The trial is over, but the story is not. Still one more chapter to go after this.

Chapter 21: A REAL Courtroom Battle

De Killer rose back up, staring down his attacker. He showed no emotion as usual, but his cocked head at least signified surprise. "Mr. Touchdown, why did you interfere? This man betrayed your trust."

Travis only gave the slightest glance towards his twin brother before responding. "He's got a lot to answer for all right, but I'll work that out myself. I'm not letting you decide his fate for me!"

"Is that so? In that case, it appears I'll have to kill you as well."

"What are you waiting for?" Sylvia called across the room. "Give him a weapon already!"

Edgeworth stiffened. "Don't be ridiculous. We're not going to tolerate a fight to the death in the middle of the courtroom! The police will handle this."

I looked over at Gumshoe and the rest of the police presence, practically wetting themselves in terror. Sylvia noticed as well. "Are you sure? Because I'm under the impression that there's going to be a lot more death in here if you don't give him a weapon!"

Edgeworth growled, but submitted. "Alright, fine. But I refuse to take responsibility for this!" He quickly searched through his physical evidence and tossed the first beam katana he saw to Travis.

The otaku caught the blade and ignited it in one swift motion. What came out was the brilliant blue light of the Blood Berry. He chuckled. "Oh yeah, this will do." He leapt forward and swung the blade at De Killer. He caught it his with his own knife and the two struggled for dominance.

The judge looked back and forth between the two dueling assassins and gulped. "As I was saying, court is now adjourned." He quickly banged his gavel and wasted no more time in fleeing the building. The gallery was quick to clear out as well, safely escorted by the police force. Gumshoe personally dragged a reluctant Henry out of the room, shouting encouragement that Travis could handle himself as if he would know better than his brother. Now the only ones left in the courtroom were Travis, De Killer, Edgeworth, Sylvia, Maya and myself. Four of those six were quickly reduced to the role of spectator.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?" Edgeworth asked.

Sylvia laughed. "Sure, if you want to lose a limb."

Travis and De Killer had broken their stalemate and were now gradually making their way to the empty gallery seats as they continued to clash blades. I had initially believed that Travis couldn't possibly be as skilled in battle as his much more sophisticated brother, but I was quickly being proven wrong. Travis's style was a lot less graceful and a lot more aggressive, but just as effective.

De Killer made a stab that left a tear in Travis's red jacket. In response, Travis grabbed the offending arm and threw De Killer over his shoulder, where he crashed into a row of seats. As Travis approached the downed assassin, De Killer swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground as well. De Killer attempted to bring his knife down on him, but Travis recovered much faster than expected and kicked him in the gut as he tried to get up, knocking the knife away. Grabbing his opponent by the legs, Travis swung him around a few times and threw him across the room, directly into the judge's bench.

"Wow, all that wrestling experience really paid off!" Maya said, impressed.

De Killer pulled himself away from the judge's bench, which was now left with a large, human-shaped dent. The older assassin remained as calm as ever. "I can see now why you are such a superstar in this city. What you lack in finesse, you make up for in sheer power. But you cannot win. I have far more experience."

"Really?" Travis challenged, casually twirling the Blood Berry in his fingers. "How many assassins have you killed? Because I think I've got you beat!"

Travis charged forward, pulling his katana back for a thrust. At the last second, De Killer dodged to the side and let Travis drive the katana into the wood. De Killer whirled around behind and kicked him hard in the back, burying Travis even further into the bench than he had been before. The structure proved unable to support this extra damage and collapsed on top of him, leaving only a pile of rubble.

De Killer brushed some dust off of himself and strolled over to recover his knife, ignoring the horrified passerby. "Now that that's dealt with, it's time to take care of some unfinished business." I instinctively tensed up. "Don't worry Mr. Attorney, my business with you is over. I no longer have any reason to take your life."

(Well, I DID screw up your murder plot, but no need to remind him of that.)

Before the assassin could get take his leave, a loud roar erupted from beneath the rubble. That's not being metaphorical either; it was an actual roar. My eyes popped out of my skull as Travis emerged, flinging the rubble off of him.

"Uh...Sylvia?"

"Yes?"

"Your boyfriend just turned into a tiger. Is that normal?"

"Yes."

"Okay, just checking."

"WOAH! SO COOL!" Maya cheered. "Go get him, Travis!"

And get him he did. If there was anything that could get a shocked reaction out of Shelly De Killer, a giant tiger pouncing at him was it. I saw his eyes open for the first time as he raised his knife to defend himself. The knife stabbed into one of the tiger's paws, but that did nothing to stop it from biting down on his arm and tackling him to the ground. De Killer screamed in pain for a moment as tiger Travis tore into him, until he managed to kick him off. By the time Travis hit the ground, he was his regular self again.

De Killer slowly got back to his feet, covered in blood and cuts from his brief mauling. There was no regaining his calm mask at this point. "W-What was that?"

Travis was injured as well, his left hand bleeding profusely from where it had been stabbed in animal form. Unlike De Killer, his attitude had not changed. "It's called 'getting your ass kicked'. Like it?"

De Killer maintained a cold stare with the otaku. Suddenly, his arm shot forward like a blur and Travis yelled out. He staggered back a bit and collapsed, De Killer's knife now sticking out of his side. It happened so quickly that I barely had time to register it. De Killer looked down at Travis in disdain. "No matter how much power you wield, your cocksure attitude will always be your biggest weakness. You let down your guard, fool."

