Hm... just wanted to get some opinions on this one. I'm not exactly blessed with writing skills. In fact, they're crappier than my art skills, but I strive to improve.

I need to fix something in a later chapter, but I'll leave it as it is for now.

I'm lazy, so most of it'll probably just be copy-pasted off FFN for convenience's sake.

So my little warning is that there will be plot holes, and run on sentences. As I happen to be the master of those. 8D

Title: Turnabout Return
Summary:Set after events of Apollo Justice/GS4. Unnerving, intimidating and suspicious were the words Apollo would use to describe the new prosecutor.


Ch 1
Simple Turnabout
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January 30, 10:00 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Apollo shifted through his notes one last time, taking care that everything was in order. Today’s trial was a simple one, a hit and run accident. The verdict was a no-brainer. A man died from getting hit by a car, and an old geezer with glasses three inches thick, who was at a bus station nearby, claimed he saw the perpetrator’s face. Also, interestingly enough, the one the old man blamed for the accident was his next door neighbour, and it was no secret how the two hated each other. Best of all, the prosecutor was Payne. Apollo straitened his hair, and cleared his throat. As usually, he had practiced and prepared his “chords of steel”.

“Good morning Polly!” A cheerful voice behind him quipped. He turned to see his close friend, and self-proclaimed assistant, Trucy Wright, the daughter of his mentor.

“Good morning Trucy.”

Trucy smiled and wagged a finger under his nose. “The trial hasn’t even started, and you’re already using your chords of steel.”

“I can’t help it, I’m just so ready for this case.”

“Well that’s great to hear for a change. Mr. Hat and I will be supporting you all the way!” Trucy grinned and activated her precious wooden puppet.

“Good luck Polly.” Mr. Hat, um... said...

“By the way, where’s Mr. Wright?”

“Oh Daddy? He’s busy today, he’s visiting the cemetery.”

Mr. Wright always visited the graveyard monthly, it seemed there was someone there he really did care for.

“Anyways, no more time for chit chat, the trial’s going to start. Where’s all your confidence going to go if you walk in late?” Trucy was lecturing him again.

“Right, right, I’m going.”
---------------------------------------------------->
January 30, 11:22 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

“Great trial Polly! You buried him into the ground!” Trucy exclaimed cheerfully, throwing her arms up in the air. “I knew you could do it!”

Apollo grinned and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Haha, thanks! But it was only Payne.”

(Far away in the prosecuting lobbies: Payne, “ACHOO!”)

“Nice work Apollo.” the cool voice of Mr. Phoenix Wright congratulated the young attorney for his success.

“Thank you Mr. Wright.” Apollo grinned, glad to be well acknowledged by the once legendary attorney.

“I don’t think you’ll be thanking me today. I came here to tell you that you’ve got another case.”

“Already?” Apollo groaned, “but I’ve just wrapped one up. I won’t even have time to enter this win in my journal.”

“Calm down already, it’s nothing too big. Some guy was pushed up the top of a building.”

Apollo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Though it was a great honour to have THE Phoenix Wright as a mentor, it did become labourious at times. Just last week he had to do all the laundry or suffer no pay.

“Alright, alright, I got it. When’s the trial?”

Mr. Wright chuckled, “It’s not until next week, and I thought I’d just let you know, they have a new prosecutor on this case.”

“Hm? Not Payne or Prosecutor Gavin?”

“Nope, apparently, this one’s is brand new to the world of law.”

Apollo breathed a sigh of relief, “Well really? Well then that relieves a lot of stress.”

Mr. Wright’s face suddenly grew serious. “Apollo, this is no time to be underestimating your opponent. I have a really bad feeling about this. Like something really bad is going to happen. Take this seriously please.”

Apollo gulped, “Sir yes, sir.”

Trucy, who had been quiet all this time finally butted in. “How long am I going to wait and listen to you talk jibber jabber about this law nonsense? Lets go eat.”

“Yes Trucy.” Came the simultaneous answer.
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AAAAAND... chapter 1 done. It's kinda plain for now, so Imma post the next 2 chapters too.

Ch 2
New Turnabouts
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Date???
Time???
Location???

“You know what I want you to do. You’d had better win this case. You know what consequences are resting on this. As of tomorrow... You belong to me.”

“...”
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February 7, 10:00 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Curse Mr. Wright. Curse him. His words of warning had been haunting Apollo time and time again. What could possibly happen? Of course, this was not reassuring. Apollo twiddled his thumbs anxiously. But Mr. Wright wasn’t all to blame. Something about this trial gave him sense of impending doom, and his nervousness was in no way helping out his client.

His client was Timothy Greg, a stout man at 20 years old. He was currently nervously playing with a curl of red hair dangling between his eyes.

“It’s not nice to unnerve your client Apollo.” Mr. Wright commented, a mischievous grin on his face.

“I can’t help it Mr. Wright. It’s all you and your ominous warning’s fault.”

Mr. Wright chuckled, “Good luck today.” Checking his watch, he added, “Well, I’m off.”

“What? To where? Aren’t you going to be here for the trail?”

“Haha, sorry but I’ve got things to do today, I’m taking Trucy to see a movie. I can’t hang around. I’ll see you after the trail.”

Apollo nearly exploded in anger as Mr. Wright walked out the doors, calmly waving without turning around. The nerve of that man! Leaving him alone without any assistance. This would be his first trial unassisted. What a wonderful way to add more pressure.

He nearly jumped several feet in the air when he was notified to enter the courtroom for the trail. Could this day get any worse?
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February 7, 10:10 AM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

“Court is now in session for the murder of Frank Lair.” The same old judge, with the same bald head, and the same old beard.

“The defense is ready, your honour.” Apollo nodded.

“The prosecution is ready, your honour.” The new prosecutor was strange. Really strange. For she (At least Apollo deducted she was a girl from the voice) wore a pale yellow scarf covering her neck and mouth. She also wore a large black trench coat and a matching black wide brimmed hat, shielding her eyes.

“I am to understand that this is your first time in court.” The judge was addressing the new comer.

“Yes, your honour.”

“Faye Bifeng, wasn’t it? How about we start with your opening statement.”

“Yes, your honour. The victim was Mr. Frank Lair. At 11:20 PM on January 28th he was discovered dead in the downtown allies by a young couple on a night walk. An autopsy report shows that he had fallen a height of 30 feet and broken his neck. His exact time of death was 11:05 PM. He had several cuts and showed signs of bruising, which suggests he was in a struggle before he was pushed off the building.”

“OBJECTION! You haven’t proved that he had been pushed off the building! What evidence even suggests it was my client?”

Prosecutor Bifeng smiled, or Apollo think she did for it was impossible to tell through her scarf, “Getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? Mr. Justice? The victim was wearing a leather bomber jacket. The defendants fingerprints were all over it. Also traces of the defendant’s blood was found on the victims shirt.”

“OBJECTION! Wouldn’t that mean that my client, is the victim instead?”

“Mr. Justice. I heard much of your success, please do not ruin my image of you with unsupported objections.”

“Erm...”

“You’re forgetting who it is that ended up dead. Anyways, it’s only possible to assume that the killer is in fact the defendant, Mr. Timothy Greg. And of course, to back up my statements, I would like to call a witness to the stand.”

The judge nodded, “And who might this witness be?”

“Miss Riley Lake. She and her boyfriend were the ones who discovered the body of Mr. Lair.”

“Very well. Please bring this witness to the stand.”
---------------------------------------------------->
Riley Lake appeared at the stand, chatting nonchalantly with someone on her cellphone.

Undeterred, Ms. Bifeng cleared her throat and said, “Witness, please state your name and occupation.”

“Um yeah, I totally love you, sweety!” Riley cooed into the phone, completely ignoring the question.

“Witness.” The judge stated grimly, pounding his gavel, “This is a court of law, your cell phone should be off right now.”

“Yeah baby, I’ll call you later, some old bald guy is trying to say something. See you honey!” Riley blew a kiss into the phone before hanging up and glaring at the judge. “Don’t you think you’re being rather rude, old man? I mean, I was in the middle of a phone call. You rudely interrupted my time with my honey bear by making me come in here. I mean if you’re going to be so rude to separate us, you shouldn’t stop us from talking to each other. My honey bunny won’t stand for-”

“Your name and occupation.” Ms. Bifeng seemed slightly agitated at the witness.

“-sigh- I’m Riley Lake and my job is to be with my sugar bear.”

“I’m glad we’ve sorted that out. Now, can you tell us what you found the night of the murder?”

“Well, me and my honey bunny were taking a walk downtown last Sunday when we came across this dark alley. My sweety decided to be a jerk, but a cute jerk, might I add, and her said that I wouldn’t be able to make it through the alley without being scared and going through with him. So we had a bet. If I made it through by myself then he would promise to take me out to an expensive restaurant on our next date. I was walking through the alley when I kicked something, I couldn’t see what it was, so I bent down to take a closer look. Then I screamed. It was a dead body. It was sooo creepy, I ran out screaming. So I lost the bet. Too bad though, I would’ve liked to be taken to the Le Pamplemousse restaurant.”

“Very good. Mr. Justice, you may now begin your cross-examination.”

Apollo thought for awhile, it seemed like her testimony was solid. Which wasn’t good for him of course. If this was true, it would be all over. He’d have to find a contradiction, no doubt the jury watching were already siding with Ms. Bifeng.

“Hold on, what time would you say you were out at?”

“We were talking a walk around 11:00 PM.”

“Isn’t it a bit strange to be taking a stroll so late at night? Isn’t it dangerous? And why would you take a walk in the first place? It’s not as if there are any shops open at that time.”

“Hm, that’s true!” The judge mulled over the facts in his head. “Do you have any explanation for this Ms. Bifeng?”

Ms. Bifeng tutted, “How forgetful of you, Mr. Justice. Or are you currently not familiar with in town events? As pretty much everyone knows, a fair was being held downtown, shops were open late and most of the large streets were blocked off and bustling with people.”

“I guess I see no problem in this after all.” The judge didn’t seem very happy at this waste of time, “Please carry on with the cross-examination, Mr. Justice.”

Apollo didn’t like this one bit. The prosecutor seemed to anticipate his every attack. And it didn’t help at all that she seemed so suspicious. It wasn’t like facing Mr. Gavin at all. The person across from him was scary. Scary enough to make him say stupid things and make a fool of himself. This was not going well at all.
---------------------------------------------------->

Ch 3
New Turnabouts
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February 7, 10:25 AM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

Apollo poked his forehead in deep thought. At this rate, he was sure to lose! And he was pretty sure that his client was innocent. What to do, what to do?

“Miss Lake, can you tell me if you saw the killer or not at all?”

Riley tapped her chin, clearly trying to remember something. “Oh yeah! Now I remember! When I was running out of the alley after I found the body, I took a glance backwards, there was someone standing there, but they ran away. When I ran out, we called the police.”

