Sonic the Hedgehog: Attorney of Law

by thedraconicwerewolf

Sonic is a defense attorney with a law degree fresh out of high school thanks to his advanced studies in the ways of the judicial system. He's now able to defend others from various allegations. Will his training be enough to help him prove his clients' innocence? And what will happen when a ghost of his past that made him walk the path of law comes around once again?

37. The LK-9 Case Turnabout Pt 10

Hello everybody! You've all waited for a few months now for the final installment of this ever exciting final case, and now your patience has paid off! The coveted ending to this extravagant battle between feared veteran and greenhorn rookie is about to come to an end! Is it the bad ending that I've hinted at potentially writing out in the last author's note, or is it a completely different ending that I've managed to come up with that fit in with all the evidence discussed thus far? Just read on and figure it out for yourself.

But first, let me say that this is one of the longest chapters that I've ever written for this site. In fact, I think this is the longest chapter ever for this particular story. And that's in words for the actual story itself; it's not including the author's notes and the evidence list. Boy, that just tells you how epic my brain made this courtroom battle out to be. And rightfully so since the most ruthless man in the law is undoubtedly also the most cautious. Seriously, I made very sound arguments and finding myself giving Mephiles the ever so small loopholes to sneak through. Hopefully, that will give you a scope of how smart and careful this insane prosecutor can be. Oh, the headaches I put myself through just so I can produce a chapter worthy for all you readers. Yet at the same time, it was also loads of fun to think up.

Anyway, that's enough needless chattering on my end. I'll leave you all to read this new chapter that you've been waiting so patiently for. Don't forget to leave a review before moving on to the next story that you want to read!

---

NOTICE: I dedicate this chapter to my dog who was born on July 5, 1999 and passed away on February 27, 2014. This chapter was supposed to be published at the end of last week. However, his sudden illness, probably a stroke of sorts since he collapsed and couldn't move his hind legs anymore (we didn't bother to officially figure it out for good reason), facilitated a visit to the vet that he would never return back from. 14 1/2 years of good human food and crazy yet lovable doggie antics, some of which got him in some typical doggie trouble. He will be sorely missed by both me and my family. Here's to you, my one-of-a-kind German Shepard Mix who seemed intent to see me as an equal rather than an authoritative household figure! I guess that's because of me being 8 when we first got him as a puppy. He probably thought I was one of his siblings this entire time and thus not really one to garner much respect beyond that! And don't ask me about what the mix is; we never bothered to get that figured out. Let's just say that he didn't look like how a typical German Shepard does in both build and fur color patterns.

---

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge: Sonic's badge proving that he's a genuine defense attorney. Ever since getting tied into a murder because of him losing it, he's since taken precautions to make sure that it stays secured within the inside of his gloves.

Pistol: The weapon that was recovered at the Mobius Docks. The ballistic markings on the bullet extracted from Ms. Mae's body matches the gun. Signs show that it was fired twice, the second happening during Shadow's case. It also bears Shadow's fingerprints. It also appears that it was also used in the LK-9 Incident as the weapon to have murdered Maria Robotnik.

Picture: A photograph given to Sonic by Knuckles who had initially received it from Salemand Eres. It shows a picture of a white-furred lion with occasional blue spots on all fours like a wild animal and smiling brightly at the camera. Amazingly, his entire demeanor appears almost child-like despite his rather strong and toned body. It's clear that he has the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome.

LK-9 Case File: A case file summarizing all the information gathered by police and detectives at the height of the LK-9 Incident. A copy of the file was given to Sonic and Tails by Vector in hopes that it would help them obtain the answers they seek about the case. Just before the trial began, it was discovered that both the paper and digital forms were destroyed. Vector's and Silver's official copies are the only two left to exist.

Vector's Account: Testimony recorded by Tails that detail what Vector saw in the courthouse lounge on the day of Knuckles' acquittal. He said he saw Mephiles entering the lounge for the first time in his entire career in order to watch over Sonic's case. He then said the old prosecutor left the room with cell phone in hand after hearing Shadow exclaim that Ace be held in protective custody.

Notes: Notes taken by Tails that depict what he, Sonic, and Silver had discussed regarding possible connections with Sonic's cases and the LK-9 Incident. It's speculated that all the murderers in the previous cases were orchestrated by a single mastermind. It also appears that this person is involved in the smuggling ring Interpol is investigating.

Case Summary File: A file found in the LK-9 Case File that summarizes the scene of the crime. The crime took place at the Mobius Dock's lighthouse that was then a business known as the "Prycey Seafood Company". It was owned by three people and had employed one person to work on cargo duty; two of the owners were Lois and Maxwell Pryce with only a lesser percentage of the business to their name. An unnamed third person had owned a majority of the business before it was forced closed upon being in the spotlight of a murder.

Witness List: A list of witnesses found in the LK-9 Case File. According to the list, there were four potential witnesses to the murder. Two of them were Max and Lois Pryce and have been recorded as supplying witness statements to the police. The third person was Salemand Eres who appears to have been working at the Prycey Seafood Company at the time, although Shadow states that he was merely working undercover then. A fourth person, the third owner of the business, was kept anonymous for some reason and had his wish to refuse to testify be granted.

Victims' Report: A report that supplies basic details of the victims of the LK-9 Incident. One of them was a senior detective by the name of Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle. The second victim was a defense attorney called Maria Robotnik, Shadow's good friend and apparently a relative of Dr. Robotnik.

Charles' Autopsy Report: Charles was found dead with a single strike to the head with a blunt object. The bruises covering his body and on his fists show that he most likely struggled with his killer prior to dying. The murder weapon was the Ornamental Cane discovered to have been in Interpol custody for the past five years. The report makes no mention of any puncture wounds being found on the body.

Maria's Autopsy Report: Maria was found dead with a single gunshot wound to her head. The bullet was shot at a distance and went straight through her skull. The entry wound was from the back and exited the front. There were no signs of any struggle.

Bullet: The bullet that was found lodged in a wall after having killed Maria Robotnik. It was proven five years ago that it was fired from the same Pistol that was used to kill Prosecutor Flora Mae. According to the trajectory report, it was fired in a position that would make the bullet's path parallel to the hallway.

Diagram: Floor plans that show the interior of the lighthouse five years ago when it was still known as the "Prycey Seafood Company". Vector has written in a red sharpie on it the path Maria took upon entering the lighthouse. She first went to the bookshelf located on the other side of the foyer before making her way to the office. She then went back to the bookshelf where she was ultimately killed.

Statements: Statements made by Sonic and friends five years ago about their kidnapping ordeal. All four said the same thing and that they were blindfolded when they entered the lighthouse. They felt themselves going downstairs and were then left in a pitch black and windowless room. However, detectives failed to find said room. That and they were ultimately discovered on the lighthouse second floor, a fact that none of them were able to properly explain. As such, their statements were considered useless and shuffled away.

Leon's Statement: Testimony regarding the moments leading up to Leon's kidnapping. He entered the old Prycey Seafood Warehouse and went to the office in an attempt to collect more information with regards to either the smuggling ring or their person of interest. Before he could perform a thorough search, he was soon attacked and imprisoned in the office before the Chaotix Detective Agency found and rescued him. He mentioned that the room looked as though it had been rifled through when he came to.

Warehouse Keypad: A sophisticated password system for the door to the Prycey Seafood Warehouse. According to Salem, the security company in charge of the password is still supplying service to the building. However, the bi-annual password change is sent to only one person. It's suspected that Mephiles is the one with access to the new passwords.

Salem's Testimony: Testimony recorded during Salem's court appearance. He testified to working overtime at the warehouse from midnight until one. He made it clear that nobody left the lighthouse the moment he went out to take a look after hearing gunshots. All four employees, including himself, were scattered about the Prycey Seafood Business grounds when the police had arrived. Charles was still alive when he first approached him. He also mentioned that Maria and Charles had knowledge of the smuggling ring and believed through their last case's client that the company had ties to the ring.

Print Report: Documents the prints that were found in the warehouse office. One of them belonged to Leon and were made during his entrapment. The second set were made from gloved hands and couldn't be identified. However, the gloved prints only touched certain areas of the room and indicated that the perpetrator knew exactly where to look for what they wanted.

Warehouse Office Diagram: A blueprint of where everything in the office was. It also has markings on it which demonstrate where the gloved prints and blood were found. Two prints were found on the handles of a file cabinet situated behind the desk. Another set was found all over the wall-mount safe. There were no other gloved prints to be found. The blood was found in the center of the room where a clean spot devoid of dust was found.

Blood Analysis: A forensics report done on the blood found in the warehouse office. While it had appeared recently, a proper examination of it couldn't be done because the composition had been destroyed with bleach. The only known clean sample was taken from Leon's nails from when he wounded the perpetrator, but that alone isn't enough to prove who it belonged to due to lack of a proper culprit.

Written Statement: A letter that was written by the fourth witness five years ago at the start of the LK-9 Incident. A handwriting analysis has shown that Mephiles was the one who wrote it out.

Letter: A document found in the lighthouse basement instructing Max Pryce to murder Lois. The handwriting analysis shows that it couldn't have been Mephiles who written it out. In fact, the penmanship of the letters seem to be a mash of various writing styles and suggests the writer is well-versed in differing writing formats. The proof that it was written out by the same person is the fact that the structure of the E and S when put together are consistently the same throughout the letter.

Ornamental Cane: The weapon used to kill Charles Hedgehog five years ago. The blood found on the serpent head's teeth couldn't be properly analyzed due to the interference of an organic substance in the composition. Upon further examination of the organic substance, it was discovered to be a special type of poison obtained only through a rare breed of snake found in the forests of Mobotropolis. There is no known cure for the poison, and the one inflicted is forced into a lifetime of specialized antibiotics only accessible through prescription. Also, the poison leaves an everlasting scar from where it enters the body; a bald spot is also present on anthropomorphs with fur.

