Disclaimer: The Phoenix Wright games belongs to Capcom and nothing more. However, the story, characters, and events are entirely fictional and the aforementioned stuff belong to me except Phoenix Wright.
It was 9:18 in the morning and I was nervous about my first trial. Standing there in the defendant lobby made the atmosphere quite tense and I was waiting for my trusted mentor to show up. I caught a glimpse of a woman wearing a black and white business suit.
I knew who she was by her dark brown hair tied in place with a pink hairband. Trying to make my voice as calm as possible, I said, "Good morning, Chief. How are you?" She answered, "I am good as usual. How are you, Light?" That is the first nickname Anita calls me by. I replied, "I'm just a little bit nervous."
Anita just smiles and says, "Well, I'll introduce you to our client and she will be the defendant in this trial." I nodded slightly and I didn't feel so nervous anymore. I felt happy because Anita and I are close friends when we worked together in our small law firm.
Then, our client arrived and she was wearing a white dress and black boots as usual. She said, "Hello, Light. It's good to see you again." I replied, "Wait a minute... Who are you?"
Celestia didn't expect that from me and asked, "Um, I'm your friend from your childhood, remember?" It took me five minutes to recognize her completely and I replied, "Oh, yes. Sorry, I'm still recovering from my amnesia."
Anita smiled warmly and said, "That's all right. My colleague is still recovering from amnesia. We'll clear your name and win this case. I'm sure of it." Celestia nodded in agreement and says, "Okay. Good luck, you two. I believe in you." She left and Anita and I were the only people in the defendant lobby.
Anita motioned for me to come inside the courtroom and suddenly, I felt very nervous. "Okay, Light. You've got to stay calm. Don't worry about the others. You're just going to be fine."I thought. We sat next to each other in the left side.
The judge asked, "Are you ready, Ms. Strife? If not, we will test you on your readiness." I calmly answered, "I think I might be ready, but I am not sure." The judge nodded in order to sympathize with me and said, "Then, I'll test you to see if you are ready for this trial."
I knew what was coming as the judge was going to ask me a few questions about the case. He asked, "What is the victim's name?" "Oh, I know this one. It's- Wait a minute... What? I completely forgot!" I thought frantically as I searched for answers in my mind.
Fortunately, Anita turned to me and worriedly asked, "Is everything okay, Light?" I replied, "I'm okay, Chief. The victim's name is Madeline Andrews, Your Honor." The judge nodded in agreement with my answer and said, "That is correct. How was the victim killed?"
Anita said, "If you're not sure, you can always check the Court Record for the answer." I replied, "Okay. The victim was shot by a pistol." The judge nodded when I told the right answer, "That is correct. Please state the name of the defendant in this case."
I answered, "The defendant's name is Celestia White." The judge said, "That is correct. You did a good job answering these questions correctly and I assume that you are now ready for this trial." I replied, "Thank you, Your Honor."
Anita smiled warmly at me and I was confident that I can win this case and clear Celestia's name. I saw the prosecutor on the opposite side of the courtroom. Apparently, she was talking with the judge about the evidence she was going to submit.
Anita asked, "Do you know who she is, Light?" I shook my head in response and she said, "Well, her name is Linda Armstrong and she's a fashion designer." "Wait, so she's a prosecutor for this case? That makes perfect sense..."I thought.
Linda said, "I would like to submit evidence to the court." The judge nodded and replied, "The court accepts this as evidence." The pistol and the note was added to the Court Record. She made her opening statement to the court and called on her first witness to testify.
A young man appeared on the witness stand and Linda said, "State your name and occupation." The man answered, "Rodney Trent. I'm a news reporter." The judge said, "The witness will testify against the court." Anita turned to me and said, "Remember to look for inconsistencies in his testimony."
I nodded slightly and replied, "Right. I'll remember that." Anita nodded her head to indicate that she understood and watched the whole case unfold in the courtroom. The judge said, "The witness shall provide his testimony to the court."
Rodney's testimony went like this:
"It was a normal day, like always."
"Apparently, I saw a young woman in white and she was minding her own business."
"Then, the victim appeared before her."
"I saw the girl strike her with a staff!"
"I ran to call the police after I witnessed this murder."
"When the police arrived, she was already gone."
The testimony ended and I looked up to see what the judge has in mind. He was deep in thought and he said, "Ms. Strife, you may cross examine the witness." I took my time reading through the lines in his testimony and cried:
"Hold it!"
I asked, "Your day was normal, correct?" Rodney answered, "Yes. It was perfectly normal." "There's no contradiction... The first part has no lies!"I thought. I replied, "Right. Can you tell us what happened next?" Rodney continued, "Apparently, I saw a young woman in white."