“OBJECTION!” Apollo felt a sudden rush of relief. He’d found something at last. “I’ve got you now, Miss Lake. Tell me again, what time were you and your, erm... sugar bear, out walking?”

“We were out at 11:00.”

“Okay, let me go over this. You and your boyfriend were out on a walk downtown at 11:00 PM. The murder occurred at 11:05 PM. If so, your walk must have been a long one if you discovered the body at 11:20 PM. But tell me Miss Lake, if you really saw the killer at the time of discovery.”

She took a few seconds to clue in, but soon, Riley began to realize her mistake. Stuttering, she countered, “O-o-of course! I don’t get what’s wrong with that.”

The judge shook his head, “Neither do I, Mr. Justice. Please enlighten us.”

Apollo nodded, “Your honour, if you were a killer, and you had just pushed someone off the top of a building. What would be the first thing you'd do?”

The judge had his brow creased in deep concentration, “Um... I would run, of course! I wouldn’t be caught at the crime scene!”

Apollo began to gather his confidence, this was good. He was now on the counter attack. “So if the witness, as she has claimed, had seen the killer at the scene of the crime, judging from the time of death, what time would you think that they had really discovered the body?”

“Mr. Justice, please stop confusing me with difficult questions and get on with your point.”

“The time of death was at 11:05 PM. Therefore, if the witness had seen the killer at the scene of the crime, it would’ve been 11:05 PM. However, the call to the police office stating the discovery of the body was at 11:20 PM. Witness, what happened in those 15 minutes after you had discovered the body?”

“Hurk! I um...”

Hm... this was strange. The prosecution hasn’t yet raised an objection. It was as if, she had been anticipating this.

“I... I... I refuse to testify.”

“Eh!? What!?”

“You heard me!” Riley exclaimed defiantly, “I don’t have to say anything I don’t want to. After all, I am a witness!”

The judge banged his gavel, “Very well, seeing as that the witness refuses to testify, she may now leave. But Mr. Justice has brought forth very important points. Is there anything the Prosecution would like to say to this?”

The prosecutor nodded, “Miss Lake isn’t the only witness we have today, we also have her boyfriend, waiting in the prosecution lobby.”

“Then bring this new witness in to testify please."
---------------------------------------------------->
The new witness was a rather muscular man. He stood casually at the stand with his thumb hooked on his belt.

“Witness, please state your name and occupation.”

“My name is Rowan Song, and I am currently unemployed.”

“Very good, can we hear your testimony of what you saw the night of the murder?”

“Riley and I were out for an evening walk, just the two of us. We saw this creepy dark alley, and so I dared Riley to go through on her own, so we made a bet. Sure enough, she came running out screaming. But not for the reason I thought, she had found a dead body. We didn’t have a cellphone with us, so it took us 15 minutes to make our way to the nearest pay phones.”

“That seemed alright to me,” the judge said, thinking over the testimony, “Are there any problems Mr. Justice?”

Apollo nodded, now brimming with confidence, “Witness, you’re under oath, please do not lie in court. You say you didn’t have your cell phones, however, the police records indicate that you in fact, had called them through your cellphone. Please stop trying to hide the truth.”

“I er...” Rowan began to twiddle his thumbs nervously.

“Mr. Justice,” Ms. Bifeng cut it, “Could you please stop badgering the witness and present evidence to show the court why Mr. Song would even lie in the first place? There seems to be no reason why a couple out on a walk would lie about their time of discovery.”

“Um...” Apollo poked his forehead. There had to be something, maybe there was something that would give the couple a reason to lie. Then it hit him. “This is why!” Was his simple reply. Apollo brandished a copy of last weeks newspaper for all the courts to see.

“Mr. Justice,” The judge grumbled, “Do you carry old copies of newspaper wherever you go? This article is on our case, and it already states everything that we already know.”

“Your honour, please read the article on the second page. It tells us about a jewelry heist, taken place the same night as the murder. Now please turn your attention to the time the crime took place. The security cameras went out at 11:15 PM, which we are safe to assume is the time of the robbery.”

“Are you accusing Mr. Song and Miss Lake as the culprits behind this? But they discovered the body at 11:20 PM! How could they have committed a robbery?”

“That is exactly my point. It takes 8 minutes for one to get from the murder location to the jewelry store. If the couple really discovered the body at 11:20 PM, their alibi is air tight! However, we have now proved that there is a time gap. They body was really discovered at 11:05 PM, more than enough time for the two to make their way to the jewelry shop.”

“Ah, I see.” Ms Bifeng nodded, “Now, witness, please tell us the truth. What did you really see that night. There is no hiding it now.”

Apollo nearly squirmed, he had a bad feeling about this.

“I do have to tell the truth don’t I?” Rowan hung his head in defeat. There were ways out of this, Apollo could see. That was odd, why was the prosecution going this way? There were plenty of ways that Rowan could deny the truth, but either Ms. Bifeng was blind to that, or she knew something that he didn’t. “It’s true. Riley and I aren’t really lovers. We’re partners in crime. We put up a front to fool people. That night, we were on our way to rob the jewelry store. Because of the low level security, we didn’t even need a getaway car. But along the way there, we came across a body, it scared the crap out of us. Then the killer from saw us from above. We started running, but he was a fast little guy. He somehow came down from the roof, really quick and caught up with us a block or two away. He threatened to kill us unless we did what he said. He told us, that if we were questioned, if we would be witnesses, and we would cover for him. So we did just that. B-b-b-but now, he’s gonna be after me, I swear it! I didn’t mean to lie, but, my life is on the line. You gotta help me!”

“So who is the mysterious killer?”

“I-I-I-I can’t tell you! He’ll kill me!”

Ms. Bifeng shook her head, “There’s no way out of this Mr. Song, you’ve already revealed that he threatened you, telling us who it is, wouldn’t make much of a difference.”

Rowan shivered, “It...it was... that red headed guy, sitting the defendant chair. Right there, Your Honour.”

“WHAT!?” Apollo couldn’t believe his ears. This couldn’t be happening. His client was innocent, he was sure of it!

“OBJECTION! That... that’s can’t be true!”

“OBJECTION!” Ms. Bifeng had finally thrown her first objection. Apollo had to admit, she looked pretty darn professional. Apollo thought jealously that it was kinda like Mr. Wright during Apollo’s first case, but that was besides the point. “Can you present to us proof that it wasn’t your client? Everything in this court now points to him, and you just helped uncover it.”

“I...”

“Mr. Justice, do you, or do you not have any evidence to refute this claim?”

“I...” Apollo hung his head, “I do not, your honour.”

“Well then I see no more reason to prolong this trial. The jury will now make their verdict.”

Apollo clasped his head between his hands, this couldn’t be happening. Not to him. There was no way he could lose this! There had to be a way out.

“The jury has come to a decision. I will now announce their verdict. The defendant, Mr. Timothy Greg, is GUILTY.”

No... no NO NO NO NO! It couldn’t end this way, it just... couldn’t.
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February 7, 11:00 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

“DAMMIT!” Apollo shouted, slamming his fist into the wall.

“Polly...” Trucy looked at him nervously, “It’s not your fault, we heard what happened. You just lacked evidence. Besides, what if Mr. Greg was really guilty?”

“I know he wasn’t! That’s why! I just let an innocent man get put into jail!”

“Hey, at least you caught a couple to robbers while you were at it.”

“But that’s not enough, Mr. Wright! He was innocent! He didn’t deserve to get that sentence.”

Mr. Wright put a hand on Apollo’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out the truth. And when you do, we’ll get a retrial.”

Apollo hit the wall again, “Dammit! Next time, I won’t lose. I swear that I won’t.”
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Hm.... kinda sucky now, looking back. I started this one last year.

Oh well... I'll stop here for now...

I kinda wrote this as I was always annoyed when 'writers' used script like writing for the fic, and tried to make the trial exactly like the game. Wherin they would literally split the testimony into pieces and go "HOLD IT" to each one... D8

Awww.... that's a shame. Personally I love the versions that follow the game so closely, with the script, with "HOLD IT!" and "OBJECTION!" one-liners. But that's a technical detail.


More importantly, when you're writing a story like this one you need to be very careful about logical consistency. So far you have been doing this well, but the lack of an investigation stage doesn't allow you any room to leave clues and hints that'll be explained later during the trial itself. It takes away plenty of suspense.

On another note, Apollo and Ms. Bifeng could use more movement. When you opt for the novel style you should take full advantage of the ability to break speech and add gestures of mimicry to fully complement the words. Even silence and a steady pose can carry plenty of meaning when you use them at the right moment. Keep practicing, Django, and good luck to you. ^___^

Ahahaha, I tried to incorporate that as much as I could. But, I like typing dialogue, so I guess I overdid it a bit. And thanks for the tips. =)

What I meant by those, HOLD ITS and OBJECTIONS, are when they disrupt the flow of the story going along something like this.

-TESTIMONY-

"blahblahblah"

"omnomnom"

"lalalalalalala"

-CROSS EXAMINATION

"blahblahblah"

"omnomnom"

"HOLD IT! [asks questions, stuff happens]

"lalalalalalala"

Like that, I meant.


Ch 4
Fateful Turnabout
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February 8, 8:00 AM
Wright Anything Agency
Apollo’s room

Apollo yawned and stretched, it was early morning, about 8 AM, and he wondered why he was up so early again. At the Wright Anything Agency, hardly anything moved before 10 in the morning. Maybe it was the habit of waking up early that caused this.

Suddenly Trucy burst into the room frantically. Apollo blinked groggily at her. Maybe his clock was wrong, it was probably 11 o’clock now or something. She was still in her pair of light blue pajamas decorated with card suits.

“Polly! It’s an emergency! I woke up early to watch some cartoons, but then I saw this news broadcast! You have to see this!”

Too tired to object, Apollo let himself get dragged off his bed and out the door. Their large LCD screen TV illuminated the room and made Apollo squeeze his eyes shut. It would seem unlikely for someone like Mr. Wright to purchase such an expensive television, but then again, Trucy’s wish, was Mr. Wright’s command. She said having a huge TV gave it a more theatre feel.

Apollo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to comprehend the broadcast. On screen, several handcuffed people were being led out of a building. Apollo squinted to get a better view, then he realized what he was looking at.

“Is that, the detention center!?”

“Shh! Just listen!”

“Murder at the Detention center. I am Per Simmons and this is your early morning news. Last night, in the darkness of the night, someone was killed in the detention centers. Security guard, Cally Lace, was killed in cold blood last night. The police are currently looking into the matter, however, Mr. Rowan Song who was currently situated in the detention center seems to be, what the police believe to be, the killer. All occupants of the detention center are currently being moved to another holding facility in the city. Now to Sonne Dae for a weather update.”

