A/N: I'm back, finally. I decided to take my entire spring break off. I wanted to take this story in a directional change, so I had to figure some stuff out. More on that at the bottom (unless I forget...) And, I had gotten an Xbox One, and have been playing the living hell out of that... oh well. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Apollo was sitting, and Athena was pacing. This is their normal routine before a court battle. Athena usually paces, trying to make any other connections, while Apollo saves his energy-and his "Chords of Steel Approved" voice- for the upcoming battle. Blake just stood there, watching the 2 polar opposites coexist.
"Hey, Blake." Her attention was suddenly drawn to Athena, "Is there anything you would like to tell us before we start?"
"N.. No." Blake answered, hesitating at first. Despite her attempts to try and hide it, both lawyers knew that she was hiding something. It was obvious, but, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't pry it free.
"What is she keeping in?" Apollo muttered to himself silently. Whatever it was, they are going to find out soon...
Just then, the bailiff entered. "May the defense please take their stand." Apollo got up, nodded to Athena, and went into their side of the room.
The court that they had entered was a basic court. Yellow-gold-ish walls, brown-ish benches, the old judge was even there. When Apollo and Athena finally got to their stand, they took a look over at the prosecution. He wore an all-white suit, pants included, and had a white bowler hat with a red strand looping around the bottom of it. His face was normal- besides the fact of a scar over his left eye. His crystal blue eyes were sharp and attentive, piercing into the defense like a harpoon gun.
The Judge sensed the concentration from both benches, and decided that now was a good time to start the trial. "May the Trial of Blake Belladonna commence."
"The defense is ready your honor." Apollo said firmly.
"The prosecution is also ready." The prosecution said in an elegant voice. "Mr. Justice and Mrs. Cykes, I presume. Both from famous parents, whom now both are dead. Mr. Justice!"
"Wha-" Apollo tried to respond, stunned at what he had just said.
"Your father was Shadi Smith, or, as he was best know, the Great Zak Gramarye! What a magician, that man was. It's a shame, that your mentor had to kill him. I bet it was hard, Apollo, having to defend your now employer, Mr. Wright, alongside the real killer, wasn't it?"
"-!" Apollo took note of this, knowing what he was trying to do to Apollo. But, just because he knew what he was doing, doesn't mean it didn't cut deep.
"And you, Mrs. Cykes!" His attention suddenly turned to Athena. "You are the daughter of the legendary psychologist, Mettis Cykes. Killed by Phantom, Detective Goodman, but not before Mr. Blackquill took the blame for 7 long years. Very similar to Mr. Justice, the same person, Mr. Wright, had to help you out of our hole."
Athena kept a hard outer look, but, inside, she was churning. He's trying to shake us up... and doing the best job I've ever seen!
"Both of you had the same helper! Mr. Wright! By fate, you met him. And, by fate, I will face him!" The prosecutor stuck his arm out, palm exposed to them. "Now, let's get on with the trial, shall we?"
"Umm... Yes... yes!" The Judge had finally snapped back into it. "Prosecutor, since I assume you just gave your opening statement, you may now call-"
"Wait!" Apollo called out. "The prosecution still hasn't given us his name." Apollo waited for a response, but only felt all the eyes were still on him and Athena. Apollo slipped his hand into his pocket, and scratched his head, an embarrassing look on his face. "Did... did I miss something?"
"Why Apollo!" The Judge scolded, "He's one of the great prosecutors of all time! All the while, he owns a multi-billion dollar industry! He has won more cases than any prosecutor in history, without cheating or taking and vacations or days off, of course. He is voted the number one prosecutor of the decade, above Miles Edgeworth, Fransizka von Karma, and Manfred von Karma! He is the smartest of all, after studying in 15 different majors, and 5 different languages! He is... Joseph Schnee."
The crowd instantly bursted with applause, and the prosecutor only smiled and waved his hand to them. They all got on their feet, while Apollo and Athena only sweated, feeling the heat from the prosecutor already.
"Thank you, your honor." Joseph said after the audience had died down. "Now, I presume I need to have my first witness take the stand?" The Judge gave him the okay, and he went on. "I call the first detective that was on the scene, Detective Gumshoe."
