Recaps

Bruce warned Miaomiao never to kill anyone, and she readily agreed before undergoing tests that revealed her extraordinary strength and mental influence. As the Bat Family learned she was the only Merfolk in their world, Alfred welcomed her with food and affection, quickly becoming her favorite.

• Bruce told Miaomiao that she must never kill anyone, and she obediently agreed.
• Bruce asked Miaomiao to have her abilities tested, and the Bat Family saw that her strength and voice made her exceptionally powerful, even though she lacked combat training.
• Tim confirmed that no other Merfolk lived in their world, and the family felt more sympathy for Miaomiao, who had left her people behind.
• Alfred offered to prepare dinner for Miaomiao, and she kissed his cheek and declared that she loved him most.

Miaomiao discovered that the Wayne family vanished from the manor every night, then realized Bruce Wayne and Batman seemed to be connected. The Joker took over Gotham’s television station and demanded that Batman come to save a hostage, leaving Miaomiao watching in alarm.

• Miaomiao moved into the Water Park at Wayne Manor and grew reluctant to leave her comfortable Water Room.
• Miaomiao noticed that everyone in the Wayne family disappeared from the manor at night, but Damian, Bruce, and Alfred avoided explaining why.
• Miaomiao watched Gotham news reports that described Bruce Wayne and Batman as separate people, despite their identical clothes and the Batcave costumes she had seen.
• The Joker escaped from Arkham Asylum and seized control of Gotham’s television station, threatening to kill a hostage for every minute Batman was late.
• The Joker appeared on television and taunted Batman, while Miaomiao recoiled from his frightening appearance.

Miaomiao felt hurt when Tim and the others excluded her from their mission to stop Joker’s gang, so she swam into Gotham’s waterways. After realizing the city needed more help, she sent a sound wave through the water to find assistance.

• Tim learned that Joker’s gang had seized the Gotham Television Station and planted explosives while several escaped criminals caused trouble elsewhere.
• Miaomiao discovered that Tim, Bruce, and the others were preparing to respond, but Tim said she could not join because her distinctive tail would reveal her identity.
• Miaomiao rejected Alfred’s attempt to comfort her and swam out of the Batcave into Gotham Bay.
• Bruce went to confront Joker while Alfred tracked Miaomiao’s movement and teased Bruce about his children following his path.
• Miaomiao decided not to seek out Bruce and instead sent a powerful sound wave through the water.

Miaomiao sent fish to search Gotham City for suspicious items, then changed her tail into legs and came ashore to help Bruce and the others. After stumbling on the beach, she met Poison Ivy, who had escaped Arkham with the Joker and other villains.

• Miaomiao summoned small fish and ordered them to search Gotham City for anything unusual, especially gunpowder.
• Miaomiao transformed her tail into human legs, covered her face with mermaid silk, and walked toward the city.
• Miaomiao tripped on the beach and fell face-first into the sand.
• Poison Ivy used a vine to help Miaomiao up, and Miaomiao thanked her and complimented her beauty.
• Poison Ivy recalled that she had joined the Joker and other villains in escaping Arkham, intending to return to Gotham's Botanical Garden.

Miaomiao met Poison Ivy, gave her the alias Quan Ke, and asked for directions to the Gotham television station so she could help Batman. Poison Ivy arranged a ride for her, leaving Miaomiao near the station, which police had sealed off because of Joker’s threat.

• Poison Ivy steadied Miaomiao with a vine and learned that the girl was heading to the Gotham television station to help amid the chaos.
• Miaomiao introduced herself as Quan Ke, and Poison Ivy decided to guide her to the station herself.
• Poison Ivy captured a passing man, controlled him with a kiss, and ordered him to drive Miaomiao.
• Miaomiao thanked Poison Ivy and rode with the controlled man toward the television station, thinking about a gift for her.
• The man dropped Miaomiao near the station, where Gotham police had blocked unauthorized entry and exit after Joker’s televised announcement.