What in the world? The very same witness that was just proven for thievery was just accused of murder? That was an unlikely coincidence. And the man hardly seemed like the type to go out and kill a security guard.

“Trucy, get dressed, we’re going out.”

“Are you going to defend him, Polly?”

“I’m going to try. Now lets get going, chop chop.”

“Whatever.” Trucy grumbled, trudging to her room to get changed.
---------------------------------------------------->
February 8, 8:45 AM
Town Prison

Apollo and Trucy made their way to the current acting Detention Center in town. This second facility was actually a regular prison, but right now, a part of it was being used was a Detention Center. There, they requested the audience of Rowan Song.

“Hey! It’s you! You’re the guy that busted my ass!”

Oops, looked like this meeting wasn’t going as he had planned.

“Hah! I’m guessing you’re here to defend me? Well too bad buddy, after seeing your sorry performance yesterday, there isn’t any way I’m going to let a half baked attorney like you defend me.”

“Look, this case is just to weird to be a coincidence! You have to let me defend you.”

Rowan shook his head, “No way man, there are plenty of fish out in the sea.” Without another word, Rowan left to return to his holding cell.

Trucy tried to cheer him up with some encouraging words. “Hey, why don’t we check out the crime scene? Maybe there’s something there that’ll help us take Mr. Song’s case.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 8, 9:00 AM
Detention Center

Upon their arrival to the crime scene, they were greeted with the usual yellow tape and police officers blocking their way.

“Hey pal!” A detective with a gruff voice was shouting at them from nearby, “This is a crime scene, move along pal! Nothing to see here!”

Scruffy was the first word to mind when Apollo encountered this man. His hair was messy and streaked with gray, his jacket showed signs of old age. It was patched and falling apart in many places. However, despite looking like he was a poor man, the guy had an overly cheerful front. Even when shooing people away from a crime scene. Now there’s a guy who loves his job.

“We’re attorneys, we would like to inspect the crime scene.” Apollo said officially, showing his badge.

“Haha, a real man doesn’t show his badge off all the time.” The man said with a hearty laugh. “Still, I can’t let you in.”

“-munch- Oh come on Detective Gumshoe, remember? You’re chief detective now? You can let anyone you want in. Couldn’t you let a couple of my friends slide? –munch-”

That ominous munch could only mean that one person was nearby. Sure enough, Ema had arrived at the scene.

The old detective rubbed his neck, “Oh right! I’ve been demoted so many times, that I keep forgetting that I’ve been promoted. If they're friends of yours, I guess it’s alright. Heh, reminds me of the good old times.”

“-katonk- You heard the man, head on in, but don’t mess up the crime scene.”

“Yes Ema.” The lady detective was in a better mood today, it seemed she was even happy enough to share her snackoos
---------------------------------------------------->
February 8, 9:02 AM
Detention Center
Rowan’s Cell

The crime scene was the messiest he’d seen since the incident with Mr. LeTouse. It had taken place right outside the cell Rowan had been kept in. The usual string marked the location of the body. Judging from the position, the person had fallen over onto their front. There was blood splattered in the middle of the of the string person. 3 bullet holes marred the ground a few feet from the scene. A discarded gun and a truncheon lay on the floor.

“Um... Polly? You can go first.” Trucy shoved Apollo from behind, urging him to go ahead to examine the scene, “I’ll just stay here and... watch you.”

Apollo sighed and approached the cell, the door was unlocked and it swung open, creaking. Ema followed him in and explained the scene.

“Last night, a colleague of Ms. Lace discovered her body lying on the floor outside Mr. Song’s cell. Rowan was woken immediately and a search was conducted. A bloodied knight and a pair of gloves were found under his pillow. What had probably happened was that he somehow smuggled the knife and the gloves into his cell. And when Ms. Lace came around for her evening rounds, he stabbed her to obtain her keys. But from the blood trail and the way the body was found, she probably staggered away from his cell and out of his reach before collapsing. He probably then pretended to go back to sleep in hopes that he wouldn’t be checked. We still have yet to know why Ms. Lace fired her gun. Also, there’s no one else being confined in this wing of the center, so no one was awoken by the gun shots.”

“Okay, got it. And is there anything else I need to know?”

“Sorry, I’ve told you more than I should have already, you’ll have to figure out the rest on your own.”

“Got any of your whatchamacallits handy this time?”

A childish grin played on Ema’s face. “I thought you’d never ask. I have the usual fingerprint powder with me right now. I’m going to see if I can get more stuff from home later, but this is all I have right now.”

Apollo took the little bottle and duster in gratitude. Anything would be worth looking at. He needed this opportunity badly.

When he walked back out of the cell, Trucy attacked him, “Hey! It’s more of that white powdery fingerprinting stuff that looks like sugar!”

“-sigh- Sometimes I worry for you Trucy.”

“Eh? Whatever for? Anyways, let’s get started, what are we going to dust first.”

“You’re certainly chipper. Weren’t you all panicky just 5 minutes ago?” Apollo grumbled, bending down to dust the truncheon and the gun for prints.

“Well that was before we got the awesome gizmo from Ema. If I weren’t a full time magician, I really would consider learning about science from Ema.”

“Yeah um... right... Hm? I guess Ema was right, the truncheon and the gun both belong to Ms. Lace.”

“So now what?” This was bad, Trucy was getting bored. Her boredom meant that Apollo had to suffer through something, be it watch her tricks another 50 times or go take her to another movie.

“Looks like there’s really nothing here. Let’s go back and see if Mr. Song has changed his mind about us.” Apollo kicked something on the ground as his headed on his way out. “Eh? What’s this? I think someone’s dropped their keys. Let’s hold onto these, maybe we’ll find who these belong to.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 8, 9:25 AM
Town Prison

Unexpectedly, it was Rowan who was waiting for them instead.

“Ah! Hey there!” He said with false cheer, and grinning sheepishly at them. “Well, um... I totally need your help!” Rowan broke down and began to sob. Very unbecoming of him. “No one believes me! Because I’m a thief and all, no one’s taking my case! They’ve all turned me down. Listen man, you asked me this morning if you could defend me? Heh, I was joking about not letting help me! I’ll do anything! But please! You gotta help me!”

“Calm down Mr. Song. Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.”

Trucy offered him a bottle, “Here! Want some sugar?”

Apollo smacked his forehead and took the bottle away from her. “Ignore her please, and continue.”

“Well, that night. I was sleeping! That’s all! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t kill anyone!”

“Is that your alibi? You were sleeping?”

“Yeah man! You gotta believe me!”

Apollo nodded, “I believe you then.”

Rowan looked shocked, “Just like that? You’re not doubting me?”

“Just like that.” Apollo shook his head in confirmation. “I believe what you’re saying because you’re my client. If you are lying right now, you can be sure that I will uncover them eventually.”

Rowan shivered. “Yes sir.”

“Alright Trucy, lets head back to see Ema, I have something to ask her.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 8, 9:48 AM
Detention Center
Rowan’s Cell

“Ah!” Ema exclaimed, “Just the man I wanted to see! Guess what? I just had some luminol spray delivered from my office. You need it?”

“Sure thing, we’ll need everything we can.”

Trucy poked him. “What’re you going to spray? All the blood’s visible. And I don’t see anything else that could have blood on it.”

Apollo withdrew the keys from his pocket. “Maybe these, I already dusted them, and it’s strange, they have no prints at all. It was found here, so it might have something to do with the incident.” He gave the bottle a quick squirt and sure enough, spots on the keys began to glow.

“Hm... It looks hastily smudged. As if whoever wiped these were in a hurry.”

“Ha, amateur!” Trucy smiled cockily. “If it were me, I would make all the blood disappear. In fact, I could make the keys disappear too! Wanna see?”

“Erm... no thanks.”

“What now Apollo?”

“Look’s like we’ve got all that we can for now. We now only have to hope for the best.”

“I hope the best isn’t a repeat of yesterday.” Trucy sighed.

“Oh Trucy, please please PLEASE don’t jinx me.”
---------------------------------------------------->

While I haven't completely read all of it yet, I do like what I've read so far, Django. You're doing a very good job of making everybody in-character, and it feels like I'm reading something right out of a Phoenix Wright game. Good job :3

(I'm on Chapter 2 btw)

XDDD This is where it gets interesting. The investigation phase, clues, and then the gizmos Ema has on offer. Awesome.


Keep up the good work Django. ^____^

So, woops. I accidentally deleted the text here and put in chapter 6.

So my review replies are gone too. I'll just say something again.

@Ky: That's okay, take your time. I'm glad you liked it though. My intention was to try and make the story as novel like as possible while sticking to the same feel the game gives at the same time.

@Bookman: Yep yep. I just didn't want to put a trial in the first one, because it wasn't important to the plot. The second lacked investigation because there really wasn't any need to investigate, since it was still in the beginning stages.


Ch 5
Fateful Turnabout
---------------------------------------------------->
February 9, 10:00 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Apollo sighed, why did he had that foreboding feeling again? No doubt, Ms. Bifeng was probably prosecuting. What was it about that strangely garbed woman that bothered him. He had never met her in his life. Of that, he was absolutely positive. Yet her aura gave off a very professional and intimidating sense. It made Apollo want to run and hide from her. Even though she had been in court for only 1 case.

Trucy was trying to calm his nerves with a trick. “Erm... Now you see it, now you don’t!”

“Trucy! Those are my notes! Give them back!”

“Hehe, oops sorry.” She grinned sheepishly, handing his notes back to him.

“Calm down!” Trucy reassured, “You’ll be fine Polly.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 9, 10:10 AM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

“Court is now in session for the murder of Ms. Cally Lace.” The judge began.

Apollo was right, Ms. Bifeng was prosecuting, as strangely dressed as before. Trucy whispered quietly to him, “Hey, is she the scary prosecutor? She has as a funny choice in clothing.”

“You’re one to talk.” Apollo whispered in return. Before saying clearly to the judge, “The defense is ready, your honour.”

“The prosecution is ready your honour.”

“Very well, we will now begin with your opening statement, Ms. Bifeng.”

“The victim, Ms. Lace had been patrolling the wing of the detention center where Mr. Song was being held at around 1:20 AM. Mr. Song had somehow smuggled a knife and a pair of gloves into the detention center and stabbed Ms. Lace as she passed by his cell. Intending to grab her keys, his plan failed, as the evidence shows, the victim staggered away from the cell and out of his reach before collapsing. A search of Mr. Song’s room reveals a knife and a pair of gloves, from this we can safely conclude that the killer was Mr. Rowan Song.”

The judge nodded in acknowledgement. “To me, this case seems very solid and strait forwards. Unless the defense has some sort of objection, I will now allow the jury to make their verdict.”

“Um... OBJECTION!”

