A few minutes later, the Clock King's math class was over. Batman's next class was P.E. Garfield Lynns was the P.E. teacher. He was a fun-loving, but immature teacher. After accidentally causing a small fire, students started calling him Firefly. Mr. Lynns liked the name and encouraged his students to keep calling him that. Batman looked at his fellow P.E classmates. Among them, were Harley Quinn and the Joker.
Firefly looked at Batman and said, "Welcome in, new guy."
Batman replied, "I assume you have plenty of students, that you didn't have last year."
Firefly fiddled with a basketball, while saying, "Fair enough. However, most of them don't have your eye-catching costume. You can wear it today, but in future days, you'll be wearing a normal P.E. uniform."
Batman sternly replied, "I don't think so."
Firefly asked, "Did you backtalk to a superior?"
Batman stuck his hands in the air and replied, "I didn't mean to insult you or anything, but my identity needs to be kept a secret. That's why my costume has to stay on."
Firefly was more carefree than the other teachers, so he responded, "Okay." He looked at the other students and said, "Run a few laps."
While running, Joker looked at Harley Quinn and said, "Batsy intrigues me."
Harley replied, "Ivy and I talked to him earlier. He seems like a nice guy, a little down-to-Earth."
The Joker responded, "If that's the case, he'll never fit in. However, I think Batman has far more going on. If he dresses like a bat and goes to this asylum, he must be nuts. I'm hoping he's as crazy as I am."
Harley put her arm around the Joker and replied, "You're not crazy."
The Joker had a sinister grin on his face, while responding, "My dear Harley, I want to be as seen as crazy. The whole world's crazy. Instead of trying to blend into a society that pretends to be normal, you should embrace your wild side."
Harley replied, I always do."
The Joker responded, "Good." He did a goofy laugh.
After the running was over, Firefly said, "Not a bad job." He looked at Batman and said, "You had particularly good running. Do you work out?"
Batman replied, "Um, yeah."
Firefly said, "It's time for dodgeball. Joker will throw a fit if I don't let him be a team-captain, so go ahead."
The Joker jumped and replied, "Alright, but I have another request."
Firefly sighed and asked, "What is it?"
The Joker pointed to Batman and said, "I want him to be the other captain."
Firefly replied, "Whatever you say, dude."
Batman and the Joker picked their teammates and started the dodgeball game. Joker had picked Batman to be a team captain, because Joker wanted to defeat Batman and make fun of him. He was one of the most physically energized students, so he quickly threw dodgeballs at Batman's teammates, while doing a crazy laugh. However, Batman was doing better than Joker was expecting. He got several of Joker's teammates out of the game.
A few minutes later, Batman and Joker were the only students left in the game. Joker had a smug smile on his face, while saying, "I'm going to bring you down."
Batman asked, "Do you really think so?"
Joker answered, "Indeed to do. Go ahead and pretend like you're superior, but there's no beating the clown price of game." Joker felt a sudden discomfort. He looked down and saw that Batman had thrown a dodgeball at him. Joker angrily said, "You have got to be kidding me!"
Firefly said, "Batman's team are the winners."
The Joker punched Batman in the stomach and said, "I'm going to keep my eye on you."
After physical education was over and after Batman had an uneventful study-hall class, school was done for the day. Batman walked past Hugo Strange's office. Hugo Strange stepped out of his office and approached Batman. He asked, "Did you have a good first day, Mr. Batman?"
Batman answered, "It was certainly an unusual day, but it also had some unique charm."
Hugo Strange replied, "I'm delighted to hear that."
Batman took a peek into Hugo Strange's office and saw that the room had been messed with. Several things were broken and the room looked like a mess. Batman said, "At the risk of being nosy, what happened?"
Hugo Strange answered, "Somebody poked around here. I don't know who it was, but nothing important is missing. Don't worry about it."
Batman said, "I'm hoping to become a detective, so this intrigues me."
Hugo Strange put his hand on his chin and asked, "A bat-themed man, who wishes to become a detective. You're one a kind and I couldn't ask for anything better."
Batman said, "Even if nothing important got stolen, there's still a cause for concern. I'd like to do some research, during the next few days."
Hugo thought about it and replied, "Very well then. In fact, I'm looking forward to you catching the intruder."
Batman responded, "I'll see you tomorrow, Principal Strange."
Hugo replied, "Okay then, Mr. Batman. By the way, you can pretend like you're going to keep your identity a secret, but sooner or later, your identity will be discovered. I don't know who will be lucky enough to see under that cowl, but it's going to happen." Hugo walked away from Batman, while having a suspicious look on his face.
