Knightmare vs. Ace Attorney
Treguard woke up with a bad hangover. Pickle and Crystal's marriage party last night had caused everyone to get as drunk as could be. The poor dungeon master could barely sit up straight now. It took him about ten minutes to regain his senses, but even then he was still quite dizzy. None-the-less, he thought that the day had to continue so he got up and went to the antechamber, hoping that Kully and Majida had tidied up.
To his relief, they were just finishing off, along with Crystal and Pickle's son, Reconboo.
"Look Uncle Treguard!" he shouted when he saw him. "I'm helping to tidy like a big boy!"
"Indeed you are." said Treguard, trying to force a smile. He hated it when Reconboo called him 'Uncle Treguard'. It was a name that Crystal prompted him to say and he never forgave her for it. But he couldn't get mad at the poor elf; he was only 4 years old. And besides if he did, then Reconboo would get mad and use his cat demon features to throw a temper tantrum.
"Good grief Master Treguard, you're a wreck!" said Kully when she saw him. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to bed?"
"No, I'll be fine," he muttered and went and sat on his chair. "I just need some water, that's all."
"I'll go get it!" shouted Reconboo and ran out of the room.
"That boy ees so reckless." said Majida with a smirk. "He must get it from Crystal."
"You think?" replied Treguard. "I thought he took more after Pickle."
"Here you go!" shouted Reconboo, running back into the room with a mug of water. He went and gave it to Treguard.
"Sure you don't want to take back that last claim?" said Kully with a wink. However Treguard realised she had a point. This infant elf was as fast as her mother but, as everyone had learnt over the years, Crystal beated everyone when it came to speed.
"Auntie Kully?" Reconboo went over to Kully. "When will Mama and Papa come back from Marblehead?"
"Err… I think in about a month," said Kully who had obviously forgotten. "I think that's what your dad said anyway."
A few minutes later, Treguard got up from his seat and grabbed the staff.
"What are you doing?" asked Majida.
"Getting a quest started, what does it look like?" replied Treguard in a complete 'duh' voice.
"But Master, we've been up half the morning tidying this place!" moaned Kully. "Can't we have a little break?"
"No." he replied sternly. "Now that Crystal and Pickle are gone for the month we have to work harder to make up for their absence." The three moaned in unison.
"ENTER STRANGER!" Treguard bellowed as he banged the staff on the floor. But what came next shocked everyone.
It wasn't a kid or a teenager that came in. It was a young man.
"Woah… I did not see that coming," said Kully in surprise.
This man looked like he was in his twenties. He wore a blue blazer, a purple tie and blue pants. His hair was black and spiked backwards and on his blazer he wore a small circular badge that was painted gold.
"Well, um…" Treguard was trying to bring his head around.
"Uncle Treguard, you need to ask him his name!" said Reconboo.
"O-of course!" said Treguard finally regaining his senses. "Name, age and direction."
"Umm… okay," said the man. "Phoenix Wright, 26 and I'm from New York."
"What's up with your accent?" said Kully confused at this man.
"You're one to talk," said Phoenix with a smirk which insulted Kully. "You guys must be Brits. I'm an American."
"Okay…" said Treguard. "How did you get here?"
"Well my friends found this scroll talking about a dungeon and directions to this place. So we decided to follow them and see what this is all about."
"Master," It was Majida. "I thought you only sent those scrolls out to children."
"I thought so too," said Treguard. "But the dungeon seems to be getting more dangerous, so the variety of players must be getting different too. Remember that 16 year old we had?"
"Oh yeah, Paul wasn't it? I hated him," said Kully. She caught sight of Majida's confused face. "I'll explain later," she said to her.
"Well then Phoenix," said Treguard turning his attention back to him. "Call on your advisors and do call loudly."
"Ok then. Maya, Miles, Franziska."
Three more young adults appeared, and from what they were wearing Treguard assumed that people in New York had weird ideas when it came to fashion sense. Dismissing this, Treguard asked for their names and ages.
"Maya Fey, 20."
"Miles Edgeworth, 26."
"Franziska von Karma, 20."
Treguard studied the three's appearances. Maya was wearing a white dress with a big purple bow tied around her waist, a purple cardigan and black flip-flops. Her hair was long and black with a small bob on top of her head and two strands of her hair had beads on the end of them. She was also wearing massive beads around her neck and a weird charm was in the centre of them.