Gumshoe took the stand, as he had done for so long. "I'm here to testify for a 'Mr. Schnee?' Is he here?" Gumshoe then looked up, to see all the people staring at him. "Why is everyone looking at me? I don't think I've done anything wrong..."
"No, detective. You're alright." Apollo talked to the detective. "He's the prosecutor in this case."
"Oh1 Thanks pal!" Gumshoe stood up, a smile now on his face.
"Now, detective, please testify about the events of the crime." The prosecution asked politely.
"Yes sir! Although this may make some people's stomach churn..." The detective warned, before starting his testimony.
Testimony: The Gruel some Scene
What happened was Mrs. Belladonna and her partner in crime were sneaking up on some people.
They gave the drop on them, and knocked most of them out
Hold it!
"In what manner did they do this in?" Apollo asked
Unfortunately, there was 1 left, and he ran into the nearby forrest.
I say unfortunately because Mrs. B. gave chase after him.
Once they had gone out of the forrest, Blake had caught up to him.
She took her sword, and... well...
End Testimony
"The defense may now cross examine the witness whenever they are ready." The Judge pronounced.
"Athena, what do we do? We know it's her sword..."
"...Maybe we try to prove she didn't have intent?" Athena suggested.
"...It's weak, but it's out best choice." Apollo agreed, and started the cross examination.
Testimony: The Gruesome Scene
What happened was Mrs. Belladonna and her partner in crime were sneaking up on some people.
Hold it!
"Who were these 'people'?" Apollo questioned.
"They were soldiers of the White Fang, a crime group."
"And why were they doing this?"
"Objection!" The prosecution does not think this is truly necessary... for now."
"Okay then. Defense, please move on to the next sentence." The Judge forced.
Are you joking? Apollo thought, Man, forget having the judge under his thumb, he has him under his pinky!
They gave the drop on them, and knocked most of them out
Hold it!
"In what manner did they do this in?" Apollo asked
"It was, surprisingly, a peaceful manner." Gumshoe said, a little surprise entering his voice, "They did it as though they weren't trying to hurt them..."
"Hmm.. interesting..." Apollo felt good about what the detective had just said, "Continue please."
Unfortunately, there was 1 left, and he ran into the nearby forrest.
That would make sense...
I say unfortunately because Mrs. B. gave chase after him.
Hold it!
"Why would she give chase after her?" Apollo asked.
"Again, all in good time, my attena-haired friend." The prosecution replied for the detective.
Once they had gone out of the forrest, Blake had caught up to him.
She does scene fairly fast, so it's likely that she could...
She took her sword, and... well...
Hold it!
"Let's not beat around the bush here: The crime scene was brutal." Apollo acknowledged, "But how easy is it to mutilate someone with a sword?"
"I would imagine fairly hard..." Gumshoe stated, thinking about it.
"Well, defense, you have cross examined the witness. Does anything seem to catch your eye?"
"Hmm... yes, your honor." Apollo took a breath, getting ready for his explanation, "You see, her and her partner had knocked out the rest almost harmlessly. So why give just one of them a brutal murder?"
"Well, Apollo," The prosecution took the question head on, "The REAL murder weapon was the sword. Surely, the coroner told you the true murder weapon was rope, right? That they were strangled?" Apollo nodded to the prosecution, "So, why the mutilation after the murder? It seems there is one key piece of information has now come into play: motive."
"M-m-motive?" Apollo asked, caught off-guard once again.
"Yes. See, Blake has a very interesting story, doesn't she? Well, before coming to Beacon, she was a member of the White Fang. There are plenty of people that she could've murdered. One of which was the victim that was finally identified this morning. He was a Fred Grotez. And his occupation was... interesting. We can get to that later. But, that's enough motive for her: he was a bad member of the White fang, and she wanted to make a 'symbol' out of him. That's why the mutilation."
"But-But that still doesn't answer the 'how she did it'." Apollo fired back weakly.
"Apollo, Apollo, Apollo. You of all people should know that anything is possible with the sword. Just ask your buddy, Blackquill about it."
