Rain fell upon Stein and Sid like icy needles as they approached an abandoned train yard, but they could not be deterred. Stein could sense J's madness coming from deep within and were determined to end him once and for all. They peered around a corner and saw dozens of men in deep purple jumpsuits with clown makeup; they were all human, but Stein sensed two strong Kishin-eggs on this property.
"Hello again, boys! Joker here!" a high-pitched, clownish voice piped up over a loudspeaker.
"Joker, huh?" Stein whispered.
"A fitting name, I guess." Sid grumbled.
"You'll be pleased to know that a new prisoner has just arrived for your enjoyment. The more educated among you may know him as the holy sword, Excalibur. Please ensure he receives the welcome he deserves." Joker added with a sickly cackle.
A door slid open and a huge guy came out holding a tied up and beaten up Excalibur. He tossed Excalibur onto the ground and the thugs all gathered around him.
"I had to do a two page report on you for school before I dropped out." one of the thugs growled. "Now yer gonna pay."
"Get away from me, you animals!" Excalibur cried.
"Oooh, I thought you'd learned not to talk back." another thug said, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like we're gonna have ta teach ya again."
"No, please…No-o-o-ooo!"
"Should we help Excalibur?" asked Sid.
"Nah," said Stein. "He knew what he was getting into…probably."
While the thugs were busy pounding and pummeling Excalibur, Stein and Sid made their way stealthily through the train yard, trying to find the source of Joker's voice. Stein spotted a warehouse and they decided to have a look inside.
"You actually fought him, didn't you?" Sid asked.
"Yeah, a few times. I don't know what he can do with his weapon, but he was a strong, nimble fighter and he could discharge his wavelength into people, like I do. Not that it'll help him now."
As they approached the warehouse, they could hear giggling inside.
"We got him." Sid snarled.
Together, they kicked down the door and charged inside to find that it was empty, save for a single camera in one corner and a loudspeaker in the other.
"Well, look who decided to show up!" Joker spat over the loudspeaker. "I haven't seen you guys in…how long has it been? Hmmm…Aw, what the hell? We'll have time for a cozy catch-up later! Get down there, boys! Rough em' up a little, but not too much."
At that moment, thugs began dropping down from a balcony above. Sid dealt with the first wave and Stein took care of the second just as easily.
"Ladies and nonladies, let's give a great big hand to the Abramovici brothers!" Joker blabbed on. "It's not like they couldn't use one!"
Two huge one-armed men then dropped down. One wore Clown makeup and orange pants and carried a large hammer; the other was covered in tattoos, wore fatigue pants, and carried a large sickle. Stein could sense that their souls were Kishin-eggs, and the thugs he and Sid had just dealt with were getting back up.
"That does it, we can't afford to hold back," Sid growled. "Not if we want to catch Joker!"
The two of them began stepping up their attacks, no longer worried about killing their targets. Sid slammed two thugs' heads together and hurled them into a group of others. Stein jumped onto the hammer-wielding Abromovici's back and discharged his soul-force into his head, while Sid threw the other one into the corner, breaking the camera. They then ran out of the warehouse.
Black Star crept through the old train yard. He'd lost track of Sid and Stein, but that was alright, he just wanted to find this Joker character before they did. He kept creeping along until he spotted something that really stood out here, a small purple and green circus-style tent.
"This Joker guy must be an idiot!" he thought. "It's like he wants me to find him!"
He crept up to the tent, peered inside and saw a tall lanky man in a purple pinstripe suit eating a bowl of Kruncho Cereal.
"YAHOOO!"
"What the…?"
Black Star charged forward and tackled the man.
"I am the great Black Star and I am here to assassinate you! Ha ha ha!"
"It's not an assassination if you've been seen, bozo." the man in purple groaned.
He had pasty white skin, acid green hair and eyes and a mouth stretched into a permanent grin. He must have been the Joker!
"Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you some manners, kiddo." he said in his obnoxious voice.
Black Star wasted no time throwing wild punches and flying kicks, but the Joker ducked, bended, and cartwheeled away, he was toying with him! This made Black Star's frustration grow.
"What a great workout!" Joker jeered. "I feel like that gay fitness guy!"
He leapt over Black Star in a leap-frog fashion and kicked him hard in the backside, sending him flying out of the tent.
"I know why you call yourself `Black Star'!" Joker taunted. "You'll never shine in a million years, kiddo! Not until you've had lessons from me…he he!"
"SHUDDUP!" Black Star roared. This guy was really pissing him off now.
He tried to put Joker in choke hold, but Joker slipped away, grabbed Black Star's hand and discharged his wavelength into him. It was twice as bad as Stein's; Joker's wavelength was so full of madness that not only was black Star's every nerve on fire, but he felt disoriented and confused. He started swaying like a drunkard spouting nonsense.
"I hate…clowns. I wanna…pillow-fight you…"
Joker began laughing up a storm.
"I wanna see some…sexy jutsu…"
"You're a barrel of laughs, kiddo! But I have places to be an' people to slay!"
When the madness wore off, Black Star came back to his senses, only to find himself staring down the barrel of an oversized revolver.
"No quiet exit for you…it'll be quite loud." Joker rasped, sounding much more menacing now. "But I'm sure that's how you want it."
There was a deafening bang and Black Star got a face full of green gas. He staggered back, coughing and gasping but then fell back, out of control with laughter.
Stein and Sid rushed into the tent where they heard the hysterical laughter and were shocked to see that it was coming from Black Star. He was on the ground, thrashing wildly and laughing like a maniac.
"Black Star! What's the matter?" Sid asked.
Black Star could not answer; he was beside himself with laughter. His lips were now blood red and his face was turning green, Stein could see the veins in his neck.
"It's some kind of toxin." said Stein. "We need to get him to my lab…now!"
Stein cursed himself and he cursed Joker as he led Sid back toward Death City with the out-of-control Black Star in his arms.