“Keep your cool, Polly. Show that weird lady who’s boss!” Trucy cheered Apollo on encouragingly.

“You say that Mr. Song smuggled the murder weapon and a pair of gloves into the detention center. However, who’s to say that the items weren’t planted there?”

Ms. Bifeng shook her head, “I may not be able to prove that the items weren’t planted there. However, I have a witness who can prove that it was, in fact, Mr. Song who killed the victim.”

“Very well then, Ms. Bifeng. Please call your witness to the stand.”

Her witness turned out to be a very ordinary man. Not like the usually strange witnesses that were often seen in courtroom number 3. He was dressed in a police uniform, the very same one that the guards wore in the detention center. He had brown hair styled in a very ordinary fashion, and he wore a pair of thin frameless glasses.. This made him seem like an easily forgettable man.

“Witness, please state your name and occupation.”

“My name is Peter Geist ma’am, and I work as a security guard at the detention center.”

“Thank you, I would like you to testify to the court about what you discovered the night of the murder.”

“Yes ma’am! Well, I was patrolling the B wings, you see. When suddenly, I hear these gun shots! I rush to the place where I heard the sound, which would be the A wings. There I find that Cally was on the floor, already dead. I rushed to the office to call for help as fast as I could. An examination afterwards revealed the knife and the gloves hidden in Rowan’s cell. A person is only sane to assume that it was Rowan who killed Cally.”

“Very good,” the judge said, “Mr. Justice, you may now begin your cross examination.”

“Good luck, Polly!”

“Mr. Geist, why did you run to the office to get help? Couldn’t you have called from your walkie-talkie?”

“Well I did, but there was no one there.”

“This is true,” Ms. Bifeng confirmed, “the central unit for the walkie-talkie system recorded that Mr. Geist’s walkie-talkie was used at 1:30 AM. There was no one in the main control office that night, so Mr. Geist didn’t get an answer.”

“Then, Mr. Geist, I OBJECT to your testimony! You claim that you immediately ran towards the body, after hearing a gun fired, to find the body lying there, dead. You claim also called the office via walkie-talkie, and ran back to the office when you received no reply. Am I correct so far?”

“Yessir, you are.”

Ms. Bifeng nodded in confirmation.

“Alright then, it seems we have another issue with timing with this case. Like the last, we have a gaping period of time wherein the witness’ testimony lacks coverage. Please tell me, Mr. Geist, how it took you 10 minutes to discover the body, and call the office to notify them. Your walkie-talkie is by your side. And even if you had forgotten it, you could’ve used Ms. Lace’s as she was lying on the ground. Death was immediate, therefore meaning that you could’ve discovered the body any time from ten minutes before you called. But your testimony states that you heard gun shots. Ms. Lace is the only one who could have fired those shots. So if you heard those shots, and you immediately made your way to the crime scene, to find Ms. Lace dead, it is only sane to assume that you discovered her body right after she died. 1:20 AM. Thus solidifying my claim of a time gap.”

Apollo expected Ms. Bifeng to object, saying that he overlooked something, or that he was inobservant. Instead, the prosecutor calmly replied, “You’re sharp, Mr. Justice. I like that in a person.”

“Ms. Bifeng!” The judge said sternly, “Don’t you have anything to say to Mr. Justice’s claim?”

Ms. Bifeng chuckled, “Mr. Justice, can you please tell the court why the witness would even have to lie about him witnessing the crime? Can your prove to the court why Mr. Geist would have any reason to lie?”

Apollo took the keys out of his pocket and presented them to the court. “These keys were found at the crime scene. Mr. Geist, can you please tell me what these keys are for?”

Peter looked slightly pale as he saw the keys, but he retained his composure and replied, “Those are the keys that every security guard of the detention centers carry. They contain the keys that open nearly every cell in the whole facility.”

“Very good, Mr. Geist. Now take a wild guess and tell me where I found these keys.” Without bothering to wait for a reply, Apollo answered his own question. “These were found at the crime scene themselves. Now, can you tell me who these keys belong to?”

Peter adverted his eyes and answered, “The serial number on the tag hanging on the key ring should tell you who it belongs to. But without the master list, you wouldn’t be able to tell who those keys belong to.”

“No worries,” Ms. Bifeng replied, “I actually obtained the list in advance, and I have it with me right here. According to the list of the registered names, these keys belong to you, Mr. Geist.”

“Thank you, Ms. Bifeng,” Apollo was confused, why did it seem like the prosecutor was helping him? Was it another one of her traps? “These keys have traces of blood stains on them, only revealed by luminol testing agent. The blood that appeared showed up streaked, as if it was hastily wiped off. Now the only place where blood could have gotten on these keys, were at the crime scene itself. From the splatter pattern of the blood, we can assume that the keys were dropped onto the blood on the floor. Now why would someone drop keys on the floor in the first place? I can only think of one reason, to plant a certain knife and a pair of gloves in the cell of Mr. Rowan Song.”

“OBJECTION!” Damn... that cool, calm and collected objection once again, “Now, Mr. Justice, how did you know the witness’s was not just checking on Mr. Song to see if he was awake? One would assume that the only person in the vicinity is the killer. How do you know these blood stains were even acquired the time of the murder?”

“OBJECTION! No fingerprints were revealed when these keys were dusted. However, if the killer had been wearing gloves at the time, no prints would be revealed. Mr. Geist would be the only one there that could have used the keys. Thus making the only one to have been wearing the gloves because of the lack of his fingerprints on the keys, and therefore making him, the wielder of the knife.”

“OBJECTION! Mr. Justice... what did you say the blood stains revealed about the blood?”

“Erm...” Apollo thought, his habit of poking his forehead revealed itself again, “they were hastily wiped?”

“Okay then, what would happen to the fingerprints then?”

“Erm... they would be... URK! Um... hehe, wiped off?”

“Correct. Now how does this story sound to you, Mr. Justice? The witness here arrived at the scene, after hearing gun shots, to find the victim dead. Of course, there’s only one other person in that wing, so that person must be a killer. Mr. Geist must have entered the cell to check if Mr. Song was awake, or had any way escaped the cell. During the time he was using his keys to lock up again, he must have dropped his keys onto the blood splatters on the floor. This would cause anyone to pick up the keys and wipe them clean. He must have dropped them again without realizing.”

“Well then why would he have any reason to lie about this? This is hardly a discrepancy to his testimony. Unless, of course, the witness has something to hide.”

“If you dropped something of your own at the crime scene with the victim’s blood on it, how would you react? Most people would panic and act irrationally. Mr. Geist is no exception.”

The judge pounded his gavel, attracting everyone's attention. He was slightly displeased with the lack of attention towards him. “Well then Mr. Justice, once again, there seems to be no mistake after all. Unless you have something else to point out, I’m afraid I’ll have to end this trial.”

“HOLD IT!” That voice. It couldn’t be. No way, here was Trucy, shouting out her mind in court once again.

“What are you thinking?” Apollo whispered, “Are you trying to get me in trouble?”

“You can’t lose this Polly! Mr. Song’s innocent! You have to prove it!” She replied, “Mr. Beardy guy!”

“Me?” The judge looked shocked at this informal address.

Apollo slapped his forehead. He was watching his career go down the toilet. “It’s your honour, Trucy, you address him as your honour.”

“Erm... I mean... Your honour! Please give us one more chance with this guy’s testimony! We’ll find something! We promise!”

The judge closed his eyes, deep in thought before answering, “Alright. I shall grant the defense one more chance. You may cross-examine Mr. Geist’s testimony once more. If you cannot find anything of value, I’m afraid that this trial is over. I will allow a short recess before we continue, to allow Mr. Justice to prepare his notes.”

“Thank you, your honour.” Apollo said, before adding to Trucy in a whisper, “And thanks, Trucy.”

“Hehe, no problem! What are partners for?”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 9, 12:03 PM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

“Okay! We’re almost out of the clear, Polly!” Trucy said encouragingly, “You can do it!”

“I dunno... I’m still worried. Something smells fishy. It’s almost like those times where there’s a rotten smell and you don’t know where it’s coming from, but then you uncover it when you least expect it.”

Trucy scratched her head, “Um... Polly? Please don’t talk to me in riddles, it confuzzles me.”

“Right... Sorry.”

“Come on, Polly! Be optimistic! You’re never going to win if you think negatively. You’ve gotta beat that lady!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll try and cheer up, but this is a murder trial, so that isn’t exactly easy. I just have another really bad feeling about this.”

“HEY!” A voice suddenly called, it was Ema, “I’m glad I caught you two before the recess ended. We got some info which might help you on your case. Here! Good luck to you!”

“Wait a sec, aren’t you supposed to be on the side of the prosecution?”

“Haha,” Ema chuckled nervously, “I guess they won’t mind just once. I mean, come one, we’re friends! And besides, I talked to Rowan a few times while he was imprisoned, I don’t think he’s the killer either. Anyways, good luck again!”

“Thanks.” Apollo muttered, “I’ll definitely need it.”
---------------------------------------------------->
Too long, had to split it

---------------------------------------------------->
February 9, 12:15 PM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

“The court will now resume it’s trial for Mr. Rowan Song. We will now begin with the continuation of Mr. Justice’s cross-examination.”

“Mr. Geist, once again, I must ask you to repeat what you saw that night. The truth this time please.”

“Yessir. I was on my rounds in the B wing corridors of the Detention Center when I hear these gun shots. They came from the A wing, and I knew Cally was patrolling there. When I got there, she was already dead. So I checked on Rowan to make sure he was still in his cell. It’s hard to see through the bars, because it’s pretty dark in these, so I had to open the doors. I didn’t step in, I just opened the doors a crack. He was just lying there, so I closed the door and locked it. But as I was doing that, I dropped my keys. I picked them up, but they were covered with blood. I panicked, because if this was found out about, I would be a suspect. So I ran to the nearest washroom and rinsed them. I was drying them in a paper towel before I realized how dire a matter everything was. I was doing everything out of protocol. I made a call to the office, but no one was there. So I ran to find help. I guess as I was holding the keys in the paper towel, I dropped them.”

Apollo mulled everything over. There had to be something. Something he had missed. But what was it?

Trucy poked him, “Isn’t there something really weird in that testimony? It’s obvious, but I don’t think anyone spotted it.”

Apollo realized what she was talking about. She was right. it was quite obvious after all. “I see... then, Mr. Geist, there is another problem with your testimony.”

The man looked shocked, “What? Another one?”

“You claim you heard gun shots which prompted you to go to the crime scene in the first place. I would like to direct the court’s attention to this map of the detention center. As you can see, the B wing is quite far from the A wing. How had Mr. Geist heard the gun shots in the first place? And as the defense, I will be assuming that my client, Mr. Song, was asleep as he said. If so, then would the gun shots have not woken him up?”

