Author's Note: Hey, you fanfiction readers! The story is set after SOJ. Case 1 — this one — takes place after the main story does.
Just to let you know, Phoenix/Maya is a pairing here, but the story does not completely focus on it.
Major credits to Inkblot0Blue for beta-reading, brainstorming, and giving suggestions.
As with any story, reviews and constructive criticisms would be very much appreciated. Thank you very much for giving me your time. I sincerely hope you enjoy Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney: Shards of the Truth!
Also, just to be on the safe side:
Before we begin, I would like to state that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, its sequels, spinoffs, movies, TV shows, musicals, and merchandise are all owned by Capcom. I do not own a single thing except for the story in this fanfiction!
Onwards with the story! :)
Turnabout Mail - Trial - Day 1- Part 1
"Drop everything you have."
"P-Please don't kill me!"
"I don't want to have to kill you."
"Wh-Who are you?!"
"Just give me the money, dammit!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
March 22, 2030 9:48 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2
Ah, another client, another case. There's never a day off from defending people!
Phoenix walked into the defendant's lobby to meet with his client prior to the trial. A dark-haired young man was sitting, more like anxiously fidgeting, on the red sofa. A blue mask covered the lower part of his face. The minute Phoenix walked in, his client's eyes locked onto the attorney. He jumped off of the sofa quickly, standing at attention. Phoenix was successfully able to control his snickering.
"M-Mr Wright!" he exclaimed, tears welling up in his blue eyes before he sneezed and lost his posture.
My name is Phoenix Wright, I'm an attorney at law. I work to defend people from false charges. This is my client, Lotso Sinkan. He's...well... sick.
He sneezed again as soon as he finished, muffled slightly by his mask.
"Hi, Mr Sinkan," Phoenix greeted. "It looks that we've got a murder charge to defend you from, don't we?"
"Yeah, I — achoo! — wanted to thank — achoo! — for taking my case— achoo!" said Sinkan, sniffling.
"Don't you worry, Mr Sinkan. I'll take the case from here." A confident smile appeared on his face. "This is my job, after all."
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Jeez. Will he be fine in court?
"Thank — achoo! — you for agreeing to — achoo! — defend me, Mr Wright! Thank you so much!" exclaimed Sinkan, pulling Phoenix in for a hug.
Phoenix was slightly surprised at the embrace but patted the man on the back, awkward though it was. Something about this man rung a few bells with him and he felt sorry for him, being sick on such an important day. It reminded him of...
Him in that—objectively—awful pink sweater, a 'P' knitted on the front, standing in a defendant's lobby quite like this one all those years ago.
Phoenix shuddered mentally at the memory.
"Achoo!" Sinkan sneezed, wiping his nose, "Anyways, Mr Wright, my fate is—achoo!—in your hands. I believe in you!"
This is really cheesy...but this is why I became an attorney. To protect the people that can't protect themselves.
Phoenix smiled."I believe in you, too, Mr Sinkan."
The bailiff by the doors cleared his throat. "The trial is to begin shortly. Will the defendant and his lawyer please make their way to the courtroom?"
"Well —achoo!—it's time, right?" said Sinkan, unable to hide the nervousness in his words.
March 22, 2030 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
The banging of the judge's gavel rang out in the courtroom, bringing an abrupt end to the gallery's various conversations.
"Court is now in session for — Oh, it seems that the prosecutor for today's trial hasn't shown up." the Judge said, frowning. "Well then, if the prosecution hasn't shown up, then I have no choice but to—"
Hold It!
"I'm here! Sorry about that, Your Honor," a young woman cried out breathlessly, black hair coming down in thick curls to her shoulders as she took up the prosecutor's bench. She wore a black shirt with a white vest and a red tie, with black dress pants. The outfit was rounded off with a gray blazer.
Something about her looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.
"What exactly took you so long, Ms. Payne?" said the Judge, a frown etched deep into his face.
Payne?!
A nervous giggle escaped her, and Phoenix caught the glint of a prosecutor's badge on her lapel.
Since when did they start carrying their badges? I'll have to ask Edgeworth about that...
