So far, I think this story has had a bit too much Ace Attorney and not enough No More Heroes, so here's a fight scene for you.

Next chapter begins the trial finally.


Chapter 7: Clash of Assassins

April 13, 4:02 PM

Santa Destroy- Destroy Stadium

"This is a baseball stadium?"

The place we were in now sure looked like a baseball stadium from the outside. The inside...not so much. The ground was covered in hard stone and the seats that surrounded the area above made it look more like a coliseum than anything else. "Sort of," Henry answered. "It looked much more like one before, but the UAA came in and modified it for assassin battles."

(Figures.)

Maya looked around the room, seeming utterly confused herself. "Hey Nick, wasn't there was supposed to be a fight here the night of the murder?"

"Yeah, between Travis and the thugs who attacked him. What about it?"

"Well, it's just...there's nothing here."

I had been so distracted by how odd this place looked that I didn't notice this until now. Indeed, the stadium was completely empty. I would've expected dead bodies to be lying all over the place, but there were no signs whatsoever that this battle had ever happened. I knew that Travis wasn't lying about it, so what...?

"I can't say I'm surprised," said Henry, examining the area for himself.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Remember how I told you that bodies tend to just disappear in this city? A lot of times, it's the UAA's doing. Whenever there's a ranking match, they always send a team in to clean up all the evidence. Even if they do hold sway over the courts, they still don't want to deal with the police if they don't have to."

"But this wasn't a ranking match. It was just a challenge from some letter."

He knelt down to the ground and lifted up a handful of dust. "Regardless. If the UAA gets any hint that a fight involving one of their assassins is taking place, they treat it like any other match. If I had to guess, the killer notified them anonymously and they unwittingly erased any evidence that could have been found here. Same with the incident in the parking lot." He turned his hand over and dumped the dust onto the ground. "They're a clever one, that's for sure."

I frowned. "In other words, we've reached a dead end?"

"A very apt metaphor indeed, Mr. Attorney."

My heart froze. That wasn't Henry's voice, and it certainly wasn't Maya's.

As I whirled around, I saw a man standing at the gate we had come in through. He had a mix of black and white hair and wore a monocle in his left eye, but his most striking feature was a series of stitches that extended from his forehead to his chin. He wore a dark black suit, similar to the hitmen we encountered before, but I knew this was no hitman. No, he was much worse.

"S-Shelly De Killer!" I gasped, stepping back. Maya immediately hid behind me again while Henry got in front, staring him down.

De Killer didn't look the least bit intimidated by the Irishman, though that was hard to tell since he always had both eyes shut and a calm smile, his expression never changing. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

Henry ignored the implied question and looked back at me. "You've met De Killer before?"

"Unfortunately. What do you know about him?"

"Only that he's a legendary assassin who comes from a long line of killers and that he has a fondness for leaving calling cards. Looks like the culprit behind all this isn't screwing around anymore if they've sicked a professional on you." He seemed more excited than nervous about that prospect. It must have been the "warrior blood" in him or something.

De Killer nodded. "That is correct. My client has hired me to ensure that your investigation into Ms. Heifer's murder is halted. However, I hold a certain degree of respect for you, Mr. Attorney. If you agree to drop the case and leave this city at once, I see no reason to take your life."

So that was it. De Killer was leaving me with an ultimatum. I could either leave now and forget all of this ever happened or I could stay and most likely end up with a knife in my chest. It might have seemed like a difficult decision, but I made it quickly. After all, I had essentially made the same decision already back in Travis's motel.

(This might be the dumbest thing I've ever done, but...)

"No way!" I said. "I have a duty to defend my clients to the end. I'm not going anywhere!" Henry looked back at me again, either impressed by my bravery or wondering if I had lost my mind. I couldn't tell which.

As for De Killer, he still didn't show any kind of reaction, but the long pause told me that I had surprised him as well. "I see. That is a very noble answer, Mr. Attorney. Unfortunately, it is the wrong one." A knife suddenly slid out of his sleeve into his hand. "Nevertheless, I shall reward your courage with a quick and merciful death."