Miles's fashion sense was more sensible. He wore a red blazer with red pants, which were similar to Phoenix's. But instead of a tie, he wore a white triple-layered cravat. His hair was equally parted on both sides. What was odd was that it looked black but there were hints of grey in it as well. Treguard wondered how a young man could have grey hair at such an early age.
Franziska stood out the most. She wore a short black dress, which had two blue diamond shaped buttons. The sleeves of the dress were white and at the end of them were two blue diamond shaped cufflinks. Her hair was an odd light blue colour and was quite short. To top it all off, she was holding what looked like a whip. Treguard assumed it was for self-defense. Also, when she said her name and age, she seemed to give it in a German accent.
"Ok. Kully! Fetch the equipment." said Treguard. Kully fetched the equipment and Treguard gave Phoenix the usual lecture. But when he got to the Helmet of Justice part, Franziska got mad.
"You foolish fool!" she shouted, then stood up and whipped Treguard.
"Oww! What was that for?" he shouted back.
"You are sending Phoenix Wright into certain doom blindfolded? You fool!"
"But eet's necessary!" said Majida. "He'll be destroyed by the illusions of zee dungeon without it."
"Then why didn't you say so before, fool?" She gave him another whip.
"Calm down Franziska," Phoenix said quickly. "I'm good with it."
"Ugh, fine," she said and sat back down again. Poor Reconboo was scared of Franziska and went to his auntie for comfort. But Kully was just as shocked as he was. Dungeoneers may have hurled insults at Treguard before, but no one had ever physically hurted him.
Treguard gave Phoenix all the equipment and set him off into the dungeon after the team decided to search for the crown.
"Where am I?"
"You're on the back of a blue dragon by the looks of it." said Miles. His voice sounded as posh as his fashion sense.
"I didn't think dragons existed." said Maya. Her voice was as loud and cheerful as Kully's.
"Yes team," said Treguard to the advisors. "This is the great wyrm, Smirkenorff. And it looks like he's willing to offer you a free ride. Miles, you must guide Phoenix to that saddle and make sure he doesn't touch any of the dragon's spines."
"Okay. Wright, walk forward until you see a saddle but don't touch any of the spines."
Treguard found it a bit odd that Miles was addressing Phoenix as 'Wright' but he quickly dismissed this.
"Okay I can see the saddle Edgeworth," said Phoenix (Treguard thought vice-versa). "Should I climb into it?"
"Of course you should, fool!" said Franziska.
So Phoenix climbed into the saddle and Smirkenorff set off. They passed over forests and then landed in Grimdale.
"Nick, I think you can climb out now," said Maya. "And you might as well go back the way you came." So Phoenix got off the dragon.
"Ok, where am I now?"
"You're outside what looks like an inn." replied Miles.
"Treguard, eesen't dees dee Mad Cow?" asked Majida, a little excited now.
"I don't think so." he replied. "It looks more like an old bar called the Crazed Heifer."
"If you say so. Team, go and guide him forward. You could probably find help here." said Majida to the advisors.
"Wright, walk forward." Phoenix did as Miles said.
"Wright, you're in the inn now. There are lots of people watching a jester."
"Hah, some jester if everyone's throwing food at him." said Franziska, which caused Maya to giggle. Treguard recognized the jester as Motley.
"Oh 'ello! Welcome to the Crazed Heifer II." said a woman who had blonde hair and was wearing glasses. "Take a seat young man." The woman guided Phoenix to an empty table. "Here, have some food." The woman put and apple in Phoenix's knapsack and his life force turned green.
"Now, judging by that helmet, you must be a dungeoneer. But you look a bit tall for one. How old are you?"
"26."
"Manners, Wright! You are in the presence of a lady!" whispered Miles sharply.
"Sorry. 26, ma'am."
"26? I've heard it was kids that get sent into these dungeons. Anyways, my name's Freya. What's yours?"
"Phoenix. But you can call me Nick, Freya." he replied.
Freya blushed a bit. "W-well then Nick. I suppose you want a bit of help, right?"
Before he could answer, he heard lots of booing from behind him.
"Alright, alright! Calm down!" It was Motley being pelted with lots of food.
"Oh give it a rest Motley," said Freya. "You're neva gonna impress them with lame puns like that."
"Oi! My jokes are not lame, Freya." He replied insulted. "Anyways, who's this helmet head?"
"This is Nick, a dungeoneer." she replied.