Five-Year-Old Photograph: A picture taken by Dr. Robotnik five years ago. The time stamp shows it was taken just ten minutes before the double murders occurred along with scribbles on the back saying it was taken in the Prycey Seafood Warehouse. It shows Mephiles in a dimply lit area leaning against a crate and talking on his cell phone while looking through an address book. It's believed that he might've been trying to organize a black market auction for the smuggling ring. On the ground next to him is a shiny object made obscure due to it's glint.

Profiles:

Sonic Hedgehog: He's a seventeen-year-old cobalt hedgehog who has taken upon himself to act as the defense for the LK-9 Incident. However, he knows next to nothing about the case and must learn as much as he can during the course of the trial. He wishes to try and solve the case despite the fact that expert investigators over the past five years have failed to do so.

Miles Prower: A twelve-year-old two tailed fox who likes to go by his nickname "Tails". Ever since proving himself to be an above average investigator during the precinct murder, he has been hired by Dr. Robotnik to be the law firm's local detective. He's now working alongside Sonic in an attempt to find answers that lie hidden within the LK-9 Incident.

Knuckles Echidna: An eighteen-year-old red echidna who is a detective at the local Precinct. Despite having nothing to add on the case, he's decided to watch the proceedings in the gallery. He delivered the LK-9 evidence to Vector after learning that someone had managed to destroy both the electronic and paper versions of the case file.

Salemand Eres: An Interpol Agent who has decided to reveal his true identity in court in order to be granted immunity from the charges of tampering with the scene of a crime and removal of evidence. He was working undercover in the Prycey Seafood Company at the time the double-murders happened. His real name is actually "Salem".

Shadow Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old ebon furred hedgehog who became a prosecutor at sixteen. He has been cleared of murder thanks to Sonic and is now overlooking the case from the gallery to see what will surface during the trial regarding the LK-9 Incident. He's prepared to be pinned as a murderer due to his fingerprints being on the Pistol that killed Maria.

Silver Hedgehog: A nineteen-year-old silver furred hedgehog who is the country's youngest Senior Detective. He has taken it upon himself to testify to the courts as if he were one of the detectives from the initial investigation of the LK-9 Incident. Everything he knows about the case is through the many reports that have been documented over the past five years.

Mephiles: A sixty-five year old veteran prosecutor whose ruthlessness is well known both inside and out of the courtroom. He expects nothing but perfection in his work and condones from his opponents nothing short from a blatantly relevant question and an extremely well-based argument. Salem has pointed him out as being a person of interest for Interpol's smuggling ring; this has inadvertently turned him into a potential suspect for the LK-9 Incident.

Vector Crocodile: A twenty-three-year old local prosecutor who is friends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as well as Shadow's coworker. He has decided to continue with his work as a freelance detective along with Charmy Bee despite the conviction of his friend and partner Espio that caused shadows about the integrity of his work that soon quickly dissipated. He has also taken it upon himself to oversee the LK-9 Incident as a prosecutor and help as much as he can to keep the trial going and uncover the truth behind it all.

Leukis Kruger: Salem's younger brother who's afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, Feralisis Syndrome. He also happens to be with Interpol. According to Salem, they were reunited after Leukis had managed to successfully shake off members of the smuggling ring who figured out his true identity and wanted him dead. His real name is "Leon".

Charles Hedgehog: Sonic's uncle with greyish blue fur who was once a resourceful and reliable senior detective down at the local precinct. Because of the events from five years ago, he became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident. Was the key reason why Sonic decided to pursue a career as a defense attorney.

Maria Robotnik: Shadow's good friend with beautifully long blond hair who was once a defense attorney. She apparently has some relations to Dr. Robotnik. Because of the events from five years ago, she became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident. Was the key reason why Shadow decided to pursue a career as a prosecutor.

Ace Sleuth: A former Senior Detective who was jailed for the murder of his fiancee. He was then sent to a secluded safe house courtesy of Shadow upon discovering he had some connections with the LK-9 Incident. However, some unknown person discovered where he was hiding and killed him. An anonymous note sent to the Precinct telling officers about the murder seems to have been written by the mysterious fourth witness.

Charmy Bee: A young and hyper eight-year-old kid who works with Vector at the Chaotix Detective Agency. Because of Espio's arrest, he is currently the only one employed in the business at the moment. He had worked together with Leon in order to search the abandoned warehouse and procure new evidence for both Sonic and Vector to use in the LK-9 Incident.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik: A fifty-three-year-old defense attorney of some renown who owns and runs the Robotnik Law Firm. He served as Salem's and Leon's contact in Mobius and is thus himself an agent of Interpol. He has gotten himself close to the smuggling ringleader in order to learn as much as he possibly could about their covert operations. Despite not knowing for sure, he seems to indicate in his letter his belief that Mephiles is the ringleader on top of being a high-interest suspect in the LK-9 Incident.

---

Chapter 37: The LK-9 Case Turnabout Pt. 10

"Prosecutor Mephiles," the Judge started, his tone clearly reflecting the shock he was still feeling from the past few minutes. "I think it best that you explain exactly what it is the defense has brought against you. Not only have you been caught lying about where you were on the night of the murder; this also casts doubts on your overall involvement with the crime. If you wish to continue under the pretense that you're innocent, then I suggest that you start telling us nothing but the complete truth!"

Instead of replying with a witty comeback, the old prosecutor chose to stay quiet as his normally stoic face seemed to now hold some amount of worry. Clearly, he was not eager to be saying anything more in case he further incriminated himself.

"Don't keep us waiting," Sonic prodded in a mock tone of Mephiles's impatience. "I think I speak for everyone in here that we would like to hear the reason why you made such a blatant lie. This dead-end contradiction isn't going to resolve itself, you know?"

"…Do you honestly think that you have the right to be so smug after catching me in a so-called lie?" Mephiles growled, his arms crossed in a defensive manner. "I believe the question you've been asking me this entire time was whether or not I was at the lighthouse that evening. Suffice it to say, the picture you claim was taken on that night only serves to supplement my claims in that I was never there. As you can clearly see, that's the Prycey Seafood Warehouse I'm in with the timestamp clearly saying that I was there just a few minutes before this whole mess of a case unfolded."

"Don't think you can try to play this off as us improperly phrasing the question!" Tails quickly countered. "Everybody who's heard of this case knows that the two buildings are only minutes apart from each other. That and the warehouse itself is considered to be a part of the lighthouse since both are registered under the company name. If you were at the warehouse, then that's basically saying you were at the lighthouse as both share the same property. There isn't any loophole you can use to fight your way out of that fact!"

"That's nothing more than minor details not worth squabbling over," the old hedgehog stated definitively. "It may be true that both buildings share the same land, but that doesn't mean they're both the same. You asked if I was at the lighthouse; I answered truthfully that I wasn't with your picture proving as such."

"But you had ample opportunity to have went to the lighthouse," Vector added. "Don't forget that there's a timestamp on that Five-Year-Old Photograph which shows you were there just minutes before the murders. Since you have the proven time to have committed the crime along with those unaccounted minutes, I can't see how you can continue to comfortably argue that you never went to the scene of the crime."

"You should know better than anyone in this courtroom that evidence is everything, Prosecutor Vector. Where's the concrete piece that shows what you've said to be a possible truth? It's nothing more than a terribly weak supposition, one that I'm shocked you're even proposing to condone given your legal position."

"Still, you never once mentioned that you were within the vicinity of the lighthouse since you've been here," the cobalt hedgehog said. "Because of your failure to mention that, I ask that you testify exactly what it is you were doing there! If you really are innocent and never went to the lighthouse, then you shouldn't have any problems with this."

"I will grant the defense's request for further testimony," the old man acknowledged with a pound of his gavel. "Prosecutor Mephiles, let me remind you that you're currently under heavy scrutiny in this courtroom. If you wish to maintain your innocence, then speak nothing but the truth and omit nothing from your testimony. Is that clear?"

"…Do suppositions and possibilities really play that big of a role in court proceedings now?" Mephiles murmured after a moment's silence. "I can't believe the defense actually has the entire courtroom wrapped around their little fingers. If I were the judge, I'd have thrown them out long ago!"

"Yet you're currently in front of us playing the role of witness," the two tailed fox merely stated. "I think you should be concentrating more on that rather than what it is you would like to do. Now, stop wasting time and proceed with your testimony."

Reason for Being in the Warehouse

I was in the warehouse that night in order to attend a meeting. The call the defense brought up earlier served as my reminder. It consisted of only me and a potential business client. We spent the entire evening discussing private business matters. He left about a half an hour before the murders took place. I, on the other hand, chose to stay behind for a little while. Since I was already there, I decided to take care of some work-related matters.

End Witness Testimony

"Is that really all that happened?" the Judge asked. "For your sake, I hope you haven't omitted more details that the court might find interest in."

"All I can do is answer whatever questions I'm given as best as I can," Mephiles stated curtly. "The defense happens to see it fit to pin me as a liar for merely not stating details that weren't a part of their original question. Next time, they should make sure to cover all their bases before accusing a witness of lying."

"I believe that's what they're doing now," Vector replied as he began fiddling with his headset. "All you have to do now is cooperate and answer whatever additional questions they might have with your testimony. Even I have some questions that have just now arisen after listening to what you had to say. Just do us all a favor and try not to make yourself look more like a suspect when you reply."

"The defense has already done a stellar job on their own at portraying me as such," the old man vehemently spat out.

"If neither of you mind, I would like for the defense to get on with the cross-examination now," the old man quickly said. "Not only am I curious as to what else they might uncover from this, but I'm also mindful of the time. It's already late in the afternoon, and I don't want to be carrying this over through the night."

"At least the Judge doesn't seem as impatient to call an end to the trial!" Sonic murmured under his breath to Tails. "I guess we should be thankful and use this chance to really hit that no good prosecutor where it hurts! I noticed during his testimony that he was trying to answer our questions while trying to mention as little as possible. Considering how talkative he was in our past cross-examinations, I think this is a sign we're on the right track."

