss Susie, and listened to her warn him not to become detached from the world because of his intelligence.
• Damian returned home expecting to resume night patrol, but found everyone gathered in the study without him.
• Damian confronted Bruce and asked whether his family had excluded him because he was too young, too hotheaded, or unworthy as the Demon's Head.

Damian confronted Bruce and the others for keeping him out of their discussions, then learned Dick’s dream showed a possible future in which vampires took over. After hearing how his future self resisted the Ghost King, Damian proudly affirmed his independence, while Bruce felt reassured and wondered if Miaomiao was old enough to start school.

• Damian accused Bruce and the others of shutting him out, and Miaomiao revealed they had been discussing how he acted after being turned.
• Alfred called everyone to dinner, and Dick promised to explain everything afterward.
• Dick and Barbara told Damian that Dick’s dream showed a future where vampires served Ghost King Nightwing and Bruce prepared to defend against them.
• Damian learned his future self had been turned by Dick but resisted the Ghost King and survived on animal blood, prompting him to boast that he was the future Batman.
• Bruce reflected on Damian’s difficult upbringing, felt reassured by his son’s resolve, and wondered whether Miaomiao should start school.

Bruce discussed sending Miaomiao to school now that she could control her transformations, explaining that she needed to experience ordinary life beyond her unusual circle of friends. Miaomiao agreed to attend Anders Preparatory Academy with Tim and Damian.

• Bruce praised Miaomiao for controlling her powers after difficult trips and asked whether she could adjust to school.
• Jason joked that Miaomiao might be tricked at school, while Damian and Tim argued over their grades and ages.
• Bruce explained that Miaomiao needed to meet ordinary people because most of her friends were superheroes, supervillains, vampires, or metahumans.
• Bruce described Gotham's private and public schools and said Miaomiao could attend Anders Preparatory Academy with Tim and Damian.
• Miaomiao agreed to go to school with Tim and Damian.

Bruce explained to Alfred that he wanted Miaomiao to attend Gotham Academy so she could learn to value human life and build connections beyond the mortal Wayne family. He feared that her long lifespan and merfolk nature could leave her detached from humanity after everyone she loved was gone.

• Alfred asked Bruce whether Miaomiao's recent decision to send her to school was really about her tail.
• Bruce told Alfred that Miaomiao had killed Pandora to save Dick and worried that she might grow accustomed to killing, as Damian once had.
• Bruce explained that Miaomiao saw humans as a different kind and followed the family's restraints because she loved them, but could become a catastrophe if those bonds broke.
• Bruce revealed that Miaomiao was already over fifty and feared that her mortal family would eventually die, leaving her without ties to the human world.
• Bruce said he wanted Miaomiao to make friends at Gotham Academy, experience ordinary teenage life, and learn how precious life was.

Miaomiao prepared for her first day at Anders Preparatory Academy while the Wayne family gave her advice and warned her about school. After Alfred brought her to the gates, curious students whispered about her adoption, leaving Miaomiao aware that they saw her as “Miaomiao Wayne.”

• Alfred helped Miaomiao get ready and reassured her about attending a human school for the first time.
• Bruce, Damian, Tim, and Jason offered Miaomiao warnings and advice before she left, with Damian telling her to seek Tim’s help if needed.
• Alfred drove Miaomiao, Tim, and Damian to Anders Preparatory Academy, where the boys waited as she got out of the car.
• Students recognized the Wayne car and whispered about Miaomiao’s adoption as she entered the school grounds.
• Miaomiao moved closer to Alfred and realized the students’ attention came from her connection to the Wayne family.

Miaomiao began her first day at Anders Academy, where Alfred helped her complete the transfer and Mrs. Samuel introduced her to the class. She was left to take the empty seat by the window as her classmates whispered about her connection to Bruce Wayne.

