Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney
Turnabout Of The Revengers
By Derald Snyder
Trial- Day 2 (Part 1)
Court Record:
-Crime Scene Photos
-Broken Stage Light
-Piece of Cloth
-Crime Scene Diagram
-Autopsy Report
-.30-caliber Machine Gun
-Dragon Killer's Fingerprints/Hair
-Old Rug
-Rei's Bloody Clothes
-Wig and Fake Horn
Date: ? Time: ?
Solitary Confinement Cell
(Oh woe is me...)
Rei sighed in despair as she sat in complete darkness, wondering why things had to go so wrong... (Why does this sort of thing always happen to me...? Not that this is the first time I've been thrown into a jail cell, but...) She heaved another sigh. (At least Planeptune's jails had windows...)
Just then, the door opened, light pouring in, momentarily blinding the former goddess. "Ms. Ryghts?" the guard intoned.
"Y-yes?" Rei sat up, adjusting her glasses.
"You have a visitor."
September 17
Detention Center
Visitor's Room
Rei walked in and sat down, slightly surprised to see K-Sha on the other side of the glass.
"Hello, Miss Rei," the former mercenary nodded. "Looks they haven't abused you too much..."
"S-so th-they let you out?" Rei inquired.
"Yes..." K-Sha bit her lip. "Though, I wish it hadn't happened this way... Oracle Jinguji told me about what happened, and she looked none too pleased..."
'S-so are th-they g-going to p-put me on t-trial now?" Rei guessed.
"Yeah, tomorrow, she said..." K-Sha muttered, before clenching her fists in determination. "And... and I'm gonna do whatever I can to help! Uni's not allowed to assist you anymore, so..."
(Why am I not surprised...) Rei thought to herself. (And ten to one that reporter shows up as a witness tomorrow...) "W-well, I'm actually n-not that w-worried... there's some p-pretty definitive e-evidence that p-proves I've b-been framed..."
"I know, Miss Jinguji told me about that too..." K-Sha nodded, before abruptly punching the glass in frustration. "Damn that Dragon Killer! I ought to fill him with lead for what he's done...!"
"Oh, don't worry," Rei responded, "I'm gonna make sure that maggot answers for his crimes... but we have to do it the proper way."
"...Right." The brunette took a deep breath to calm herself. "So, do you have any idea who he might be?"
"N-Not yet," the lawyer faltered, taping her index fingers together. "I'm k-kinda hoping s-something will c-come out d-during the t-trial that'll help me f-figure it out..."
"In other words, we have to hope we'll get lucky," K-Sha deadpanned. "Well, not the first seemingly impossible mission I've taken on... And besides, this one's personal. So let's do our best tomorrow... For Noire, Uni, Mr. Wright, and all those innocent victims!" She then pressed her fist against the glass, Rei smiling as she tapped the glass with her own fist in a faux-fistbump...
September 18, 9:32 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
It felt somewhat strange to Rei, being the one escorted into the lobby and having her cuffs unlocked, like so many of her clients... Sure enough, K-Sha was waiting for her, arms crossed with a serious look on her face. "G-good morning," Rei offered.
"Morning," The student acknowledged. "How'd you sleep?"
"W-well, I managed t-to not have a-any n-nightmares..." the former goddess replied. "T-talking with you yesterday p-probably helped..." Just then, Kei Jinguji came marching in.
"Oracle Jinguji!" K-Sha gasped in surprise. "Are you prosecuting this case as well?"
"Of course I am," Kei confirmed. "I came to deliver a message from Lady Noire. Although she can't involve herself in this trial due to wanting to remain impartial, she is *very* upset at the recent turn of events. As is Lady Uni..."
"R-really?" Rei gasped.
"Yes, though in Lady Noire's case she's more upset about the stunt that Razzie Porter pulled..." She then looked Rei straight in the eye. "I won't mince words, Ms. Ryghts... there's only one way you're getting out of this without a conviction... and that is to find the real killer and prove they committed the crime. Which, given who we suspect it to be, is a tall order in and of itself..."
Rei gulped, before nodding. "I-I understand..."
