Unexpected Intervention

Thea knew that to defeat Catwoman, she needed to limit her speed. Although she herself was agile, compared to Catwoman, there was always a slight gap in their speed. Despite having the upper hand, Thea couldn't expand her advantage further due to this slight difference in speed.

Dodging a series of kicks from Catwoman, Thea noticed the sophistication of her legwork. Whether it was whip kicks or roundhouse kicks, Catwoman's kicks seemed well-honed. Thea couldn't help but wonder if Catwoman had some kind of superpower that allowed her to move gracefully in high heels. It didn't make sense.

Thea imagined that if she were wearing those shoes, she would struggle just to walk at a normal pace, let alone execute acrobatic kicks. Seeing Catwoman's energy draining, her side kick lost its precision, giving Thea an opening. She quickly closed the distance and aimed an elbow strike at Catwoman's face. 

The blow, if landed, would cause a temporary blackout due to the dense nerves on the face. However, Catwoman exerted force from her waist and legs at the critical moment, propelling herself upwards. However, the forceful elbow strike still landed on her shoulder near the collarbone.

Thea didn't relent. Thea grabbed Catwoman's shoulders with both hands, planted her right foot on the ground, bent her left knee, and executed a knee strike, aiming for Catwoman's abdomen to incapacitate her. 

Just as Catwoman was about to be struck and lose the fight, a gleaming metallic object flew towards Thea's right foot at incredible speed from a distance.

Uncertain of what it was, Thea realized that if she continued with her attack, she would not only injure Catwoman but also risk injuring herself. After weighing her options, she decided that this was just a sparring match, not a fight to the death. It wasn't worth getting injured over. She quickly adjusted her attack, turning the upward knee strike into a backward jump to temporarily disengage from the fight.

With a crisp sound, the metallic object landed where Thea had been standing, partially embedded in the concrete road. It had a streamlined shape and emitted a unique metallic sheen in the dim light. The exposed side had a sharp edge on one side. It was a Batarang.

At that moment, Felicity's anxious voice came through the earpiece, "Thea, be careful, it's Batman."

Even without her warning, Thea had already spotted the legendary Batman, clad in a Kevlar bulletproof armor, a black mask covering his face, and a dark cape billowing behind him. He descended from the sky as if floating on air, with an entrance so grand that it could have been worshiped as divine in medieval times. This must be a tactic to exert psychological pressure on oneself. It's no wonder he's renowned as a master of psychology.

How did he descend? Did he have supernatural abilities? Impossible! Thea carefully scanned the surroundings with her perception and noticed something unusual overhead. Although it was quite blurry due to the distance.

It must be his Batwing. With its impressive ultra-low altitude flight capabilities. The fact that she couldn't see it with her naked eye meant it also had advanced optical camouflage invisibility functions.

This was different from traditional stealth aircraft where radar couldn't detect them but they were still visible to the naked eye. This was a case where neither radar nor the naked eye could detect it. Very advanced! She resolved to have the Queen Weapons Development Department develop a similar system for herself!

Seeing Batman stand beside Catwoman, Thea noticed Catwoman moving two steps sideways, seemingly avoiding him for some reason. 

Although Batman's face was obscured by his mask, his facial contours revealed a hint of helplessness. It seemed like he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. Catwoman, on the other hand, seemed suddenly blind, as if she hadn't seen the presence of another person at all, continuing to stare at Thea.

Huh? Even a blind person could tell that something was off between them. Thea's gossiping instincts were ignited, and she whispered her thoughts to Felicity, who was broadcasting the events in real-time. It was almost as if she wanted to fly over and give a thumbs up.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Thea took the initiative to speak, "You're Batman, right? Aren't you the hero of Gotham City? Why are you protecting this thief?"

Batman was genuinely troubled. He had recently argued with Catwoman over their differing worldviews and life philosophies while traveling in their real identities. Passing by Starling City, they continued their conversation, and a few disagreements escalated into a quarrel.

Catwoman, who felt annoyed, happened to catch Moira gathering all the city's officials for a press conference so she decided to cause some trouble and disrupt the event. She changed into a different outfit and entered the venue, intending to create chaos.

She thought it would be an easy game, but Thea completely ruined it. The two ended up fighting from the venue to the street, with Catwoman on the verge of defeat. Batman had to intervene to save her.

Faced with Thea's question, Batman didn't know how to respond. He had checked Thea's background on the Batwing and learned that she was Thea Queen, heiress to the Queen conglomerate. Her father and brother had died in an accident, and she had no criminal record. She currently worked at her family's company and was also applying for a spot at Princeton University.

Seeing that she wasn't a bad person and had faced similar hardships to his own without succumbing to darkness, Batman couldn't help but admire her optimism and resilience, traits he had struggled to maintain during his darkest moments.

Unable to answer her question, Batman pretended not to hear and remained silent.

Seeing Batman standing idly by, Catwoman grew increasingly frustrated and shouted, "If you're brave enough, come and catch me!"

Thea was puzzled. It was obvious that Batman and Catwoman were working together, so she decided to stay out of it.

Furthermore, she didn't want to antagonize Batman. After all, he was a heavyweight in the Justice League, and she might have to interact with him in the future. It wouldn't be wise to offend him.

When dealing with someone like him, having superior combat skills wouldn't be enough unless you killed him outright. Otherwise, he would always bounce back like a cockroach, popping up unexpectedly to startle you.

Thea decided to use a tactic she had seen Prometheus use against Green Arrow in the future: the "Talk no Jitsu." By seizing the moral high ground and rendering her opponent speechless, she could win without having to rely on physical strength.