“OBJECTION! As you know, the human mind has been known to play tricks. The bullet holes on the floor, can easily manipulate a human’s mind into thinking that he heard the gun shots, when in actuality, he had merely imagined the memory. In response to your second point, you are merely stating what the defendant has said. Might I add, that the defendant’s words don’t play very much impact within a court of law. Unless of course, you have some proof to back up your claim...”

A grin unconsciously spread on Apollo’s face. “In fact, I do have proof.”

Ms. Bifeng replied calmly, to Apollo’s dismay, she didn’t seem shocked at all. “Well then, why don’t you show the court your evidence, Mr. Justice.”

Apollo brought out the report that Ema handed to him during the recess earlier, “This report details an incident that happened in the detention center the very same day of the murder. At around 7:00 PM Mr. Song here tried to make an escape. The guards were forced to drug him. Of course, Mr. Geist, you know all about it. After all, you’re the one who fired and hit him with the drugged dart. So once again, I have to claim, you gained your opportunity when Mr. Song was in his drug induced sleep to hide the incriminating evidence in his cell.”

The man at the stand looked strangely calm. As if he expected himself to get out it easily. Apollo tried to stare him down. There was no way he was going to get out of this one.

“OBJECTION!” But then again... “Mr. Justice, you’re a smart young man, so please don’t be hasty. Can you read to the court the lasting effects of the anaesthetics that were in the dart?”

“Erm... 6 hours? ACK!”

Ms. Bifeng nodded, “As you can see, the drug would have worn off 20 minutes before the time of the murder. Furthermore, four months ago, Mr. Song had gone to the hospital for an extensive operation on his leg. The operation had to be broken down into parts and he had to come back several times. All those times, anaesthetics were used. This could very well may have caused him to build up a tolerance to the drug, making the effects last a shorter time than what was reported.”

The judge nodded, “Well then, Mr. Justice, what say you to this claim?”

Apollo broke out into cold sweat. “Well... um... The defence...”

“Obviously has nothing to say.” Ms. Bifeng finished for him.

The judge shook his head, “Hm... Mr. Justice. It seems we have come to a repeat of the conclusion of our last trial. Frankly, I’m quite disappointed, I expected better of you. Anyways, it seems there is nothing else for us to do except for us to hear a verdict from the jury.”

This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Everything seems surreal, as if he was in a dream.

“The jury has come to a conclusion. The defendant, Mr. Rowan Song is...”

No way... it couldn’t be, all they worked for, all if it, down the drain. The judge’s lips moved, but Apollo was no longer listening. He already knew what he was going to say. Despite all they worked for, all that they knew, Rowan would still be pronounced...

“GUILTY”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 9, 1:30 PM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Apollo slammed his head into the wall several times. “DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!” How could he lose again?

“If you’re not careful, you could dull that shine of yours, Herr forehead.”

“Huh?” Apollo looked up to see Prosecutor Gavin standing by him, with that oh so cocky grin of his. “What are you doing here, Mr. Gavin?”

“I was here to see the trial. You did good, Herr Forehead.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I lost!” Apollo cried, slamming his head into the wall again.

Gavin shook his head, “I wouldn’t be so sure,” He replied, “I’m willing to bet if I were in your place, the outcome would have been the same.”

“Polly...” Trucy said, worriedly “You didn’t even try to perceive anything? Are you okay?”

“The fräulein is right. When you were up against me, you were able to see little things that my eyes could not. You have a gift Herr Forehead.”

“AUGH! I don’t get it! There’s something that about that prosecutor that I just can’t put my finger on. I’m willing to be she’s lying about it being her first time in court. She almost reeks of experience, it’s intimidating!”

To his surprise, Klavier agreed. “Yes, I seem to have gotten that feeling as well. On top of that, I do believe that I’ve seen her before... it’s strange.”

“Still... It doesn’t change the fact I let another man get blamed for a crime he didn’t commit!”

“Calm down, Mr. Justice.” A cool voice spoke from behind him. He whirled around to see Ms. Bifeng standing behind him. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, he felt her piercing gaze boring him through. “It’s not the end of it. Don’t give up, things are shifting, they're about to change.”

And without saying another word, she left. Just like that. Cool and calm as always. What was that all about? Regardless of anything she said, he’d still lost. Once again. It was hopeless. He felt tears brimming in his eyes.

“Polly... Come on Polly, cheer up. The only time a lawyer is allowed to cry, is when it’s all over.”

“Well said, fräulein.” Klavier replied.

“Daddy said that once I think. He said someone told him that a long time ago.”

“Well then Herr Forehead, you heard the fräulein. Lift your head. This isn’t over.”

Apollo was no longer listening. He left the courthouse without turning around.
---------------------------------------------------->
EDIT: I went back and did some clean up of little phrases that sounded off, and my stupid spelling mistakes. I'm not a very good proofreader. I tend to get bored and skim. So I have to proofread several times to get it right. I also tend to type/write before thinking thoroughly, so I have a habit of missing words, letters or adding completely irrelevant letters or even words.

Oh yes, things may look like plot holes, or mistakes right now, but please don't judge until you've finished the story. ;)

*cheers* It's not over yet! There will be a next trial.

Although it's obvious that she can't be an amateur with that taste in clothes - beginners don't dress like that, especially hiding their face.

Hmm, Django, how many of these do you have written ahead by now?

I've actually finished. But I prefer getting opinions part by part. It makes me feel better. 8D *shot*

Naw. I find, if there is a lot to read, then when you review, you kinda forget all that you wanted to say along the way.

Besides, I need to clean up several things in the story. Too lazy to do it all at once though. The last chapter especially needs things fixed and added.

lol, I forgot I was posting this here.

Ch 6
Turnabout Finale
---------------------------------------------------->
February23, 3:00 PM
Wright Anything Agency
Apollo’s Room

A soft knock came to his door, followed by a muffled voice. “Polly? You in there? Well... of course you are... you haven’t left your room for the past two weeks. Please come out.” Silence ensued. “Well... if you’re not going to come out, would you please at least answer? Talk to me? You can’t be like this forever.”

Apollo still said nothing.

A fiercer knock suddenly rattled the door, “Apollo. You can’t keep sulking forever. You had better leave that room of yours.”

Apollo still defiantly refused to answer.

“If I don’t get an answer in three seconds, I’m coming in and carrying you out here.”

Ha, as if. Mr. Wright hardly seemed like the type who would be able to do anything.

“Three.”

He was bluffing.

“Two.”

For sure.

“One.”

Suddenly, without warning, Mr. Wright, burst into the room. A serious set to his face. He was obviously angry, and that probably caused him to be able to heave Apollo up and over his shoulder. Before he knew it, Mr. Wright had planted him, on his behind, outside on their doorstep.

“Stupid old man...” he thought sourly.
---------------------------------------------------->
February23, 5:00 PM
Wright Anything Agency

Apollo was finally let back inside after 2 hours of sitting outside in the cold. He shivered in his blanket and sneezed several times.

“Daddy, are you sure that was a good choice? What if he dies of pneumonia or something?”

“He’ll be fine.” The ex-lawyer said, with a nonchalant grin. Well... ever since Apollo’s last successful trial, Mr. Wright was slowly trying to regain his old occupation as lawyer. It was a slow process. Because Mr. Wright had still presented forged evidence, whether of not he knew that it was forged. But the courts gave him a chance by allowing him to start from the very beginning, law school.

Apollo sneezed again, ignoring them. He lay down on the couch, and before long, he had fallen asleep.
---------------------------------------------------->
February24, 2:00 AM
Wright Anything Agency

A loud crashing sound awoke Apollo from his slumber. It had come from outside. He stood up and crept towards to door to investigate. A scream suddenly came from outside... It was Trucy.

Apollo burst through the front doors without a second thought. He came out just in time. There was Trucy, who was being attacked by a silhouetted man wielding a knife, menacingly holding it over her.

“STOP!” He had found his voice again. The next thing he knew, Mr. Wright had barreled out of the doors, looking angrier than he had ever seen him.

“Get your hands off my daughter!” He bellowed, taking the man down with a swift right hook to the face. The man retreated, his murderous intent still lingering long after he had left...
---------------------------------------------------->
February24, 2:30 AM
Wright Anything Agency

The three were now huddled around the coffee table, each with a warm mug of hot chocolate. Trucy then began to tell them what had happened.

“I was in bed, but I couldn’t sleep. So while I was just lying there, I hear this crash outside. I jumped out the window to see what was going on.”

“Wait wait wait... You’re saying... You jumped out of the second floor window and landed unharmed?”

Trucy stared at him as if he was stupid. “Well duh! That stuff is child’s play for an ace magician. Anyways, so when I got down there, there was some dude, lying across the garbage cans, he had probably tripped over them while he was sneaking here. And then, suddenly, he got up and took out that knife! He came at me, and the rest you already know.”

“Did you ever see his face?”

“No, it was too dark.”

“What about you Mr. Wright? You were the one that hit the guy.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t see his face, it was too dark for me to see as well.”

“Hm... I see.”

Mr. Wright put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s besides the point. The good thing is that you’re back to your normal self. This may seem like a bad time, there’s actually a case waiting for you.”

“What? Who would ask me for help after my last failure?”

Mr. Wright chuckled, “Don’t blame yourself too much. Actually, the defendant specifically asked for you and no one else.”

“I don’t know...” Apollo replied, “I don’t think I’m up for it right now...”

“It’s alright, you can think it over? The trial isn’t until next week.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 24, 11:30 AM
Wright Anything Agency
Apollo’s room

Apollo got up and stretched. That was the first real sleep he had had for the past two weeks. The last two weeks he had been spending his days silently curled up in his blankets. Of course, meals were brought to him, but he didn’t eat much. Now reflecting on it, he really was a useless slob during that time. He was a little grateful for what happened last night. Of course, not neglecting the fact that Trucy had nearly been a victim in an assault.

He went downstairs to the office area where things were as cluttered as ever. A note was sticky tacked to the piano. “Hey Polly! We went out while you were snoozing, gonna get some groceries. We may be home late, ‘cause I’m trying to convince Daddy to take me to a movie. Anyways, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all in the fridge. Microwavable of course. –Trucy”

Apollo smiled to himself. He should really apologize to Trucy for being such a jerk. “I got it!” He suddenly shouted out to no one in particular. “I’ll clean the place up for them!”

He took a glance around the room and his spirits dropped. Oh dear... where do start.

Half an hour later, he was changed into an old t-shirt with a pair of ripped up jeans, armed with a mop and the keys to the storage rooms. First he began to organize Trucy’s magic stuff in one corner of the room, and Mr. Wright’s crates of grape juice in another.

By the time another hour had passed, he had finally succeeding in separating the really useless junk from Mr. Wright and Trucy’s useless junk. The next process was to carry them downstairs to the basement storage rooms. The building of the Wright Anything Agency was actually rather large. Mr. Wright was smart in investing in such a place.