Batman was about to walk out, but Talia walked up to him. Batman turned around and said, "Hi Talia. What's going on?"
Talia fiddled with her hair, while saying, "Since we don't know each other that well, I was hoping we could hangout. There's an ice-cream place, across the street."
Batman replied, "That sounds nice, but I've had a long day. Maybe tomorrow."
Talia responded, "Clock King's warning about wasting time are something you should take more seriously. If you goof around and don't make a move, you're never going to get the girl."
Batman replied, "If you saw how fast I ran in P.E., you wouldn't think I'm slow."
Talia responded, "Use your time wisely." She winked and bumped into a plant, while walking back to her locker.
Poison Ivy angrily replied, "Be careful."
Talia responded, "I don't care about dumb plants."
Poison Ivy replied, "I don't care about dumb girls." Talia destroyed the plant and poured the dirt in Ivy's hair. She walked away, while laughing.
Batman saw Poison Ivy's hair and asked, "What happened to you?"
Poison Ivy sighed and answered, "I had a chaotic first day."
Batman replied, "Me too. I hope the chaos ends."
Poison Ivy lightly smiled and responded, "Sometimes, chaos can be a good thing." Batman nodded and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day of school. However, this was only the beginning, of the madness of Arkham Asylum.
Batman went to his college, Arkham Asylum, early, because he had been suspicious and fearful, when it came to the school's mysterious secrets. Batman looked around the hallway and saw Catwoman. Catwoman often went to school early, so she'd have time to feed any cats, who were roaming around the school. Batman looked at Catwoman's locker and saw that it was covered in scratches. He walked up to her and said, "Hi, Selina."
Catwoman looked annoyed, while saying, "If you want people to call you Batman, you should respect other peoples' eccentric nicknames, no matter how weird they sound."
Batman replied, "I'm sorry, Catwoman. Did the cats scratch up your locker?"
Catwoman responded, "Of course not. Take a closer look at the scratches."
Batman looked at the locker and saw how fierce and big the scratches were. He said, "I understand why you think cats didn't do this. It'd take an impressively-strong creature, to make these type of marks."
Professor Hugo Strange walked by and saw the scratch marks. He gave Catwoman a disapproving look and asked, "You scratched your locker? You should be ashamed of yourself."
Catwoman could hardly believe that Hugo Strange would accuse her of that. She said, "Come on, there's no way I could of done that."
Hugo replied, "I disagree with that claim. Let's not forget you've scratched several items of school property, including banners and trophies."
Batman had a surprised look on his face, while looking at Catwoman, and asking, "Did you really do that stuff?"
Catwoman had a sly smile on her face, while saying, "Nobody's purrfect."
Hugo replied, "Catwoman, your behavior is disgraceful. You scratched-up an expensive locker and lied about what you did."
Catwoman responded, "That's not what happened."
Hugo stuck his hand in front of her and sternly replied, "I won't tolerate more of your misbehaving nature. You are expelled, for a week. During that time, I hope you learn and improve. Otherwise, you won't have a successful time at Arkham Asylum."
Catwoman angrily threw her backpack at the ground. Several books and other items fell out. Batman helped put the stuff back, while asking, "Are you going to be okay?"
Catwoman answered, "Don't feel too concerned. I've gotten expelled before."
Batman replied, "I hope everything works out."
Catwoman lightly smiled and responded, "Thank you."
Batman walked up to Hugo Strange and said, "I'm concerned about Catwoman."
Hugo asked, "Why feel sympathy for that troublemaker?"
Batman often questioned authority. He knew it was a risky thing to do, but he knew that his superiors sometimes made mistakes and they had to be called-out for it. He said, "I don't think you should of expelled her. If you'd take a closer look at the scratch marks, you'd see they were made by a creature."
Hugo replied, "You shouldn't put too much thought into it, Mr. Batman. Catwoman probably had her cats scratch it up. Despite how small they are, cats can leave a big impact."
Batman responded, "With all du respect, I don't think cats could make these type of marks. I strongly believe it was a wilder type of animal."
Hugo had an intimidating glare on his face, while asking, "Are you calling me wrong?"
Batman confidently answered, "More or less."
Hugo patted Batman's shoulder and replied, "I admire your guts. In order to succeed at Arkham Asylum, you have to be brave and bold. You've doing great, so far."
Batman responded, "Principal Strange, yesterday, your office was robbed and this morning, Catwoman's locker was scratched. Two crimes in less than twenty-four hours. There's certainly a troublemaker behind this."