"That may be true, but don't let that pull you into a false sense of security," Tails warned. "Don't forget exactly who it is we're dealing with. He might be a witness now, but Mephiles is a very experienced prosecutor. Now that we've proven he was in the lighthouse's warehouse just before the murders, he'll probably try to exploit every possible loophole he can find order to keep from properly answering our questions. When that happens, we should push back with equal or greater force in order to get him talking."

"The most I'd probably be able to muster right now is equal force," the cobalt hedgehog simply said. "Still, I've managed to get this far against the country's supposedly best prosecutor on that. I just need to keep pounding him with everything I've got until he's buried under a pile of irrefutable evidence! Now let's get ready to talk the guy to death and make him tell us more about why he was really there that night!"

Begin Cross-Examination

"Allow me to ask what might sound to you like a stupid question," Sonic began. "Why did you call for a meeting on that particular day? Not only did the murders happened later on that night, but you had just finished handling a case. At the least, I would suspect that you were a bit tired from that alone."

"Business doesn't run on a schedule that would prove to be convenient for any one person," Mephiles curtly explained. "I had an important job to do, and that was to oversee everything that went on with the Prycey Seafood Business. If that meant I had to attend a meeting right after finishing a trial, then so be it. Whether or not I was tired has nothing to do with how I should conduct my given obligations."

"I'll admit that makes a lot of sense. Life always has a way of taking advantage of you when you least expect it. Still, it all seems a bit strange how a crime just decided to take place on the night you chose to have this meeting. What's even more interesting is how it happened not long after it had concluded. Are you sure all of this was nothing more than just an amazingly big coincidence?"

"Could you please try another tactic other than trying to pressure me with nothing more than empty threats?" the old hedgehog exclaimed exasperatedly. "Unless you have the evidence to back up your words, I refuse to entertain anymore of your usual shenanigans! I have been more than patient with you throughout our time in our previous case; one could possibly consider me to be a saint after everything I've been forced to endure during this trial. But even after all that, you're starting to burn out my patience!"

"Might I advise you to pull back on your attacks for now, Mr. Sonic?" Vector suggested as he fiddled with the cord of his headset. "If you keep going at this rate, you might force our witness from the stand. I'm sure that's the last thing you want right now. Don't forget that I happen to have some interest in what he has to say about his involvement."

"Then let's start with a different question," Tails spoke up. "Prosecutor Mephiles, you mentioned in your testimony something about the phone call that we had in question earlier. You said that it served as a reminder to you of the meeting you were to have at the warehouse. However, you also mentioned when we first called you in that it was a call that kept you from going to the lighthouse. That's two completely different explanations!"

"But are they really?" the old hedgehog objected. "I know where you're going with this, so allow me to shoot you down before you even get that far.

"I'll concede to the fact that both the warehouse and lighthouse are considered to be part of the same property. However, both are different buildings which serve completely different purposes. The lighthouse is where I conduct office work while the warehouse is considered field work. As such, I never lied when I said the call was something that prevented me from going to the lighthouse. You even have the picture you presented earlier as proof of my words. So unless you want to recant the one piece of evidence that you're already using to try and pin me at the lighthouse, you can't expect to prove I was lying."

"I must agree with the witness," the Judge announced. "That Five-Year-Old Photograph does serve to supplement his claims of not being at the lighthouse. I'll admit it isn't very solid proof, but it's the best we have under the circumstances. If the defense doesn't have anything regarding to this matter, then I suggest you move on to another question."

"Umm, then how about we talk about the meeting itself?" the cobalt hedgehog quickly suggested, his mind trying to come up with relevant questions.

"I already said that private business matters were discussed during that time. I'm under no obligation to be divulging such information to this court."

"…Actually, I don't have any interests with what was discussed during it. Rather, I want you to clear something up for me. You said that the meeting only consisted of you and someone who was to be your client. I had expected that there would be more people since it was going to be all about business. Was there a reason for that or was he simply the only one able to attend at such a late hour?"

"It was late because it was the only time he was free. There was only one person whose interests I needed to catch, so I had no need for inviting more people. It would've only served to add more confusion to the already delicate process."

"But was it as private as you claimed it to be?" the fox asked. "After all, you were inside the warehouse. I'd imagine that there would probably be a couple people coming in and out if only to check up on the cargo."

"And just what purpose would it serve for me to lie about how many people were inside during the meeting? Not only is it such a frivolous matter; it also has absolutely nothing to do with what's currently being discussed!"

"Then I take it you're claiming you were all alone in there with your client," Vector calmly surmised as though Mephiles's venomous behavior did not exist. "As trivial as it may sound, this is testimony we've yet to hear. I'd like for it to be added to your official statement so that it would reflect this change."

"Please tell me you're not serious about that, Prosecutor Vector," Mephiles growled as he angrily stared at the crocodile. After a few seconds and seeing no signs of relenting, the witness let out a loud and aggravated sigh. "I can't believe you're actually desperately floundering about for information like some kind of helpless rookie. That's especially so since what I've said has only proven to be beneficial in your pursuit to prove that the defense is wasting time trying to pin the murders on me!"

"I'm sorry, but that hasn't been my goal this entire time. What I'm really after is the truth of this case that has remained buried for these past five years. I could care less whether or not the defense is merely scavenging about for more information; I've already seen more than enough today to convince me that there's merit in their want to reinvestigate this case. And since my interests happens to align with theirs, I'll be more than happy to lend them a hand in their search for relevant information. And I'll continue to do so even if it goes against the assumed role I've been given by the law to play as!"

"That was very well said, Prosecutor Vector!" the Judge stated as a small smile came to his lips after the speech was over. "It matters not what side of the law you're playing on. All that matters is that we get to the truth of the matter. Only then can we all be comfortable with whatever comes to pass no matter what the outcome may be.

"And it's on that note that I'll happily allow the prosecution's request for an addendum," he added before clearing his throat and banging his gavel. "Prosecutor Mephiles, please add the new piece of information to your official testimony."

"… …I can't believe how much of a circus the two of you have managed to transform this courtroom into!" the old hedgehog grumbled as he shamelessly rolled his eyes. Everybody did not pay any attention to his abhorrent behavior. "You actually have everyone following along with your idiotic semantics! Very well then; I'll go ahead and add what I've already said to my testimony if only to appease your terrible curiosity. I hope then that you'll all see how futile your attempts at finding the 'truth' really are."

New Statement

We were the only ones who were in the warehouse that entire evening!

End New Statement

"Why do I get the feeling that Vector was just grasping at straws when he asked for this addition?" Sonic murmured as the old hedgehog began grumbling incoherently after providing his new statement. "I'm sure even he knows how little was actually said in the testimony. Still, what Mephiles just said doesn't appear to be anything but superficial at best! I don't know what we could use in it that would be to our advantage."

"How can you be so sure that you were alone that whole time?" Tails immediately asked, completely ignoring the other in the process. "Even you must admit that it's a pretty bold claim for you to make. I doubt you made a point to keep an eye on all the entrances in case someone unexpected decided to come around."

"That's why they built an office in the warehouse," Mephiles simply stated as though the question was annoying. "It's good for those occasions when an impromptu private discussion with one of the workers is required. It was a good place to keep out meeting details from being leaked, so that's where we happened to be.

"And being that it's the warehouse office, it also had complete access to all the security cameras that were in place around the building," he quickly added. "They have since been disconnected and replaced with that password security alarm system, but there were monitors that showed the spot each camera was pointed at. They were set to give off some kind of warning when someone entered. Needless to say, that system never once activated during the entirety of our meeting."

"Forgive me for saying this, but it seems as though many things you've mentioned thus far from five years ago have since faded from existence," Vector interrupted. "First there was the cell phone that you only used for business purposes; then there was the matter with the phone records from five years ago. Now we're hearing of a security system that was active at the time of the murders but is no longer in service. If you take each of them into account of the big picture, it would almost seem like you've intentionally destroyed evidence that would prove disadvantageous to your plea of innocence."

"Think of it what you will, but I will continue to state that it's nothing more than mere coincidence," the old hedgehog replied. "I promise you that there isn't any evidence saying it was anything but that. After all, I'm sure the defense would've used it by now in their ever futile attempts at indicting me for this crime."

"Trust me; we already gave it a try during the whole phone record fiasco," the cobalt hedgehog deadpanned as he let out an annoyed sigh. "I kind of figured that trying it out again with something else would yield the same results."

"I believe that's probably the most sensible thing I've heard you say thus far. It's about time that you admitted defeat and gave up on your fruitless endeavor. Evidence is everything when you're in a court of law. You'll never be able to convince the court of your standing unless you can procure incontrovertible pieces of the truth!"

"If we're to admit defeat now, then we're basically agreeing with Mephiles in that his explanation of what happened in the warehouse can't be argued," the fox surmised as he started worrying his bottom lip. "It can't possibly be all that perfect, so there has to be something wrong that we haven't found out yet!"

"If we could just somehow prove that he and his client weren't the only ones inside the warehouse that evening, then I think we might stand a chance," the defense attorney growled as he began sifting through the evidence for any hint of a clue. "To be perfectly honest, I think that's the only thing in his testimony we can try to dispute. Still, I think Vector would've caught on to that by now if that were the case."

"Then maybe it's something so small that even he would miss it. Come on, Sonic! We need to think about everything we've learned about this case. There has to be something that doesn't fit in with what Mephiles is saying."

"…It seems as though the defense still has something they feel can be further debated," the crocodile noted, his tone clearly intrigued as to what the two were whispering about. Said two were still talking and shuffling through their list of evidence. "I can only assume that to be the case seeing as how they're merely looking through the mass of evidence. That and it's not like them to simply give up because it's what the witness wants. If you don't mind, could you share with the rest of us what it is you're thinking? I'd at least would like to know whether or not it has any bearing to the current testimony."

"Please do speak your mind if you're going to be whispering for that length of time with your assistant, Mr. Sonic," the Judge agreed as he raised a quizzical eyebrow at the defensive team. "Don't forget that despite the progress you've clearly shown thus far, I'm not too happy with the fact that the trial has gone on for this long. If you wish to continue on, then refrain from stalling and tell us what you're thinking."