"A dungeoneer? He looks a bit old. Anyways Nick, are looking for help? 'cause if you are, then I'm your man!"
"Hey! I was going to offer him help, thank you very much!" said Freya angrily.
"Well maybe he doesn't want your lousy help Freya!" he replied cheekily.
"Nick! Tell them you could use both of their help." said Maya quickly.
"HOLD IT! I could use both of your help if that's possible." said Phoenix interrupting the quarrelling pair.
"Oh… well that's alright then." said Freya, a little shocked.
"Ok Nick. I can tell you that the password to the Descender is 'earthquake'."
At these words, Miles went slightly pale.
"What's wrong Miles?" asked Treguard.
"Err… well…" he was struggling to find an answer.
"Poor Mr. Edgeworth." said Maya. "He has a fear of earthquakes so it's understandable that he's a bit uneasy."
Miles gave her a cold stare. "Did they really need to know that?" he said. Maya drooped her head and muttered "sorry" to him.
"And I can tell you," said Freya. "a small spell. It's called 'KEY'. And I can also give you this. She reached into her apron and pulled out a spyglass. "With this you can spy on the Opposition. But don't use it here. Wait until you're away from this place. Now you'd better go. Some of these customers are giving you funny looks."
"I'll help you out mate!" said Motley. The two stood up and Motley helped Phoenix out of the inn.
"Where am I?"
"You're in a forest and there's a massive spider web above you." said Franziska.
"I think there's a tree trunk in front of you." said Maya. "Walk forwards until you see it."
He did so.
"Oh no! This is Ariadne's lair!" shouted Kully.
"Ariadne? Waah, I don't like spiders!" cried Reconboo.
"Listen team," said Treguard. "When we thought Ariadne the arachnid was gone for good, she was actually in a very long hibernation stage in a hidden part of the forest. You must be careful, otherwise she won't go hungry tonight."
"Heh, if I was in there I would show that spider the true power of a von Karma." said Franziska.
"Well unfortunately you're not in there Franziska." said Miles sternly. He turned his attention back to Phoenix. "Is there anything on the tree-stump Wright?"
"There's a bar of gold. Should I take it?"
"Okay. We could go shopping with it!" said Maya happily.
"How about you use that spyglass now?" said Treguard. The advisors looked at him in confusion. "Just get Phoenix to hold it up in front of the eye-shield."
"Did you hear that Nick?" asked Maya.
"Yeah I'll do it now Maya."
Lord Fear appeared on the magic mirror. He was speaking into his pool.
"What do you mean this dungeoneer's an adult, Hands?" he asked puzzled.
"It's like I said, yer Lordship," said Hands in the pool. "I was in the Crazed Heifer II and I saw that the dungeoneer was a man and not a kid."
"Well," said Lord Fear smiling. "It seems Treguard has finally decided to stop risking the lives of children now. Hands, you might as well just nab him like you always do (and fail) with dungeoneers. But if he gets past the causeway in level 2, then you'll need to take the path of aggression and not defense. I decided to change it to confuse everyone in the dungeons. Dismiss!"
He waved his hand across the pool and Hands disappeared. But then an odd noise sounded.
"Ahh, I love this new… um, what's it called? A dingtone? I'll have to ask this dungeoneer if I get my hands on him. Anyways, who's calling the greatest mage of all time?"
"It's me, Lord Fear."
To Treguard and the assistants' surprise, it was Crystal.
"Mama? What's she doing?" asked Reconboo.
"Ahh! If it isn't the darling cat demon herself!" said Lord Fear. "Have you finally decided that the Powers That Be is not worth your while and you would like to pledge your allegiance to me?"
"Unfortunately, no." she replied. "I'm calling on behalf of me and Pickle to complain about the damage you've done in Marblehead."
"Ah yes! You two are newly-weds now, aren't you? I forgive you for not sending me an invitation to your wedding. Anyways, if you wanted a decent honeymoon then you probably shouldn't have chosen Marblehead, SHOULD YOU?"
"Well maybe you could have informed us earlier about what you did, eh?"
"Well maybe you could show a little more kindness in future to me, kitten whiskers."
"Oh please, I'd care more for all your assistants put together than you." This made Majida and Kully gasp.
"Now you listen here, Crystal!" Lord Fear shouted. "You can take your damaged Marblehead and shove it up a hobgoblin's backside for all I care, because I'm ignoring your complaint. DISMISS!"
He waved his hand across the pool and muttered a few curses meant for the Powers That Be. But then he snapped his head up.
