Chapter Summaries

Miaomiao and the Bat kids stopped armed guards aboard a freighter, and Bruce watched proudly as they returned safely and reassured him that Gotham was in good hands. The next morning, Clark Kent arrived at Wayne Manor, where Miaomiao met him for the first time.

• Miaomiao defeated the guards on the boats and freighter, using waves and her toxin-coated claws before police arrived.
• Dick, Tim, Damian, Jason, and Miaomiao celebrated their successful teamwork, while Bruce watched from Wayne Manor and praised them.
• The children reassured Bruce that they could protect Gotham while he recovered, and Alfred prepared food for their return.
• Clark Kent arrived at Wayne Manor the next morning and greeted Dick, while Miaomiao was surprised by the handsome visitor.

Clark returned to Wayne Manor after a long trip and learned that Bruce had gone missing, though he was now safe and healthier. As Jason, Dick, Damian, and Tim left, Clark gave Miaomiao a Stardust Recorder that filled the room with starlight and ocean sounds.

• Tim greeted Clark, while Damian scolded him for being absent when Bruce needed him; Alfred reassured Clark that Bruce was fine.
• Clark met Miaomiao, and Alfred introduced her as Bruce's newly adopted daughter.
• Bruce joined them, and Damian revealed that Bruce had gone missing; Clark scanned Bruce with his X-ray Vision and apologized when Bruce objected.
• Clark said his space mission had gone well and that he had brought back local gifts, while Jason, Dick, Damian, and Tim left to attend to their own tasks.
• Clark gave Miaomiao a Stardust Recorder, which she activated to fill the sitting room with drifting starlight and ocean sounds.

Bruce told Clark how he found Miaomiao while investigating an illegal human experimentation lab, and explained that her fish tail was natural, not the result of experiments. Miaomiao showed Clark her tail and swam in Wayne Manor’s pool, then announced she had thought of a gift for him.

• Bruce told Clark about investigating a secret cruise ship connected to an illegal human experimentation lab and finding Miaomiao in the sea.
• Clark mistook Miaomiao’s tail for the result of experiments until Bruce explained she was an Eastern Merfolk whose tail was her own.
• Miaomiao explained that Merfolk took pride in their tails and invited Clark to see hers.
• Miaomiao leaped into Wayne Manor’s pool, transformed her legs into her shimmering fish tail, and swam while Clark watched in amazement.
• After playing in the water, Miaomiao swam back to Bruce and Clark and said she knew what gift to give Clark.

Miaomiao gave Clark a protective mermaid-silk gift and learned that he was Superman, an alien with extraordinary powers. After Tim described Clark’s abilities, Miaomiao compared him to the Divine Dragon from her homeland, and Clark praised Bruce’s unique qualities as Batman.

• Miaomiao wove Clark a water-resistant mermaid-silk plush that could expand to protect someone in the water, and Clark asked whether he could give it to Lois.
• Bruce told Miaomiao that Clark was an alien from Krypton who gained power from the sun.
• Clark explained that he helped people in Metropolis, while Bruce handled Gotham’s more complicated crimes.
• Tim listed Superman’s many abilities, astonishing Miaomiao, who compared him to the Divine Dragon from her homeland.
• Clark said physical power was not everything and told Miaomiao there could never be another Batman like Bruce.

Bruce reflected on how Clark Kent’s upbringing had made him a kind and moral Superman, then confronted Clark about his battle damage and ordered him to write a detailed report. Clark was left facing a thirty-page deadline before the next Watchtower meeting.

• Bruce recalled investigating Superman’s identity and discovering how the Kents had raised Clark with love and patience.
• Bruce told Clark that his parents had shaped him into a good man, and Clark blushed at the rare praise.
• Clark called himself and Bruce the world’s finest duo and explained why the League trusted Batman’s contingency plans.
• Bruce reminded Clark that he had damaged an entire street fighting a cyborg, despite having been away for over two months.
• Bruce ordered Clark to submit a thirty-page battle-damage report before the next Watchtower meeting, with no use of superspeed.

Clark reflected on why he refused to use his emotionless Super Brain, then agreed to fight Miaomiao after she asked him to prove himself against Earth's strongest fighter. Miaomiao launched her first full-strength attack, her toxin-coated claws aimed at Clark.

• Clark recalled that his Super Brain offered ruthless solutions and frightened him into swearing never to use it again.
• Miaomiao asked Clark to fight her because she had not yet found an opponent who could match her.
• Clark agreed after Miaomiao pleaded, while Bruce warned him not to hurt her.
• Miaomiao attacked Clark without waiting for a signal, unleashing her full strength and toxin-coated claws.

Miaomiao sparred with Clark, whose super speed let him dodge her attacks and whose skin proved too tough for her claws to scratch. After Bruce checked that Miaomiao was unharmed, she noticed Clark seemed to float and wondered if his loose clothes helped keep them from tearing.