End Cross-Examination

"…I didn't mean to pass myself off as stalling, Your Honor," Sonic said despite clearly lying through his teeth about it. However, his eyes suddenly saw something he had forgotten thanks in part to the hectic atmosphere. "I simply remembered something and decided to review the evidence to see if my thoughts were right. It appears now that they were."

"The only thing that's right about you is the fact you're in a court of law," Mephiles scoffed without so much as a glance at the other. "Everything else appears to be nothing but a sham. Don't think I can't see through your lie that you weren't stalling."

"Whether or not I was isn't what I'm putting into question," the cobalt hedgehog coolly countered as he took out Salem's Testimony from when he took the stand as a witness. "Rather, I'm more interested in how it is that there's now a contradiction between this piece of evidence and your last statement!"

"…Well, there's something you don't see there every day," Vector stated as he took a careful look at the transcript and immediately noticed the problem. "The defense has actually pointed out to me something that I've managed to miss. Either I'm losing my touch or this case has become even more complicated than I anticipated."

"We would like to draw the court's attention to this one particular part of Agent Salem's Testimony," Tails explained. "Mephiles has stated that his client had left about thirty minutes before the murders occurred. Naturally, that would mean they weren't disturbed by anybody even when the meeting came to an end at half past twelve.

"However, Agent Salem has already testified to the contrary. If you would all look at this particular portion of his recorded testimony, he said he was working overtime in the warehouse starting from twelve until one when he heard the gunshot that killed Ms. Robotnik. This means there was somebody else in the building along with the witness and his client while the meeting was still underway!"

"Is this true?!" the Judge exclaimed as the entire gallery went in an uproar upon hearing this revelation. "Prosecutor Mephiles, you will explain yourself this instant!"

"I don't know what the defense is trying to get at, but I've stated nothing but the truth," the old hedgehog merely replied with his lips tight. "The evidence they just presented seems to me like it could use a bit more polishing before it can be properly used. Shouldn't you be putting that Interpol Agent's character into question before you start trying to use his testimony against me? After all, I've heard that he made an effort to keep his identity hidden while he was in here until it was uncovered by the defense."

"Unfortunately, he's already proven himself to be a reliable witness after having provide us with ample proof that he was working with Interpol," the fox quickly countered. "He's even proved that he was working with them five years ago. That's more than enough for us to see him as a reliable witness.

"However, every contradiction that we've unearthed in your testimonies have given us no reason to think the same of you. I'll admit that most of them have been flimsy at best, but even you have to admit that the last two have been very damaging to your credibility. And it's on that note that I ask you explain why it is you claim nobody was in the warehouse during your meeting when Salem had arrived sometime during it!"

"Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that I might've simply failed to see or hear him come in? The meeting was rather intense in nature, so I'm bound to have heard nothing except for what was being discussed."

"We would've considered it had you not just now contradicted yourself yet again!" Sonic countered. "Did you really just forget about what you said concerning being able to receive life feed from the security cameras that were installed then? I believe you also mentioned there being some kind of alert sent to the office when someone comes in. You were quite adamant when you said they were working and never went off, so are we now supposed to interpret that as another convenient little lie?"

"Or is it that you're merely trying to cover up something you don't want this court to know about?" the crocodile added. "I've had my suspicions for a while that you might've been holding out on us. With the rise of this most recent contradiction, I'm now positive that you're desperately trying to hide something. The question before us now is what exactly is it? I don't suppose you're willing to tell us?"

"…There's nothing for me to tell," Mephiles murmured. His unusually quiet voice was clearly indicative that he was slowly starting to fall apart. "I've nothing to hide. I've told the truth in that nobody ever entered the warehouse while I was hosting the meeting. If that agent really did come in to conduct work, then he must've used another means of entering that no normal person would consider. After all, he could quite possibly have in his arsenal at the time some fancy gadgets to help make sneaking around easier."

"Uh, Salem's only an Interpol agent; he's not some kind of international super spy," the cobalt hedgehog deadpanned. "However, that's not what we're here to discuss. What I want to know now is where exactly in the warehouse you were at from between midnight and one that night. If there really were a set of cameras in the office, then it's clear you weren't in there like you had claimed!"

"Or perhaps you weren't even in the warehouse when you had your supposed meeting," Tails suggested in an off-hand fashion. "Salem was working as the warehouse's cargo manager at the time. That meant he would've had access to most parts of the building. He had a whole hour before the murder to do his work, but he never once mentioned running into you. If he didn't see you despite having been there for as long as he was, then I feel it easy to conclude that you weren't where you say you were."

"… … …I must admit that you, for once, actually managed to come up with a rather valid argument," the old hedgehog surprisingly admitted in a nonchalant tone. "If you are to have full trust in that agent's words, then it would stand to reason that I was most likely not in the warehouse that evening. After all, the picture you presented earlier merely shows I was there just minutes before the murder took place. It's hardly grounds for me to then be claiming I was there since the moment the meeting began."

"Are we supposed to be taking this as an admission on your part?" the fox asked with an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Were you, in fact, not at the warehouse for the time that you've already specified to us?"

"I've never said anything of the sort. The only thing I've admitted was that you made a rather solid foundation for an argument. The amount of evidence proving your argument to be a fact is another thing altogether. As I've already mentioned, the picture only shows where I was just before the crime occurred. You've yet to present anything to prove just where it was you believe I was at prior. Unless you can come up with it, you can't claim that I wasn't at the warehouse simply because I failed to notice the agent's arrival."

"If there's insufficient evidence, then we'll simply have to go about this in another way," Vector suggested as he took off his headset and began to clean his badge. "How about we hear you testify about why it's impossible for you to have been anywhere else but the warehouse that night? You've already admitted the defense's argument on that point is good and that they provided evidence that doubts your claim. You're not one to easily admit to anything much less that the defense has posed a well-constructed argument. That leads me to believe you have some way of countering them."

"With this much controversy over the topic, I feel that it's the most prudent course of action," the Judge admitted as he slammed his gavel. "Prosecutor Mephiles, please tell us why we should believe that you were in the warehouse for the entire evening."

Without bothering to make a counter, the old prosecutor merely crossed his arms in silent defiance. It was clear he was not willing to provide further testimony.

"Do I have to remind you that you're currently under some suspicion due to the mass of contradictory remarks against you?" the crocodile asked in response to the silence. "Your best chance at reversing whatever damage has been done to your character is to provide us with your counterargument. To be more precise, provide us with a reason to believe that you had your meeting in the warehouse."

"…Do I really have no choice in the matter?" Mephiles growled out. "Fine, I'll testify about this matter. Just know that the answer might not be what you want to hear, but you can't change what I know to be the truth."

"What you say and what you know are completely different things," Sonic said. "Stop providing us with contradictions when you testify and we might start viewing your way of things as the truth."

I was at the Warehouse!

The meeting was held inside the warehouse office! I fail to see how that Interpol agent having not seen me while on the job would be of any importance. We simply could've missed each other. Nevertheless, you haven't provided a single piece of evidence that shows I wasn't there. If you can't prove that I'm wrong, then you're merely wasting your time!

End Testimony

"That…was quite an unusual testimony for you to make," the Judge replied with a frown. "I must say that this sounds more akin to what regular witnesses would say when there's a lack of evidence to go on."

"Yet that is exactly the hand that I've been dealt with, Your Honor," Mephiles simply responded. "As a prosecutor, I must learn when to admit that there isn't a whole lot of evidence to work with. This happens to be one of those times where evidence proving my way of things to be true just doesn't exist. Because of this setback, I've been forced to submit testimony that is subpar at best."

"Then how do you expect us to just accept your testimony the way it is?" Sonic argued. "All you've done is set us up for failure. The point of this was so that we could discern whether or not you were telling the truth!"

"And we're still able to do that, Mr. Sonic," Vector quickly cut in. "I'll admit that the witness hasn't answered the question the way we wanted him to, but there are some things he mentioned that are still debatable. Considering how things have gone thus far, I think it'd be wrong of us to not at least look further into it."

"Not to mention that some of his claims still lack the proven backing for us to consider without looking past the face value of what was said," Tails added before turning his attention towards the witness. "For a man like you who always strives for only the perfect testimony, I find it odd how you merely said the bare minimum in order to satisfy the current topic. That along with your known behavior of being so stringent with details is enough for us to want to scrutinize what you said!"

"Uh, you guys do know that I only said he was making it harder for us to see if he was telling the truth," the cobalt hedgehog deadpanned after receiving what amounted to be a pep talk from both the fox and crocodile. "I never said I didn't know what I should be concentrating on or what I'm supposed to do."

"Well, we just figured you needed a little push in the right direction," the fox stated with a shrug. "We have been at this for the entire day; I'm surprised you haven't sounded as tired as I thought you would."

"Isn't this a touching moment?" the old hedgehog sarcastically observed. "The assistant is worried for his mentor's well-being. You two would probably make good cast members for a courtroom drama show."

"Anyway, let's get back to the point at hand," the crocodile said with a clearing of his throat. "Drama show or not, we've got a job to finish."

"Yes, the defense should get on with their cross-examination," the old man agreed with a nod of his head. "As much as I want this trial to be over with, I must admit that I'm curious as to what you'll uncover next."

"I suggest that you don't go treating me as a medium for your curiosity, Your Honor. I can't see how you'll be able to render impartial judgment with that mindset."

"I don't think I could possibly be impartial after everything that's been discussed today, Prosecutor Mephiles. All I can do now is hope that what the defense might uncover through your testimony doesn't uproot one of the most powerful prosecutors in the state!"

"Well, I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult."

"How about you take it as neither and concern yourself with what we might ask of you during our cross-examination?" the fox quickly interrupted. "I'm not really up for prolonging this case any longer than it has been. It's time to see what else you're hiding behind loosely constructed words."

Begin Cross-Examination

"Let's go ahead and get started then," Sonic agreed as he began to formulate his opening question. "Prosecutor Mephiles, why do you keep insisting that we spend more time checking up on Agent Salem's Testimony? I'll admit that I might be reading too much into this, but it seems as though you always use him as a scapegoat when things start going bad."

