July 29, 3:45 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix stood and talked to himself. "Let's see. I know that Bethany is innocent. She just wouldn't kill somebody, let alone one of her own students. Also, Dallas seemed like a fan of me or something like that. But as I talked to him, I felt some shakiness and unease in his voice, as if he was hiding something."

Maya placed something in Phoenix's left hand. It was smooth and felt old and slightly worn. She reminded him, "Nick, you forgot to bring your magatama with you when we went to the scene. Take it."

Phoenix groaned, "That's right... it sounded like he was lying! Maybe I could have broken his Psyche-Locks if I had it on me!"

All of a sudden, Bethany walked up next to Maya.

She asked, "Mr. Wright, are you ready for this trial?"

Phoenix replied, "Well, not exactly. But I'll do my best. I have seen trials like this in the past, but unfortunately, they didn't end well for the defense. The evidence will decide your fate, but you don't need to worry. I have proof of your innocence!"

The bailiff asked, "Mr. Wright, it's time for the trial. Would you please enter the courtroom please?"

Pearl yelled, "All right, Mr. Nick! I hope you do well in the trial. Where should I go, anyway?"

Maya answered, "Go to the gallery and cheer us on. Sit where a lot of other people sit down, OK?"

July 29, 4:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Phoenix took his spot on the side of the counsel bench closest to the judge. Maya stood behind him, attempting to spot Pearl among the hundreds of people who were watching the trial, but she simply couldn't track her down. The bailiff yelled, "All Rise!"

Everyone inside the court, spare the gallery, stood up promptly. "The District Court of California is now in session, with the Honorable Judge presiding. You may be seated. Today is July 29, 2019, and this trial is State of California vs. Bethany Andrews."

The gallery roared for a brief moment, and then the judge banged his gavel.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Bethany Andrews."

Phoenix said, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

"And the prosecution?"

Heads turned toward the man standing at the prosecution's bench. He wore a red shirt, with beige dress pants. His brown hair was radiant; most the light that shone down on his hair was reflected."

"Your Honor, I am ready. I have one question for the defense, though."

Phoenix turned and responded to the somewhat aged voice. "Yes?" The man growled, "¿Como se llama usted?"

The defense attorney replied, "Um... what do you mean?"

The prosecutor roared, "Your name!"

"P-Phoenix Wright."

The man laughed, "Phoenix Wright? Ha ha ha! What a silly and outrageous name! I've heard of you before. I am Maximiliano Helado."

Phoenix sweated, "Mr. Ay-lah-do, can you quit with the weird talk already? I can't understand you."

"¡Silencio!" he bellowed. Enough of your nonsensical English talking! Now, Your Honor, can I give my opening statement?"

The judge sighed, "Mr. Helado, you may."

He continued, "Bethany Andrews is guilty of the murder of one of her own students. She killed him in cold blood! Reggie Simmons was found dead inside an instrument case in the locker room by Casey Bullard, a junior. Ms. Andrews motive was rather simple: she was tired of dealing with the victim being better than her music-wise, so she sniped him! And we have evidence to prove her guilt!"

The gallery roared even louder than at the start of the trial. The judge banged his gavel three times.

"Order! Order in the court!"

"Does the defense have any objections to the opening statement?"

Maya sighed to the spiky-haired lawyer, "Well, no, thanks to Detective Gumshoe preventing us from getting the evidence we needed."

Phoenix went on. "Your Honor, Mr. Helado may call his first witness."

Helado smirked, "Very well, then. I would like to call Victor Kudo to the stand. He discovered the body at 7:50 A.M, 25 minutes before Mr. Casey Bullard did."

Phoenix thought, "Seriously, though... why are you so cocky?"

Maya asked, "Nick, why is he calling a totally irrelevant witness to testify?!"

Bethany, who was seated to Phoenix's left, answered, "He was recently hired by the high school as a janitor. But Mr. Helado's argument is rather fishy to me." The ace attorney remarked, "Yeah. His argument is false, but it sounds legitimate to the gallery, at least."

Kudo rose and took he stand, and he was sworn in by the bailiff. Helado asked, "Mr. Kudo, could you please state your name and occupation?"