He fumbled around in the dark as he tried to get the lights on. Only succeeding in knocking over some sort of box in the darkness. When he had finally found the switch, he’d realized what a mess he had made. “Aw damn! Now I’ve got to clean this stuff up!”

He dropped to his knees and put gathered together the junk he had taken down and dumped it messily in a corner, then turning his attention to the spilled contents of the box. A whole pile of binders had fallen out on the floor, a messy scrawl he had recognized as Mr. Wright’s writing decorated the fallen papers. Curious, he straitened out a section and began to read.

It was an old case file, one that Mr. Wright had taken part in, many years ago. It detailed his first case ever. Everything was all over the place. His notes seemed off the top of his head and all but tidy. The defendant was some guy called Larry Butz. On the top, there seemed to be a little doodle, by Mr. Wright himself no doubt, with the caption, “If something smells, it’s usually the Butz.” Apollo couldn’t help laughing. It was so strange to see the strange Mr. Wright as a person like this. He flipped the page. The prosecutor was Payne. A picture was paper clipped to the page. It seemed Payne looked better when he was half bald. He skipped through the evidence notes and the other profiles. The next pages were full transcripts of the entire trial. Apollo couldn’t help by laugh again. Mr. Wright sounded so frantic all the time. Skipping the last few pages of the report, he moved on to the next case.

This one detailed another one against Payne. It had taken place about two years after Mr. Wright’s first case. The defendant this time was a police officer by the name of Maggie Byrde. This one seemed like another case well done.

By now, Apollo had figured out Mr. Wright’s method of organization. It seemed to be organized by prosecutor.

He looked around him. What a mess, he had knocked over more than one box actually. One of them seemed to just be full with legal books. They seemed untouched. But whatever, he had time, he could clean up later.

He picked up another binder and opened it up. This was a set of case files detailing the cases he had up against Prosecutor Franziska Von Karma. Apollo shuddered, he had seem recordings of her trials and her whip was legendary. Prosecutor at 13 years of age, a real prodigy. She had never lost a case up until she flew to America to beat Mr. Phoenix Wright.

The first one took place about three months before Mr. Wright’s second encounter with Prosecutor Payne. The defendant was a young girl by the name of Maya Fey. The name rang a bell, but Apollo couldn’t remember where he had heard her name before. He kept on reading. Mr. Wright’s notes were messier than usual, almost frantic even. A little note at the bottom read, “I’ll save Maya, whatever it takes.” Then her remembered. Maya Fey was Mr. Wright’s assistant, infamous for being convicted 3 times and kidnapped once. The cases surrounding her had always been crazy. Apollo never bothered to read up on them in detail, but he had heard some of them even had stuff to do with spirit channeling The case ended well, but Apollo couldn’t really understand it. Was this spirit channeling nonsense even possible?

The next case was far from ordinary. Of course, what would expect? All of Mr. Wright’s cases had never been strait-forwards. Then again, Apollo’s cases were never strait-forwards either. This one included a flying magician. Mr. Wright even had a few quotes from Moe the Clown written in there. A note from Mr. Wright himself reminded him never to repeat these to the ears of mankind.

Apollo picked up the next binder. This one seemed different. Mr. Wright had use the same type of binder for all his case files, but this one was different. It was nicer and was made of a different material, it had probably belonged to the other box.

He opened the binder and was greeted by a completely different person’s writing. It was obviously not Mr. Wright’s. It was meticulously neat and tidy. It was tiny too, yet there was so much writing. And it was so organized! There was no way that the person who wrote this was Mr. Wright. There was no name written here, so Apollo didn’t know who it was. It was dated February 16th 2012, 15 years ago. Why would Mr. Wright have files this old? He only became a lawyer in 2016. That was strange. He skipped ahead to the next case.

The next case’s prosecutor was Prosecutor Payne. He was known as the “Rookie Killer” back then. A picture was paper clipped to the page showing Payne with a mullet. Apollo merely kept reading. When he reached the defendant’s page, his eyes opened in shock. Mr. Phoenix Wright. The date was April 11th 2013. Then it hit him, he realized who’s files he had been looking through. Shifting back to the first case file, he took a look at the prosecutor. Mr. Miles Edgeworth. Another legendary attorney that had graced this town’s courtrooms with his presence. Apparently it was his debut. Apollo was right. The files he was currently holding his hands belonged to none other than Mia Fey. Her name was just as big as Phoenix Wright’s.

Rumour had it that Miss Fey had been Mr. Wright’s mentor. This was the proof apparently.

Her first two cases were crazy. It included some girl by the name of Dahlia Hawthorne. Miss Fey had nearly won the first one, but the defendant, Terry Fawles committed suicide in court. So the case ended without a verdict. The next case ended up convicting Dahlia for killing the victim and pinning the crime on Mr. Wright.

Apollo kept on reading through Miss Fey’s feats. It wasn’t everyday that you stumbled across the case files of some of the most famous attorneys of all time. She had a lot on a man called Redd White or something...

When he had finished, he picked up another one of Mr. Wright’s binders. This one archived his battles against Mr. Edgeworth himself. The defendant for the first one was none other than Maya Fey once again. The victim, was Mia Fey. They were sisters apparently, but Mr. Wright saved Maya in the end. And this thus marked the end of Mia Fey’s career.

Mr. Wright’s next case was defending an actor by the name of Will Powers. Apollo remembered the guy, he was famous for his Steel Samurai role and his Pink Princess role as well. He used to watch those shows when he was little.

The last one against Mr. Edgeworth was on defending the chief prosecutor at the time Lana Skye. Apollo knew her, apparently she had been blackmailed by the chief of police at the time. His eyes opened in shock when he saw the witness section. There was pinned a picture of a much younger, but easily recognizable, Ema Skye. So that’s how she had met Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright’s notes stated that she had been following him all day and wouldn’t leave him alone. Apollo laughed. Sure sounded like Ema.

Apollo found picked up a smaller binder. This one had only one case documented. It was against Mr. Manfred Von Karma. Infamous for his trickery and his so called “Perfect Record”. Mr. Edgeworth was the defendant. Nearly everyone in the world of law knew this case. So it was interesting to see it from Mr. Wright’s frantic point of view. After many close calls, Mr. Wright won the case and brought Von Karma down from his lofty throne.

Another binder showed his trials against Prosecutor Godot. A strange man with a mask covering most of his face. Apollo couldn’t help but to think back to his own strange adversary as he saw this. The first case started as a robbery and ended as a murder. Mr. Wright won of course, and for some odd reason, there seemed to be coffee splattered on his notes, as if he had coffee thrown at him or something. The next one was a poisoning, one in which the real killer dressed up as Mr. Wright to get the defendant in jail for sure. Mr. Wright aced the retrial of course. The last one was crazy. The defendant looked exactly like Dahlia Hawthorne, except for her hair was black instead of red. She was Iris Fey, cousin to Mia and Maya Fey. The case was another one with spirit channeling. What was with these people? Did they really believe this nonsense? The trial escalated into a heated battle, and Maya ended up getting convicted again, but Mr. Wright saved them all in the end. Mr. Godot turned out to be the killer, and former defense attorney, Diego Armando.

One last binder showed Mr. Wright’s last trial. Against Mr. Gavin. Apollo already knew the story, so he gathered together the binders and put them in their respective boxes.

There was still more stuff apparently. Apollo picked up what looked like to be a photo album. The first one showed Phoenix with Mia Fey, probably during that case in 2013. Mr. Wright was smiling triumphantly while Miss Fey merely looked relieved. A rather large old man who looked a bit pained stood in the background. The caption read, “Woot! Thanks to my lawyer, I’m in the clear!”

The next page showed Miss Fey again, holding a bamboo sword menacingly. “Must study hard, the chief will get mad if I fail.”

The following page was a photo of a gravestone, it read “Mia Fey 1989-2016 Beloved sister and mentor”. Mr. Wright’s own caption was “Chief, please come back...”. The ink was smudged by a drop of water that had fallen onto the page.

The next one showed Mr. Wright with Maya Fey, eating hamburgers. “Note to self, bring more money next time. Maya had 3 stomachs.”

The next one showed a cute little girl with brown hair twisted into a heart shape. “Pearl Fey, she’s so cute, I’m going to call her Pearls.”

Some of the pictures made Apollo laugh. Maya Fey seemed to eat a lot, Pearl Fey was amazingly adorable. There were some elementary school pictures of Mr. Wright, Mr. Edgeworth and even Larry Butz. It seemed Mr. Wright’s hair was spiky even back then. There were some with Mr. Gumshoe the detective, as scruffy as ever. And even nearly all his clients. Apollo smiled, Mr. Wright seemed like a completely different person back then. So it was really strange to see him in an ugly blue suit with his trademarked hair in full glory. He put away the album and picked up another. This one seemed to belong to Miss Fey.

The first few showed really old pictures where Maya Fey was merely a young baby, she seemed to love her sister a lot.

Another picture was of Mr. Diego Armando. He was grinning cockily at the camera, with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Note to self: Tell coffee addict to cut down or I’ll dump him.”

The next one was a photo of Charlie the plant. "I got him from Diego... I think I'll name him Charlie." So that's what Mr. Wright meant when he said that the single plant had held alot of memories. That plant must have seen many things in it's lifetime.

Apollo laughed hysterically when he found a picture of Mr. Wright lying half dead on the floor, a huge lump growing on his head. The broken edge of a bamboo sword was just at the edge of the image. “Phoenix studying for his bar exam. Not going well.”

The album wasn’t completely full, but there was a sticky note was on the last page. “Dinner at 9 w/ Maya and Phoenix.” It seemed like the Miss Fey was looking through her picture album on her last night alive. Apollo couldn’t help but feel sad. They seemed like a really close group of people.

One last picture in her album showed her a beautiful sunset, with Miss Fey and her sister. They were sitting on the ground staring at the sun. The caption had little to do with the picture, but it was impacting never the less. “The only time a lawyer is allowed to cry, is when it’s all over.”

So that’s where Mr. Wright had heard it.

Apollo got up and tidied everything again, but before closing the boxes, he gave everything a once through. Mr. Wright was a brilliant attorney, even in the toughest situations, he never did give up. Even getting a guilty verdict and being happy with it. He never did give up and stuck with everything until the very end.

Apollo heard Mr. Wright and Trucy come home. It was 6:00 PM already. He closed up the storage rooms and went upstairs.

“WOAH! It’s... it’s clean!” Trucy exclaimed, looking around.

Apollo grinned proudly as Mr. Wright praised him, “Good job, Apollo. Thanks.”