Miaomiao left the car that had brought her to Gotham and struggled to walk on her new legs as she headed to the scene of Joker’s attack, hoping to help Batman. Commissioner Gordon tried to send her home, but she vanished before he could say more.

• Miaomiao frightened the driver by asking to be let out of his car, then walked away into the night.
• Miaomiao practiced walking and reached the police cordon around Gotham Television Station, where officers warned her to leave.
• Miaomiao said she was looking for Batman and had come to help, prompting the officers to call Commissioner Gordon.
• Gordon told Miaomiao to go home and assured her Batman would handle the situation.
• Miaomiao tilted her head as if hearing something, then vanished, leaving Gordon to wonder if she belonged with the Bat family.

Miaomiao rushed into the Television Station Building to find Bruce and discovered hostages trapped in a ventilation duct with bomb collars. She shielded them with bubbles, removed the collars, and threw the bombs outside, leaving the women safe.

• Miaomiao heard Joker and Bruce fighting above her and climbed the outside of the Television Station Building.
• Miaomiao found several bound women hiding in an air vent and cut their ropes.
• A woman warned Miaomiao that the bomb collars would detonate if the hostages moved more than a meter apart or if a collar was disabled.
• Miaomiao encased the women in protective bubbles, tore open the ceiling, and lowered them safely to the floor.
• Miaomiao removed all the bomb collars at once and flung them out the window, where they exploded harmlessly away from the hostages.

Batman fought Joker while trying to learn where the hostages were, but Joker used the threat to Robin and the hostages to force Batman into a choice. The chapter ended with Joker asking whether Batman would save Gotham Television Station’s wealthy owners or its employees.

• An explosion distracted Batman during his fight with Joker, who taunted him about the sound.
• Batman stunned and beat Joker, demanding to know where the hostages were.
• Joker provoked Batman by claiming Robin had died, but Batman stopped himself from killing him.
• Joker revealed that two hostage groups remained and offered to disclose a location each time Batman beat him.
• Joker forced Batman to choose between the wealthy people behind Gotham Television Station and its employees.

Joker forced Batman to choose who to save as bombs threatened hostages across Gotham, while Batman’s allies struggled to contain the Joker Gang and locate the victims. Miaomiao arrived and interrupted Joker’s confrontation with Batman just as he renewed his demand for a decision.

• Joker taunted Batman and pressed him to choose between lives threatened by his bombs.
• Batman received reports that Robin, Red Robin, and Red Hood were pinned down, while Oracle and Penny One searched for bombs and hostages.
• Miaomiao arrived and asked why Batman and Joker were silent.
• Batman recognized Miaomiao and worried Joker might manipulate her.
• Joker mocked Miaomiao, and Batman warned him not to hurt anyone close to him.
• Joker asked Batman again who he would save and who he would let die.

Miaomiao revealed that she had rescued all the hostages and disabled the bombs, allowing Batman and the other heroes to capture or drive off Joker’s accomplices. In the Batcave, Bruce and Damian questioned how Miaomiao had gained legs, and she explained that all Merfolk could transform their tails.

• Miaomiao told Batman and Joker that she had found and rescued every hostage, including those hidden underwater in tanks.
• Miaomiao explained that she had used her control over water to find the hostages and render the bombs harmless, and Batman knocked Joker unconscious.
• Gotham police took the hostages to safety while Robin captured Harley Quinn, Scarecrow escaped, Red Robin captured Mad Hatter, and Red Hood defeated Clayface as Killer Croc fled.
• Batman delivered Joker to Arkham, then brought Miaomiao to the Batcave for a family meeting and covered her with his cape.
• Damian asked whether Miaomiao had traded her voice for legs, and Miaomiao said she could transform on her own because all Merfolk could.

After Miaomiao revealed that she could turn her tail into legs, Alfred ended the family meeting and began teaching her how to behave as a human. The next morning, Miaomiao struggled to eat properly while Damian remained the shortest member of the family.