The miserly old man grumbled, "As you may know, I am Victor Kudo. I was born in 1951, in the Land of the Rising Sun. You see, I used to do kimono embroidery, but after I left Japan, my job fell to pieces. Recently, the people at that one high school hired me as a janitor."

Phoenix muttered, "I never figured that blue-hair would clean toilets for a living."

Maya giggled, "Maybe you would better off being a janitor than a defense attorney!"

He yelled, "Maya! Contrary to Pearl, I do not have a toilet-cleaning addiction!"

Helado waved his finger around in the air, displeased. "Mr. Kudo, stop telling us lore and give us some testimony, if you would!"

Kudo reached into his blue, raggedy kimono, where he pulled out a pouch of bird suet. Throwing chunks of suet all over the witness stand, he screamed, "Fine then! I'll give you the speech you so desperately want!"

He went on to say, "I was in the computer lab of the school, cleaning off the screens. Suddenly, I heard a loud sound. It sounded like a gunshot. Immediately, I ran into the boy's partition. Inside the room, I saw a boy lying next to a bathroom stall, dead!"

The judge clarified, "Any by 'boy', you mean the victim, Reggie Simmons?"

Kudo yelled, "Exactly!"

The judge continued, "Mr. Wright, you have my permission to Cross-Examine Mr. Kudo." Phoenix replied, "Yes, Your Honor." He thought, "Kudo... what secrets are you hiding from us?"

Kudo re-iterated, "I was in the computer lab of the school, cleaning off the screens. Suddenly, I heard a loud sound. It sounded like a gunshot. Immediately, I ran into the boy's partition."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Are you sure that you entered the boy's locker room, and didn't actually end up inside the girl's one instead?"

Helado interrupted, "¡Objeción!"

"Mr. Kudo did enter the boy's locker room! It states so in the police report!"

Phoenix thought while sweating, "A perverted old man like Kudo would enter the locker room of the opposite sex, though!"

"Inside the room, I saw a boy lying next to a bathroom stall, dead!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!" and pointed his finger at Kudo, his eyes glaring straight at his face. "Mr. Kudo, you allege that you saw the victim's body next to a bathroom stall, correct?"

The elderly man certified, "Of course. I saw him right there."

Phoenix smiled, "Mr. Kudo, you are highly mistaken." Kudo sheepishly repeated, "Mis... taken?"

The defense lawyer continued on, "Yes. The autopsy report notes that the body of the victim was found in an instrument case, not near a bathroom stall. So how do you explain this discrepancy?"

Kudo smirked, "Well, um..."

Helado blared, "¡Objeción! Your Honor! The witness is merely confused! The placement of the body is irrelevant to the case at hand!" The judge shook his head side-to-side and answered, "Objection overruled. The placement of the body in this case is actually rather important."

Phoenix added, "If the body was moved since the murder, it could help determine who killed him!"

The judge swallowed and asked, "Mr. Kudo, could you please give your testimony again?"

Kudo, now breathing heavier than usual, testified, "OK. So I heard the gunshot, right? I turned my head around the area I was in, trying to locate where the gunshot came from. I then realized it came from the boy's locker room. I dashed inside. The kid was dead on the floor, and the principal arrived shortly afterwards."

The judge blinked and said, "All right. So that is what you saw. Mr. Wright, you may begin your Cross-Examination."

Phoenix smiled, "Gladly."

"OK. So I heard the gunshot, right? I turned my head around the area I was in, trying to locate where the gunshot came from. I then realized it came from the boy's locker room. I dashed inside. The kid was dead on the floor, and the principal arrived shortly afterwards."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Your Honor, Mr. Kudo is, again, mistaken."

"¡Alto ahí!"

"Mr. Wright, care to explain your logic? What, pray tell, is wrong with my witness?"

The defense attorney explained, "Mr. Kudo claimed to have 'contacted the principal' after his discovery of the body. But who is this principal we speak of?"

Kudo elaborated, "The leader of the school. His name is Gregory Watson. He is a rather tight-fisted fellow. Very strict and pressing."

The judge suggested, "Maybe he should be called to testify."

Helado sighed, "I'll think about it. In fact, let's call him up, and he'll be here in a few minutes."

The judge raised his gavel and announced, "There will now be a five minute recess to allow Mr. Watson to arrive. Court is now in recess!" He banged his gavel.