AN: This is a new fic that I have had in my mind ever since I finished the Ace Attorney series. (Can't believe it's been a whole year!) It's an Apollo Justice AU... and that's all I'm going to tell you. I would have posted this a lot sooner, but I decided to play Dual Destinies before I wrote anything. Obviously since I'm posting this I finished the game.This story will contain major AA4 spoils, and minor AA5 spoils in the beginning. Towards the end there will be more major AA5 spoilers. You have been warned.
Life isn't some video game; there are no restarts if you mess up. There are no unlimited lives, no choices that automatically loop back to the 'right' one.
In life there aren't always happy endings. Sometimes the 'good guy' is defeated by the 'bad'. The evil in others corrupts the good of heart. How do people know who is noble and who isn't? How could anyone suspect their own friend of being one of the dishonest? How could someone take the word of a stranger over that of a companion?
"Does the court, in your opinion, need to hear Mr. Wright's testimony?" The Judge asked Apollo. The red defense attorney looked over at his mentor. Mr. Gavin was saying that Mr. Wright's testimony was unrelated, and Apollo was starting to see it that way too. All testimonies must relate to the case, and how could anything that happened before the game relate to the case?
"I suppose there really is no need, Your Honor." Apollo said as he placed his index finger on his forehead in thought.
"Objection!" Phoenix shouted. "This definitely relates to…"
"Give it up Wright." A faint smile appeared on Kristoph's face. "The head of your defense team has deemed it unnecessary. I believe we should consider my own theory about Ms. Orly."
"Objection! She was out cold at the time of the murder."
"She could've woken up. People don't always stay unconscious for a long period of time. Perhaps she came around only a minute after she was hit." Apollo suggested. "Then she did the deed. As Mr. Gavin has said, she has plenty of motive."
Phoenix slammed his hands on the witness stand. He didn't seem as calm as he had before. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He had picked Apollo as his defense attorney so that Kristoph's crime could come to light. "No, when I went down she was still lying there. I even checked to see if she was awake. She wasn't."
"Are you confessing your own guilt?" Payne asked as he flipped his hair. He was no longer sweating like he had been minutes prior.
"No, I-"
"Then Olga Orly is guilty." Kristoph supplied.
"No, she's innocent."
The Judge looked at the disbarred attorney. "Mr. Wright, answer this question honestly. Was Ms. Orly truly unconscious when you went to the basement?"
Phoenix had a choice to make. Lie and save himself, or tell the truth and quite possibly pay the consequences for a crime he did not commit. "…Yes, but I di-"
"Then you hit Shadi Smith. You say that Kristoph Gavin is this 'fourth person', yet he has no motive." The prosecutor flipped his hair again.
"If that is the case then I find no need to prolong the trial any further." The judge raised his gavel.
"Objection!" Apollo shouted as he pointed his finger.
Kristoph looked over at his protégé. "Justice, just save your energy. We can't do anything if our client is truly guilty." The young man slowly dropped his arm so that it joined the other one at his side and looked at him dumbfounded.
"Didn't you say that we couldn't let this case fall through?"
"Well, Wright is throwing out baseless accusations, saying absurd things like that I am the murderer." Kristoph slowly shook his head. "He obviously has something to hide if he's this desperate for an acquittal."
"I will now hand down my verdict." The judge looked around to see if anyone was going to make another statement. "I declare the defendant, Phoenix Wright, guilty. Court is adjourned."
Payne looked very pleased of himself as he turned to Wright. "I believe I did say you would be leaving in chains." Everyone quietly filed out of the courtroom, not believing the outcome of the trial.
Apollo walked into the lobby dejectedly and took a seat on the leather couch. His boss was already getting ready to leave the courthouse. Apparently he had places to be, he did run his own law firm after all.
"Mr. Gavin?"
"Yes, Justice? What is it?"
"Are you… disappointed in me?" Apollo looked up at the older man.
"Why are you asking such a foolish question?"
"I- Your friend's in jail because I couldn't defend him and-" He was cut off when Kristoph held up his hand to signal him to stop talking.
"There seemed to have only been two options at that point in time, him or me." Gavin shook his head from side to side. "You are not saying that I killed Shadi Smith, are you?"
"N-no sir! Of course not!"
"I'm sorry to say this, but it seems that Wright was truly guilty. I, for one, would not want my conscious to be plagued with the knowledge that I let a murderer go free. I fight for truth and justice, just like you should." He gave a reassuring smile to Apollo that made the young man feel a tad better. "Now if you would excuse me I have matters to attend to so I won't be back at the office. See you tomorrow, bright and early."
Kristoph then walked down the steps and got into his car and Apollo was left by himself. Well, technically not by himself, there was still a bailiff, but it looked as if he really wanted the attorney to leave so that he could take a rest. Eventually Apollo did exit. He got on his red bike and pedaled to the Gavin Law Offices just trying to think of a way to explain the case to his co-workers.
This story picks up after you are technically aware Kristoph didn't know the cards were red, but it is said that he never even met Shadi. Phoenix's testimony would've made said connection. I hope I didn't make any characters OOC... Payne a little bit, but hey, let him get cocky, who knows when he'll win next?