"Well, you did only call me in here based on what he said," Mephiles reminded. "If it weren't for that, then I'm sure none of you would've ever considered asking me to testify. In fact, I believe you all admitted when I first came here that you jumped the gun upon hearing my name be mentioned as a tie-in to this case. I think that's basis enough to put him into question considering he's the only reason why I'm here."

"And like we've said before, his character has already been tested by us and proven to be reliable," the cobalt hedgehog countered back. "He's had his share of accusations of being tied in with the murders, but he managed to prove us wrong on that accord and thus earned our trust. You've yet to achieve that with us, so that's why I find it suspect that you always play it off that Agent Salem is somehow to blame for your problems now."

"As if that's enough to simply use his words against my own," the old hedgehog scoffed. "Evidence is everything in court. Just because a witness's words have been made in a courtroom and is thus certified doesn't mean it's automatically a good piece of evidence. You must have something that can back up their words. As far as I'm concerned, you've yet to show me any that does such a thing."

"Well, he did provide us with the weapon used to kill Detective Charles Hedgehog," Tails replied in a thoughtful manner. "And on top of that, he also told us his reasoning for having removed key evidence from the scene. Because of his undercover status and the job he was working on then, it gave him legal reason to do so. Everything he's mentioned has been the truth, so that in itself is proof enough of his reliability."

"So allow me to reiterate the defense's original question," Vector stated bluntly. "Why do you keep calling into doubt Agent Salem's Testimony? We've already knocked down your claim of unreliability, so there must be another reason."

"…Unfortunately for you, I had no reason other than that. Now that you've thoroughly explained to me why he's so trustworthy, I can admit that I've no longer any reason to cast doubt on his person."

"However, that doesn't mean I'm going to admit I was wrong on every contradiction where I used that defense," the witness quickly stated. "Even had I not went that route, you've yet to provide evidence that properly substantiates those claims. Some of them were actually true on my part, and you've yet to convince me otherwise why they can't be."

"Then let's move onto something else that we can currently put under proper scrutiny," Sonic quickly suggested. "How can you be so sure whether or not Agent Salem having seen you isn't important? At the least, both of your testimonies contradict each other! That in itself is something that you should explain!"

"Unfortunately for you, he's already provided us with an explanation," the Judge stated. "I'll admit that it's not in as much detail as we would like, but Prosecutor Mephiles has already made mention of simply missing him. Since you're so insistent on this point, do you have any evidence which proves this is of any importance?"

"I wouldn't be this persistent if I had the evidence on me. This I why I'm asking for further explanation on his part."

"And I refuse to provide you with such testimony. I've already provided you with what you originally wanted; it's your obligation to prove to me and the court your reasoning for wanting to hear more. Since you've already admitted that you don't have the evidence to do so, I'm under no obligation to be submitting to your demands."

"But it's safe for us to infer that you weren't in the warehouse office for the entirety of the meeting," Tails quickly pointed out. "If there was a security system in place five years ago set up the way you described, then there's no reason why you would've missed Agent Salem's entrance into the warehouse. As such, you must've been somewhere else even for a couple minutes at the time he came by. That's an inconsistency proven by your own words and must be further explained!"

"…I suppose I do owe you that much considering how it would serve to explain how we missed each other," the old prosecutor replied while letting out a sigh. "Very well; here's my reason for not being in the office at that moment."

New Statement

I was giving my client a small tour of the warehouse when it was around midnight.

End New Statement

"And you still managed to miss seeing Agent Salem as you and your client were moving around?" Vector asked with a skeptical eyebrow raised. "Exactly where was it you decided to provide this exclusive tour?"

"Only the packaging department," Mephiles replied. "He didn't want to see much apart from how we went about packaging our goods. And just so you know, that part of the building is located towards the back. There is an entrance there, so we would've noticed if Salem had entered through there. We then headed back to the office to conclude our meeting. And yes, we missed seeing each other during the trek back."

"…As much as I want to say it all sounds way too convenient, I'll admit that what you said is pretty reasonable," Sonic begrudgingly admitted. "However, wouldn't it be possible that Agent Salem first stopped by your office? I'm sure he would've wanted to confirm with you the details of his overtime assignment."

"That's simply impossible," the old hedgehog quickly shot down. "To get to the office, one must first walk up a set of stairs to get to the door. Anybody inside the warehouse would be able to see if anybody was on the railing, and I clearly saw nobody. And it's also not possible that he was waiting inside the office. I always make it a point to lock it up when I'm out. I'm the only one with the key to the room. That's how it was five years ago, and it's still under the same guidelines even with the company under new management."

"I would assume you do that because of the important documents that you housed in there," Tails thought aloud. "I'm sure it wouldn't be good if they suddenly went missing while you were out doing what you needed to do."

End Cross-Examination

"…Wait a minute!" Sonic suddenly exclaimed, his eyes alit in sudden realization. His tone startled everyone and drew their attention towards him. "If you're the only one with a key to the warehouse office now, then that provides us with a rather damning piece of information that we can use against you!"

"My, I've never seen you get this fired up so quickly over nothing," Mephiles said, his intrigue clear in his words as he actually looked interested at what was being said. "If you really feel that strongly about it, then explain to me exactly how the circumstances regarding the office can be used to your advantage."

"You weren't here when we made mention of this, but Agent Salem had been looking for his brother Leon who had went missing for the past few days," the cobalt hedgehog bluntly explained. "Coincidentally, he also happened to be his partner in their smuggling investigation. So on both a personal and professional front, he needed to figure out where his brother was. Needless to say, he was found just last night by the Chaotix Detective Agency locked in the Warehouse's office. And that's where I'll base my current argument!

"Salem's little brother told us that he had picked the lock and closed the door behind him so nobody would notice he was inside. It was only a few moments after that did he mentioned being attacked from behind and knocked out. He was then locked in and left there until he was rescued. It was never directly mentioned, but I'm willing to bet that somebody barred the door from the other side to prevent him from leaving. The only way I can someone following him into the office even after having closed it was if that person had the office key. Now what did we just hear you testify about with regards to the key?"

"Are you trying to say that I was the one who assaulted the agent's partner simply because I'm the only one with a key to the office?" the old hedgehog asked in an incredulous tone. "I'll admit the part about the key is true, but how's that enough for you to say that I'm responsible for both assault and unlawful imprisonment? You seem to be overstretching this particular point a bit too far. I mean, there still stands the chance that I had lost the key at some point which then granted the true perpetrator access to the office. And dare I even mention that this has absolutely nothing to do with me being at the warehouse five years ago?"

"Seeing as how we've yet to uncover anything else on that particular matter, I think we're ready to concede that you were there all those years ago," Tails responded as he looked at Sonic who nodded in agreement. "However, our admission doesn't mean we'll also back off on our current claim. Do you have evidence that proves when it was you say you lost the key? Don't forget that we can have Agent Salem testify about when his brother first went missing, so I suggest you think about providing us with a truthful answer."

"Humph, I never directly said that I lost possession of that key. I was merely raising the possibility of such a thing happening since you seemed so fixated on the idea that I was the one responsible for the agent's partner's unlawful incarceration."

"Judging by how you worded your response, it sounds like you never lost your key when the incident took place," Vector concluded. "If that's so, then it sounds like the defense's claims of you attacking and trapping an Interpol Agent is the truth. However, I'll keep an open mind and give you the chance to defend yourself against these accusations. Of course, that's taking into consideration that you do have some way of creating a defense."

"I think the lack of evidence is enough to prove the invalidity of the defense's claims. If that agent was able to break into the office by merely picking the lock, then what's stopping other people from doing the same thing? I'm sure even the rookies can see how the amount of potential suspects would dramatically increase with that revelation."

"That does make a lot of sense," the Judge admitted as he seemed to side with the witness on this. "Considering that the warehouse office door requires a conventional key to open, it's not too far of a stretch to say that somebody managed to make their way in right after Agent Salem's partner did. Under that light, the matter revolving whether or not Prosecutor Mephiles had the key on him at the time of the agent's imprisonment holds no importance."

"…That part may be true, but it requires more than just a conventional key to enter that office," Sonic countered after giving it a bit of thought. He then took a piece of paper that held the information regarding the Warehouse Keypad and placed it on the projector for all to see. "Don't forget that one would need to bypass the keypad lock outside before being allowed entrance into the warehouse itself. As we've already discussed some time ago, we learned that Prosecutor Mephiles is the only one who has access to the codes. Therefore, he's the only one who had the chance to imprison Agent Leon in that office!"

"Ah, I think I see where you're going with this," the crocodile responded, clearly intrigued with where this line of thinking was headed. "Let me try and piece together what might be your interpretation of the facts. Agent Leon decided to break into the warehouse in search of some information regarding the smuggling case. Using tools given to him by Interpol, he hacked into the keypad in order to gain entrance. As he did that, the witness took note of him from wherever he was and used the password to quickly follow suit. When he saw the agent loitering in the office, he knocked him out before making sure the door couldn't be opened from the inside. Is that the explanation you were going for, Mr. Sonic?"

"Heh, it looks like I wasn't the only one to come to the same conclusion," the cobalt hedgehog confirmed with a curt nod. "When you consider all the facts before us, it's the only scenario that makes perfect sense. And the only person able to fit the role of suspect in all this is you, Prosecutor Mephiles!"

When all the explanations were over, the gallery immediately started talking loudly amongst themselves. If they were not already confused with what today's proceedings had led to, then they were really confused now.

"Order in the court!" the old man shouted over the noise of both the chatter and the banging of his gavel. "Prosecutor Mephiles, do you have anything you wish to say or present so as to refute these claims? I'm sure I don't need to remind you just how serious the crime of assault and unlawful imprisonment can be!"

"Once again, the defense's lack of decisive evidence is basis for my defense," Mephiles calmly countered back. "All they've done is produce a likely scenario that may or may not have happened. Where's the evidence that proves what they claim is really the truth?"