• Clark dodged Miaomiao's first claw strike, then avoided her follow-up attacks with ease.
• Miaomiao used the pool water to block Clark's escape routes and urged him to stop dodging.
• Miaomiao scratched Clark's arm, shredding his clothes but leaving his skin nearly unmarked.
• Miaomiao asked whether Clark's blood was red, and Clark confirmed that it was.
• Bruce checked Miaomiao's hands and explained that Clark's strength caused extensive damage in fights.
• Miaomiao noticed Clark's feet barely touched the floor and wondered if his baggy clothes kept from tearing.

Miaomiao discovered that her song could control Clark, and she used the illusion to make him perform silly tasks and imitate Batman. The spell ended with Clark remembering what he had done and blushing in embarrassment.

• Miaomiao asked Clark whether he knew magic, then sang a Merfolk song that put him under her illusion.
• Miaomiao ordered Clark to spin around and water the lawn while Bruce warned her not to take things too far.
• Miaomiao made Clark imitate Bruce as Batman, and Tim prompted him to recite Batman's famous lines.
• Tim recorded Clark's performance, and Miaomiao's laughter ended the illusion.
• Clark regained his senses, remembered what he had done, and blushed as everyone watched.

Miaomiao learned that Superman was especially vulnerable to mental and control magic, so she made him a bracelet that could protect his mind. The group paused their discussion when Alfred offered refreshments and suggested Clark change his shredded clothes.

• Bruce warned Miaomiao not to use Illusion Song carelessly and offered to train with her using tools to resist it.
• Bruce revealed that a magical device made by a friend had protected him from Miaomiao's sound-based magic.
• Miaomiao explained that Merfolk hair and scales could store spiritual power, then wove some into a bracelet for Clark.
• Miaomiao gave Clark the bracelet, saying it would protect him from mind control unless the user's spiritual power surpassed hers.
• Alfred invited them to refreshments and suggested that Clark change his shredded clothes.

Miaomiao secretly planned to go to Arkham and punish the Joker for what he had done to Jason, and Damian joined her mission. As they tried to take a Batcycle from the Batcave, Batman caught them and ordered them to go back.

• Bruce's improved health earned him permission to resume night patrol, while his glowing skin drew attention from Gotham tabloids and amused the Bat Brats.
• Miaomiao sneaked out with a route map to Arkham, determined to make the Joker admit his wrongdoing and accept punishment for hurting Jason.
• Damian confronted Miaomiao, revealed he knew her plan, and gave her a jammer and Arkham's guard schedule so he could accompany her.
• Damian and Miaomiao abandoned Miaomiao's water route and headed to the Batcave to take a vehicle, but Damian chose the Batcycle over the Batmobile.
• Batman appeared in the garage and ordered Miaomiao and Damian to go back.

After Batman caught Miaomiao and Damian trying to approach the Joker, Miaomiao wrestled with whether Gotham’s criminals deserved to die. The next morning, she asked Tim and Damian what the Joker feared, and Tim explained that the Joker’s greatest danger lay in his chaos and obsession with corrupting Batman.

• Batman stopped Miaomiao and Damian’s plan, ordered them back to their rooms, and warned them not to approach the Joker.
• After Batman left, Miaomiao questioned why the Joker kept escaping punishment and wondered whether killing murderers would prevent further crimes.
• Miaomiao spent a restless night thinking about Jason, the Joker, and Bruce’s reasons for refusing to kill.
• The next morning, Miaomiao asked Tim and Damian whether the Joker had any weaknesses besides being killed.
• Tim described the Joker’s abilities and explained that his unpredictability, indifference to pain and death, and fixation on driving Batman insane made him dangerous.

Miaomiao, Tim, and Damian realized Joker feared being forgotten and began considering how to erase his hold over Gotham. She later visited Killer Croc, who gave her homemade dried fish, and she happily praised them.

• Miaomiao, Tim, and Damian concluded that Joker craved attention and feared being forgotten.
• Jason returned home, guessed the younger kids were plotting against Bruce’s orders, and chose not to interfere.
• Miaomiao decided to take her time finding a way to ensure Joker could no longer cast a shadow over Gotham.
• Killer Croc invited Miaomiao to his Underground Palace and gave her dried fish he had caught and prepared himself.
• Miaomiao tasted the dried fish, called them the best she had ever eaten, and Killer Croc explained that he had caught them in clean water.

Killer Croc made Miaomiao roasted dried fish, and she gave him a crocodile charm in return. Their exchange was interrupted by Selina Kyle, who arrived seeking information about Penguin’s stolen jewels and gave Miaomiao a moonstone pendant.

• Killer Croc carefully caught, dried, and roasted small fish to make Miaomiao a snack.
• Miaomiao praised the fish, and Killer Croc took her to wash her hands before drying them with a handkerchief.
• Miaomiao gave Killer Croc a soft crocodile charm made from mermaid silk, and he accepted it gratefully.
• Selina Kyle emerged from the shadows and said she had come to ask about Penguin’s stolen jewels.
• Selina placed a velvet box in Miaomiao’s hands and opened it to reveal a moonstone pendant.