"Oh you had to hear all that, didn't you?" he said in annoyance.
"Quick! Tell him to put it down!" said Treguard the advisors.
"Phoenix, drop the spyglass!" shouted Franziska. Phoenix quickly dropped the spyglass.
"It sounds like Lord Fear's damaged Marblehead." said Kully.
"Which gives us all dee more reason to go there!" said Majida with enthusiasm. But as soon as she said this, Ariadene appeared on the web.
"Uh oh!" Maya said. "Nick, take the gold. Turn 45 degrees to your left and run forward." Phoenix ran fastly to the door.
"Where am I now?"
"You're in a room and there's some sort of a guard in front of you." said Miles.
"PASSWORD!" the guard bellowed.
"Err… what was the password guys?" asked Phoenix.
"It was earthquake." said Maya.
"Earthquake." Phoenix said.
"Password accepted." said the guard. Then suddenly, he faded into nothing.
"…what was dat all about?" said Majida in confusion.
"No idea." replied Treguard.
The door in front of Phoenix opened, revealing the Descender.
"Team, you have reached the Descender." said Treguard. "In your time you would probably refer to it as a lift or and elevator."
This made Miles go even paler.
"You fool!" said Franziska. She was about to stand up, but Miles put a hand on her shoulder.
"Leave it Franziska." said Miles in a quiet voice. Maya mouthed to Treguard, 'He doesn't like lifts either.' Treguard nodded at her and wondered how Miles had developed all these phobias.
"What should I do now?" asked Phoenix.
"You need to say 'down' and it'll take you to level 2." said Kully (she was starting to get a bit bored of this quest).
"Okay then. Down!" said Phoenix in a clear voice.
The Descender went down quite a few floors before finally stopping at a small door with a lock on it.
"I think we should cast the KEY spell now." said Miles.
"Okay then." said Maya, who then cleared her throat. "Spellcasting: K-E-Y!"
A big key appeared and unlocked the door before vanishing.
"Walk forwards Wright." said Miles.
"Where am I?"
"You're in a castle courtyard and there's a man in front of you." said Franziska.
"Hey, dat's Honesty Bartrum!" said Majida.
"So it is." said Treguard. "This man's a merchant, team. And with your gold, he might sell you something useful."
"Ah! Hello there, mister!" said Bartrum when he saw Phoenix. "Come on, come on! See what I've got for offer."
"Walk forwards Wright." said Miles.
"What's on his stall Nick?" asked Maya.
"Err… just a spyglass." replied Phoenix in slight confusion.
"Ah… yeah, about that," said Bartrum. "All my stuff was bought earlier by this lizard man from the Opposition. So all I've got is this spyglass. I'll be willing to sell it you for some gold."
"Come on Nick! Do what you always do and present the gold!" said Maya.
"TAKE THAT!" shouted Phoenix as he showed the gold to Bartrum, which startled him for a second.
"Err… oh you've got gold!" said Bartrum recovering from the shock. "Well then, here is the spyglass." He took the gold off Phoenix and handed him the spyglass. "But don't use it here. The next room should be safer. On your way now!"
And with that, he left the room. Miles guided Phoenix out of the room and he entered a room with two arch doors at the end of it.
"Use the spyglass Wright." said Miles.
Lord Fear appeared again and he was back in front of his pool. He looked very angry.
"No Crystal, I will not return him! I warned you to show me some respect and now you've faced the consequences of betraying me."
"I don't take orders from the likes of you Lord Fear!" Crystal shouted back. "First you ruin our honeymoon by causing havoc in Marblehead and now you've kidnapped Pickle just because you're in a funk with me! If you don't give him back to him then I'll call Treguard to deal with you."
"Really?" said Lord Fear sarcastically. "Well, if you continue to show immature behaviour to me like this, Crystal, then I may consider napping your son as well as your husband. And you wouldn't want that now, would you?"
"Dragons take you, Fear! You harm Reconboo and I will show you no mercy!"
"You see Crystal, this is the sort of behaviour that will make me show no mercy either. DISMISS!"
Lord Fear waved his hand over the pool and then looked up.
"As for you Phoenix Wright, I will show you no mercy either! IPASIPUM VEDALOS!"
Lord Fear's magic hit Phoenix square on the head and immobilized him.
"As for you advisors, even if you do escape, will you carry on with your quest for the crown or will you save that poor girl's love? You won't survive anyways."