"If its evidence you want, then that's what you're going to get!" Tails countered back as he replaced the info on the Warehouse Keypad with the Warehouse Office Diagram. "After the last recess was over but before we called you back in to testify, we discussed about what was found in the office. The only things that were worth jotting down were a set of gloved prints found only in certain parts of the room and a very recent bloodstain. This was indicated by the relatively clean patch of floor in comparison to other dusty portions of the room. Unfortunately for detectives, they weren't able to conduct a proper test of the blood due to the fact that it was cleaned with a kind of bleaching agent."

"If that's the case, then why are you bothering to show me details regarding their fruitless investigation?" the old hedgehog asked in mild annoyance. "You said you were going to show me evidence, but you seem to have only dug yourself into a big hole."

"Oh, I assure you that this diagram merely serves to open myself up to what I really have in mind," the young fox continued before replacing the diagram with the Blood Analysis report. "While it's true that the assailant took precautions to erase any signs that they were there, he failed to clean one important spot. Namely, that was Agent Leon's fingernails where traces of his attacker's blood existed and was left unmarred from the bleach. Forensics has managed to garner a clean sample of its composition, so we in turn have information as to who the one responsible for assaulting and imprisoning the agent is."

"And this all leads us to the one thing that can show that everything we've mentioned is the truth," the defense attorney concluded as he crossed his arms in confidence. "Prosecutor Mephiles, would you please submit to this court a sample of your blood? If we're to compare the report on the Blood Analysis with the theory we've presented, then we require that you at least lend us a small modicum of your cooperation."

"And before you answer, let me tell you a little something regarding all this," Vector added. All Mephiles did was stand still while having only an unreadable expression pasted on his face. "If you choose to refuse to cooperate with the defense's request, then I'll go ahead and petition the courts to make you conform to the blood test. I'm very confident that the court will entertain my request to make you cooperate. I believe that they have presented enough evidence to support the idea that it's more likely than not you're the one responsible for assaulting and imprisoning an Interpol Agent. With that out of the way, will you or will you not willingly cooperate with us and present a bit of your blood for comparison?"

Instead of providing them with an answer, the old hedgehog kept quiet and betrayed no emotions in his facial features. However, he also showed no signs of outwardly voicing his refusal at being subjected to a blood test. He continued to stay quiet for a few seconds more before the Judge finally decided to break the silence.

"…I'll take the silence as the witness's consent to the test," he concluded while banging his gavel. "Even had he said no, I would've side with the prosecution's request in having to forcibly have him comply. Bailiff, would you please escort the witness to one of our medical officers so we can draw some of his blood for a test?"

"You don't have to waste your time drawing my blood," the old hedgehog quickly said before the bailiff even took a step towards him. "I doubt it'd be able to serve you much help in the case at this point."

"A-Are you actually conceding then that you're the one responsible for Agent Leon's imprisonment a few days ago?!" the Judge exclaimed. To say that he along with the rest of the courtroom were shocked would be a complete understatement. "Refusing to have your blood drawn as evidence even after court demand is as good as an admission!"

"Oh, I think you misinterpreted the meaning of my words, Your Honor," he snidely stated while pulling at the cuffs of his gloves. "I'm nowhere near admitting anything that would grant the defense the satisfaction of 'having got the better of me' in this. Rather, I would like to throw back at them a rather important question that they seem to be ignoring."

"Are you seriously still intent on trying to fight back?" Sonic groaned. "Why can't you just learn to give up? What else are you going to try shoving down our throats in an attempt to get out of this mess?"

"If there was blood discovered inside the office, then that would mean that somebody's blood was spilled. Obviously, the Interpol Agent wasn't injured in such a fashion. On that note, it would mean that the suspect was the one to have sustained open wounds. With that in mind, I ask of this court one simple question. Is there any indication on me that I've been involved with a fight and sustained open wound injuries? Find the answer to that and you'll see how much of a waste of time the defense has taken in pursuing this."

"Gah, I forgot about that!" the cobalt hedgehog exclaimed as the revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. "If Agent Leon has the suspect's blood on his nails, then he must've been able to puncture some skin. And if it were you, the injury would be very apparent since the fur around the wound would have temporarily fallen out while it heals over!"

"Exactly. And since you don't see any kind of loss of fur on me, you can't keep saying that I was the one responsible for the warehouse incident a few days ago. And since there's that discrepancy, the prosecution can't petition the courts to have me forcibly comply with their demands to have my blood tested. All in all, every one of you have failed to present the one piece of evidence that binds your arguments!

"And do I even have to mention how much of a waste of time chasing after this thought is?" the witness added. "The last time I checked, I was called in here to testify about what I knew in the incident five years ago. This current topic regarding how an Interpol Agent was imprisoned has nothing to do with any of that. Not only have you accused me of yet another crime you've yet to present ample evidence of, but you also managed to mislead the court down the wrong path for the past few minutes. I do hope you have something to help you out of this since clearly wasting the court's time is a punishable offense to both you and Prosecutor Vector for improper courtroom etiquette."

"Hey, don't forget that we only strayed to current events due to a contradiction that was present in your last testimony!" the crocodile quickly shot back as he tried to defend both his and the defense's actions. Both Sonic and Tails were too surprised at what the claim brought up to properly defend themselves. "Because of that, we both have some right to explore something that was off-topic due to the potential connection it posed."

"That may be true, but it still doesn't erase the initial problem Prosecutor Mephiles has brought up," the Judge reminded as he banged his gavel in order to quell the gallery chatter. "I don't think that we can tie him into the Interpol Agent's imprisonment when there's the lack of any open wound injuries on his body. I may be getting on in years, but even I can clearly see from here that he hasn't suffered any recent injuries."

"Th-Then perhaps he found some way to hide it!" the defense attorney exclaimed as he tried to find some way to explain his way out of this new mess. "Maybe he just glued on some fake fur over his wounds so we wouldn't be able to see it."

"That may cover it up, but I can't imagine how hard it'd be for the wound to properly heal over," the old man simply replied. "That and I don't believe having glue on you for long periods of time would be healthy for the skin."

"Are you still content with saying I somehow managed to hide a wound that would be obvious to all who saw me?" Mephiles chidingly questioned. "If so, then you better come up with something better than the idea I glued fake fur on. After all the theoretic scenarios that flew from your mouth, I was expecting something better than that."

"W-We need to think about this for a moment, Sonic!" Tails quickly suggested, his tone indicating that he was also having trouble coming up with a suitable answer. "If we're to believe that Mephiles was at the warehouse and thus responsible for Leon's imprisonment, then there has to be some kind of injury on his body. Something like that would easily be noted on his person at just a glance. Obviously, we haven't seen anything like that the entire time he's been on the stand. If he really managed to hide the wound, then the question we need to answer is where exactly he was wounded. Is there a part of his body that he managed to cover up without having it be considered suspicious to us?"

Mulling over the fox's words in his head, Sonic rapidly thought of all the possible ways the witness would be able to cover up such an obvious wound. Considering that he was not the type of person to wear clothes over his fur, it stood to reason that his injuries would most likely not be out in the open. As such, there must be a part of his body that he had not been able to see this entire time due to some kind of obstruction. The only question running through his mind now is where exactly on Mephiles' body would this place be?

"Mr. Sonic, I think you've had more than enough time to think this over," the Judge said after letting a few moments of silence pass by. "I'd like for you to give the court an answer to this now. Do you have any evidence that Mephiles was injured and thus proves that he was the one responsible for Agent Leon's unlawful imprisonment a few days ago?"

"… … …I think I do, Your Honor," the cobalt hedgehog replied after stalling for a few more seconds. "It's a bit of a long shot, but it still poses a possibility of proving the witness was injured by Leon that day."

"It seems like you're able to pull off yet another amazing feat," Vector amusedly said as he kept his eyes reflecting high expectations on the hedgehog. "Then let's hear what you have to say. What's your proof that shows everything we've worked on in regards to the Interpol Agent kidnapping incident is the truth?"

"The proof I'm looking for can only be found on Prosecutor Mephiles' own body! I'm more than convinced that he was the one attacked by Leon during the scuffle, so it has to be somewhere on him. Naturally, I was a bit confused as to how he was able to hide such an obvious wound from the world. When I thought about it, I realized that he must've hid it in a way so that none of us would ever consider the obstruction to be suspicious. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, just take a look at the witness's gloves to understand what I'm saying."

"Th-That's right!" the young fox exclaimed once his mind made the connection. "Since the day Sonic and I first met him in this courtroom, he's always had his gloves on. I suspect that it's a part of his regular attire seeing how nobody made a single comment on it. If that's true, then it wouldn't be impossible for a man like him to hide such an obvious wound if it were on one of his hands!"

"Heh, you two are merely grasping at straws!" the old prosecutor bit back despite the bit of panic in his hands as he fiddled with his gloves' cuffs. "You have no evidence to suggest that I was even the one responsible for this imprisonment charade. Surely you're not going to ask me to take off my gloves simply to satisfy one of your many roundabout bits of curiosity? If so, then I refuse to comply with such baseless demands!"

"Unfortunately for you, I don't see their demands to be as baseless as you paint them out to be," the crocodile calmly countered. Despite keeping a stoic tone, he was trying his best to hide the urge to exclaim out of excitement for having such a good lead open up. "The defense has already given proper explanation as to why it's most likely you who was responsible. Only the person who had direct access to the codes for the Warehouse Keypad would've been able to follow Agent Leon right after he had hacked his way in. And since you've already testified earlier today that you're the only one to have any knowledge of the codes, it's more likely than not that you were fully involved in the assault on an Interpol Agent.

"And if we were to look further into this matter, I think I'm comfortable saying that you were also responsible for robbing the office," he continued on as he posted the Print Report on his projector. "There were a set of unidentifiable prints found in the room. The one thing that stood out about them was that they were found only in certain areas of the office. This indicates that the person knew what they were looking for and where they wound be. Only someone who often went there would be privy to such information, and that leads us back to you. Even if all of this isn't exactly conclusive to the fact that you did it, it's enough to petition the courts to make you remove your gloves and see if your hands have sustained any injuries."