“Mr. Wright? I have to tell you something.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll take the case.”
---------------------------------------------------->
LALALALA, emo polly didn't last long. Well, it SEEMED like he didn't at least. =\

Ch 7
Turnabout Finale
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 11:00 AM
Wright Anything Agency

“Well...” Mr. Wright began, “I’ll explain your case now. It’s took place three days ago, on the 22nd. The chief of police was murdered, so it’s a major case. Your client is one of the officers. Jacques Cross, he was working overtime the night of the murder.”

“Geez, what’s with officers and getting killed?”

Mr. Wright laughed, “That’s not very respectful Apollo.” He said, stifling anymore laughter. “Anyways, the chief of police was Chris Jake, he died from blunt force trauma. I’d suggest you go down to crime scene to check things out.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 11:20 AM
Police Department
Main Office

Apollo and Trucy arrived at the crime scene as was greeted by the old chief of detective again. What his name? Gumshoe or something?

“Hey! Pal! This is a crime scene! No unauthorized entry allowed!” He shouted. “Oh! It’s you two again. Hey pal, I heard you’re on this case, so head on in. Ah... reminds me of the good ol’ days when I used to sneak in Mr. Porcupine Head into the crime scenes. Anyways, the scene of the crime is down in the evidence room. You can’t get in without assistance, so Ema will let you in.”

Looks like there was someone else who was associated with Mr. Wright. Was there anyone in this city who DIDN’T know him?
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 11:22 AM
Police Department
Evidence Rooms

Sure enough, Ema was waiting for the two of them outside the evidence room. There were actually two doors where Ema was standing.

“Good to see you back on your feet, antennae-head.” Ema smiled, swiping a card on the left hand side and inputting a number into the system. The beep sounded and the door slid open smoothly. “This is evidence room A, and the crime scene. So many trials had taken place, that there had to be another room built. It used to be organized by officer, so only the officer who owned the right locker could access their own locker. But they’ve changed the categorization since I’ve last been here, they now organize it by case, so anyone in the evidence rooms can access them. The only people allowed to access these rooms are officers and prosecutors.”

The evidence room seemed high tech. Each case had it’s own separate locker. Several cameras were situated on the roof of the room. Ema motioned to the string outlining the shape of a body. It looked like the victim had slumped against the lockers in his death. Trucy hid behind Apollo again.

“He was hit in the head hard, from the front it seems. Meaning he was probably taken by surprise, but he turned around, before the killer whacked him.”

She held up an oddly shaped vase that looked vaguely familiar.

“This was the murder weapon, it was a piece of evidence in a case 8 years ago, but that’s not important.”

As Apollo turned the vase, he was surprised to see Ema’s name marked in blood on the jar... well, part of it, most of it was recreated with tape connecting some dots.

“Surprised? Well, this jar is an old piece of evidence, I won’t be a suspect as this was put on the jar many years ago, before Chris became Police Chief.”

Ema pointed to the security cameras in the room.

“It’s a well known fact that these cameras here are mostly just for show. They’re wired up so that if one goes out, the others don’t. In other words, a parallel circuit. Anyways, these are known to be notoriously faulty. They constantly fail. For the past month, that camera right at the back of the room was the only working one within the two evidence rooms. Although the murder wasn’t caught on tape, your client was. This confirms the fact that he did enter the room at the very least, making him the only suspect currently.”

Apollo thought for a second. “Wait, how would you know no one else has entered the room? Everyone that was in the building could have been a suspect. There’s no way to tell if anyone else had even stepped into the room.”

Ema shook her head, “Unfortunately for you, there is.” She showed her ID card to Apollo. “Each ID card has a unique number assigned to it. Your ID number is also your password. So if you drop it, it’s important that you report your loss right away. The ID numbers of every card that enters the evidence room are entered and stored in a computer in the security booth. I hate to say this, but Chris Jake, and Jacques Cross were the only two people who entered this room that day.”

Apollo grumbled, this case wasn’t looking too good for him.

“And there’s more against your client. Motive... apparently, there was some bad blood between the two. They couldn’t stand each other. That’s why Jacques was going over the evidence to make sure everything was in order. Jake had ordered him to do it all by himself. This would’ve been a good opportunity for him to deal with his grudge against the Chief when the Chief stepped into the room..”

Trucy grumbled, “Can we leave, Apollo? I don’t like it here.”

“Sorry Trucy, but there’s some much needed investigation that I have to do.” He turned to Ema, “Is that it?”

“Yeah just about. Oh and don’t bother asking about fingerprints. Jacques went through all the evidence by hand, he forgot to wear gloves, so his prints are all over every single piece of evidence in this room.”

Apollo stared at Ema quizzically, “Just this room?”

“Yeah, Chief Jake was going through evidence room B himself that night.”

Apollo started, “Wait a minute, doesn’t this mean that the crime-”

Ema silenced him with a raised hand, “The crime scene is in evidence room A. The time of death was approximately midnight, and the computer tells us that Chief Jake entered evidence room A himself at exactly 12 midnight, the night of the murder.”

“Can I still take a look in evidence room B, then?”

“Sure thing. Just sit tight for a short while, and I’ll get you a temporary card. We’ll cancel it when the trial’s over. But it’ll be registered under your name, so don’t lose it or play around with it.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 12:00 PM
Police Department
Evidence Room B

Trucy had insisted that she be the one to swipe the card and enter the number. Of course, Trucy and technology didn’t go well together, so they had spent 30 minutes outside the room as Trucy demanded that they just stand back and wait for her to get it right.

Evidence room B looked exactly the same as evidence room A. Apollo motioned for Trucy to follow him in, “Help me look for anything out of place, there’s got to be something here that’s going to help my case. Don’t forget gloves.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Trucy replied absentmindedly, waving him away, “I got it.”

Half an hour of searching yielded nothing to their advantage... “-sigh- This case is so doomed.” Apollo said, exasperatedly.

Trucy heaved a sigh as well, just for the sake of it. Trying to cheer Apollo up again, she suggested, “Why don’t we go see our client? Maybe we can find something out from him.”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 12:40 PM
Detention Center

Jacques Cross seemed like a respectable man. His uniform looked smart, his hair neatly spiked, of course it was nothing compared to Mr. Wright’s but that wasn’t the point. He was cleanly shaven and stood proudly even though he was sitting the detention center visiting booth.

“You must be my defense attorney,” Mr. Cross acknowledged with a nod. “You look a lot younger than I had expected. Though, aside from your more previous cases, you have an impressive record, so I guess appearances can be deceiving.”

“Erm, thanks?” Apollo replied, not sure if he had been complimented or insulted.

“I’m deducing that you’re here to hear my side of the story, are you not?”

Apollo didn’t answer, but only nodded.

“Very well. The night of the murder, the chief (he said that word through gritted teeth, showing obvious resentment) ordered me to check over the evidence in evidence room A. Something that is done every six months. Unfortunately for myself, I had forgotten to wear gloves and ended up with my fingerprints all over all the evidence, at my expense. I left the room at precisely 11:45 as I had to get home in a hurry, because my wife was feeling ill. I remember looking at my watch a lot. I swear I didn’t see the chief at all that night, not since he had ordered me to do the evidence check.”

Apollo thought for a moment, “If your story it true, then the time at which you had left, might very well save you.”

Mr. Cross nodded curtly, “I am well aware of that, as my defense attorney, you had better prepare to do a good job.”

Apollo put his most determined look on, “I will not fail you, Mr. Cross. You have my word.”

For the first time since they had began their conversation, Mr. Cross finally smiled, looking slightly relieved. “You have good eyes, Mr. Justice. To tell you the truth, after I heard of the outcome of your last two cases, you were probably one of the last people on my mind when I was thinking coming up with who would be ideal to defend me. I wouldn’t have chosen you if that female prosecutor hadn’t talked to me.”

“Female prosecutor!?” Apollo exclaimed, surprised, “Was she dressed strangely?”

Mr. Cross nodded, “From head to toe. She was the one who told me to give you a chance, even a talk would you would be sufficient enough for me to see that you are adequate. I have to admit, she’s right. You have very good eyes, Mr. Justice. Very well. My life is in your hands now.”

Apollo didn’t understand. Ms. Bifeng hardly seemed the type of person to go encouraging the defendant to get a certain attorney. Unless, of course, she was thinking that if she went up against him again, she would be setting herself up for an easy win.

No way, that couldn’t be it, could it? He couldn’t help but feel angry, the nerve of that person. There was no way he was going to lose his trial. Not on his life.
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 12:50 PM
Police Department
Evidence Room B

“Pooolllllyyyy!!” Trucy whined, “Why are we back at this creepy place again? I don’t like it here.”

“Shh... I just want to check over everything, to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”

“Oh come on! We spent half an hour in here searching last time.”

“There has to be something we’ve missed! I can sense it!”

“Erm.. like that lump of metal way up there on top of the lockers?” Trucy asked, pointing to an objected up on top of the lockers. The only way they would’ve seen it was from a certain angle with the light glinting off of it.

“Okay then, Trucy, pass a pair of gloves and get me that step ladder over there.”

“Tsk, tsk, Polly, do you have to be so technical? You couldn’t just said ladder.”

“... Just get me that darn ladder.” he grumbled.

“Alright, alright, I’m getting it, stop being such a grouch.”

Apollo climbed the ladder, excuse me, step ladder to reach the glinting object hidden on top of the lockers. It was a very familiar object, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had seen it before. Still, he kept it.

“Okay then, Polly, what do we do now?”

“I guess we’ll just have to hope for the best for next week.”

“-sigh- That’s what you said last time, Polly, I hope that we don’t-”

“Shh! Trucy! Don’t jinx me!”
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 5:00 PM
Wright Anything Agency

When Apollo and Trucy got home, they were surprised to find that the piano had been relocated to the other end of the room, and in it’s place, was a shiny desk.

“Yo, welcome home.” Mr. Wright greeted calmly.

“WOAH! Daddy! Did you move this up here by yourself!?”

Mr. Wright grinned, obviously proud of himself. “Of course! I thought since we’re putting law back into the Wright Anything Agency, we might as well pull this old desk out from the storage. Careful, Apollo, it belonged to Mia, that’s why it’s lasted all these years, so don’t mess it up.”

“Whoa, Mr. Wright, I have to say, that the room actually looks a bit organized now.”

“Oh shush, not everyone can be perfect. Anyways, I’ve got another surprise for you two.” Mr. Wright held up a bag of marshmallows, “We’re going to turn on the fireplace.”

Apollo, who had been expecting at least a dinner out, let his face fall. Trucy, however, seemed overjoyed at the news. “Really daddy? Are you sure?”

“Of course! This is a day that calls for celebration.”