Lord Fear disappeared from the mirror.
"What should we do now? We're stuck between two decisions." said a worried looking Maya.
"My father taught me to win no matter the cost," said Franziska. "I'm not giving up our quest just to save some person. You agree with me, don't you Miles?"
"Absolutely not!" shouted Miles. "I think the life of someone is far more valuable than treasure. I say we help him!"
"Yeah! Save my daddy!" said Reconboo with determined enthusiasm.
"Miles is right. I'd choose my brother over treasure." said Kully.
"Well before we do any rescuing," Maya interrupted. "How are we supposed to help Nick? We don't have any spells or items."
Just as she said this, the young sorceress Sidriss entered the room and noticed Phoenix.
"Oh my!" she said in surprise. "It's a dungeoneer! Hmm… he's been hit with a charm. Err… I know!" She pointed her wand at Phoenix. "SOLADEV MUPISAPI!" Magic engulfed Phoenix and he began to move again.
"Wow… that actually worked!" she said.
"Whew! Thank you miss." said Phoenix relieved to be moving again.
"No problem. My name's Sidriss." she said, holding her hand out to him.
"I'm Phoenix, but you can call me Nick." he said, shaking her hand.
"Well then Nick," she replied. "It's no wonder you got immobilised like that. You've got to be careful with those spyglasses. So what did you learn from it?"
"Well I heard Lord Fear talking to someone called Crystal. I think he's kidnapped someone called Pickle."
"What? You mean Pickle the elf? How horrible! The two have only just been married. Crystal must be devastated. Well I'm no match for Lord Fear, but I could give you a spell to help you on your journey. It's called MAGE. Use it when you're in trouble and my father, Hordriss, will come to help you. And also make sure you walk through the left door if you want to reach level three. Farewell."
Sidriss waved goodbye and walked through the right door.
"She went dee other way. Will she bee alright?" said Majida.
"Knowing Sidriss, probably not." joked Kully.
"Well it looks like her magic has improved," said Treguard. "I think she'll be alright. Onwards team!"
Miles guided Phoenix out of the room.
The next room had a table in the middle of it.
"A clue table!" shouted Reconboo. "Guide him to it!"
The advisors guided Phoenix to the table.
"There's a scroll here. It says 'Elf, Pelikalos, is charged with high treason against both Powers That Be and Opposition."
"Who's Pelikalos?" asked Maya confused.
"It's Pickle!" said Kully in shock. "Pelikalos is his real name! I can't believe it!"
"I thought Lord Fear said he'd kidnapped him," said Majida. "Why ees he trying him for treason?"
"Because he's Lord Fear," said Treguard. "And he did tell Crystal that he'd show no mercy."
"Well it looks like we're going to have to clear his name as well as rescue him." said Miles.
"Well that will be easy." said Maya. "Nick's a defense lawyer, he'll clear the elf's name."
"He is?" said Treguard in surprise. "What are your occupations then?"
"I'm a spirit medium and these two are prosecutors." replied Maya. "I have the ability to call spirits into my body and these two bring criminals to justice!"
"I see…" said Treguard. "Well then, we need to hurry. Choose two items off the clue table and get a move on."
"On the table," Phoenix began to observe the items. "There's a hammer which looks like a gavel, a jester's rod and a straw hat. The jester's rod looks like the one that Motley had earlier."
"Hmm… I don't see how we can use the hat," said Miles.
"And if Pickle is being tried for treason," said Franziska "Then he'll likely have to face trial. So that means we should take the gavel. And that jester's probably looking for that rod."
"Okay then." said Phoenix as he picked up the two. "Edgeworth, can you guide me out?"
Miles lead Phoenix to the next room.
"Where am I?"
"Err… I don't know." said Miles in confusion. "It look likes some sort of floor puzzle."
"Eet's zee causeway!" said Majida. "Fall here and all is lost for you!"
"There's some bread here. I'll put it in my knapsack." said Phoenix. He did so and his life force turned green. "Also this tile I'm standing on has an axe on it."
"Didn't Lord Fear say something about the path of aggression?" asked Maya.
"I think he did," replied Franziska. "It looks like we have to step on all the weapons to get across."
"Alright, I'll guide him then," said Miles.
Treguard and the assistants witnessed what looked like the best and quickest guiding on a causeway ever. Miles guided Phoenix perfectly and they were quickly out of the room.
"Where am I?"