• Miaomiao explained that she disliked her human legs, then tried to lift her skirt to show them before Alfred stopped her and ended the family meeting.
• Alfred prepared a tailored plan to teach Miaomiao human manners and basic skills.
• The next morning, Miaomiao asked Damian for help with her steak, but he changed course when Alfred approached.
• Alfred encouraged Miaomiao to eat pasta with a fork by promising her blueberry cookies if she finished the serving.
• Damian drank his daily milk despite hating it, still the shortest in the family even after Miaomiao gained human legs.

Bruce asked Miaomiao about changing between her fish tail and legs after learning how she had climbed the Gotham Television Station building. Miaomiao explained that young merfolk could unexpectedly transform back into tails, leaving Bruce aware that her human form might not last.

• Miaomiao ate until she was stuffed, and Alfred gave her tea and reminded her not to overeat.
• Bruce reviewed evidence that Miaomiao had climbed the television station by driving her fingertips into its walls.
• Bruce asked whether changing between a fish tail and legs harmed Miaomiao, and she said it did not.
• Miaomiao explained that young merfolk had trouble controlling their spiritual power and could suddenly return to their fish-tailed forms.
• Miaomiao told Bruce about a young merfolk who transformed back into a tail in a village and frightened its residents.

Miaomiao told Bruce the grim version of the merfolk story and assured him she understood both human kindness and cruelty, insisting that strength was the best protection. Damian returned to Wayne Manor after exercising with Titus, and Miaomiao happily cuddled the dog.

• Miaomiao recounted how villagers had rescued a merfolk child, while Bruce worried that she was too trusting of humans.
• Miaomiao told Bruce the Elders' version of the tale, in which humans tortured and exploited merfolk and lured rescuers into traps.
• Miaomiao said she understood human nature and declared that merfolk needed strength to fight anyone who threatened them.
• Damian returned after feeding the animals and exercising with Titus, and Miaomiao made room for Titus on the sofa before cuddling him.

Miaomiao grew attached to Titus after he comforted her, while Bruce arranged for Damian to take her downtown since both had free time. The chapter ended with Damian surprised by Bruce’s suggestion to go shopping with Miaomiao.

• Miaomiao remembered how dolphins, orcas, and beluga whales had teased young merfolk before she met Titus at Wayne Manor.
• Titus comforted Miaomiao when Alfred took her away for lessons on human society, and she declared him the best dog in the world.
• Alfred made Bruce take on Tim’s work while Tim rested from an injury, leaving Damian with free time.
• Bruce refused Damian’s request to quit school because he wanted Damian to experience a normal childhood.
• Bruce asked Damian to take Miaomiao downtown for a look around and some shopping.

Bruce arranged for Damian to take Miaomiao shopping so she could experience human society firsthand, and gave her an unrestricted spending card with transaction alerts. As Miaomiao struggled to choose clothes in her new room, Bruce hoped the Wayne family could become her family in this world.

• Damian objected to taking Miaomiao shopping, but Bruce persuaded him by stressing that she needed to experience the human world in person.
• Miaomiao followed Titus upstairs to see her new room, nearly tripped on the stairs, and hurried along once Bruce and the others could no longer see her.
• Alfred reminded Bruce to drink his milk, and Bruce drained the glass before Alfred offered him water.
• Bruce gave Miaomiao a supplementary card with no spending limit and real-time alerts, then considered whether she should attend school.
• Bruce reflected on Miaomiao's loneliness and hoped the Wayne family could become her family in this world.
• Miaomiao stood before her wardrobe, unsure which outfit to choose or how to put the clothes on.

Damian took Miaomiao shopping in Gotham after Bruce arranged a room and clothes for her at Wayne Manor. The outing began with Miaomiao marveling at the city and the mall, while Damian grew increasingly exasperated by her questions.