... Was Mr. Wright really that under waged? Poor guy...
---------------------------------------------------->
February 25, 5:10 PM
Outside Wright Anything Agency

The trio collapsed outside the Wright Anything Agency building coughing, trying to dispel the soot from their lungs. The fireplace upstairs had been unused for years, so when turned on, it promptly began spewing a black smoke, thick with ashes. Mr. Wright had managed to turn off the fireplace in time, by then, the smoke had filled the room and had forced them to evacuate the building. Mr. Wright immediately placed a call to the fire department telling them that there was no cause for alarm, and that they were currently ventilating the building, so there would be no need to dispatch a crew.

The ensuing silence, as the three sat in the park area next to the Wright Anything Agency, caused Trucy to start giggling. Apollo followed suit as he watched her try to stifle her giggles, and it wasn’t long before Mr. Wright joined in. Soon, they were clutching their bellies, laughing, just enjoying the moment of being together. Even after such a dangerous little accident had happened.

It truly felt good to be a part of a family.
---------------------------------------------------->
Short chapter, wanted to put some character bonding. o3o

Almost done. 8)

Ch 8
Turnabout Finale
---------------------------------------------------->
March 4, 10:00 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Apollo clenched his fist and took a deep breath. Today was the day. Today was the day that he was going to beat Faye Bifeng and proved the innocence of his client. There would be no losing for him today.

Apollo cleared his throat. Chords of Steel? Check. Notes? Check. Trucy? Apollo took a quick glance around to make sure that Trucy hadn’t have gotten lost within the time they had stepped within the building. Check.

“Good luck, Apollo.” Mr. Wright reassured. And somehow, this time, he seemed truly sincere. Apollo stopped his giggles as his gave Mr. Wright a mock salute and replied cheesily, “Ay ay, Mr. Wright.”

Mr. Wright patted Apollo’s head fondly and motioned for him to enter the courtroom as he was called to enter.
---------------------------------------------------->
March 4, 10:10 AM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

“Court is now in session for the murder of Chris Jake.” The judge started off solemnly. “-sigh- I wonder, what is wrong with our chiefs of police? One convicted of murder and now the other, a victim of murder.”

“-ahem-” Apollo cleared his throat, cutting into the judge’s wandering thoughts, “The defense is ready your honour.”

“The prosecution is ready your honour.”

“Very good, as usual, we will begin with the prosecution’s opening statement.”

Ms. Bifeng nodded and proceeded to present the facts. “At approximately six o’clock PM, the defendant, Mr. Cross, was assigned the task of going over the evidence in evidence room A. Mr. Jake entered the room at 12 o’clock midnight, the approximate time of the murder. The victim, Mr. Jake, was struck in the head with this vase assumedly, and suffered blunt force trauma resulting in his death. Mr. Cross had not been wearing gloves during the time that he had been going through the evidence room, so his fingerprints are all over every single piece of evidence in evidence room A.”

“Wait, and Mr. Cross was still in this room after six hours of being assigned this job?” The judge asked, uncharacteristically smart of him.

“Unfortunately, yes. Normally, the job is to be done by two officers in one room. However, Mr. Jake and the defendant were known to be enemies. The source of this is unknown, but this is the reason why Mr. Cross had been assigned this tiresome duty on his own.”

The judge nodded, “Makes sense, makes sense. Now, does the defense have any opposition to this statement? If not, then this case is already closed.”

Apollo was confused. Was is just him, or was facing Ms. Bifeng way easier than he had remembered? The faults were too obvious, and even her choice in words made it easy for him to pick apart.

“Remember, Polly.” Trucy reminded him, “If anything in her facts are wrong, then you can pick the whole thing apart. Start simple.”

“HOLD IT! What in the world do you mean by ‘struck in the head with this vase assumedly’? As a prosecutor, especially when presenting the opening facts, you must have taken the time to make sure everything that you present is completely accurate. There are no rooms for assumptions.”

“I agree, completely, Ms. Bifeng. Please explain to us why it is assumed that he was hit with this vase.”

“It’s simple, your honour. The only piece of evidence lying around when the victim was found, was the vase. Furthermore, security tags are placed on the pieces of evidence, so a computer records any evidence that is taken out of the room. The computer even records when a piece of evidence is removed and put back inside of it’s locker. The vase was the only piece of evidence that was removed from it’s locker twice. And it was only returned back in it’s place the first time. The second time it was removed was at 12. The time of the murder.”

“That seems pretty solid to me, Mr. Justice. Is there any problem with this now?”

Apollo nodded, “Yes, your honour, there is.”

The judge sighed, “This had better be worth it, Mr. Justice. What is it this time? You don’t mean to say that there was a way to remove the evidence from the lockers undetected.”

“The security tags are impossible to remove by anyone’s hand. Unless you had the chief’s key. Which, through a thorough search, was found in the victim’s home.” Ms. Bifeng added.

“That’s possibility, if it had actually worked out.” Apollo agreed, “but no, it’s not what I had in mind.”

“Well then, stop making us wait, Mr. Justice. Out with it.”

“Let’s look at it this way. Even if I manage to prove that there was a way to remove evidence from the locker undetected, there still would be the issue of a murder weapon. What would actually have killed Mr. Jake?”

“Wait,” The judge cut in, shocked, “You don’t mean to say that you have an idea on what actually killed Mr. Jake.”

Apollo allowed a cocky grin to spread across his face. For once, things were going to go his way. And there was nothing Ms. Bifeng could do to stop the bare facts from revealing the truth. “Yes, your honour. I do.” Apollo pulled out what he had found during his investigation.

“This is what I believe to be the true murder weapon.”

“Hey!” The judge looked surprised, “Isn’t that the thinker statue clock that was the murder weapon during two consecutive cases?”

“Yes, your honour it is.”

“OBJECTION! Unless the defense has some valid way to prove that this was the real murder weapon, pulling out random pieces of evidence is not going to help. On top of that, that statue is an item belonging in evidence room B. Unless, of course, you’re meaning to say that the crime really happened in evidence room B.”

Apollo felt confidence surge through him. This was his win. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to say.”

This, of course, raised a lot of hushed whispers within the courtroom.

As calmly as ever, Ms. Bifeng responded with her, “OBJECTION! The defense will not raise points without any base whatsoever. If you have any proof to back this outrageous claim, Mr. Justice, bring it up now.”

Apollo nodded and took the opportunity, “Because it was obviously assumed that Evidence Room A was the scene of the crime, Evidence Room B obviously wasn’t very heavily scrutinized.”

“Assumptions, just assumptions, Mr. Justice. You can do far better than that.”

“That I can, Ms. Bifeng. A simple dust for finger prints ought to do it. All we have to do is to make sure that my client’s fingerprints aren’t on the murder weapon. And seeing as he obviously forgot to wear gloves that day, his fingerprints would have to be on it for sure if had been the murderer. On top of that, even if there is are least a few finger prints, we can establish that my client did not wipe the weapon clean afterwards.”

“And if there are no fingerprints, Mr. Justice?”

“Then it is my loss.”

Ms. Bifeng chuckled, “Daring, I see. However, you’ve overlooked something important. Once again, you are going on baseless assumptions. Even if we prove the fingerprints on the statue do not belong to Mr. Cross, then it’s just like proving the statue isn’t the murder weapon at all. On top of that, unless you can prove that the vase was not the murder weapon, then there is no point to even investigate the statue in the first place. But knowing you, Mr. Justice, you certainly do have an explanation, do you not?”

Apollo nodded, “As you can see, this vase has been delicately glued back together, very well in fact, that you wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s been broken. And yes, this vase has been smashed before in a case many years ago. I’m sure our own Detective Skye can back that claim. So if this was truly the murder weapon, then the vase would have shattered back into many pieces. However, as you can see, the vase is still perfectly intact. Now, if you were a killer and you were trying to hide the true murder weapon, and were frantically trying to find something to pose as a false weapon, then there isn’t much time to examine something to see if it’s been previously broken. So if this truly was the murder weapon, it wouldn’t be in my hand fully intact right now, it’d be a bunch of pieces in a bag.”

Ms. Bifeng nodded, “Very good, Mr. Justice, now please explain why you think this statue is the murder weapon.”

“That’s another easy one, this was found sitting on top of the lockers. It’s been removed from it’s locker, and it was never returned. So it makes the most obvious candidate for a murder weapon.”

“Very well.” The judge said, banging is gavel. “Bailiff, get this statue dusted for prints immediately, you have half an hour. There isn’t enough time to find out who’s fingerprints they are if there really are any, but we can establish whether or not the prints belong to the defendant. In the mean time we’ll take a recess before we continue.”
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March 4, 11:30 AM
District Courthouse
Courtroom No. 3

“Court will now resume the trial of Mr. Jacques Cross for the murder of Mr. Chris Jake.” The judge said solemnly, preparing to deliver the news of the investigation. “We have done a quick examination, and we have found that Mr. Cross’ fingerprints are not on the murder weapon. We have not been able to establish who the fingerprints truly belong to, but we have confirmed, that Mr. Cross has not touched nor wiped the fingerprints that are all over the statue.”

Apollo inwardly sang the hallelujah chorus in his head. He honestly was worried about whether or not Jacques’ fingerprints would be on the statue, but looks like it was alright. Mr. Wright was right, always trust the client.

“So now, unless the prosecution has something to say to this, I will now allow the jury to make their verdict.”

Surprisingly, Ms. Bifeng replied, “The prosecution has no objections.” Which was odd, considering that she always had something up her sleeve.

“Very well then. The jury has made their decision. The defendant, Mr. Jacques Cross is NOT GUILTY.”
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March 4, 11:35 AM
District Courthouse
Defendant Lobby

Apollo punched his fist into the air the second he left the stuffy atmosphere of the courtroom. He had won. He did it, he had beaten Ms. Bifeng at her game, and was now victor. Life was sweet.

Trucy gave Apollo a pat on the back and congratulated him. All was good.

Then why... why did he feel so weird? It felt as if he never won at all, as if everything was still being manipulated by that intimidating prosecutor.

Still, that wasn’t enough to completely damper his happiness. He had cleared Jacques’ name, who of course, was very happy with that.

Well, he was happy, until he saw a familiar figure approaching him, looks like Ms. Bifeng still had something to say.

“Good job Mr. Justice.” She said, surprising him. The congratulation seems genuine. “But don’t think it’s over yet. The final battle is yet to come.”

And leaving him with her ever cryptic words, she left the lobby for him to ponder.
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It's quite thrilling, but I feel chapter 6 was unnecessarily long. >> You did an overview of all of Phoenix's past cases to the point when it was tedious, though very informative (that too can be bad, if one didn't want spoilers). You could've just had him skim the first few cases and then describe how he plunged into the rest, and timeskip.


But it's not all that bad... and what's done is done. ^.^ I'm left waiting for the next trial with Apollo and Ms. Bifeng.

Ah, kay. That's what I didn't like about that chapter. I think I did it too much for the sake of length. Bad idea. Oh well, I'll get the next ones up when I'm done fixing them up. 8)