Chapter Summaries

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.

Alfred explained how Dick and Jason had hidden the bullying they endured at school, and Bruce learned about Dick’s past in a phone call. Dick and Bruce spoke honestly about why Dick had kept his struggles to himself, while Miaomiao reassured Dick that her day at school had gone well.

• Alfred told Bruce that Dick and Jason had endured bullying and quietly treated their injuries without asking questions.
• Dick called to ask how Miaomiao’s first day of school had gone, and Miaomiao told him she had made a friend and played tennis.
• Jason revealed that Bruce now knew about Dick’s old school fights, prompting Dick to ask what Jason had told him.
• Bruce apologized for not knowing about Dick’s injuries, and Dick explained that he had not wanted to add to Bruce’s burdens.
• Dick learned that a classmate had provoked Miaomiao, but Miaomiao said she had enjoyed playing ball with him.

Bruce asked Tim and Damian whether they had experienced bullying, then reassured his children that they could rely on their family. The family responded to his heartfelt words with rare tenderness, and Alfred decided they deserved extra cookies at dinner.

• Miaomiao told Dick that she had enjoyed playing tennis, though her classmate had tired and left before she was ready to stop.
• Bruce looked to Tim and Damian and asked whether they had been bullied; Tim said nobody bullied him.
• Damian angrily insisted that nobody could bully him, but Bruce clarified that he meant rejection, rumors, and other invisible harms.
• Dick explained that some harm left no wounds, and Bruce told Damian that he did not have to shoulder everything alone.
• Bruce told all his children that they were family, Miaomiao cried in his arms, and Tim patted Damian's head.
• Alfred felt relieved by Bruce's words and decided everyone would get twice as many cookies at dinner.

Miaomiao asked Bruce for help choosing electives, and the Wayne family weighed her interests against the classes still available at Anders Academy. Tim began checking the remaining options, but the chapter ended before Miaomiao chose a course.

• Miaomiao told Bruce she did not know which electives to choose, prompting the family to offer advice.
• Damian recommended fencing, while Jason suggested Classical Literature or painting, Tim discussed computing, photography, and other courses, and Alfred proposed botany, painting, or horseback riding.
• Tim realized that Miaomiao had transferred after the initial selection period and that popular courses might already be full.
• Tim checked Anders Academy's course system and found that the popular and easy-credit classes had no spaces left.
• Tim showed Miaomiao the remaining courses, and Damian and Jason rejected Introduction to Botany and Cartography and Geographic Information System as poor fits.

Tim helped Miaomiao choose her electives, and she settled on Mythology and Folklore and Marine Biology. The next day, she talked with Lia about the school newspaper’s coverage of her tennis match and shared her choices.

• Tim and the others discussed Basic Astronomy and Mythology and Folklore, and Miaomiao showed interest in listening to stories despite worrying about writing a paper.
• Bruce, Tim, and the others encouraged Miaomiao to take Marine Biology, and she asked Bruce to add it.
• Tim submitted Miaomiao’s requests for Mythology and Folklore and Marine Biology, pending the school’s approval.
• The next day, Lia told Miaomiao that the school newspaper had reported on her tennis match against Elliott without exaggerating.
• Lia asked about Miaomiao’s electives, and Miaomiao said she had chosen Mythology and Folklore and Marine Biology.

Miaomiao discussed choosing Mythology and Folklore and Marine Biology with Lia, then gave Lia and Seraphina handmade seashell bracelets. Seraphina questioned Miaomiao’s gift after she placed a conch bracelet on her desk.

• Lia explained that Mythology and Folklore involved a final paper and aquatic legends, while Marine Biology focused on real sea life.
• Miaomiao reflected on why people had portrayed mermaids as frightening and decided she was ready for the classes and their homework.
• Lia offered to help Miaomiao with research and assignments, and Miaomiao gave her a handmade bracelet with a tiny white seashell.
• Miaomiao gave Seraphina a bracelet with an orange conch, and Seraphina frowned and asked what it meant.

Miaomiao and Lia grew close at school, while Seraphina quietly joined their orbit. After a streak of setbacks convinced John Elliott that Miaomiao was behind his misfortune, he hired a thug to follow her and began tailing Lia himself.

• Seraphina accepted Miaomiao's conch-shell bracelet, and Lia excitedly asked Miaomiao whether Seraphina had kept it.
• Miaomiao and Lia became best friends, and they often spent time with Seraphina at school.
• John repeatedly failed to confront Miaomiao, suffered accidents, and had his allowance and credit limit cut by his family.
• John concluded that misfortune followed whenever he approached Miaomiao with bad intentions and decided to target her outside school.
• John sold his signed tennis racket, hired a Gotham thug to follow Miaomiao, and followed Lia to find something he could use against her.

Seraphina followed Lia to the downtown public library after spotting John Elliott tailing her, then sensed danger as Lia approached two suspicious sedans. Meanwhile, Miaomiao marveled at the stars from the Watchtower, leaving Lia's situation unresolved.

• Seraphina saw John Elliott secretly follow Lia's car and decided to pursue them to protect her.
• After losing sight of Lia's car, Seraphina remembered Lia planned to visit the downtown public library and went there instead.
• Seraphina found Lia outside the library, but sensed danger near two black sedans with covered license plates as Lia waved to her.
• Miaomiao stood at the Watchtower's viewport and gazed in awe at the star-filled universe.

Bruce brought Miaomiao to the Watchtower for the Justice League meeting, giving her a chance to see Earth from space for the first time. There, she reunited with Barry Allen and inadvertently bruised his pride by asking whether he or Superman was faster.

• Bruce invited Miaomiao to visit the Watchtower and told her to change and inform Alfred.
• Bruce and Miaomiao teleported to the Watchtower, where Miaomiao marveled at Earth and the stars through the observation window.
• Barry Allen greeted Miaomiao and apologized for what had happened during their previous encounter.
• Barry demonstrated his speed by fetching chocolates for Miaomiao.
• Miaomiao praised Barry's speed, then asked whether he or Superman was faster, deflating Barry's pride.

Miaomiao explored the Justice League's Watchtower while Bruce, Diana, Clark, and the other heroes attended a meeting. She followed a young voice claiming to be Batman's best Robin and discovered it came from a starfish-like creature sealed in a jar.

• Bruce showed Miaomiao the Watchtower and arranged temporary visitor access for her.
• Diana and Clark greeted Miaomiao before joining Bruce and the other Justice League members for a meeting.
• Miaomiao wandered through the Watchtower's public areas, marveling at its technology and views of Earth.
• Miaomiao heard a child boast about being Batman's best Robin and followed the voice to a compartment.
• Miaomiao found a starfish-like creature inside a jar, speaking as though Bruce were its dad.

Miaomiao met Jarro, a tiny psychic starfish who proudly called Batman his dad and dreamed of becoming Robin. Jarro revealed his fear of inheriting Starro the Conqueror’s destructive instincts, but insisted that he wanted to become a hero and protector.

• Jarro mistook Miaomiao for an intruder until she explained that Batman had invited her to the Watchtower.
• Jarro was delighted to learn that Miaomiao was Batman’s adopted daughter and called her his big sister.
• Miaomiao told Jarro about her Merfolk origins and her parallel world, prompting him to explain that he possessed Starro the Conqueror’s memories and abilities.
• Jarro described Starro’s sacrifice to save the universe and admitted that he feared becoming the ruthless Conqueror.
• Jarro declared that he wanted to become Batman’s Robin and protect people rather than conquer or harm them.