"There's no way in hell I'm allowing that bastard to get away," K-Sha supplemented. "Not this time..."
"For all our sakes, I hope you're right," said Kei. "Good luck to you both." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out.
"By the way," K-Sha asked, "No-one's defending you today?"
"N-nobody offered," the lawyer shrugged. "B-but that's fine with me... I am an attorney myself, after all... S-so let's d-do our best today, OK?" With that she held out her fist, K-Sha smirking slightly as she tapped it with her own...
September 18, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
"This court shall come to order for the trial of the state vs. Rei Ryghts," the judge intoned as he banged his gavel.
"Th-the defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stuttered.
"The prosecution... stands prepared," muttered Kei, her arms crossed.
"...so, Ms. Ryghts, it would seem you've refused counsel," the judge muttered as he looked over at the defense's bench.
"I-I'm perfectly c-capable of d-defending myself, Your Honor," Rei stated.
"Of course. And Miss K-Sha, you're assisting her? Despite the fact that she might have framed you?"
"I don't buy it," K-Sha retorted. "And besides, I don't feel like I've been completely cleared of suspicion myself... not to mention, a good soldier doesn't leave a comrade behind!"
"How noble of you," the judge muttered. "Anyway, your opening statement, Prosecutor Jinguji..."
"...Very well." Picking up a sheet of paper, Kei began, "During the trial yesterday, it was suggested that the murder of Reggie Wright occurred not in the movie studio, but in the laundromat next door. Our subsequent investigation ended up proving the defendant's assertion correct, as we found blood soaked into the red rug on the floor, which was later confirmed to be Mr. Wright's." Setting the paper down, she continued, "However, another piece of evidence we found ended up leading directly to the defendant's arrest..."
"And what evidence was that?" the judge asked.
"...a spare suit belonging to the defendant, covered in blood spatter." The gallery erupted into boos at this, a few chanting, "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!", before being silenced by the judge's gavel.
(Hostile crowd today...) Rei thought, sweating a bit.
"Just ignore those ignorant civilians," K-Sha advised. "They have no idea what it's like to be under fire in a battle zone..."
"...Now, I shall call my first witness to the stand," Kei sighed. "Mr. Porter, if you would please." The man in question walked up to the stand, his light brown hair as spiky as ever. "Name and occupation."
"Raziel Porter, independent journalist!" he stated. "I'm the one that gets the scoops no-one else can! And I'm the one who prevented the guilty party's attempt to escape!"
"I-I wasn't t-trying to escape a-anything!" Rei protested. The crowd promptly booed her.
"Order!" cried the judge as he banged his gavel. "Be advised, Mr. Porter... I may have little love for the defendant in this case, but I have even less for you. Try to remember that this is a court of law, not a press conference!"
"Aw, cut me some slack, Your Honor..." Razzie sighed. "I already surrendered my camera to the bailiff..."
"Your testimony, please," Kei ordered. "And try to stick to the facts, like those in your profession are supposed to..."
"Yes ma'am, Oracle," the reporter muttered. "So, this is how it went down: I heard from a source in the gallery at the trial yesterday that the laundromat might be the real scene of the crime, so I hauled butt over there to see if I could learn anything. Of course, I knew the police would never allow me in, so I hung around discreetly outside, hoping to overhear any juicy tidbits. At one point, I saw Ms. Ryghts escorted by two others approach the scene, though only she was allowed in. Not long after, I heard her scream aout her clothes! That's when she realized she was busted! Peering inside, I saw a detective and the Orale take her downstairs as if to try and hide her! Well, I wasn't gonna stand for that, so I made a quick post to my blog, ad my loyal fans came out in force to ensure justice was done! So whaddaya think of that, Rei Ryghts?!"
"Boooooo! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" the crowd chorused.
"Order! Order! Order in the court!" cried the judge, banging his gavel several times. "If order is not restored, I will clear this courtroom!" The crowd quieted... for the moment.
"B-but I was sleeping in my d-dressing room!" Rei protested. "I-I'm sure the security cameras show I never left the building!"
"Unfortunately, I must concur with the defense," Kei stated. "We checked all the security footage from that night, and Ms. Ryghts never appeared..."
