TOOTHLESS MEETS ACE THE BAT-HOUND
Five months of raising a Night Fury had taught the Bat-Family many things:
Toothless steals fish from the kitchen
Toothless hums when happy
Toothless hates being told "no"
Toothless thinks rooftops are personal landing pads
But one thing none of them had prepared for…
Was the meeting of two living legends:
Ace the Bat-Hound
vs.
Toothless the Night Fury
The ultimate "Who does Damian love more?" showdown.
BATCAVE — THE FIRST SNIFF
Damian led Toothless down the cave ramp. His claws clicked softly on the metal floor, wings folded tight like he knew he was somewhere sacred.
Ace looked up from his resting spot beside the Bat-computer.
His ears perked.
His eyes narrowed.
His tail lifted slowly — not wagging… but assessing.
Toothless stared back, head tilted, pupils huge and curious.
Damian crouched beside them.
"Ace… meet Toothless. Toothless… this is Ace. Be respectful."
Nightwing leaned on the railing above.
"Oh boy. The dragon meets the dog. $100 says Ace growls first."
Tim, eating popcorn somehow:
"No way. Toothless is gonna chirp at him."
Batman didn't comment.
He was recording the entire thing on three different cave cameras.
THE TENSION GROWS
Ace took three deliberate steps forward.
Toothless lowered his head, sniffing deeply.
Ace sniffed back.
Both paused.
Both leaned in closer.
Toothless's ears perked.
Ace's tail gave a single, cautious thump.
Nightwing whispered:
"…Are they bonding?"
Tim:
"Hold on—"
Toothless suddenly PURRED — the deep, vibrating, engine-like rumble that shook the entire cave floor.
Ace froze.
Toothless gently nudged Ace's face.
Ace blinked once…
…then licked Toothless right between the eyes.
Damian raised an eyebrow.
"…Huh."
Nightwing shouted from above:
"They're friends?! THAT WAS FAST!"
THE CHASE BEGINS
Toothless's pupils shrank with excitement.
Ace's tail wagged.
Then —
Toothless bolted.
Ace barked and sprinted after him.
Nightwing scrambled up the railing:
"OH NO— THE CARS!"
The chase tore across the cave:
Over the Batmobile
Under the Batwing
Around the training ring
Through the trophy room
Past the life-sized T-Rex (which Toothless sniffed mid-chase)
Tim yelled:
"THEY'RE REWRITING THE FOOD CHAIN IN REAL TIME!"
Batman didn't flinch.
"This is a healthy bonding exercise."
Nightwing stared.
"You're… not worried?"
Batman typed calmly.
"I have the Bat-Cave reinforced for Kryptonian combat. It can handle one dragon and one dog."
Tim:
"That… actually makes sense."
DAMIAN NEEDS TO INTERVENE… MAYBE
Toothless skidded around the Bat-computer platform, Ace hot on his tail.
Damian cupped his hands around his mouth:
"Toothless! Ace! Slow down!"
They didn't.
Toothless leaped onto a catwalk.
Ace followed without hesitation.
Damian sighed.
"They're not listening."
Batman didn't stop typing.
"They're bonding."
Damian smirked just a little.
"…Maybe."
THE MOMENT OF TRUCE
Eventually, both creatures wore themselves out.
Toothless flopped onto the cave floor, sides rising and falling.
Ace lay down right beside him, tongue hanging out, giving a tired huff.
Toothless purred softly.
Ace pressed his head against Toothless's neck.
Damian crossed his arms and nodded.
"As expected. They like each other."
Nightwing leaned forward.
"Damian… this is the most wholesome thing I've ever seen you cause."
Tim snapped a picture with his phone.
Batman glared.
"Delete that."
Tim:
"…I'll think about it."
THE FINAL BONDING TEST
Ace nudged Toothless's saddle with his nose.
Toothless nudged it back.
Damian blinked.
"…No. No, no, no— Ace, you are NOT riding the dragon."
Batman paused his typing.
"…Actually, I would like to see that."
Nightwing burst out laughing.
Tim choked on air.
Toothless chirped.
Ace barked.
Damian groaned into his hands.
"THIS FAMILY IS A NIGHTMARE."
TOOTHLESS' FIRST GOTHAM PATROL
It was midnight when Damian mounted Toothless at the edge of Wayne Tower.
The city lights flickered below. Smog drifted like low-hanging fog. The wind was sharp. Perfect for flying.
Toothless crouched.
Damian tightened the saddle straps.
"Ready."
Toothless answered with a chirp—then launched into the sky like a missile.
THE DARK KNIGHT LOOKS UP
Batman and Nightwing were on patrol two rooftops away when a sonic boom echoed across Gotham.
Nightwing stared upward.
"…Is that—"
Batman answered without emotion:
"Toothless."
Nightwing laughed. "Damian's actually patrolling on a dragon. We're officially unnecessary."
Batman didn't deny it.
IN THE SKY — TRUE FREEDOM
Toothless blasted through clouds, weaving between Gotham's skyscrapers with impossible agility.
Damian stood on the saddle, cape whipping behind him.
"Easy. Banking left!"
Toothless obeyed instantly, diving toward East End.
Below them a car chase tore through the streets — gang members firing wildly.
Damian pointed.
"Toothless! Plasma blast. Tires only."
FWOOOM!
A bright blue explosion of draconic plasma hit the street inches in front of the car, melting the asphalt. The criminals swerved into a pole.
Damian slid off Toothless mid-air, kicking two thugs unconscious before he even touched the ground.
He cuffed them, whistled, and Toothless scooped him back up with one smooth motion.
PATROL CONTINUES
They stopped:
a mugging
a robbery
a kidnapping
and a metahuman arms deal
every time, fast and clean.
By 4 AM, Gotham had its quietest night in months.
Damian patted Toothless's neck.
"Good work."
Toothless purred.
BACK AT THE POCKET DIMENSION
Damian walked Toothless into the yard of his private dimension and fed him from a barrel-sized bowl of fish.
As he cleaned Toothless's saddle—
DING
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: NEW MISSION
Damian froze.
"…Already?"
A holographic screen appeared:
SYSTEM MISSION — SAVE SUPERMAN
Mission: Prevent Superman from dying in his next battle with DOOMSDAY.
The fight will occur in one month.
Ensure:
• Superman survives
• Justice League members survive
• Minimal civilian casualties
• Any damage caused must be reversible or containable
Mission Difficulty: EX++
REWARD UPON COMPLETION:
MIND PROTECTION (PASSIVE)
Permanent defense against ALL telepaths
No one can read your mind without explicit permission
Forced attempts will return ONLY random thoughts about food
(Examples: "Why do pancakes always smell better at 2 AM?" "Do dragons eat noodles?")
Immune to psychic mind control
Cannot be tracked mentally
Damian exhaled slowly.
"A fight that kills Superman… and I have to prevent it."
He paced.
"Toothless… Doomsday is a Kryptonian-killer. Practically immortal. Adaptive evolution. Every attack that hurts him once will never work again."
Toothless blinked.
Damian smirked and scratched the dragon's chin.
"Yeah. I know. We'll make it work."
He read the mission again.
"One month…"
His eyes sharpened.
"If Superman dies, the world collapses. If the League dies, it collapses faster. And if I fail…"
He clenched the hologram.
"…I WON'T fail."
MISSION ACCEPTED
SYSTEM: Mission locked. Countdown: 30 days.
Damian walked into his lab, eyes burning with determination.
"Toothless… we need to upgrade the Kryptonian-suppression weapon."
Toothless purred and followed him inside.