Hugo seemed to be intrigued by Batman's theory, while saying, "I still think that everything's fine, but if you feel there's more going, you can keep investigating. However, you should be careful. If you uncover somebody's secrets, they will uncover yours." Hugo walked back to his office.
Batman looked around and saw Poison Ivy. He examined her locker and saw a few scratches. He said, "Hi, Ivy."
Poison Ivy replied, "Greetings, Dark Knight. What's going on?"
Batman said, "Somebody's been damaging school property. Principal Strange thinks it was Catwoman, but she isn't capable of this type of stuff."
Poison Ivy replied, "You don't know her as well as I do. She can be really dangerous, if you get on her bad side. Frankly, I don't know if she has a good side."
Batman noticed that the scratches on Ivy's locker were far less noticeable than the scratches on Catwoman's locker. He put his hand on his chin and tried to figure out why Catwoman's locker got more scratched up than Ivy's locker. After a brief moment of thinking, he said, "I think someone has a vendetta against Catwoman."
Poison Ivy replied, "No offense, but you're thinking about it too hard. I think Catwoman's cat got loose and made the scratches."
Batman shook his head and responded, "No, these scratches are too extreme, to be caused by some cats. It had to be a bigger animal, maybe even a creature."
Poison Ivy asked, "Do you think a wild animal broke in here, without anybody noticing?"
Batman said, "No, I think somebody purposely had an animal do this. I intend on finding the culprit."
Harley Quinn walked up to Batman and Ivy and said, "Hi, guys. What's going on?"
Batman replied, "Somebody's been having the lockers scratched up. Speaking of that, how does your locker look? Does it have any scratches?"
Harley said, "There isn't a single scratch. In fact, I got a little note." She handed the sticky-note to Batman.
Batman took a close look at it. It said, "Keep up the good work."
Poison Ivy asked, "What is the note about?"
Batman answered, "Somebody seems to dislike Catwoman and like Harley."
Harley had a flattered look on her face, while saying, "Wowsers, I didn't know I was so popular."
Meanwhile, Talia got a ride to Arkham Asylum, from one of Ra's al Ghul's limos. Talia was about to step out out of the car. Ra's al Ghul said, "Ubu will pick you up after school, because I have a meeting with Lady Shiva."
Talia replied, "Whatever." She started putting makeup on her face.
Ra's al Ghul asked, "Are you trying to impress that bat-person?"
Talia smiled and answered, "You could say that."
Ra's al Ghul replied, "I must admit he intrigues me. A bat-themed detective? I wonder if he has any special abilities."
Talia responded, "I'm more interested in his wealth."
Ra's al Ghul sighed and said, "I hope you're not chasing after Batman, because he's rich. Money isn't everything."
Talia replied, "You're one to talk, you greedy businessman."
Ra's al Ghul sternly responded, "Watch your tongue or you'll get grounded."
Talia folded her arms and said, "I'll bribe your guards into letting me escape, if you ground me."
Ra's al Ghul confidently replied, "Then I'll bribe them and have you grounded longer. Sooner or later, you're going to have to change. If you don't, I predict trouble."
Talia stepped out of the car and responded, "And I predict not caring." She started walking into the school.
Ra's al Ghul looked around and hoped he'd catch a glimpse of Batman. Since Batman was inside, Ra's al Ghul didn't see him. He drove away, while hoping he'd eventually meet him.
Talia walked into the school. She walked by Batman, who was still talking to Ivy and Harley. Batman turned and greeted Talia. He asked, "How are you?"
Talia answered, "Not too bad, but my dad's being super annoying."
Batman asked, "Is he strict or something?"
Talia answered, "He's a major jerk. Speaking of jerks, I see you're hanging out with Ivy and Harley."
Harley angrily asked, "Are you calling us jerks?"
Talia smirked and answered, "You could say that."
Poison Ivy gritted her teeth and said, "Talia, I knew you were a bit bratty, but you've become more than that. You've become a jerk."
Batman could sense the tension and he hoped he could bring peace. He stood in front of them and said, "Guys, please calm down. I think things are going to be okay."
Talia put her arm around Batman's shoulder and asked, "Why do you hangout with such simpletons?"
Poison Ivy angrily responded, "How dare you say that."
Harley said, "If I had a hammer, I'd hit her."
Batman replied, "That's enough arguing, at least for now. If we don't hurry, we're going to be late for class."
Poison Ivy responded, "Okay."
A few minutes later, they were in Professor Crane's class. Batman looked around and took a close look at Crane's bat-creature, also known as Man-Bat. It was smaller than any of the students and didn't look human, but Crane was stubborn about changing the name.