"You're in an empty room but there are two people arguing in the middle of it." said Maya.
"It looks like Motley and Crystal. Lets hear what they're saying before we do anything." said Miles.
The two seemed to be really mad with each other.
"It's your fault that the elf's been arrested Crystal. You should have known better than to talk back to Lord Fear like that."
"I can talk to that nitwit however I like! If you don't want to help me and Sidriss then I suggest you get lost!"
"Maybe I will help if you help me find my jester rod!"
"Who cares about your stupid old rod? Pickle's trial is about to begin!"
"Err… Nick?" said Maya. "I think you'd better stop them now."
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix shouted, which startled the other two out of their wits.
"Well if it isn't Nick!" said Motley. "You haven't seen my jester rod anywhere, have you?"
"TAKE THAT!" Nick shouted as he presented the jester rod.
"Oh thanks Nick, you're a lifesaver!" Motley said overjoyed. "You happy now Crystal?"
"I'm over the moon." said Crystal in a dull voice. "But can we get going now?"
"Alright, keep your whiskers on." said Motley. "But we're never going to make it in time. The trial is all the way in Marblehead!"
"I can call Hordriss. I have a MAGE spell. Would that help?" asked Phoenix.
"Perfect!" said Crystal.
"Spellcasting: M-A-G-E!" Maya casted the spell and Hordriss appeared out of nowhere.
"Who summons me?" bellowed Hordriss.
"We did." said Crystal.
Hordriss turned around and saw the threesome.
"Ahh! So this is where you were. We have all been waiting for you back in Marblehead. We need to go quickly!"
Hordriss cast a spell and within an instant, Phoenix, Crystal and Motley found themselves in Marblehead.
"Oh at last! You're here!" said Sidriss who was standing beside the three. They all realised they were standing behind a bench.
"Wow!" said Maya. "This looks so much like our courtroom back at home, except it's outside!"
"Don't worry Wright. If you get stuck we'll help you out." said Miles.
"And if you fail, then expect a bunch of whippings when you come back." said Franziska.
"Err… ha-ha, can't wait." said a worried Phoenix.
Treguard, Kully, Majida and Reconboo gathered with the advisors to watch the trial. To the right of the room they could see the four who were going to defend Treguard's old assistant. To the left of the room was another bench, but Lord Fear was behind it, along with his assistants and what looked like the rest of the dungeon. Everyone must have been angry upon hearing that someone had committed high treason against both sides of the dungeon. On a raised platform to the back of the room was Hordriss, who Treguard assumed was the judge in this case. There was also a smaller platform by Hordriss', but no one was standing there.
"Okay," said Hordriss. "We can begin this trial as soon as I find a gavel to use."
"Oh!" said Sidriss. "I can magic one up!"
"NO!" everyone shouted at her (apart from Phoenix, who obviously didn't know that Sidriss' nickname was Sidriss the 'Confused').
"TAKE THAT!" Phoenix shouted as he presented a gavel.
"Splendid. Pass it here." Motley took the gavel off Phoenix and gave it to Hordriss. "Now we can begin."
"Hold on, hold on." said Lord Fear. "I actually want to see the face of my opponent whilst we do this trial. PROTECTAGUS!"
Magic hit Phoenix but he seemed unharmed.
"Take that helmet off now, you don't need it anymore." said Lord Fear.
"He's right Phoenix. You're safe from the illusions of the dungeon for now." said Treguard. Phoenix took the helmet off and placed it under the bench.
"So this is what the famous Phoenix Wright looks like. A pathetic hedgehog." Lord Fear's insult caused everyone on his side to roar with laughter. The defense were unfazed though.
"Order! Order!" shouted Hordriss and banged his gavel multiple times. This caused the prosecution to shut up.
"Right then," said Hordriss when everyone had calmed down. "This court is now in session for the trial of Pelikalos the elf. Is the defense and prosecution ready?"
"Yes." Phoenix and Fear said in unison.
"Very well. Guard!" shouted Hordriss. "Bring the defendant to the stand!"
The guard from the Descender came into the court, dragging Pickle along with him whose hands were cuffed in front of him. He placed him on the small stand.
"May we call you Pickle for this case?" asked Hordriss.
"I'd prefer that, yes." said Pickle.
"Pickle, you have the right to remain silent. That is you need not testify if it's to your disadvantage. Understood?"
"Yes." replied the elf. It was obvious that he was tense.
"Lord Fear. Please give your opening statement to the court."