"W-Well, I seemed to have tripped and fallen on something, but now that I'm here, we can declare the defendant guil—"
OBJECTION!
"But I haven't even been allowed to argue yet!" exclaimed an exasperated Phoenix.
The woman fixed him with an intense glare.
"Ah, you must be Mr Phoenix Wright."
"Yeah, that's right…" Do we know each other?
"My name is Falen Payne and I will defeat you to restore his honor!"
Phoenix balked at her statement. "Whose?"
"My father's, of course."
"Y-Your father?" he stammered out.
Since when did either of the Paynes have kids?! And with whom?
"Yes, the great Winston Payne, who was your courtroom rival up until he retired last year." she answered, setting her jaw. "You dishonored our family name. We were known as the rookie killers until you came along."
Technically it was until Mia came along, but whatever.
Phoenix smirked. "Alright, then. Let's have ourselves a rematch."
The judge banged his gavel, drawing their attention back to him.
"If the two of you are ready!" said the Judge as he cleared his throat. He turned to face Payne. "And... Prosecutor Payne, do not make a habit of this lateness. Now then, let's get on with this. Court is now in session for the trial of Lotso Sinkan," said the Judge, banging his gavel onto its sound block.
"The prosecution, as always, is ready, Your Honor," said Payne, rolling her brown eyes.
"The defense is also ready, Your Honor," said Phoenix calmly.
"Your opening statement, please, Prosecutor Payne."
Payne pulled out a sheet of paper from her briefcase.
"The defendant, Lotso Sinkan, is charged with the murder of Norman deLiver, a mailman. At approximately 9:15 AM on March 21, as the mailman was making his rounds, Lotso got out of his house and shot the victim to death. This is proven by the fact that his fingerprints are on the murder weapon. We also have an eye witness who saw the defendant commit the crime."
"I see, Ms. Payne," said the Judge, nodding his head. "The prosecution may call their first witness."
"The prosecution hereby calls Livin Poore to the witness stand," said Payne, tapping her forehead.
The doors swung open to reveal a pale man with sunken eyes, in a ratty blue t-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants. He sauntered up to the witness stand, yawning. He had an unzipped jacket over his t-shirt, and stood in a very relaxed, casual manner. His green eyes were half-lidded, as though he had just woken up.
"Witness, can you please state your name and occupation for the record?"
"My name is Livin Poore and my occupation is currently replacement piano player at the Borscht Bowl Club," said Poore, wincing very slightly near the end, "I... don't make much money, but I'll take what I can get."
Sorry about that. I remember living on that thing they called borscht back there. Phoenix winced slightly remembering the microwave-reheated, nearly expired taste of the supposed food served at the Club.
I wouldn't wish that upon any soul; not even Dahlia Hawthorne should have to be forced to eat that stuff for seven years.
"Witness, you say that you witnessed the murder, correct?" asked the young prosecutor.
"Yes, Ms. Lawyer," said Poore succinctly.
"Then, testify to this court about how the murder took place," said Payne, before leering at Phoenix, "Prove to Mr Wright that his client is as good as guilty."
Let's wipe that smug look off of her face.
"Yes, witness, please begin your testimony," said the Judge.
Witness Testimony
-What I saw happen-
1) I saw the murder happen with my own eyes.
2) It was Lot who did it, no doubt about it. He may be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I'd lie for him.
3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.
4) Then the mailman made a sudden move and Lot shot him three times.
5) After Lot went away, I went to see if the guy was still alive, and then I went to call emergency services.
Well, that was pretty cut-and-dry. This case is pretty normal compared to some of the other ones I've taken…
"Mr Wright, will you proceed with the cross-examination?" asked the Judge.
"Yes, Your Honor!"
Cross-Examination
-What I saw happen-
1) I saw the murder happen with my own eyes.
Hold It!
"Are you sure you saw it happen?" asked Phoenix, looking at Poore.
"Why else would I be a witness? I said I did in my testimony, didn't I?" said Poore, rolling his eyes.
"Where were you when it happened?"