Professor Crane noticed how much attention Batman was paying to Man-Bat, so he said, "You seem quite distracted, but I can't blame you. Not only is Man-Bat my greatest assistant, but he also shares similarities with you."
Batman replied, "Professor Crane, before we get started in class, I have an important question to ask."
Batman captivated Professor Crane's interest, so Crane said, "Go ahead and ask."
Batman asked, "Have you heard about some lockers getting scratched up?"
Professor Crane took a brief pause, before saying, "I heard about that."
Batman replied, "I hate to accuse fellow bats, but Man-Bat seems like he has the skills to do those scratches."
Professor Crane looked mildly offended, while responding, "Man-Bat may have human-like qualities, but he doesn't have a mind of its' own. The only way Man-Bat could of done that stuff is if his cage was opened. When I came in this morning, Man-Bat was in his cage. I hope that answers your judgmental question, Batman."
Batman had a thought in his head. He knew it would be a risky thing to ask, but he figured he should bring it up. He said, "Professor Crane, is there chance of you being behind the scratches?"
Professor Crane angrily replied, "How dare you accuse a professor. I see potential in you and because of that, I'm not giving you a detention. However, if you ever accuse me of anything else, I guarantee a scary future."
After Professor Crane's class was over, Batman and the others went into the hallway. Batman walked up to Poison Ivy and said, "I think Professor Crane's a good suspect."
Poison Ivy replied, "Scarecrow doesn't have the guts for that. He likes scaring people, because he's a coward. Also because he's a scummy scoundrel, but that's a different story. Plus, he's loyal to Principal Strange. That's probably because they're both creeps."
Batman thought about it and said, "If that's the case, Professor Crane might not be behind what happened. However, I still think Man-Bat was involved."
Poison Ivy replied, "But Scarecrow claimed Man-Bat's cage wasn't opened."
Batman frowned and responded, "I think he made that up, so his precious pet wouldn't get in trouble. If Crane's as scummy as you claim he is, he probably has no problem with someone using Man-Bat."
Poison Ivy asked, "Who would want to control Man-Bat?"
Batman put his hand on his chin and said, "I have some guesses."
Batman and Ivy heard some loud squawks. They walked by the Penguin's locker. Penguin used his umbrella, to point to his locker, while saying, "Somebody scratched-up my locker. Plus, a few of my textbooks got scratched up."
Batman replied, "Oh my."
Penguin said, "The worst part is that the intruder ate part of my lunch." Batman rolled his eyes.
Professor Hugo Strange walked by and asked, "What's going on?"
Penguin pointed to his locker and replied, "Look at my damaged-up locker."
Hugo Strange responded, "Yes, I see your crafty handiwork."
Penguin had a confused look on his face, while asking, "What are you talking about? Somebody messed up my locker, broke my textbooks, and took some of my food. Whether or not I get a fancier and better locker, is of moderate importance and I could care-less about the textbooks. However, I demand to have a new lunch."
Hugo replied, "And I demand that you get expelled."
Penguin nervously asked, "What?"
Hugo sternly said, "Arkham Asylum may be an eccentric and loose place, but rules and responsibilities are primary requirements. You are lacking in those qualities, so you're taking a week-long break."
Batman looked at Hugo and said, "I don't mean to be rude, but how could you possibly think Penguin did this? A few hours ago, you called Catwoman the culprit."
Hugo replied, "Penguin got inspired by Catwoman's bad influence. I feel sorry for him, but that doesn't excuse his behavior. Have a pleasant week, Mr. Cobblepot." Penguin angrily squawked at Hugo Strange and started walking away.
While walking away, Penguin passed-by his ex-girlfriend, Talia. Penguin said, "You won't have to see me, at least not this week."
Talia replied, "Good riddance, Mr. Cobblepot." Penguin angrily squawked.
Poison Ivy looked at Batman and said, "We better get to our next class."
Batman replied, "Okay." While walking to class, Batman started writing a list of suspects.
After a few more classes, it was lunchtime. Batman went into the lunchroom, while carrying a list of suspects. He knew somebody had been framing random students, which made Batman feel determined and obligated, to find the real villain.
After picking his lunch, the cook walked by him and asked, "Would you like a desert?"
Batman answered, "Sure, do you have some cake or something?"
The cook shook his head and said, "No, I have eggs."
Batman looked surprised, while asking, "Eggs?"
The cook pointed to his freshly-made eggs and said, "I couldn't think of a more eggcellent choice of desert."
Batman replied, "Sorry, but I'm not interested."