• Alfred prepared a room near Damian's with a balcony overlooking the pool, but Miaomiao struggled to dress herself because she had never learned how to wear human clothes.
• Damian found Miaomiao helpless before the wardrobe, set a dressing tutorial to loop for her, then waited outside and tied her shoelaces when she emerged.
• Bruce sent Damian and Miaomiao to shop, gave Miaomiao a Black Card, and left for Wayne Tower in his carefree playboy persona.
• Damian led Miaomiao through a sunny Gotham to its largest shopping mall.
• Miaomiao excitedly asked Damian about the mall's wool tapestry and flowers, and Damian regretted taking her shopping.

Damian took Miaomiao on a food-filled walk through Gotham and brought her to the Iceberg Lounge for lunch. After Damian got her past the doormen, Miaomiao became fascinated by the restaurant’s pool and its penguins and seals.

• Damian bought Miaomiao a succession of snacks, and they wandered from their planned route toward the street food stalls.
• At noon, Damian chose the Iceberg Lounge for lunch and explained that its owner was the Penguin, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot.
• The Iceberg Lounge’s doormen tried to turn Miaomiao away for wearing informal clothes, but Damian insisted she could enter with him.
• A doorman recognized Damian as a Wayne and let them into the lounge.
• Miaomiao saw the pool, penguins, and seals inside the restaurant and eagerly watched the animals.

Damian brought Miaomiao to the Iceberg Lounge, kept her away from its penguin pool, and learned about the Penguin’s business while they ate. Their meal ended abruptly when Red Hood burst into the lounge on a motorcycle.

• Miaomiao wanted to swim with the penguins, but Damian stopped her and chose a secluded table with the pool out of sight.
• Damian ordered quick dishes and watched the lounge, recalling how Oswald Cobblepot used the Iceberg Lounge as a front for gambling and gangland deals.
• Damian and Miaomiao finished their meal without finding any useful leads.
• A black motorcycle smashed through the lounge’s display windows and skidded to a stop in the main hall.
• The guards confronted the rider, then recognized him as Red Hood.

Red Hood stormed into the Iceberg Lounge to confront Penguin, forcing the customers to flee before battling the gang’s guards. While Damian kept Miaomiao hidden, a frightened penguin chick took shelter between her feet, and she delighted in petting it.

• Red Hood arrived at the Iceberg Lounge and announced that he had come for Penguin, while Damian recognized him as Jason Todd.
• The customers evacuated, and the squad leader challenged Red Hood for attacking the lounge.
• Red Hood taunted the guards, charged them with a crowbar, and a gunfight broke out.
• Damian kept Miaomiao in cover as the penguins and seals scattered in panic.
• A tiny penguin chick fled the chaos and hid between Miaomiao’s feet, where she stroked it eagerly.

Miaomiao asked Damian if she could keep the baby penguin, and Damian agreed after Red Hood defeated the mercenaries at the Iceberg Lounge. While they waited outside, two scavengers tried to rob them, but Damian quickly beat them down.

• Miaomiao cupped the baby penguin and asked Damian if she could keep it, and Damian agreed.
• Red Hood defeated the mercenaries at the Iceberg Lounge, taunted them, and headed upstairs.
• Damian took Miaomiao and the penguin outside instead of greeting Red Hood, then waited with her in a nearby alley.
• Two scavengers spotted Miaomiao and Damian and approached them, hoping to rob the children.
• Damian beat the scavengers down and decided not to take them to the police station.

Miaomiao and Damian encountered Jason Todd after Damian chased off two robbers, and Miaomiao tried to introduce herself to the guarded Red Hood. Jason rejected Alfred’s invitation to a Wayne family dinner and rode away, leaving Damian to decide that Batman should explain Jason’s past to Miaomiao.