"My house, which is directly opposite to Lot's house. I was sitting on the chair on my front porch and saw it happen..." he said. Then a shifty smile appeared on his pale lips. "Oh, and by the way, you wouldn't happen to know about any interesting jobs in this area, right?"
Huh? Phoenix slumped forward, sweating, "N-no! Why do you ask?"
"You'll need one once you lose this case," said Poore, not even looking Phoenix in the eye.
It's always the stuck-up ones.
2) It was Lot who did it, no doubt about it. He may be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I'd lie for him.
Hold It!
"How do you have no doubt about the identity of the murderer?" asked Phoenix.
"Because I saw him do it. He was there at the time of the murder and I saw him killing him," said Poore.
"He's your best friend, right?"
"Yep, I formally introduced myself to him about a year ago, when I moved into the neighborhood. We became the best of buds since then. I really wish he didn't have to go out and do this," said Poore, faking sadness in his voice.
"How did you guys meet?" asked Phoenix, scratching his chin.
Poore simply looked to the side casually. "Well, I decided to be a good neighbor and walk over to his house to introduce myself. It would have felt bad. After all, a community sticks together, right? How can you stick together when you don't even know your neighbor? We had some stuff in common and the rest, as they say, is history."
"Thank you, witness," said Phoenix, nodding.
3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.
Hold It!
"And why would he do that? Why would he pull out a gun on the mailman?"
Poore shook his head, a wry smile playing up on his lips. "Didn't Lot tell you? He hated that mailman. The mailman accidentally ran over his dog when it went near his truck. The dog wasn't killed, luckily, but he went and shot him."
"The witness' statement has merit. As you can see from this veterinarian's report, the defendant's dog seemed have needed some corrective surgery after the truck hit it," Payne confirmed, producing a report. "Bailiff, please provide the defense with a copy of this report."
Really? Pulling the rug out from under me? I guess I should have seen it coming. Phoenix leaned forward; beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
The bailiff handed him the copy of the veterinarian's report; it mostly contained x-rays of the dog's body, showing multiple broken bones and fractures.
Oh wow, that is pretty brutal…
Payne crossed her arms triumphantly over her chest. "That establishes the motive, don't you think so, Mr Wright? The defendant wanted revenge for his pet being run over."
"Is that it?"
"No, Mr Wright. The defendant brought that case into a civil trial and lost. He was made to pay one thousand dollars to the mailman in reparation for his court expenses. Afterward, he had to pay for his pet's surgery himself."
"That makes sense, Prosecutor Payne. Does Mr Wright have a rebuttal?"
4) Then the mailman made a sudden move and Lot shot him three times.
Hold It!
"Are you sure it was three shots?" asked Phoenix.
OBJECTION!
"And you call yourself a veteran attorney…" Payne sighed, shaking her head, "Mr Wright, you are aware that the autopsy report clearly states that there were three shots, yes?"
"Y-Yes… I am aware of that."
Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. But hey, at least there's no autopsy update...
5) After Lot left, I went to see if the guy was still alive, and then I went to call emergency services.
Hold It!
"Wait, so you went near the body, right? Was he still alive when you went near him?" asked Phoenix.
"No... I think he was dead. I couldn't hear any breathing, anyway. I wanted to stop Lot, but I was scared that he would shoot me!"
"You looked around the scene and saw everything, right?"
"Yup, I saw everything at the scene, alright. I just can't believe Lot would resort to revenge. I didn't think he was that type of guy."
"Fine, could please repeat your testimony, Mr Poore?"
"Sure thing, Mr Lawyer."
Phoenix listened as Poore repeated his testimony, checking the court record.
3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.
Hold It!
"You said that he dropped some letters, right?" asked Phoenix, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yup, he did, Mr Lawyer," said Poore, giving Phoenix a nod.
"And earlier in your testimony, you said that you went near the victim and saw the crime scene?" said Phoenix.
"Yes, he did. How does that relate to this?" asked Payne.
"If you went near the victim, then you would surely have seen the letters which fell to the ground, and who they were addressed to."
"Yep, I did. They were addressed to Lot."