The cook played catch with the eggs, while saying, "You'll have to crack-open your lack of trying new things, Batman."
Batman lightly smiled and replied, "Maybe some other time."
The cook had a goofy smile on his face, while saying, "I'll scramble you a proper diet, next time."
Batman sat at Poison Ivy's table. Ivy looked at him and said, "Ignore the cook. He's an egghead."
Harley Quinn grabbed Batman's juice and said, "Sorry, but I'm really thirsty."
Poison Ivy replied, "Harley, I told you to get your own drink."
Harley responded, "But you used to have me steal other kids' drinks."
Poison Ivy sighed and replied, "That was before I tried being nice. You need to stop taking peoples' stuff or they're going to start disliking you."
Harley tried to look innocent, while saying, "But I'm so lovable." She started slurping Batman's drink under the table, in hopes that he wouldn't see her.
Batman looked down and said, "You can just keep that drink. I'll get another one."
Harley smiled and replied, "Thank you. You're a cool bat."
Poison Ivy noticed that Harley was still under the table, so she said, "You stop hiding and sit normally."
Harley replied, "Nah, this is fun. I like hanging out in different kinds of places. It makes life more unique." Ivy rolled her eyes.
Batman looked back at Ivy and said, "I made a list of suspects."
Poison Ivy smiled and replied, "Wow, you're dedicated to this detective stuff."
Batman responded, "I'm planning on becoming a detective and I think solving the scratching mystery will be a solid start."
Harley looked up and said, "I better not be a suspect."
Batman calmly replied, "Don't worry, Harley. I know you're innocent."
Harley was amused at the thought of being called innocent. She said, "That's hardly an accurate description, but I appreciate the sentiment."
Poison Ivy asked, "Who are your main suspects?"
Batman said, "Well, the Riddler is suspicious."
The Riddler used his cane to bonk Batman, while saying, "Riddle me this: Who's batty, but is trying to be the voice of reason?"
Batman was a little nervous about Riddler overhearing him. He said, "I'm sorry, but considering how smart you are, you could easily find a way to get Man-Bat out of his cage."
The Riddler had a smug smile on his face, while replying, "That's true, but you missed an important detail."
Batman raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"
The Riddler said, "Riddle me this: Who loves showing-off and would never be behind a mystery, because he loves attention?"
Batman sighed and replied, "I understand what you're trying to say. Since you love the attention, you wouldn't keep such a big secret."
The Riddler responded, "You guessed correctly, Batman. If you ever become a detective, I look forward to challenging you."
Batman replied, "You do seem like an interesting opponent."
The Riddler boastfully responded, "Indeed I am. However, nobody has ever outsmarted me, because I'm the prince of puzzlers." He walked away, while doing a goofy laugh.
Batman said, "It seems like Riddler's innocent."
Poison Ivy asked, "Who's your next suspect?"
Batman answered, "The Joker."
Harley stood-up and asked, "You think that my boyfriend is guilty?"
Batman answered, "I'm sorry, but he acts very sneaky and seems to have a dark sense of humor. Frankly, I think he'd love seeing Man-Bat scratch school property."
Harley smiled and replied, "I'm going to prove you wrong." She whistled to the Joker, to get him to come over.
The Joker walked by, with a big grin on his face, and asked, "What's up?"
Harley kissed his cheek and said, "Batsy thinks you're the culprit, behind the Man-Bat situation."
The Joker pretended to look offended, while staring at Batman, and asking, "How could you accuse me of such a thing? After our heartwarming game of dodgeball, I was expecting more trust from you." He started crying fake tears.
Batman replied, "Joker, wouldn't you get thrills from using Man-Bat?"
The Joker had an amused look on his face, while stealing Batman's apple, and saying, "Oh Batman, I love seeing you fail at being a detective. Do you think I'd gain anything from palling around with Man-Bat?"
Batman answered, "Possibly."
The Joker shook his head and started eating Batman's cookies, while saying, "That's not the case. My best friend, Pengy-Wengy, got expelled, because somebody framed him. Not to mention Catwoman, who is super hot."
Harley jealously replied, "Hey."
The Joker nervously chuckled and responded, "Harley, you're only supposed to listen, when I want you to."
Batman looked back at Joker and said, "You seem innocent, when it comes to this situation. However, I still think you're a suspicious person."
The Joker lifted Batman's chin up, while saying, "I'm glad about that."
Harley said, "Joker, do you want to finish lunch with me and the others?"
The Joker replied, "Nah, Riddler and I have a project scheduled." He looked at Batman and Ivy and said, "I'll see you nerds around." He did a crazy laugh and ran away.
