Hey, guys! Here's your promised chapter to make up for my screw-up last time! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Mr. Edgeworth! Will you call this witness to the stand, please?" the judge demanded.

"My, my, getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we, Your Honor?" Edgeworth smirked. Phoenix hated that smirk. "I believe it is customary to first call the one in charge of the investigation?"

"Y-yes, of course," the judge stammered. "Proceed."

Edgeworth slammed a hand on his desk.

"The prosecution summons Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand!"

A very nervous Detective Gumshoe was brought in.

"Witness. Name and profession."

'I would hope that everyone would know by now...' Phoenix thought.

"My name is Dick Gumshoe, sir," muttered Gumshoe, shifting uneasily. "I'm a detective at the local precinct."

"Detective Gumshoe," Edgeworth inquired, "can you tell us about your investigation?"

"Y-yes, sir..." he replied, shoulders slumped. "If you could all take a look at these plans." He held out a vague blueprint of the crime scene. "We found Mr. Wright over here, in the back of the alley. The victim was found here, in the middle. There was a pool of blood around her, but none anywhere else. She was holding a large wrench in her hand, which her friends have stated that she used for self-defense." By the time we arrived at the scene, she was already dead. We found the defendant in the same alley, who had been knocked unconscious by the wrench. He was holding the murder weapon in his hand."

The judge nodded.

"That makes sense. Mr. Wright, you may begin your cross-examination."

Phoenix mulled over Gumshoe's testimony.

"Detective, what was the distance between myself and the victim?"

"About fifteen feet, pal."

"Exactly." Phoenix grinned in triumph. "And just how big is this knife?"

"Gee, I dunno. Mr. Edgeworth?"

"About ten inches…"

"I think the court understands my point," declared Phoenix. "How could I have possibly killed the victim from fifteen feet away if the weapon was only ten inches long? Not to mention, a wrench is about the same size. She could not possibly have hit me from there!"

"Objection!" protested Edgeworth. "It is apparent that after you stabbed her, she hit you with the wrench and stumbled away before collapsing!"

"OBJECTION!" retorted Phoenix. Edgeworth sighed briefly at Wright's need to yell everything. "You are contradicting the witness's testimony, Edgeworth! After she was stabbed, the victim would have bled profusely. However, the only blood discovered was pooled around her! There was no trail of blood that would suggest movement!"

The crowd muttered. The gavel banged against the podium.

"Mr. Edgeworth, do you have any objections to the defense's statement?" asked the judge.

Edgeworth shook his head and smirked.

"I would prefer to let my witness do the talking for me." He took a deep breath. "The prosecution -"

"Hold it," Phoenix said weakly. His stomach felt rather odd. "The defense requests a recess."

The judge nodded. "Granted." He slammed his gavel. "This court will now adjourn for a thirty-minute recess. In that time, Mr. Edgeworth, you will prepare your witness."

Edgeworth bowed. Phoenix gritted his teeth. He hated that cocky bow, too.

March 26

9:40 A.M.

Defense Lobby

Fifteen minutes left.

Phoenix drummed his fingers on his knees - one of the few things he could do in the damned handcuffs.

His stomach had settled down a bit. What had that been about, anyways? Nervousness? Or was it seeing Edgeworth so cool and collected, acting as if he didn't remember those carefree days that they had spent on the field, whether they were kicking a ball around (Larry's idea), gazing at the clouds (Phoenix's idea), or reading (Miles' idea). That field held a lot of memories.

He reminisced about the time that Larry was certain that the small white butterflies that fluttered around them were actually secret cameras, designed to observe them and then drink their blood. He remembered the day when Miles was actually willing to play a game with them, but all they did was run around and throw rocks at each other. Nonetheless, when recess was over, Miles was laughing, ignoring the large grass stain on his carefully kept shorts, and the scrape on his forehead. Phoenix vaguely remembered Gregory Edgeworth's smile when he saw his son and Phoenix playfully pushing each other, Phoenix's already spiky hair in an indescribable state, and Miles' knees covered with dirt.

"Now, didn't I tell you that you could have fun once in a while?" he said, patting his shoulder.

Miles looked up at his father, eyes widening in innocence.

"But, father... I like reading."

The memory slowly faded from Phoenix's mind as he entered reality once more, and realized that the handcuffs were cutting into his wrists.

March 26

9:55 A.M.

Courtroom No. 2

"This court will now reconvene for the trial of Mr. Phoenix Wright."

Edgeworth glanced at Phoenix, who seemed to be lost in thought. A small smile crossed the defense attorney's face.

"When Mr. Wright wakes up, I would like to call my next witness," he said, raising his voice slightly.

Phoenix jumped.