• Alfred reassured Miaomiao about the rumors and accompanied her to the administrative office while Tim and Damian went to their classes.
• Alfred settled Miaomiao's transfer arrangements with Mrs. Samuel, then reminded her she could contact the manor if she needed help.
• Mrs. Samuel brought Miaomiao into the classroom and introduced her as a new student.
• Miaomiao told the class it was her first day ever attending school, prompting whispers about her Wayne surname and adoption.
• Mrs. Samuel directed Miaomiao to the empty desk by the window and told her that her textbooks would arrive shortly.

Miaomiao met Lia Chen, who welcomed her and explained her family’s ties to the Kanes and Waynes. When John Elliot mocked Miaomiao’s adoption and background, Lia stood up for her, and Miaomiao answered with an insult that enraged him.

• Miaomiao sat beside Lia Chen, who introduced herself and welcomed her to class.
• Lia told Miaomiao that her mother was Belle Kane, a relative of the main Kane family, but that her family lived modestly and stayed out of Kane affairs.
• John Elliot and his friends questioned Miaomiao about her adoption and mocked her as an unwanted charity case.
• Lia defended Miaomiao, and John belittled Lia for not bearing the Kane surname.
• Miaomiao said she had never heard of John or his family and apologized for forgetting his name.
• John slammed his fist onto the desk, threatened Miaomiao, and called her a savage; Miaomiao replied that he looked like an unevolved monkey.

Seraphina Dumas defended Miaomiao Wayne from John Elliott, but Miaomiao struggled to follow her first math lesson at the school. John then maneuvered the teacher into calling on Miaomiao to solve a problem, leaving her stunned and unable to understand it.

• Seraphina Dumas rebuffed John Elliott and told him to call her Dumas, then defended Miaomiao against his insults.
• Lia explained to Miaomiao what the cheerleading squad was and offered to take her to a practice.
• John returned to his seat when the teacher began class, while Miaomiao quickly became lost in the unfamiliar math lesson.
• John suggested that the teacher call on Miaomiao to solve a problem, and the teacher asked her to come to the board.
• Miaomiao stared at the formulas, unable to understand the problem or how to solve it.

Miaomiao learned what electives were after Lia discovered she had never attended school before. Lia hurried her to Latin class, where Miaomiao arrived just as the bell rang.

• John Elliott tried to get Mr. Smith to call on Miaomiao, but Seraphina Dumas volunteered to solve the problem instead.
• After class, Lia asked Miaomiao which elective she had chosen, and Miaomiao admitted she had never been to school.
• Miaomiao explained that Bruce and the others had taught her at home, and Lia wondered whether she had once lived alone on an island.
• Lia explained electives while rushing Miaomiao through the crowded halls to Latin class.
• Lia and Miaomiao reached the classroom just as the bell rang.

New transfer student Miaomiao Wayne attended a Latin class with Lia and questioned why they needed to study a language no one spoke every day. After Mrs. Paget explained Latin’s value in understanding the past, Miaomiao showed an aptitude for it, and Mrs. Paget invited her to consider the class as an elective.

• Lia brought Miaomiao Wayne to Mrs. Paget’s Latin class, and Mrs. Paget excused Lia’s lateness because she had been helping a new student.
• Mrs. Paget assigned the students to translate a passage in groups, while Miaomiao sat with a blank worksheet because she had never studied Latin.
• When Mrs. Paget asked for Miaomiao’s thoughts, Miaomiao said she did not understand the passage and questioned the need to learn Latin if it was not used for everyday communication.
• Mrs. Paget explained that Latin preserved the traces of past civilizations, and Miaomiao understood the idea and correctly wrote down several words and grammatical forms.
• Mrs. Paget told Lia to lend Miaomiao introductory handouts and suggested Miaomiao could try Latin as an elective.

Miaomiao learned the school’s rules from Lia and made it through her morning classes without trouble. At lunchtime, Tim arrived to take her to the cafeteria, and Miaomiao invited Lia to come along.

