Chapter Twenty-Seven: Meeting The Joker

To find out that her boyfriend had been kidnapped was something that she had found hard to chew. She wondered if Queen Elodie would meddle with time again, or if she had decided that it was too dangerous and decided not to do any more. May had disturbing images in her mind of Ash being gagged and being a punching bag for Harley Quinn's bizarre desires. It certainly takes any sort of people to do that kind of stuff nowadays. She had only heard about The Joker and his arch nemesis, Batman though word of mouth and what she had seen through comics, movies, and countless books. Not to mention the plethora of fan fiction going around for both of them.

May did not want to defend The Joker, but if it was the only way to keep Ash alive, she would do it. Even if The Joker had committed terrible sins over the years, she knew that she couldn't cloud her judgement. She also didn't want to become soft and gain sympathy for the wicked man. The Joker was unlike any of the clients she had defended: all her other clients were innocent. May dreaded to think how many people had died in the hands of The Joker. She was predicting that the list would be longer than her arm. Harley Quinn guided May to the detention centre were her boyfriend was waiting for them.

May felt as if she should be getting used to walking past the iron bars, cold glass and the grey corridors. The long and winding road to The Joker's block felt as if it was never-ending May kept her mouth shut, she didn't want to waste her breath on Harley Quinn until she met up with her client. The prison guards opened the door for them and inside the block was a man with green hair and purple coat. When May first set eyes on her client, her first impressions of him were that underneath that white face paint was a dark man with a dark purpose.

The Joker smiled, bit his lip, and then laughed. "Why hello there!" His voice slithered like a snake. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you today."

"Oh I'm so glad to see you my pudding!" Harley Quinn squealed as she ran over to the glass and kissed the part next to his face. May tip-toed towards the seat and sat down with caution. She had predicted that The Joker would have set off a lot of booby traps, and then she remembered that the police would never allow him to do such a thing. May gulped, one bad move and then Ash could be killed. She had to say the right words at the exact right time. She didn't even know anything about the case, so she was determined to find out as much about The Joker and Harley Quinn as possible. She knew it was going to be a challenge, but every client she has defended has made her stronger, she wanted to be ready for The Joker's trial.

"Yes," The Joker muttered. "I was talking to our lawyer lady. Sit down!"

Harley Quinn pined over The Joker through the glass for a few more seconds before sitting next to May.

"I know you would come for me," The Joker said to May with a twisted grin on his face. "Especially after your boyfriend's kidnapping."

"Then you ordered the kidnapping to take place?" May asked.

The Joker threw himself on the floor laughing. Then he quickly sprang up and hopped on his chair. He banged his fists against the glass. The prison guards leaned over as if they wanted to do something, but May could tell they were too scared to move. It was as if The Joker had put them under his spell. "Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't."

"You've got to be straight with me," May requested. "I can't help you unless you help me."

"And what can a little old guy like me do to help a sweet young lady such as yourself?"

"You can start by telling me a bit more about yourself," May suggested. "The more I know about you, the more I can do to help you."

"Oh I see." The Joker couldn't stop laughing. "As you know I'm The Joker. I'm from Gotham City and Batman is my best hobbies include laughing, killing people, blowing things up, trolling rich people, the list goes on and on."

"And you want ME to defend you?" May shrieked.

The Joker roared with laughter. "HA HA HA HA. Because I wanted to meet you. I think you're amazing at your work. So to celebrate your great soul, I wanted you to defend me in court. I got myself in a bit of pickle. Queen Elodie's father was murdered, and they think I did it. Me? A cruel and twisted killer? No, that's not me at all. I'm just a simple man. I can relate to you. I know you'd do a good job. That's why I'm going to make you rich."

"I don't want to rich," May told him. "I want to do my job. I want my boyfriend back."

"Whether your boyfriend lives dies will depend on your actions."

"Then tell me why you're here?" May demanded.

"He just told ya," Harley Quinn moaned. "The Queen's father was killed. Burnt. Nothing left of him. They think it's my precious little pudding. He only hurts people who deserve it."

"And I guess you thought that he didn't deserve it."

"I've never met him." The Joker shrugged his shoulders. "You see Miss Maple," The Joker said, leaning over to her. "Honesty is very expensive and you shouldn't expect it from cheap people. I have no reason to lie. My henchmen have left me. All my friends have abandoned me. You are all I have. I have no reason to lie to you."