"Uh... sorry. Go ahead."

The judge shook his head.

"This is highly unprofessional behavior, Mr. Wright. Continue this, and you will be penalized."

Miles glanced at a paper on his desk.

"The prosecution would like to call Ms. Rosa Sunberg to the stand."

They waited as the witness was brought into the room. She was a tiny woman, with large green eyes, glasses, and black hair that was cropped in a bob. Her timid expression caused the judge's face to soften, while Phoenix grumbled about the easily swayed males in the courtroom. She hesitantly pulled at a sleeve of her green sweatshirt.

"Witness. Name and profession."

"I-I-" she stammered, trembling.

"Name. And. Profession." Edgeworth slammed his desk.

"Well, aren't we polite, Mr. Frilly Pink Lawyer," she snapped. "Excuse me for getting nervous when the man who tried to kill me is mere feet away."

Edgeworth's eyes narrowed into evil slits. He leaned heavily on his forearm.

"Name," he growled. "Profession. Now."

"F-fine," stuttered the witness. "My name is Rosa Sunberg. I am a waitress at Lori's Diner, on James Avenue."

"Very well," the judge nodded. "Witness, please testify about what you saw."

Rosa nodded.

"I was walking along the street when I heard a commotion. I was curious, so I investigated. Then… I saw that spiky-haired man with a really big knife… he was standing over a dead woman. Then, he noticed me… and…" She started crying. "H-he tried to kill me too!" she gasped out, pointing at Phoenix.

The crowd murmured among themselves. The judge whacked his gavel frantically.

"Hmm... everything fits so far. Could you explain in a bit more detail exactly how he assaulted you?"

Rosa looked at him with mild distaste.

"Naturally, he tried to stab me… I tried to grab the knife out of his hand, but he was just too strong… I ran away, and I don't know what happened next…"

"Very well, Mr. Wright," the judge nodded. "You may begin your cross-examination."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Phoenix replied. "Ms. Sunberg, where exactly was the woman, in the alleyway?"

"In the back, near you…"

"Thank you. And how far away was she?"

"A-about five feet..."

Phoenix smirked.

"How can that be? I was discovered around fifteen feet from the victim, unconscious!"

Rosa winced.

"W-well, there was a wrench in her hand… I remember now. You probably stumbled away after trying to kill me, then fell unconscious… you were hit in the head, correct?"

"Why would I go further into the alley? If I were the killer, I would want to leave the scene as soon as possible! That particular alley leads to a dead end! It would make no sense for me to stick around! Not to mention the fact that I would be leaving a witness! Why didn't I chase after you?!"

The crowd began arguing amongst themselves.

"Enough!" The gavel pounded against the podium. "Witness! Would you care to explain these events?"

"I don't know what the deal is! I saw what I saw, and I'm positive that man was the killer!"

"All right. Care to explain why, if I tried to kill you, I did not fall unconscious at the entrance to the alley?"

Rosa twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

"I-I'm not - why is everybody staring at me like that?!" A single tear dripped down her nose. "I'm not the bad guy here, I swear it! P-please..."

Phoenix pointed at her.

"Rosa Sunberg, I accuse you of the murder of Shannon Norima!"

Rosa pushed her glasses up with one finger.

"And where is the evidence to back up that accusation, Mr. Wright?" she inquired.

"Objection!" Edgeworth yelled, banging a hand on the desk. "I was supposed to ask that!"

Phoenix raised his eyebrows at Edgeworth. The judge followed suit.

"I suggest that you beat me to the punch, Mr. Frilly Pink Man, if you wish to do your job properly," sniffed Rosa.

The eyelid twitched.

"...Continue," the prosecutor growled.

"The witness has a point, Mr. Wright. Where is your evidence?"

"Well, um, yes... now, I have here a record from the local optometrist's clinic," stated Phoenix. "This states that you bought a new pair of glasses the day after the murder."

"What of it?" Rosa raised her eyebrows.

"I find that a bit suspicious, as we found a glasses earpiece clutched in the victim's hand," Phoenix continued.

"That is, again, mere coincidence, Mr. Wright," Rosa replied.

"Hmm. I hardly think so."

"Mr. Edgeworth," the judge said, "would you care to elaborate on this earpiece?"

"The earpiece in question bears teeth marks. We have run several tests, and concluded that the marks are not that of the witness, nor the victim's, or even Mr. Wright's. The identity of the chewer remains a mystery."

"I see." The judge nodded, brooding over this new development, glanced at Phoenix. "Proceed."