"Hold it!"
I asked, "Who was the young woman in white?" Rodney replied, "I didn't know her name." That sounds like Celestia all right, I thought. Rodney said, "Then, the victim appeared before her."
Hold it!
I asked, "Did you really see the victim?" Rodney replied, "Yes. I saw him coming towards the young woman in white." Wait a minute. This piece of information contradicts the victim's gender, I thought. Anita said, "I'll have this statement added to the testimony.
Rodney revised his testimony, so it looked like this:
"I'm pretty sure I saw him going towards her."
"This could be it. I finally found a contradiction!"I thought. I looked through the Court Record and presented the victim's profile.
"Objection!"
All of the people in the courtroom, including the judge turned to look at me and I knew this was my chance. I said, "Look at the victim's profile, Mr. Trent. Do you see a man?" Rodney said, "Yes. I saw a man." I replied, "Are you sure? Because I think you're just gender-confused." The judge asked, "What is the meaning of this, Ms. Strife?"
I explained, "Your Honor, the witness is confusing the victim for a male when in fact, the victim's true gender is female!" Anita said, "Good job, Light. You saw a contradiction." I replied, "Thank you, Chief."
"Objection!"
Linda explained, "The victim was just confused." The judge said, "Objection overruled." I was just feeling pretty confident about this trial.
Then, the judge asked, "Will the witness testify to the court about the moment of the murder?" Rodney replied, "Yes, Your Honor." He made a new testimony which went like this:
"When I came to the park, I saw the defendant walking towards the victim."
"The victim was calmly looking inside her purse."
"Then, I saw her being struck by the defendant's staff!"
"I just stood there as I watched the whole murder scene unfold right before my eyes."
The judge was deep in thought again and said, "The defense may begin its cross examination." I read over the lines of his new testimony and I already found another contradiction, but I didn't present anything yet as I needed to press him for more information.
"Hold it!"
I asked, "Why didn't you not mention going to the park in your first testimony?" Rodney replied, "Well, I sorta forgot." "This sounds kinda fishy to me..."I thought. Rodney continued, "The victim was calmly looking at her purse."
"Hold it!"
I asked, "What was she looking for when she looked inside her purse?" Rodney replied, "I think she was looking for some make-up to make herself pretty." "Um, I don't think that's a very good answer to this question..."I thought as I looked uninterested.
Rodney said, "Then, I saw her being struck by the defendant's staff!" I knew right away that there was another contradiction in his statement. I looked through the Court Record again and present the autopsy report. Rodney looked kind of shocked when I cried:
"Objection!"
The eyes in the courtroom turned to look at me and I said, "I found something wrong in your statement, Mr. Trent. You said that the defendant struck the victim with her staff." Rodney replied, "That is true, yes."
I explained, "But, when you look at the victim, she was not struck with a staff. There was no bruise on her head that indicates death by a blunt trauma wound!" Rodney was shocked by my objection to his statement and the judge looked surprised, too.
The judge asked, "Then, are you saying that he should be accused?" I nodded in agreement and said, "Yes. I accuse Mr. Trent of murder!" Rodney was in shock and he broke down because he knew that his plan didn't go so well.
The judge said, "Then, this trial is over. If either side has any fur-" He was cut off by the prosecutor, who cried:
"Objection!"
Linda said, "That's impossible. He can't be accused because he didn't confess to his crime." The judge shook his head and said, "Objection overruled. The court finds the defendant...not guilty!"
"Has the witness recovered?" the judge asked as he turned to the prosecution's side. Linda replied, "Yes. We are working on his arrest now." The judge said as he banged his gavel once, "Good. Court is adjourned!" I was glad that this trial turned out to be good. Anita was smiling as she and I walked back to the defendant lobby. She said, "Good job, Light. You have proven the defendant's innocence and I'm proud of you."
I replied sheepishly, "Um, thanks. It was really hard for me to find something wrong in his testimony, but it was worth it." Celestia came up to me and said, "Thank you for proving my innocence today! I could've ended up in jail if you didn't stand up for me."
I nodded slightly and said, "You're welcome, old friend." Celestia replied, "Well, I have to go, but we'll remain friends forever." Anita nodded in agreement and said, "Yes. Call us if you ever need help." Then, Celestia left the defendant lobby.
Suddenly, I felt a weird vibe coming from my bracelet which I wore on my right arm. I felt a tense feeling, but I couldn't find what or who was causing it. Somehow, I felt that the strange bracelet that I was wearing could reveal its powers later on...
Please R&R. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. ^^