"!" Apollo gasped for a moment, thinking about Blackquils testimony. Did he really know how to use a sword...?
"But, that's beside the point." Prosecutor Schnee got back to topic, "Your honor, I do have another witness that can erase all the doubt."
"Very well, bring the witness out."
Apollo looked at the witness that was led to the stand. Well... it's time to find out if he was telling the truth...
Sun walked up to the stand, and gave a guilty look to the defense. "I'm... sorry. He... he... forced me..."
"It's okay Sun." Athena comforted the faunas, "Just stick to the truth." Sun tried to respond, but Mr. Schnee cut him off short.
"Witness! Name and occupation."
"Oh! Um... Sun Wukong. And I am a stowaway."
"A-a stowaway?!" The Judge panicked, but was quick calmed by the prosecutor.
"Wait, your honor, he may have broken the law, but he poses no threat."
"Oh... I see... okay. Mr. Wukong, please give your testimony about that night."
"Y-yes, your honor." Sun said, forced against his will.
Testimony: That Night
It was all routine; We were scoping over the Fangs
Once we were sure they were doing wrong, we jumped them
I took the right side, she took the left side, the side with the forrest
I couldn't see her, they were all over us
When I finally finished, I saw her, running off
Testimony End
"Defense, you know the drill." The Judge confirmed, waiting for them.
"We don't have a lot to go on, Athena..." Apollo confessed his worry
"I know... but we do have something!" Athena moved her fingers in a way only Apollo knew.
"Oh! Psy-"
"-cholgic examination." Prosecutor Schnee finished, overhearing their conversation. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Don't listen to them, Athena." Apollo said, calling the prosecutors bluff. The prosecutor only shrugged.
"Okay, we're ready. C'mon Apollo! We got this!" Athena, fired up cheered.
Cross Examination: That Night
It was all routine; We were scoping over the Fangs
[Nothing]
Once we were sure they were doing wrong, we jumped them
[Anger] [Sadness]
"Apollo, what should we press?"
"Hmmm... anger would be obvious once press sadness, so sadness."
Hold It!
"Sun, on the Mood Matrix, we saw that you were sad. Why is that?"
"Hmm... That would probably be what they did to that poor girl. Say, now that I think about it, Blake knew the person that was getting harassed. I think her name was Purple, or something..."
"Okay... what were they doing to her?"
"Objection! Your honor, I believe this is getting of course."
"Wha-What?! You can't be-"
"Look, Justice, we know that she was being hurt. They way she was hurt doesn't matter. All you wanted to know is why he was sad, and you got your answer." The prosecutor said, putting his hands behind his back.
"Fine then, Kristoph..."
"What was that, Justice?" The prosecutor said, a demented smile on his face. Apollo started breathing heavily, his eyes darting on the prosecutor. He's more in his head than I thought... Athena had to make a decision, so she took action.
"I'll take the Cross-Examination from here." Athena informed Apollo, "Get. Under. Control."
"Hmph." Apollo only crossed his arms, but not in the way he has done in the past. His arms were crossed- in anger.
I took the right side, she took the left side, the side with the forrest
[Fear]
"Hold It!" Athena called out, this being the first time she asked a question, "Now, I notice that you had fear. But, it would seem strange that you were fearful. But, fear can be associated with something else: Un-easyness... was there anything that made you tense up at all?"
"Well..." Sun instantly looked to the ground.
"Well? Go on, witness. Tell us, now!" The prosecutor challenged. When she heard this, Athena wished she bit her tongue.
"Well... before we jumped them... we kinda... decided that if they run... we track them down, instead of letting them go..."
"Well, that's not so bad, right?" The prosecutor suggested. Before anyone can answer, he answered himself, "That was rhetorical. Of course it's bad!" He saw the expression of confusion on Athena's face, so he went into further detail. "So, I guess all that psychological training didn't do much, did it? Well, let me explain. I've already talked about her motive. The point of this, for me, is to prove that she had opportunity, and, when this detail came up, we can draw up a possible situation. One that simply, 'let' one go, and chased after him. In the forrest, using her skills, tracked him down, and strangled him. But, not yet fueled by her revenge, she gutted him. When she was done, she realized what she had done. And being so shell-shocked, she accidentally dropped her sword, and got home as fast as possible."