As soon as he finished talking, De Killer rushed right for me with the kind of speed that should be impossible for a man his age. But Henry was just as quick, igniting his beam katana and blocking De Killer's knife as he tried to stab me with it. For a moment, the two assassins just stood there, deadlocked. Amazingly, De Killer's small knife was successfully holding back a sword of pure energy. Henry smirked. "Forgive me, I never did introduce myself. My name is Henry Cooldown."

De Killer cocked his head to the side in recognition. "Ah, I've heard of you. You're an assassin that still has some class, unlike the rest of the UAA's lapdogs."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that the so-called 'assassins' who reside in this city are little more than arrogant children with flashy gimmicks, sacrificing their dignity for petty fame and glory." His voice turned dark. "Allow me to show you what a real assassin can do."

De Killer broke the deadlock and leapt several feet back. Henry gave chase with an impossibly fast dash and soon the two killers were caught up in battle, parrying each others' blades so quickly that Maya and I could barely keep up with their movements. Not that she seemed to mind. "Woah! This is just like that fight between the Steel Samurai and the Nickel Samurai in the 10th Anniversary Crossover Special! You see Nick? Battles this awesome really do happen in real life!"

(Has she forgotten that our lives are in danger here?)

I didn't want to doubt Henry's abilities, but I knew from experience how deadly Shelly De Killer could be. Even now, he was having no trouble at all keeping Henry and his beam katana at bay with just a four-inch knife. Eventually, he got through, dodging a swing from Henry and stabbing him in the shoulder. It was thankfully not the one he used to wield his katana or this battle would have been over right there.

Henry grunted in pain and back-flipped away as De Killer tried to stab him again, gaining some distance. He then held his katana in front of him and generated orbs of energy like I saw him so before. This time however, the orbs missed their intended target as De Killer swiftly sidestepped them. They instead struck the ground behind him and created a large cloud of dust. "Hmph. This is exactly what I mean. These cheap parlor tricks are no match for me."

"We'll see about that." Henry dashed straight at De Killer again, but as the monocled assassin readied his knife, he abruptly changed direction and headed into the dust cloud. De Killer decided against chasing him in and just watched it calmly, waiting for his opponent to make a move.

Finally, just as the cloud was about to clear, three more energy orbs shot out of it. De Killer once again avoided them with ease, but he wasn't expecting Henry to dash out right after them and was slashed in the side as the Irishman sped past. "That's 1-1. Your move." De Killer gave a small grunt and chased after him. Henry leapt up onto the edge of the stands followed by De Killer and they resumed their struggle, now having to maintain their balance on the thin stone railing. Neither of their injuries were slowing them down at all and it seemed that this could go on for quite some time.

But that was not the case. In the midst of their battle, another sound emerged over that of clashing blades: the sound of police sirens. Henry was just a bit more distracted than De Killer and was swiftly kicked off the railing before he could regain focus.

De Killer there stood there above us, now looking at me again. "Luck is on your side today, Mr. Attorney. I look forward to seeing how you will perform tomorrow. As for you..." He looked back to Henry, who was just pulling himself off the ground. "...this battle is not over yet. We will finish it another time." With that, he turned around and sprinted up the stairs, throwing himself over the top of the stadium and disappearing from sight.

"Damn! He got away." Henry deactivated his katana and hooked it back on his belt just as the police rushed into the area. They looked ready for action as they came in, then stopped in confusion as they saw nothing but us there.

"Uh...is there a problem, officers?" I asked awkwardly. I was grateful to them for saving us, but I did have to wonder what exactly they were doing here in the first place.

Detective Gumshoe stepped to the front of the group. "We got an anonymous call about a big fight going on over here. Looks like it was a bum tip though."

(If only you knew, Detective.)

Maya spoke up. "But Detective, there was-" I quickly put a hand over her mouth to silence her.