"And I second that thought," the Judge excitedly agreed before banging his gavel. "I'm more than confident that the evidence presented thus far gives weight to Prosecutor Mephiles having had played some role in the assault. As such, I ask that he remove his gloves and show us his hands immediately lest he wants to face obstruction charges."

For a few moments, the entire courtroom stood quiet as they waited for Mephiles to make his next move. Even the old hedgehog stood still as he seemed to shuffle through many possible scenarios in his mind. Either that or he was reluctant to finally admit defeat after having fought back as hard as he good from the defense's persistent attacks.

Without saying a word, he soon made a move to remove both his gloves. It only took two swift movements of his hands before they became visible for everyone to see. On the back of his left hand, there were three distinct lines that looked a lot like scratch marks. They were still in the process of healing and thus appeared to have been recently made. His right hand also looked like it had sustained some kind of injury, but it did not look as though it had any kind of relations to the current matter.

"So that's where you were hiding your injuries!" Sonic exclaimed, not bothering to mask the triumphant tone behind his words. "Looks like you suffered from some serious scratches to your left hand recently. Now that we've seen this much, I don't think you'll have any objections to having your blood be drawn and compared to the Blood Analysis report. If both prove to be the same, then we have irrefutable evidence that you are guilty of both assault and unlawful imprisonment! Since they were committed against an officer of the law, the charges will be worse than they would if it were an ordinary citizen. And if Prosecutor Vector's suspicions about you robbing the office also holds true, then we can tag on a charge of larceny! So why don't you save us all the trouble of going through the pains of further investigating related evidence and finally admit to your crimes?"

True to his typical antics, Mephiles merely stood quiet as he stared down the cobalt hedgehog with an unreadable expression. He did not bother to put his gloves back on and instead rubbed his hands along his injuries. Clearly, he was in deep thought about something and not about to make a move until he came to a conclusion.

"Say something!" both the hedgehog and crocodile demanded in unison. Then the crocodile asked, "Are you or are you not going to confess to your guilt?"

"… … …I don't see how my answer will serve to help you in solving the real problem presented in this trial," the old hedgehog finally responded as he crossed his arms in a heavily defiant manner. "Have you all already forgotten that this was originally conducted so as to uncover the mysteries that surrounded both Detective Charles' and Maria Robotnik's deaths? Whether or not I confess to having assaulted an Interpol Agent is completely irrelevant. The fact remains that whatever comes of this issue has no relations to the LK-9 Incident. Therefore, I don't have any obligations to be answering any further on the subject! All I will answer at this moment are issues relevant to the LK-9 Incident, although I suspect you don't have any since you've spent all your time on this trivial point."

"You've got to be kidding me!!!" the defense attorney shouted, causing the gallery to go in an uproar once more. "You can't just go about changing the subject like that!"

"And yet I believe I just did. I don't care if this current issue came about due to some supposed contradiction you've unearthed in my testimony; these current events have nothing to do with what transpired five years ago! The only reason you moved onto this was most likely because you and your assistant have nothing else to pin the double murders on me and have decided to get me for something else.

"Also, you've yet to disprove my claim that it was actually Prosecutor Shadow who was responsible for, at the least, Ms. Robotnik's murder. You've kept indicating that both murders were conducted by one person and have used it as your basis to say he's innocent. You haven't shown how it's impossible for there to be a second murderer, so you can't continue with your claim that I'm the guilty man in that incident. As such, my earlier claims that Shadow is at least responsible for one of the deaths holds firm. Is that not the truth, Mr. Sonic?"

"Of course it isn't! Although I do admit I have nothing else that'll work against you," he added in an undertone so as not to be heard. He then began to silently confer with Tails. "We need to think of something quick! The last piece of testimony he provided was in regards to him being at the warehouse, but we've already conceded to the fact that his testimony was the truth. There's nothing else we can ask him when there's no more contradictions!"

"Then we need to look harder!" Tails whispered back as he refused to be taken down after having gone this far. "If we're to agree that everything in his past testimonies are the truth, then there has to be something wrong between the facts and evidence. The situation has changed considerably from when we first started questioning him, so we need to recheck our evidence once more to see if it's all right. If we're to believe that Shadow is innocent and Mephiles is the one responsible for both murders, then there has to be something we missed!"

"…As much as I hate to say this, I have to side with the witness," Vector begrudgingly admitted after having spent a few moments thinking on everything that has happened. "We've strayed far from the original intent of this trial. He has no need to make any more statements regarding the assault and kidnapping charge here. I feel that we've already amassed enough evidence to hold a separate hearing where he'll have no choice but to provide an answer. Aside from that, I'll admit I don't have any further evidence that can supplement my suspicions of him being the perpetrator in the LK-9 Incident."

"I'll take it then that you're pulling back on your claim, Prosecutor Vector?" the Judge asked after having finally quiet down the gallery. All he received in response was a nod from said prosecutor. "It sounds as though that the prosecution rests their case. And how about you, Mr. Sonic? Do you have anything else you wish to present that has any correlation with proving who is responsible for whose murder in the LK-9 Incident? If you haven't anything, then I'll be forced to call an end to this trial."

Like I can just say no after having come this far, he thought while desperately trying to sift through all the evidence in search for the one that would give him the miracle he needed. He then said aloud while still frantically searching, "Uh, I do have something that might have some connection with the LK-9 Incident. I just need a moment to find it."

"Are you sure you're not merely trying to stall for time you don't have?" the old man questioned with an eyebrow raised in doubt. "I hope for your sake that this isn't the case. If you really do have evidence, then I ask that you present it now. Just remember that it better be good or I won't be entertaining whatever explanation you have behind it."

"Please tell me you weren't just trying to bluff your way out of this mess," the young fox groaned. Clearly, he had no idea if there was anything that could help them at this point. "The last thing we need now is trouble for committing perjury."

"I don't know if I have any evidence, but there is something I feel can still be debated," the defense attorney answered both his partner and the Judge. He failed to find any evidence that could help, so he went with the next best thing. "Do you remember how the back of Prosecutor Mephiles' right hand also had an injury on it? I'm proposing that he sustained the damage five years ago while in the process of murdering someone. I'll admit that it's a pretty slim lead I'm chasing, but it's also the last one we've yet to fully discuss!"

"And what evidence do you feel can adequately prove I sustained this injury at that moment in time?" Mephiles asked as he raised his right hand for the entire courtroom to see. Now that they had a clear view of it, the injury consisted of what looked to be two puncture wounds just a few centimeters apart from each other. "If you insist on floundering about, then at least present even an improper piece of evidence to make it sound somewhat convincing. Then again, I doubt you're even able to muster that much at this point."

"I'm afraid that you're on your own for this one, Mr. Sonic," the crocodile said in an apologetic tone. "I can't think of anything that could help supplement the new concerns you've brought up. Unless you can present something that can convince me this is worth pursuing, I'm forced keep my accusation that was alongside yours withdrawn."

"As much as I want to help you here, I can't," the fox admitted in the same apologetic tone. "If there is something in the evidence that works, then I'm probably too stressed out to figure it out. But like I said earlier, I hope you're not just trying to bluff your way out of this while having nothing to work with."

Yeesh, Tails really knows me all too well, Sonic thought as he could barely contain the nervous chuckle that threatened to leave his throat. He then returned to desperately sifting through the evidence. Still, I can't just say I've got nothing after having fought so damn long against Mephiles. I know that he's the one responsible for my uncle's and Maria's deaths, so there has to be evidence that says the same thing! If even Vector and Tails can't help me out, then it must be something really obscure. Maybe I can get somewhere if I knew what it was that gave him the injury, but I have no idea where to even start! Come on, brain; of all the times to be coming up with miraculous explanations, now's the time for a big one!

"…It seems as though the defense doesn't have anything further they wish to add," the Judge said after allowing a few seconds of silence to pass by. "As such, I'll take this as their cue to withdraw their indictment. In that case, I believe it's time to…"

"Objection, Your Honor!" the cobalt hedgehog interjected so loudly that his voice kept echoing for a couple seconds after the fact. He had stopped flipping through the evidence and had his hand resting on top of one. "I never said I was going to withdraw my indictment. In fact, I think I've just found something that'll help supplement my newest lead!"

"Is that so," Vector replied in nothing short of amazement. Mephiles merely stood quiet as he waited for what was to be said next. "If that's true, then perhaps it's time to see if you've truly earned your spot in the courtroom. Could you tell me exactly what it is you found that even a veteran such as myself was able to miss?"

"I'll be glad to, Prosecutor Vector," the other replied as he took the Ornamental Cane and set it down on the table. "I believe the murder weapon that was used to kill Detective Charles Hedgehog was also the weapon used to give the witness those puncture wounds five years ago. Thanks to the help of Interpol, we've found evidence that someone other than the detective was attacked by this cane. It then goes to reason that the victim was able to momentarily steal it and use it to his advantage before being struck by it."

"That may be all well and good, but I fail to see how that worthless piece of wood would be able to give me these puncture wounds," the old prosecutor countered despite his fingers now fidgeting over the aforementioned wounds. "As far as I can tell, that thing is only capable of dealing blunt blows such as the one that did the detective in. I don't see anything on it that can be used to pierce through skin."

"That's because there's a little secret to this cane that only a select few or those who accidentally discovered it would know. If you twist the handle a certain way, then the serpent's mouth will open up and reveal a set of sharp teeth. When put in this formation, I'd say that it's more than possible for one to pierce through skin with this. And since you have similar wounds on your hand, I ask that the court please compare that with the teeth on this cane. If the distance between both fangs are the same as your puncture wounds, then it'll prove that you were hit by this five years ago when you fought against Detective Charles!"

"Well, that's a surprisingly valid answer coming from an otherwise nondescript piece of evidence," the crocodile commented as he seemed to have regained his previous momentum. "I think I can use this to revive my claim that it was Prosecutor Mephiles who's responsible for the crimes conducted in the LK-9 Incident. You can now consider my official stance to be renewed and back in fighting shape, Your Honor."