"My pleasure." he chuckled. "I am here to prove today that our defendant was the cause of the havoc caused in Marblehead. The charge: high treason."
"I see…" said Hordriss. "Pickle, do you deny this claim?"
"Well, I was in Marblehead last night and this morning. But I didn't see the damage until dawn broke."
"Alright," said Hordriss. "Mr. Wright. What are your thoughts?"
Phoenix banged his hands on the table. "I believe the defendant… is completely innocent!"
"Heh, how pathetic," said Lord Fear. "He's just admitted that he was in Marblehead, proving that he doesn't have an alibi."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Crystal. "I was in Marblehead with him. Me and him know what happened."
"Your Honour. I request that Pickle should testify to the court about what happened."
"Indeed. Pickle, begin." said Hordriss.
"Well," the elf began. "Me and Crystal were to stay in Marblehead for a month since we have just been married. When we arrived at Marblehead late last night, everything was in good condition. But when dawn broke, there were goblins everywhere destroying the place."
"Well if you didn't do it," said Hordriss. "Then who do you believe did it?"
"We thought it was Lord Fear," said Pickle giving a cold look to Fear. "So Crystal called him to complain."
"Is this true Fear?" Hordriss asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I remember getting a call from her. But I just said 'no' and waved her off."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Crystal. "You're lying. You admitted it and then got in a mood with me."
"And I suppose you could prove that then?" he replied with a smirk.
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted. "We can prove it. We have eight eyewitnesses who saw that conversation through a spyglass."
"Oh yes, I remember detecting someone spying on me," said Lord Fear. "Unfortunately for you, I never said anything about harming Marblehead. All I said was that I was ignoring her complaint."
"Is this true Mr. Wright?" Hordriss turned to Phoenix.
"…Yeah, it's true," sighed Phoenix. This caused everyone on the defense and in the antechamber to sigh as well.
"Well it looks like the prosecution have proven his case then." Hordriss raised his gavel. "Pickle, I hereby find you…"
"HOLD IT!"
Hordriss dropped his gavel in shock.
"Jumping Jehosephats!" he shouted (which reminded Phoenix a lot of Marvin Grossberg). "Who just said that?"
"It was me father!" said Sidriss. The defense looked at her in confusion.
"'ere Sid! What are you doing?" whispered Motley.
"It's just I found Phoenix in level 2 earlier and he'd been hit with a spell because he looked in a spyglass too long. When I rescued him, he told me that Lord Fear had kidnapped Pickle."
This caused all the prosecution to go into an uproar. Lord Fear, however, just looked at the four with a cold stare.
"Order! Order!" Hordriss banged his gavel madly. "Mr. Wright! Is this true?"
"Yes, your Honour." said Phoenix, this time breathing a sigh of relief.
"Lord Fear!" shouted Hordriss turning to Fear. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"What do I have to say?" he replied. "I'll say this: it looks like the defense has resorted to lying."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Phoenix. "But we have eight eyewitnesses who saw this."
"And where are these other seven witnesses then?" Lord Fear retorted.
"Ah! Uh…you see…" Phoenix struggled to find an answer. "They're… at Knightmare Castle at the moment."
"Meaning that we can't summon them as witnesses," said Lord Fear. "And since you're the defense in this case, you can't testify."
"The prosecution is correct," said Hordriss. "If the defense cannot present some definitive proof then we will have to declare Pickle guilty."
'Oh God,' thought Phoenix. 'I can't think of anything that can help me.'
"Wright!"
"Edgeworth?" Phoenix whispered. "What's wrong?"
"Wright, what did you do with that spyglass?" Miles asked.
"Um… I think I…" Phoenix reached into his pocket. "Here it is!"
"A blatant rule-break Phoenix," said Treguard with a small bit of anger in his voice. "But it could be to your advantage. These spyglasses can track back past conversations if you use the right magic."
"Phoenix, present the spyglass quickly."
"It seems waiting for the defense isn't going to get us anywhere." said Hordriss, raising his gavel.
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted, pointing his finger out.
"What is it now Mr. Wright?" asked Hordriss, who was starting to get irritated.
"The defense has evidence that can prove that Lord Fear kidnapped Pickle."
"You do?" said Crystal in surprise. "What is it?"
"TAKE THAT!" Phoenix presented the spyglass. Everyone in the room gasped in shock.
"WHAT?" Lord Fear shouted. "Where did you get that?"