Gumshoe cleared his throat and turned back to his men. "Alright boys, let's head back to the precinct. It's gonna be a long drive." A few of the officers groaned, obviously not looking forward to that trip. It occurred to me that we would also have to head back to LA pretty soon. It was already starting to get dark and I needed to prepare for tomorrow's trial.

As soon as the police were gone, Maya forced my hand off of her mouth. "Why didn't you tell them about De Killer, Nick? If he's involved, than there's no way Travis could be the murderer."

"There was no calling card left at the scene, so we really have no proof that De Killer is involved. That's probably why he fled so quickly when he heard the police coming. Until we can prove his connection, bringing him up would only get in the way of finding the truth. "

"But...Nick..." she trailed off, but I knew what she was going to say next: that my life was being threatened. She must have realized that the police would be able to do very little to protect me from De Killer and so she didn't bring it up.

Besides, I already had protection, the Irish assassin who was currently wrapping up his wounded shoulder with bandages. I already knew that he would insist on coming back to LA with us, which I was certainly thankful for.

Henry had done his part. Now it was up to me to continue this battle in court.


Court Record:

Attorney's Badge

My trusty badge that proves I am a defense attorney. Always fun to present to random people.

Magatama

A gift from Maya and my key to the hearts of those who try to hide secrets from me.

Crime Scene Photo

Shows the victim lying face down between two shelves, covered in video tapes and a burn mark on her back.

Diane's Autopsy Report

Death caused by impalement from a beam katana. Time of death estimated between 9-10 PM.

Bloody VHS Case

Found lying in a pool of blood in front of the victim. The edges and part of the front cover are stained with blood. The video itself is missing and presumed stolen.

Desk Calendar

A Beef Head-styled calendar that belonged to the victim. It shows Diane's work schedule for the night of the murder as 6:00-9:30 PM.

Rose Nasty

A beam katana that belongs to Travis. It has two blades, one of which was the murder weapon. The other was found in Travis's motel.

Motel Room Key

The key to Travis's room at Motel No More Heroes.

Stolen VHS Tape

Taken from Beef Head Videos on the night of the murder and found in Travis's motel. The label reads "Bizarre Jelly 5: Extra Bukkake Special".

Answering Machine Message

A message left by the victim at 8:55 on the night of the murder. In it, she yells at Travis about yet another late movie rental and revokes his membership.

Teddy Bear

Found in Travis's motel. Apparently, it was a gift from Sylvia.

Schpeltiger

Travis's surreal motorcycle. Skid marks show that it was used recently.

Letter of Challenge

A typed letter challenging Travis to a fight at Destroy Stadium. It's very muddy.

Blood Berry

A blue beam katana that Travis took with him to Destroy Stadium on the night of the murder.

Profiles:

Phoenix Wright

Age: 27

I've been a defense attorney for over three years now and it doesn't look like the job is going to get any easier.

Maya Fey

Age: 20

My assistant and trusted friend since the beginning of my career. Has a fondness for burgers and stealing things.

Travis Touchdown

Age: 31

My client, who also happens to be an assassin. He's not the most likable guy, but I know that he's at least innocent of this crime.

Sylvia Christel

Age: 27

A strange woman with a strange accent. She called me to take the case on Travis's behalf. She's apparently his girlfriend though she doesn't seem to agree with that assessment. She's also an agent for the United Assassins Association.

Dick Gumshoe

Age: 33

The detective on this case, as per usual. He's apparently the lesser of two evils when compared to the Santa Destroy police.

Diane Heifer

Age: 23

The victim in this case. An employee at Beef Head Videos who was killed during her night shift.

Jeane

Age: 5

Travis's friendly pet cat. Maya forced me to add him here.

Henry Cooldown

Age: 31

Travis's twin brother, believe it or not. He is now acting as my new partner and bodyguard for this case.

Bishop Shidux

Age: 30

Travis's former best friend, who was killed exactly one year before the night of the murder.

Shelly De Killer

Age: Unknown

A professional assassin who I've crossed paths with once before. His client has hired him to stop my investigation by any means necessary.