Once he was done with his explanation, the court room fell silent. Sun dropped to his knees, making a loud thud along the way.
"Well... that's the majority of the requirements for a guilty..." The Judge commented, hinting that the end was near.
Damn me and my mouth! Athena started beating herself up on the inside.
"Well, if that's it, I will now hand down my verdict." The Judge announced.
We were clueless the entire time. His whole goal was to take Apollo out, and leave me to make the decision! Why didn't I see this? Argh! Athena slammed her hands on the table, face facing down. She felt the tears swelling up in her eyes, not being able to get the job done again. She couldn't speak, for fear of crying overcoming her emotions.
"Now, if there are no objections, I will-"
"Hold It!" Was heard throughout the courtroom, and everyones attention was turned to the door, thinking that someone had barged in, but no one was there. "That was my voice." Athena and Apollo looked forward, wanting to know why he had objected. "Now, when coming in here, I had one goal." The prosecutor confessed, "And I still want to make that goal come true. Now, There is something that leaves un-answered, your honor."
"And-and what would that be?" The judge said, in a state of shock, awe, and wonder.
"Well, before I get to that, I want to make the defense a deal."
"And... and what would... that be?" Athena spaced out, trying to act tough.
Elsewhere...
"Well, Wright, I think me have made progress today."
"Yeah, but it's not enough..." Phoenix leaned back in the chair that faced the prosecutor.
"Is it ever, Wri-" Edgeworth was interrupted by Phoenix's phone, as the Steel Samurai theme rang out into the air.
"Here, let me see who would be-" Phoenix paused when he saw was calling. "Hello?"
"Mr. Wright..." He could tell that Athena was sad about something... "We... well...
"Yes?"
"We almost got a guilty verdict." Athena paused, "And... the prosecutor got us a deal..."
"And that would be...?"
"...You need to defend Blake from now on." Athena confessed.
"...Ok, that's okay. I'll be there."
"You mean, your not-"
"No, I'm not mad. I know you tried your best. You guys rest up. It sounds like it was a long trial."
"Okay. Mr. Wright?"
"Yes, Athena?"
"Please be careful." And with that, Athena hung up. Phoenix took a weird glance at his phone.
"What did she say Wright?"
"I need to defend Blake from now on."
"...I don't think thats why you have that look on your face." Edgeworth scolded.
"...It's her last words. 'Be Careful'..." Phoenix scratched his chin, yet Edgeworth already knew.
"Those poor kids!" Edgeworth pitied, then explained to Phoenix, "Phoenix, the prosecutor is Schnee." Phoenix brain clicked, knowing exactly who it was.
"Hm. This is more serious that I thought... this is a challenge Edgeworth. If you find anything, tell me, please."
"Catch the flight Wright. And try to get rest. You have a battle in your way." Wright nodded, thanking Edgeworth as he left. He took the case files with him, with full intention of using them. Whatever was in store for him, he needed to be ready. If even Athena was shaken up...
To Be Continued...
A/N: Chapter done. It was set back, and back, and back, and now finally get's uploaded. I have to keep this brief, I have a big match tomorrow.
But, I have decided that there will be 2 more cases: A Closer case, and a type of DLC case. And, of course, I have to tie up loose ends with story and everything, so that will take awhile.
That's about it. So, now, it's time for...
THE QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!
Well... that was a bit over glorified... oh well. But, the question of the day is: ( A ) What is your favorite game on next-gen consoles so far, or ( B ) Favorite Let's Play from the last 2 weeks [there were a lot of good ones, so pick one], OR ( C ) Favorite hat/shirt caption [Just wondering, as my "U Mad Bro" hat is right next to me]
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, please Review, ask Questions, and send in some Constructive Criticism. Thanks!
May God be with you until we meet again
~ Nathan
I do not own RWBY/Roosterteeth, nor Ace Attorney/Capcom. All Right Reserved.