"I accidentally slipped it in my pocket, sorry." said Phoenix.
"Lordness," said Lissard (who up until now had been very quiet). "How does thissss prove anything?"
"Grrrr… I'd rather not say," he muttered in reply.
"Then allow me to explain," said Crystal. "With the correct magic, this spyglass can show recent conversations."
"Yes, one will accept this as evidence," said Hordriss. Motley passed the spyglass to him. "Now, one will set this to the most recent conversation."
Whilst Hordriss began to chant a spell, Phoenix noticed that Lord Fear was biting down on his lip hard. It seemed like he was the one who was tense now. Pickle was now grinning upon seeing the worried Lord Fear. In a few seconds, Hordriss finished the spell and was now looking into the spyglass. After a minute, his eyes widened.
"Karas Karom! Lord Fear! The defense is correct. This conversation proves that you kidnapped this poor elf."
"Alright, it was me!" shouted Lord Fear in annoyance. Everyone went into another uproar.
"Order! Order!" shouted Hordriss, banging his gavel like a maniac. "Lord Fear, explain yourself!"
"I was the one who set the goblins on Marblehead. When I heard that the elf and the cat demon were going to Marblehead, I figured that I could try to seek revenge on the Powers That Be once more. And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddling defense attorney over there."
'Why use a Scooby-Doo reference?' thought Phoenix.
"And if I were you," he continued. "I'd put that helmet back on. Your charm will wear off soon." As he was about to teleport away he seemed to remember something. "Whilst I'm still here Phoenix Wright, if you really did look into that first spyglass, can you tell me what the sound when someone calls me is called?"
"It's a ringtone!" Phoenix shouted in annoyance.
"Thank you. Ciao!" Lord Fear clicked his fingers and he and his assistants disappeared.
"…now that that's over with," said Hordriss. "It seems I can now declare a verdict.
"Pickle, I find you NOT GUILTY!"
Everyone in the room and the antechamber cheered. Then out of nowhere, confetti appeared from the sky.
"Where did this come from?" said Phoenix.
"Umm…lets just say that Treguard has some good magic up his sleeves." said Maya with a little giggle.
"Phoenix! Put your helmet back on quickly." said Franziska.
Phoenix picked up the helmet and put it back on his head. By then all the people on the other side of the room were beginning to leave, whilst at the back, Hordriss was freeing Pickle of his cuffs.
"Pickle! Thank god!" cheered Crystal as she ran into his arms. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault this happened."
"It's not your fault," he replied. "We were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least everything's sorted now."
"Not yet," said Motley turning to Phoenix. "Nick here still has to find the crown in order to get out of here."
"Oh… I forgot about that." said Phoenix.
"Father, can we get to the quest chamber from here?" asked Sidriss.
"I think it's possible," replied Hordriss. "But once we get the crown, we'll need to leave quickly. Treguard! Can you get the staff ready?"
"Already sorted, Hordriss." said Treguard from the antechamber. Majida had the staff at hand.
So Hordriss casted a spell and in an instant, the six found themselves in the quest chamber.
"Wright, the crown is in front of you. Can you see it?" asked Miles.
"Yeah, it looks safe to pick up." said Phoenix.
He picked the crown up, but then an alarm sounded.
"Now Treguard!" shouted Hordriss.
Treguard signalled to Majida to use the staff. Majida did so and the six were instantly transported to the antechamber.
"Mama! Papa! You're okay!" shouted Reconboo as he ran to his parents will Kully following behind him. The family all hugged each other.
"Well done Nick!" cheered Maya and ran to take the helmet off him and then hugged him.
"Well," said Treguard. "Now that we're all reunited, we should present this team with their rewards. Would you do the honours Hordriss?"
"My pleasure Treguard." said Hordriss. He used his magic to summon some frightknight trophies and certificates, which he then passed out to the four.
"Before you go," said Pickle. "First I want to say thanks for helping me like that guys. Second, can you all give us an 'Objection' one last time?"
"Of course!" they all said in unison.
"…one…two…three…OBJECTION!"
And with that, the story ends. Phoenix, Maya, Miles and Franziska made it back to New York safely and decided to go out for burgers to celebrate their success. Whilst back in the past, Treguard, Pickle, Crystal, Majida, Kully, Reconboo, Motley, Hordriss and Sidriss all celebrated for a second night.
It looks like they had more cleaning up to do the next morning.
~The End.