Despite the crippling injury, Travis got back up, still grinning arrogantly. This surprised everyone but Sylvia, who just rolled her eyes. "Lost your weapon, buddy," he mocked, pointing to the knife sticking out of him. He thankfully had enough sense to not try pulling it out.

"You are a determined one, I'll give you that," De Killer complimented. "I shall finish you quickly then."

De Killer dashed towards him as Travis readied himself. But instead of facing him head-on, De Killer ducked Travis's swing and slid around to his back. There was a flash of silver, and suddenly a wire was around Travis's throat, digging into his skin. He dropped the Blood Berry in shock as his hands went to his throat, trying in vain to throw him off. Knowing his immense strength, he might've actually succeeded if he weren't hampered by the knife injury.

"Oh, to hell with this!" Sylvia swore, digging into the lining of her jacket for something. "He might not want me to interfere, but I didn't just watch Travis get acquitted only for him to die on me!"

"W-Wait, you're not pulling out a gun, are you?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't be silly, I would never get a clear shot with Travis in the way."

(So she really DOES have a gun?)

"Travis, take a look at this!" She threw the object across the room, where it skidded to a stop right in front of Travis. The otaku was slowly losing consciousness and used the last bit of his strength to look down at what lied before him.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "Is that...a porn magazine?"

Travis let out a ragged breath and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Be one with your force."

There a flash of blue light and De Killer was violently thrown back, losing his grip on the wire. Travis needed only a brief second to catch his breath before he reached down to pick up the Blood Berry once more. By the time De Killer had recovered, Travis was already on him, slashing him across the chest. But he didn't stop there. I thought he was fast before, but clearly I had seen nothing yet as my eyes could no longer keep up with him at all. He repeatedly slashed De Killer from all sides, several times per second, for at least ten seconds. As if that weren't overkill enough, he ended it off by grabbing De Killer around the waist and slamming him into the ground just like he had done to Henry.

As the dust cleared, De Killer groaned, glaring up at him. "How? How could I lose to such a perverted idiot?"

Travis leaned over him and raised a fist above his head. "Welcome to the UAA, fuckface." He gave De Killer one final punch that shattered his monocle and knocked him out. "Now to finish this..." He held the Blood Berry over his defeated opponent, ready to stab it into his chest.

"Travis, don't!" I shouted out. "Don't kill him!"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "And why the hell not?"

Sylvia stepped in to help me. "Because he isn't a ranked assassin. Kill him and you'll just get arrested again."

"Aw, seriously?"

Edgeworth nodded. "Yes, and I'm afraid that with four witnesses, you will most certainly be found guilty."

"Plus, it's way cooler when the hero spares the villain, showing that he's better than him," Maya added. "Just like the Steel Samurai."

(I was thinking "because it's morally reprehensible", but sure.)

"Oh, all right." Travis pouted and re-sheathed his katana. He made his way back over to us, staggering a little from his injuries.

"We should get you to a hospital," I suggested. "You're not looking too good."

"Don't worry about it. I just need to get some pizza and I'll be fine."

(Pizza? That's it, I'm done trying to make sense of this place.)

"Look at you, trying to be the humble hero," Sylvia said mockingly. "Hmph. You're just as stupid as ever. Why do I go out with you?"

Travis wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, making her yelp in surprise. "I don't know. You tell me..."

Sylvia smiled at him and moved a hand behind his head. Their faces came together and they shared a kiss.

"So that worked out well, huh?" Maya said cheerfully.

Somewhere behind us, a piece of the wall collapsed.

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. Sylvia has a spare.

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". It has security footage from the night of the murder taped over it, going from 9:00-9:42 PM. The footage was added by Sylvia.

Answering Machine Message

A message seemingly left by the victim at 8:55 on the night of the murder. Was actually recorded by Shelly De Killer.

Teddy Bear

Found in Travis's motel. Sent to him by an unknown individual. Contains an audio bug.

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.

Overhead Map

A map that shows Motel No More Heroes and Beef Head Videos around the corner from it. A restaurant named Burger Suplex is across the street from the motel.

Door scanner

A tiny scanner in Beef Head Videos that reads the bar codes on packages and triggers an alarm if they're not paid for. It registered the missing tape as stolen on the night of the murder at 10:14 PM.

Glastonbury

An action figure from Travis's favorite anime that he left as a gift for Bishop.

Bouquet

A bouquet brought to Bishop's grave on the night of the murder. Purchased by the victim. Only a stray rose petal is left of it.

Victim's E-mail

An e-mail message sent by the victim to her manager on the night of the murder, confirming that she was leaving before 9:00.

De Killer's Knife

A short knife used by Shelly De Killer. Currently in possession of forensics.

Cell Phone

A destroyed cell phone confirmed to belong to the victim. Signs indicate it was intentionally smashed.

Cemetery Map

A map of the local cemetery, outlining Travis's position in front of Bishop's grave, the surrounding tall grass, and the single tree.

Store Receipt

A receipt for a "Ninja Killer" T-shirt, purchased at Airport 51 by Henry at 9:30 PM.

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.

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 27

My childhood friend and the prosecutor on this case. He's a bit on the snobby side, be he has a good heart.

Kimmy Howell

Age: 19

A student at Destroy University and a former opponent of Travis that also seems to have a crush on him. A bit on the crazy side.