• Lia explained why students feared losing points from their teachers, then taught Miaomiao about school rules and grades during the break.
• Lia and Miaomiao became friends and agreed to call each other by their first names.
• Miaomiao followed Lia through the rest of her classes and reached lunchtime without causing any more trouble.
• Tim waited outside the classroom and offered to take Miaomiao to the cafeteria.
• Miaomiao asked Lia to join them, while Lia felt awkward about going with the formidable Tim Drake.

Tim took Miaomiao and Lia to lunch at Anders Preparatory Academy, where he helped Miaomiao choose food and showed his caring side. The three ate together, and Tim surprised Lia by addressing her by her full name.

• Tim explained that Damian ate in the elementary division and would not join them in the high school cafeteria.
• Tim guided Miaomiao through the cafeteria and warned her not to take too much food or choose spicy sauce.
• Tim carried Miaomiao's overloaded tray to their seats while Lia asked about how close Miaomiao and Tim were.
• Miaomiao eagerly ate her large meal as Lia watched in astonishment.
• Tim noticed Lia's unease, addressed her as Chen Lia, and surprised her by knowing her name.

Tim Drake recalled Lia’s improvised debate performance, embarrassing her with the news that Professor Grant wanted to use its recording as a teaching case. Tim then thanked Lia for befriending Miaomiao, and Lia reflected on how rare genuine friendship was at Anders Academy and in Gotham.

• Tim Drake recognized Lia from the debate competition where she won first prize with an improvised argument about whether missing socks held grudges.
• Lia recalled her absurd onstage reasoning and admitted she had made it all up.
• Tim told Lia that Professor Grant considered her debate a representative example and wanted to include the recording in his teaching materials.
• Lia panicked at the thought of future students watching the recording, while Tim reassured her that Professor Grant valued her reasoning.
• Tim thanked Lia for helping Miaomiao adjust to her first day at Anders, and Lia said they were friends who should look out for each other.
• Lia looked at Miaomiao and reflected that her sincere friendship and purity were rare at Anders and in Gotham.

Miaomiao spent the afternoon at PE with Lia in Anders Academy’s indoor gym after rain forced classes inside. John Elliott challenged Miaomiao to tennis and provoked her into accepting, leaving Lia worried that his professional training and malicious intent could get Miaomiao hurt.

• Tim told Miaomiao to wait for him outside the gymnasium after school, and asked Lia to look after her.
• Lia remarked that Tim seemed gentle and patient with Miaomiao, and Miaomiao defended Tim while reassuring Lia that everyone was good.
• Rain moved PE indoors, where Lia explained the gym’s equipment to Miaomiao.
• John Elliott challenged Miaomiao to a tennis match, wagering that she would have to admit she did not belong at Anders if she lost.
• John insulted Miaomiao and the Wayne Family, so Miaomiao accepted his challenge despite Lia warning that he had professional training and could deliberately injure her.

Miaomiao accepted John Elliott’s tennis challenge despite having never played, and she struggled at first as John mocked her. After adjusting to the racket and her swing, she scored a point, while the teacher upheld the ruling against John’s protest; John then resolved to defeat her.

• Lia warned Miaomiao not to accept John Elliott’s challenge, but Miaomiao agreed and asked Lia to teach her the rules.
• Lia fetched a communal racket and asked Mr. Harrison to referee as Miaomiao and John began their match.
• Miaomiao missed her first attempts, while John and his friends mocked her and John insulted her connection to the Wayne Family.
• Seraphina Dumas stopped Lia from intervening and explained that Miaomiao needed time to adjust to the racket and her strength.
• Miaomiao changed her swing and scored a point, but John claimed he had not been ready.
• Mr. Harrison upheld Miaomiao’s point, and John silently vowed to defeat her as the match continued.

Miaomiao adapted to tennis in minutes, overpowering John Elliott and leaving him humiliated. After gym class, she told Tim about the strange games she had played with sea creatures, while Lia arrived to praise her performance.

