Western Crossover: Gotham Rat People

[Extra-chapter rule: one long review earns an extra 3,000 words] Hi, I’m Lily, an ordinary kid from Gotham. Well, I’m not exactly ordinary, because I’m ridiculously tough. I’ve done things like nearly kill my own dad in self-defense, lived just fine on my own in Crime Alley, and become a master at stealing... I mean, surviving, way ahead of kids my age! “You’re nothing but a stinking rat reeking of garbage...” That’s what my dad said as he was dying. “A rat?” I wiped the blood from my nose. “Rats are great.” Rats are the most common animals in Crime Alley. They travel in packs, eat anything they can get their paws on, and grow bigger and bigger. If a rat can survive, so can I. Use anything you can use, eat anything you can eat, take anything you can get. That’s what I thought, and that’s what I did. “Thanks!” After stealing some poor sap’s wallet, I yelled to a boy who was just passing by, “I’ll split the money with you when we get back!” The boy, now the target of everyone’s ire: “?!” I didn’t expect him to find me completely unharmed and angrily demand to beat me up... Ha! Catch me first, you idiot. Wait, why can he run so fast?! I can’t keep this up! I need to think of something, fast! “You passed my test,” the annoying girl said while Jason leaned against a wall, panting. “We can be partners. You distract people, and I’ll steal!” The girl flashed a confident grin. “Just like rats.” “...” Jason let out a cold laugh. “Deal.” “Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, like a rat stuck on a glue trap. “Help! I don’t want to die in here with a psycho wearing a red plastic cup on his head!” “Excuse me?!” Red Hood shouted at me while desperately ramming the metal box we were trapped in. “Say that again!” “I’m talking about you, you pervert in the skintight shirt with a red bat printed on your chest!” Pain and stress were driving me out of my mind. “I’m about to be sunk at sea with you! What the hell did I do wrong? I gave up crime ages ago! I’m a model citizen now!” “Are you serious?” Red Hood burst out laughing. “Quit acting. You stole a piece of metal before they locked you in, didn’t you? Hand it over.” I stopped screaming. I stared at him coldly and tightened my grip on the piece of metal. “...Why should I trust you? They said if one of us dies, they’ll let the other one go, right? How do I know you won’t kill me, ” “Because we used to be partners,” Red Hood said. “Huh?” I said. [Please Note] 1. The heroine isn’t very moral. 2. There may be some really heartless dark jokes. 3. There will be swearing. 4. I can’t think of anything else to add. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story! Thesis: Work hard and keep improving.