"What about the woman sitting next to me?" May asked.

"Oh fuck her." The Joker cackled again.

May was stunned. She couldn't believe how quickly he dismissed Harley Quinn like that. It was as if Harley Quinn was a piece of meat to him. At least that's how May thought of the couple. Harley Quinn's smile only got wider as she flashed her clean teeth which stood out from the blotchy make up. For some reason, Harley Quinn didn't seemed fazed by The Joker's insults. It only seemed to turn her own even more. May wouldn't have been surprised if Harley Quinn decided to strip off and tried to bang The Joker through the glass walls. May banged her head against the table as Harley Quinn removed her top.

"Miss Quinn," May said. "I don't think you should be stripping in the detention centre."

"Oh they all love it!"

"It still doesn't make it right," May insisted. "They've got rules against that."

"Rules were made to be broken," The Joker hissed with a slick grin on his face. "Please Miss Maple, stop banging your head. Its giving me a little headache."

"You'll get more than a headache when you get out of here," May said, gritting her teeth.

"Oh that sounds kinky," Harley Quinn said with an innocent giggle.

"I can't believe you two..."

"Anything is possible when you put your mind to it," The Joker told May. It was what a lot of fairy tales and movies that preached good morals taught her. As it now came from the mouth of one of the most notorious criminals of all time, she wasn't sure if it was believable or not. She started to scratch her head as she clung onto her top. There had to be a way to put The Joker and Harley Quinn behind bars without sacrificing Ash's life. She could not lose Ash again. Not after everything that had been through together.

"What did you know about the victim?" May asked The Joker.

The Joker shrugged his shoulders. "I know his daughter is Queen of Nova... and that's it."

"You don't even know his name?"

The Joker shook his head.

"Well if you don't know the guy's name, it's highly unlikely that you committed the crime." May could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. She felt ashamed to be wasting her talents on such a scumbag. "I can't promise that you'll be out of prison. Because you've committed so many crimes over the years, you might still go to prison. But since you didn't kill that man, I'll do whatever it takes to clear your name from his murder."

"I know I could get you to turn things around," The Joker said. "Phoenix Wright taught you well. How's his daughter?"

"She's fine," May replied. "She's gone to visit her brother in Khura'in."

"I hope to see her in my trial," The Joker admitted. He crossed his legs as he helped himself to a glass of water. "I think this trial is going to be entertaining. I can't wait to see what dirty tricks you pull."

"I don't pull dirty tricks," May informed The Joker with a rotten look on her face. "Everything I do in court is pure determination. I will seek justice."

"Full of morals I see. Why are you obsessed with sticking to the rules when the most sensible way to live is not to follow the rules at all."

"CAUSE I'M NOT A CRIMINAL LIKE YOU!"

Harley Quinn pounced on May and covered her neck with the grip of her fingers. Harley Quinn's beauty melted away to reveal an ugly psychopathic monster. "YOU BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU SAY LITTLE ONE! DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PUDDING!"

"LET GO OF ME!" May pushed Harley Quinn away as she gasped for air. She couldn't believe that she was almost strangled to death. It happened so quickly that she had no idea how things would sink in. Then she remembered Ash. Her heart sank. She could only pray that Ash is alright wherever he is or whatever he's doing. She's hoping that Ash and Pikachu are looking out for each other. She slapped herself on the forehead. Why was it that it was always her and Ash that got into all of the messy trials? She wished that she and Ash could be just a regular couple that do normal romantic things.

She was also surprised. With so much security in the detention centre she wondered why nobody came to her rescue. Why were the prison guards simply standing there like old lemons as Harley Quinn stripped off and attacked May. May gulped. She had to leave the detention centre. She had to go out to the crime scene. She couldn't stay in the same room as Harley Quinn and The Joker for another second.

"Where are you going?" Harley Quinn asked.

"I've got to go to the crime scene and investigate," May declared. "I'll be back later to talk."

She only wished that she could hug Ash right now.

May had left the detention centre with tears rolling down her eyes.

"May!" Somebody had called her. May looked up and saw Trucy running towards her in a state of panic. "May!" Trucy cried out. "Why are you crying? What's happened? Where's Ash?"

"Ash has been kidnapped!" May cried. "And I have to defend The Joker, or else Harley Quinn will kill him."