• John changed his shots and widened his lead as Miaomiao struggled, but she steadily learned to track and return the ball.
• Miaomiao's increasingly powerful returns unsettled John, and she eventually knocked his racket from his hand with a full-force shot.
• John quit in humiliation after Miaomiao happily thanked him for the fun match and asked to keep playing.
• Mr. Harrison praised Miaomiao's talent and suggested professional training; Miaomiao said she would ask Bruce about it.
• Tim met Miaomiao after gym class, and she described batting sea turtles, fish, and other sea creatures around for fun.
• Lia joined Tim and Miaomiao and excitedly praised Miaomiao's victory over John Elliott.

Tim arrived at the gym after hearing Miaomiao had accepted John Elliott’s tennis challenge, but found her treating the match as a game and learning quickly. When Lia worried the school newspaper would turn the match into a scandal, Tim proposed guiding its coverage and said he would handle the editors.

• A student told Tim that John Elliott had challenged Miaomiao, so Tim left class and hurried to the gym.
• Tim found Miaomiao had held her own against John in tennis, improving with each point, and praised her performance.
• Seraphina warned that the match could make Miaomiao famous at Anders Academy because of her connection to the Wayne Family.
• Lia considered threatening the school newspaper’s editor with a Latin dictionary, but Tim explained that suppressing the story would fuel rumors.
• Tim suggested giving the paper an accurate account of the match and said he would handle Blair, who had final approval over its copy.

Miaomiao enjoyed her first day at school and made new friends, while the Wayne family learned that a classmate had challenged her to tennis. Although the family worried that he had deliberately provoked her, Miaomiao remained cheerful and saw the match as fun.

• Lia warned Miaomiao that the school paper might bring unwanted attention, but Miaomiao mainly wanted to know whether she could keep playing tennis.
• Tim and Miaomiao arrived late at the school gates, where Damian angrily offered to confront the student who had challenged her.
• Miaomiao explained that she had enjoyed playing tennis, and Tim clarified that the student had lost and left after provoking her.
• Tim hinted that the Elliot Family might soon face business trouble, and the group returned to Wayne Manor.
• Miaomiao happily told Bruce about her new friends and her day at school, prompting Damian and Tim to explain that the tennis challenge had been deliberate.
• Jason checked that Miaomiao was unharmed, then scolded her for mistaking the provocation for friendly play.

Miaomiao explained that she had recognized John Elliott’s harmless prank and enjoyed herself, prompting Jason to tell her to fight back when people caused trouble. Jason’s advice led him to reveal how he had fought off bullies as a child, while Bruce realized he had overlooked the hardships Jason endured at school.

• Miaomiao told Jason she had known John Elliott meant only to embarrass her, not hurt her, and had enjoyed their time together.
• Jason urged Miaomiao to hit back when people deliberately provoked her, but Bruce argued that he wanted her to have a peaceful school life.
• Jason accidentally revealed that he had punched his way through school, and Bruce and the others realized he had hidden his past from them.
• Jason explained that wealthy classmates had mocked and excluded him because he was a street kid, so he beat them until they feared provoking him.
• Jason described targeting group leaders and repeatedly ambushing bullies when he could not defeat them directly.
• Bruce recalled how busy he had been after Dick left and Joker caused chaos, and realized he had overlooked Jason’s concealed injuries.

Bruce learned that Jason had endured bullying at school and that Dick had faced similar or worse treatment, which he concealed to avoid burdening Bruce. Alfred confirmed he had noticed signs of the boys’ injuries, leaving Bruce confronted with how much his children had suffered without telling him.

• Bruce apologized to Jason for neglecting him, and Jason explained that fighting back had been the only way to stop his bullies.
• Miaomiao gently asked Jason whether the bullying had hurt, and Jason reassured her that it was long past.
• Jason told Bruce that Dick had also been targeted at school because of his circus background and his place in the Wayne family.
• Jason revealed that Dick had taught him how to deal with bullies and had hidden his own struggles to spare Bruce additional worries.
• Alfred confirmed that he had noticed missing medicines, bloodstains, and damaged school belongings, but said the children had wanted to protect Bruce from more worries.