Miaomiao used handmade charms and grilled dried fish to settle Selina and Killer Croc's quarrel. After they reconciled, she planned to share the fish with Bruce and the others, while Selina invited her to live with the girls instead.

• Selina criticized Killer Croc's grilled dried fish and crocodile charm, and the two began arguing over their gifts to Miaomiao.
• Miaomiao thanked Selina for the moonstone necklace and persuaded her to taste Killer Croc's dried fish.
• Miaomiao gave Selina a handmade black cat charm, and Selina displayed it on her belt.
• Miaomiao asked Selina and Killer Croc to look at their charms whenever they argued, and both agreed to stop squabbling.
• Killer Croc gave Miaomiao the remaining dried fish to share with Bruce and the others, while Selina invited her to live with the girls.

Miaomiao said goodbye to Selina and returned to Wayne Manor with a parcel of Gotham-exclusive dried fish. The Bat Family enjoyed the food, and Bruce guessed that Waylon Jones had made it.

• Miaomiao told Selina she had chosen Bruce as her father and would stay with her new family.
• Selina sent Miaomiao home before the rain, then argued with Killer Croc, whose name was Waylon Jones.
• Miaomiao arrived at Wayne Manor as drizzle began and brought the dried fish to Bruce, Tim, Jason, and Damian.
• Bruce and the others tried the fish, enjoyed it, and Bruce asked Miaomiao if Waylon Jones had made it.

After learning that Killer Croc made the dried fish, Bruce remembered Selina and then forbade Miaomiao and Damian from going near Arkham. They hid their plan from Jason, whose reaction to Arkham could reignite the conflict he and Bruce had been suppressing.

• Miaomiao revealed that Waylon Jones, Killer Croc, had made the dried fish, and Jason and Damian tried them despite their surprise.
• Bruce thought about Selina and the choices that had kept them apart.
• Bruce ordered Miaomiao and Damian not to go near the place they had visited the previous night, and they reluctantly agreed.
• When Jason returned, Bruce and the others concealed that Miaomiao and Damian had wanted to go to Arkham.
• After Jason left, Tim explained that hearing about Arkham could shatter the fragile peace between Jason and Bruce.

Miaomiao gave handmade mermaid silk charms to Gotham’s villains, prompting Jason and Damian to complain that she had not made gifts for the family. She rushed to craft personalized charms for everyone at the manor and handed them out that evening.

• Damian urged Bruce to let him pursue Joker, but Bruce stopped him and warned him against following hatred.
• Miaomiao gave custom mermaid silk charms to Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman in Robinson Park.
• Jason confronted Miaomiao in the Batcave about giving gifts to her villain friends while neglecting the family, and Damian joined in.
• Miaomiao hurried to her room and made personalized charms for Bruce, Jason, Tim, Damian, Alfred, and Dick.
• Miaomiao returned to the Batcave that evening and handed out the charms.

Miaomiao’s family accepted the charms she had made for them, and Bruce welcomed Diana Prince to Wayne Manor. Diana met Miaomiao and sensed the powerful force of the deep sea within her.

• Bruce, Jason, Tim, and Damian attached the charms Miaomiao had made to their gear and teased one another in the Batcave.
• Miaomiao said she would think of her family first, and Damian reminded her that they were her closest family.
• Diana arrived at Wayne Manor, and Bruce realized Clark had told her about Miaomiao.
• Diana introduced herself to Miaomiao as Bruce’s colleague and revealed her demigod heritage.
• Diana sensed a watery aura around Miaomiao and recognized the wild power of the deep sea within her.

Diana visited Bruce and Miaomiao, praised Miaomiao’s potential, and learned that she was an Eastern Merfolk with more than twenty years until adulthood. After Miaomiao gave Diana a handmade charm, Diana invited her to spar, leaving Miaomiao’s response unknown.

• Diana discussed Miaomiao’s fight with Clark and praised her potential while they enjoyed ice cream with Bruce and Alfred.
• Diana asked when Miaomiao would come of age, and Bruce explained that she was an Eastern Merfolk with more than twenty years to go.
• Miaomiao gave Diana a charm woven from mermaid silk, and Diana invited her to come to Themyscira.
• Diana tried to take Miaomiao home with her, but Bruce appealed to Miaomiao, who declared that she wanted to stay with him.
• Diana asked Miaomiao if she wanted to spar with an Amazon warrior.

Miaomiao sparred with Diana in Bruce’s training room, eager to test herself against a skilled opponent. Diana stopped the bout and pointed out that Miaomiao relied on instinct rather than technique, leaving Miaomiao unsure whether that was wrong.

• Bruce directed Miaomiao and Diana to spar in the training room, while he and Alfred watched.
• Miaomiao attacked Diana with swift, powerful strikes, but Diana repeatedly blocked and redirected them with her shield and combat skill.
• As Miaomiao tired, she took Diana’s punch to land scratches on Diana’s arm, and Diana pinned her wrist to end the bout.
• Diana praised Miaomiao’s strength, speed, and explosive power, then told her that she fought without technique or precision.
• Miaomiao asked Diana whether fighting by instinct was wrong.