"Can you add that to your testimony please?"
4) Those letters I saw were addressed to Lot.
Phoenix looked through the court records and found the letters. He peered closely at them, frowning, before a confident smirk appeared on his face.
OBJECTION!
"That's incorrect, Mr Poore."
"H-Huh?" asked Poore, slightly shaken.
"The letters weren't addressed to Mr Sinkan. They were addressed to you."
"What exactly does that prove, Mr Wright?" asked Payne, fiddling with her tie.
"It proves, Ms. Payne, that the last person the victim went to deliver mail to was the witness, and not my client." Phoenix delivered, pointing at Poore.
The courtroom erupted into conversation, before the judge's gavel drowned out the discussions.
"Order! Order!" he bellowed out. As the hushed whispers died out, he said, "Prosecutor Payne, do you have a counterargument?"
Upon hearing her name, Payne stopped playing with her tie and stumbled slightly, unable to speak before rebutting, "W-What does that change? The defendant could simply have gone over and killed him while he was delivering the mail."
"Remember what the witness said? He was sitting on his front porch. If my client was the murderer, then it would stand to reason that they would have seen him there. If my client had gone to kill the victim, then why would he have left a witness standing?"
"Huh? Erm—I…" Payne sputtered, unable to think clearly.
"Not only that, but my client was sick during that day. He was attempting to recover from the injury."
"How does that change anything? What exactly does him being sick mean? Other than the first contradiction, everything else you have stated has been mere conjecture."
"Huh?"
"The only person with the motive to kill the victim was the defendant and his fingerprints being upon the murder weapon is proof that the defendant murdered the victim."
OBJECTION!
Phoenix smirked, "As the saying goes: the proof is in the pudding."
"Wh-What do you mean, Mr Wright?" sputtered Payne, knees shaking slightly.
"The gun contains a fatal contradiction; the fingerprints that were left behind on the gun are smudged, as though someone attempted to erase them but couldn't. Now, why would my client deliberately leave his own fingerprints on the murder weapon? "
"Isn't it obvious? He began wiping them off with gloves, but was distracted, thus leaving smudge marks," said Payne half-heartedly.
Phoenix shook his head and smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Where's the proof? Did the prosecution find gloves with prints such as those on the gun in Mr Sinkan's house?"
"The defense raises a key point; did you find gloves in the defendant's house, Ms. Payne?" asked the Judge.
"Er—um—no, we did not, Your Honor..." said Payne.
The Judge looked slightly confused by this turn of events. He looked at Phoenix with an amount of curiosity. "Well then, Mr Wright, if the defendant didn't commit the murder, then who did?"
"Well, Your Honor, Mr Poore was the last person to see the victim, as we've established through the letters that were addressed to him and through the circumstantial nature of the prints left on the gun. So, the only person who could have committed the crime was—"
Hold It!
Court Record:
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: Proof of my profession. No one would believe I was an attorney without it.
Gun: The gun that claimed the victim's life. Belonged to the defendant. Has the defendant's fingerprints on it. Some of the prints are smudges, as though someone used gloves.
Letters: Letters dropped by the victim prior to his death. They seem to be addressed to Livin Poore.
Financial Statement: Looking into one of the letters I found during my investigation, I came across a financial statement belonging to one Livin Poore. He's practically bankrupt. Sad thing is, I can relate...
Autopsy Report: 3/21, 9AM-10AM, Cause of Death: 3 shots to the chest.
Veterinarian's Report: Evidence presented by the prosecution which shows that the defendant had a motive to see the victim dead. It seems that the dog had multiple bone fractures; quite brutal.
Profiles:
Phoenix Wright (age 37): That's me! I'm a defense attorney who fights for the people who can't defend themselves.
Falen Payne (age 24): Daughter of Winston Payne, my longstanding... 'rival'. She has quite a grudge against me for defeating her father numerous times.
Lotso Sinkan (age 21): My client currently accused of the murder of a mailman. He seems to be very emotional over things.
Livin Poore (age 25): A "friend" of my client who is currently bankrupt. He is currently testifying against Mr Sinkan.