• Damian kicked away two would-be robbers after they surrendered their valuables, and Miaomiao found a shiny crystal charm among the leftovers.
• Jason Todd arrived, mocked Damian about Bruce Wayne bringing home another child, and studied Miaomiao as the newcomer who had helped rescue hostages.
• Miaomiao introduced herself to Jason, but he only laughed and turned away without giving his name.
• Damian passed along Alfred’s invitation to a Wayne family dinner, but Jason refused and rode off on his motorcycle.
• Damian fell silent when Miaomiao asked why Jason did not live with them, then decided she should ask Batman about him.
• Miaomiao put aside her questions and named the penguin chick Jiujio.

Bruce struggled through Wayne Enterprises paperwork while the family gathered for dinner at Wayne Manor, where Dick and Damian’s roughhousing ended in disaster. The chapter left Tim watching as Alfred’s treasured porcelain teapot and Tim’s teacup shattered, with tea spilling onto the carpet.

• Alfred examined Jiujio after Bruce and Miaomiao brought the penguin chick back to Wayne Manor, and Miaomiao played with it in the outdoor pool.
• Lucius kept Bruce at Wayne Enterprises and gave him more paperwork while Tim recovered at the manor.
• Dick returned for the family dinner and chased Damian around the room after hugging and teasing him.
• Tim told Miaomiao that Dick and Damian’s antics were a way for the brothers to bond.
• Dick knocked Alfred’s gold-trimmed teapot, and Damian’s sword strike shattered it and Tim’s teacup, spilling tea across the table and carpet.

After Dick and Damian damaged the sitting room, Alfred disciplined them and the rest of the Wayne family. Bruce then offered Miaomiao a human identity and adoption into the Wayne family, leaving her to decide whether to become his daughter.

• Alfred found Dick and Damian amid the wreckage and took them away to explain themselves.
• Alfred divided the cookie punishments among Dick, Damian, and Bruce while Miaomiao and Tim received cookies.
• Bruce gave Miaomiao documents establishing a human identity with Hua Country ancestry.
• Bruce explained that the adoption papers would make Miaomiao his daughter and told her the family would accept her either way.
• Damian urged Miaomiao not to refuse, saying he had reluctantly agreed to let her be his older sister.

Miaomiao explained that she was in her fifties but still a child by Merfolk standards, startling the Wayne family with the difference between human and Merfolk lifespans. After realizing Alfred was far younger than she had assumed, she prepared a drink from her tear pearls and urged him to drink it.

• Miaomiao told Bruce and the others that she was already in her fifties, while Merfolk did not become adults until eighty.
• Damian, Dick, Tim, and Bruce struggled to process Miaomiao’s age and the possibility that Merfolk lifespans differed from humans’.
• Miaomiao explained that Merfolk could live for centuries, while Alfred clarified that he was an ordinary human in his fifties.
• Miaomiao realized Alfred might be nearing the end of his life by Merfolk standards and asked whether he still had the pearls made from her tears.
• Alfred brought the pearls, and Miaomiao ground two into powder, mixed them with tea, and urged him to drink it.

Miaomiao explained that Merfolk pearls could prolong life and strengthen the body when given willingly, and Alfred drank tea mixed with her pearls. The Bat-family confirmed the pearls' gentle effects and learned that pearls created through a Merfolk's pain would be deadly to anyone who consumed them.

• Tim cited a legend about mermaid flesh and immortality, but Miaomiao explained that Merfolk pearls could prolong life without restoring youth or granting immortality.
• Miaomiao urged Alfred to drink pearl tea, and he felt warm, relaxed, and free of fatigue afterward.
• Bruce took everyone to the Batcave, where examinations found gentle, unknown energy nourishing Alfred's body, and Bruce recorded its fluctuations.
• Dick asked whether Merfolk could be captured for their tears, and Miaomiao said Merfolk could defend themselves and that their pearls required willing tears to help humans.
• Miaomiao explained that pearls formed from tears of pain carried chaotic energy that would poison a human and cause rapid organ failure.