"My, I never thought that the murder weapon would hide such a secret to it!" the Judge exclaimed as he seemed satisfied with the answer he was given. Even Tails was amazed that Sonic was able to prevail through all the stress and come up with an amazingly sound answer. "Now that we know this much, I think it only fair that we honor the defense's request. Bailiff, could you please begin measuring the distance between the two snake fangs and see if it matches with the witness' wounds?"

"I hardly see how any of that would be necessary," Mephiles countered yet again without missing a beat. "I'll admit that the wounds look similar in appearance, but that's it. I think that there's a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Namely, how would I have been able to get access to the murder weapon? As I remember hearing some time ago, this cane was taken by Interpol as evidence in their smuggling case. Since I'm adamantly proclaiming that I have nothing to do with that, I can't see how I would've gotten my hands on it. However, the same can't be said for Detective Charles. Perhaps he brought it along with him with the intent of killing someone and had the plan backfire on him."

"I don't think it's as convenient as you're making it out to be," Tails spoke up as he quickly produced the Five-Year-Old Photograph. "If you look carefully at this picture on the ground right behind where you're standing, you'll notice something interesting. While the glint does obscure some of it, the shape of the object looks a lot like the Ornamental Cane. I doubt that Interpol has taken note of this or they would've already told us about it."

"That's most likely the case, so I think it best that we ask for their help in analyzing what that item in the photo exactly is," Sonic suggested as he looked up in the gallery where he knew Salem was intently watching. "I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help us with this since the cane also ties in with their smuggling case. If the object in the photo is the same, then we'll know that only you had access to it as it was obviously in the warehouse before the detective ever arrived at the lighthouse. Therefore, your claim that he brought it with him in order to commit murder would become nonexistent! So do you want me to ask the Interpol Agents here for their input, or do you want to make it easier on us and tell the truth?"

"… … …The truth of the matter is that I don't know where that snake-head cane came from," the witness slowly admitted. It was as though he was trying to keep a steady pace in his sentence while carefully choosing his words. That and his frustration was clearly starting to rise to a dangerous level. "If it indeed came from the warehouse five years ago, then I had nothing to do with bringing it out. In fact, I never even noticed it was there until I saw that picture. I'd say that's to be expected since I've nothing to do with the smuggling ring Interpol is working on disbanding."

"Forgive me for saying that your explanation is terribly hard to swallow," Vector said in a sarcastically apologetic tone. "Let us assume for the moment that the object in the picture is in fact the Ornamental Cane. It practically laid a few feet on the floor behind you! For you to say that you simply failed to take notice of it would be like pretending that this case isn't currently being debated over."

"Still, whether or not you yourself took it out from the warehouse isn't what we're discussing," the cobalt hedgehog quickly added to prevent any further tangents. "The fact of the matter is that we have on you two puncture wounds and two fangs on the snake head that look to be a good match. All we need to do is run a comparison on both in order to see if both wound and weapon match with each other. All I ask of the court now is for permission to allow this examination to take place."

"Not so fast, my dear rookies!" the old prosecutor objected so sharply and quickly that it took the entire courtroom off-guard. "I've had enough of your petty little half-baked attempts at trying to pin these heinous crimes on me! You keep claiming that matching up the weapon and wound on me will serve to prove your case. However, you're still failing to take one other thing into account which will ultimately serve to my benefit!"

Yikes; he's really getting fired up now! the defense attorney winced before recovering from the angered outburst. "Uh, exactly what is it you're going on about now? I can't see how you can come up with a perfect excuse to get you out of this one!"

"Have you ever stopped to consider that I've been previously bitten by a snake that had fangs similar to that on the cane? Unless you have proof to the contrary, you can't deny that what I say on that is an impossibility! As such, your request to have my wound be analyzed to that accursed piece of wood is unwarranted!"

"If that's the case, then let me ask just where and when you were bitten!" the young fox countered back. "If you want us to believe that your wound has nothing to do with five years ago, then you shouldn't have any problems telling us."

"…If you must know, I was doing some simple yard work at my vacation home in the outskirts of this city. I accidentally stumbled upon a snake while trying to move a large boulder. Suffice it to say, I got careless and was bitten as a result. The unfortunate incident took place about a month ago, but I never went to the doctor since I knew that the particular breed of snake that bit me posed no threat to my life! Does that answer satisfy you?"

"Hmm, I can't say that it's the most convincing argument I've heard," the Judge replied as he reflected on the new statement. "However, I don't see how we can counter it since you've already admitted to having not went to the doctor to have it checked. I must say, though, that you probably know a lot about snakes to have not been panicking over a bite. If it were me, I would've ran straight to my doctor the moment I was bit!"

"…I'll admit that there isn't anything within my immediate view that can counter the witness's claims," Vector said, his eyes closed tight as he thought deeply on what the situation stood for. "However, I can't help but to feel somewhat uneasy about the whole affair. I'm sure the defense isn't going to just accept this without a fight, so perhaps they can help alleviate my uneasiness in this. That and I'd rather they make the first move this time before I decide again to retract my side of the accusation."

"I suppose that would be wise considering the concern was voiced by them," the old man agreed before turning his gaze towards the duo. "Mr. Sonic, do you and your assistant have any evidence that would suggest the witness's previous statement was a lie? If you don't, then I'm afraid that this court will be forced to accept his testimony as the truth."

For a few moments, the two silently thought about their evidence and what they just heard Mephiles testify to. He already admitted to having refused any medical attention after suffering the bite, so asking for a doctor to testify was out of the question. Also, he most likely did not keep the snake that bit him around as it would just serve as an evidence trail. The only thing they could believe in now was that he was lying and something in their compilation of evidence would help prove them right. The only question now was exactly what piece in their arsenal would prove to be the most helpful?

"…So you're saying that you were bitten by a snake native to the city of Mobius," Sonic finally spoke up. "And since you're obviously very knowledgeable in snakes, you took care of the bite on your own knowing that you weren't in any immediate danger. Am I right assuming as much?"

"Just what are you getting at?" Mephiles asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you were really bitten by a snake native to this area, then you shouldn't have any problems agreeing to have your blood tested," the cobalt hedgehog replied. He then added just as the witness was about to open his mouth, "My reason for saying so is because of a certain something that was found on the fangs of the Ornamental Cane. On it are remnants of a special kind of poison that Interpol discovered while it was in their possession."

"There was poison on it?" Vector asked as he immediately picked up his copy of the report concerning the cane. "I must've skimmed through it too quickly to have noticed it. Just what kind of poison was found on the fangs?"

"According to their findings, the poison can only be found from snakes that hail from the area surrounding Mobotropolis. It's pretty hard to get ahold of, so that means having this kind of toxin placed onto the cane would prove difficult. However, it's clear that it existed on the object five years ago during the start of the LK-9 Incident!

"As such, I propose that we check Prosecutor Mephiles' blood for any traces of this rare poison!" the defense attorney suggested in a tone so confident that even the witness could not possibly shoot down. "Once it's introduced to the body, it stays there forever and requires a specialized daily medication to retard the effects. If the tests come back showing traces of either this special medicine or poison, then that means he was the one struck by the cane's fangs five years ago. This would then prove that he was attacked in self-defense by Detective Charles Hedgehog before retaking it and bludgeoning him to death!"

Once the basis of the request was finished, the entire courtroom fell silent. All eyes were on the old hedgehog as they waited to see what his next move was going to be. But instead of providing a hasty counterattack, he merely stood quiet with a face so stoic that it refused to relay whatever emotions that were going through the man's head. It was almost as though the entire process had managed to freeze him into shock.

"…Prosecutor Mephiles?" the Judge cautiously asked after a few seconds of a terribly uncomfortable silence. It was almost as though he were afraid of the repercussions that would result in voicing his question. "Do you have anything to say about the witness's request? Are you willing to comply with having the court test your blood for this poison?"

"… … …I suppose even the best prosecutor in the world must learn to admit when he's been defeated," Mephiles bitterly responded after keeping silent for so long. This admission stunned the entire courtroom so much that they could not utter a single word even if they wanted to. "To think that I've been beaten twice by a couple of rookies. I've accepted my first loss against them when we fought during our previous trial; I never imagined that they'd not only be able to get this far but also announce me as the murderer at the same time! I suppose it isn't a fluke then that they earned their place in this courtroom considering the many roadblocks I've put up in an attempt to impede their progress. To think that I would be undone now after having placed so much effort in ensuring I wouldn't be caught."

"So you finally admit it," the crocodile announced with a weary yet triumphant sigh. "You are the sole person responsible for Detective Charles's death. You were the one who took great care to destroy and alter any pieces of evidence that would conveniently lead back to you during an undoubtedly careful investigation. It's been a long road to get to this point, but we've finally arrived at the heart of this cold case."

---

Well, that's it for this new chapter. The group has finally pegged Mephiles as the murderer. It's taken an entire day and ten chapters dedicated to this one case to get it done, but we're finally there! Oh, what a satisfying feeling to finally get this crazy prosecutor's insanely careful and cautious mindset out of my own mind. You don't know how bad it was to have him in my head while structuring his testimony and responses to both the defense and prosecution. I seriously now have renewed respect for the ones who write the script for the Phoenix Wright series.

But yeah, I'm sure you all noticed how the chapter just ended so suddenly. Yeah, it's a happy and well deserved ending for the group. However, is there still something that their missing? Well, I'll just save you the trouble and say yes. For those of you who paid attention, you probably already know. For those of you who didn't or just plain forgot during all this hectic testimonies, then just stay tuned for the next chapter! Just believe me when I say that this case is still far from over. Then again, this is Mephiles we're dealing with, a sickeningly cautious and slick man who can pretty much worm out of almost any situation that proves unfitting for his liking.

So yeah, I'll leave you all to move on to the next story that you probably want to read now. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move on, though. I would like to know whether or not this chapter met your expectations and sated the three month wait I've pretty much forced you all to endure. Until the next update to this or any one of my stories on here everybody!