"I would like to present a theory," Phoenix declared. "Rosa Sunberg attacked the victim. The victim grabbed at her and pulled her glasses off, breaking them. Ms. Norima then proceeded to take out the wrench and try to hit Ms. Sunberg, but the witness stabbed the victim, who immediately collapsed. Ms. Sunberg then took Ms. Norima's wrench and spotted me. Needing a scapegoat, she knocked me unconscious with the wrench and dragged me close to the victim, but… not close enough, Ms. Sunberg."

"Objection! That is a ridiculous idea! What proof do you have?!" Edgeworth demanded.

"W-what?!"

"He's right. You can't prove that the earpiece was mine," smirked Rosa, twirling her hair around her finger. "Therefore, you can't declare me guilty."

Phoenix winced. She was right.

"I-I-"

Miles, for once, could not meet his eye.

"Enough. I believe I have enough information to declare my verdict." The judge gazed around the courtroom. "This court finds the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright, guil-"

"OBJECTION!"

Phoenix froze. He knew that voice. Instinctively, he ducked and covered his head with his hands as Franziska von Karma threw open the door. She was followed by Ema, who yelled "OBJECTION!" and pointed at the witness.

"Oh... did you already say it? Darn," she muttered, just as Maya crashed into her, knocking her over. As the two tried to get up, Pearl tripped over them, followed by Larry, who accidentally bumped Franziska, leaving them all in a heap on the floor.

"Hey! Get off!"

"Aww, I wanted to do the pointy finger!"

"Excuse me..."

"Whoa, this is like a total orgy!"

"YOU FOOLS!" Crack.

The other four sat there, tears welling in their eyes at the pain of the infamous whip. Franziska ignored them and strode up to the witness's platform, pushing Rosa aside.

"Your Honor, we have evidence."

"Do you now?" the judge asked, eyes wide.

"No, I lied, you fool," Franziska snapped, rolling her eyes. "On a thorough search of Ms. Sunberg's house, we found something very interesting." She turned to Rosa. "Ms. Sunberg, do you, by any chance, have any pets?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "I have four cats." A sparkle came to her eyes, and she whipped out her wallet. "Wanna see some pictures? This is Reese, and this is Misty, and this is Bandito, and - "

"Objection!"

"SHUT UP, FRILLY MAN! And this is Jason! Aren't they just adorable?!" she squealed.

"Do any of them like to chew on things, by any chance?" Franziska inquired.

"Yes. Bandito chews on my stuff all the time... oh, crap."

Franziska slammed a medium-sized white object on the table.

"This is a lotion dispenser. It bears teeth marks on the narrow parts. Further tests revealed that the teeth marks are identical to those on the earpiece. Therefore, I believe we can conclude that these marks came from the same source - namely, the house of Ms. Rosa Sunberg!" By now, Rosa was nearly ripping her hair out. Seeing the judge's glare, she sighed.

"Well, if I must, I must." Rosa slowly stood up. "That blackmailing bitch… she was completely manipulating me… I owed her a considerable amount of money, and she used the debt to take total control of my life. I was basically a slave until I paid off the debt. After I paid it off, she threatened me with the welfare of my friends… my family… my cats. I had to continue working for her. I couldn't take it anymore, so I stole a knife from the kitchen of the restaurant and cornered her near a favorite store of hers… She pulled a wrench out of her purse and attempted to strike me, but I managed to take it and stab her with the knife… and you know the rest." Rosa turned to Phoenix and gave him a wry smile. "Guess you're as good as they say you are." She looked at Edgeworth. "...You have fun with your gay neck frills."

"Damn," Larry muttered. "My kind of girl, and she turns out to be a murderer." Edgeworth glared at him as Rosa Sunberg was lead out.

"Well," the judge stuttered, "I certainly didn't expect this case to be resolved so quickly..."

"The verdict, if you please, Your Honor," said Edgeworth.

"This court finds the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright... not guilty."

March 26

11:00 A.M.

Defense Lobby

"Thanks, guys," were the first words out of Phoenix's mouth.

"Hmph. Don't think I was doing it for you," sniffed Franziska, adjusting her left glove. "If you were dead, how could I defeat you and let the whole world know of my victory?"

"Man, that was close," Maya grinned.

"Hey, pal!" Detective Gumshoe greeted, slapping Phoenix on the back. "Great work! And here I thought this was gonna be a tough one!"

"It would have been, if you guys hadn't done that unauthorized investigation," chuckled Phoenix.

"Unauthorized? You've got it wrong, Mr. Wright," smiled Ema.

"Huh?"

Phoenix saw a flash of maroon out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head away, not seeing the flash of hurt in his friend's eyes.

"You mad, pal?"

"...A bit bitter."

Larry smirked and leaned close to Phoenix's ear.

"Well, who do you think it was that told us to search that woman's house?"