"OBJECTION!" Razzie suddenly interrupted. "Nice try, psycho goddess, but I know exactly how you avoided the cameras!"
"Wh-what?!" Rei gasped in surprise.
"Y-you do?!" the judge concurred with wide eyes.
"Yeah, see, I do my homework," the reporter began, pulling out what appeared to be a map. "thanks to a source of mine at the studio, I found there was a route the lawyer could take from the dressing rooms to outside without ever once showing up on camera!' He pointed to a green line that was drawn on the map, detailing said route. "What do ya say to that?"
"You do realize," Kei pointed out, "that the door leading outside is an emergency exit that only opens one way..."
"And *you* apparently don't realize," Razzie retorted, "that I found a slab of wood laying outside said exit, which Ms. Ryghts could have easily used to hold the door open while she went over to the laundromat and shot that light guy dead! And then, drag his corpse back through said door in order to set-up that K-Sha girl to take the fall!"
*Studio Escape Route added to the Court Record.*
"Ahhhhhh!" Rei screamed in shock.
"You c-can't be serious...!" K-Sha wailed in despair. The crowd again erupted into boos at this revelation...
"This is no way to conduct a trial! This is completely unacceptable...!" Kei shook her head in frustration.
"No, Oracle, what's unacceptable is *you* trying to hide Ms. Ryghts from justice!" Porter shot back. "And now you're prosecuting this case, *and* letting Ryghts defend herself? I know bias when I smell it! Right everyone?!"
"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" the crowd chanted louder.
"Order! Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel.
"Forget it, Your Honor," Razzie smirked and shrugged. "Even you can't overcome the will of the people! May as well just 'em their verdict!"
"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!" the crowd was in a near-frenzy by now.
"Stop riling them up!" cried Kei, but her voice was swallowed by the gallery's chanting.
"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"
"QUIET!" K-Sha tried to shout them down, to no avail. "Ugh, I don't have Uni's volume..."
"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"
As for Rei herself, her head was bowed as her hands were clenched into fists on the bench. "ENOOOOOOUGHH!" she screamed, as the courtroom was suddenly engulfed in blinding light...
When the light faded, Rei gained a bit of height, as well as a few inches to her bust size... her glasses were gone, and she now sported two horns rather than one. Her business suit had been replaced with a far skimpier outfit, her heather blue hair now a bright cyan, while her eyes now sported danger-symbols.
"What the -?!" gasped the judge, his face suddenly filled with horror as recognition kicked in. "Oh, NO!"
The transformed Rei made a slashing motion with her pointer finger, causing the very air in front of Razzie Porter to be cut with a sharp *P-SHING!* sound, causing the man to recoil. "Now you've done it, worm," she growled. "Don't you remember what happened last time you pissed me off, maggot?!"
"Oh, craaaap! She's transformed agaaaaain!" Razzie cried in terror.
"Eeeeeek!" cried the judge as he dove under his desk, as the crowd chattered in visible fear.
"M-Ms. Ryghts, please calm yourse-!" *P-SHING!* Kei recoiled as the air was sliced in front of her.
"Quiet, worm. I'm talking," Chaos Heart stated in a dangerously low tone.
"Nggoooooh!" Kei groaned as she leaned over her bench, not being used to losing control of a situation so completely.
"Now, then..." Rei muttered. "As for you mindless *peons* in the audience, if you're so eager to declare me guilty, why don't you come down here and say it to my face!" She began charging a small orb of angry red energy... "Or else, get the hell out of my sight!" She fired, the energy orb exploding over the civilian's heads, causing then to scream and flee the courtroom in panic.
"Let me outta here!" Razzie screamed as he also tried to flee, only to be cut off by another *P-SHING!*
"Not you, maggot! You're not going anywhere!" Chaos Heart declared.
"Ahh! OK OK! I'm not going anywhere! Not even moving one little inch!" Tears then spouted at the corners or Porter's eyes. "P-please don't kill meee...!"
"Idiot, if I *wanted* you dead, you'd already be pushing up daisies..." Chaos Heart deadpanned. Looking up, the goddess saw the the audience had completely emptied out- only she, Porter, Kei, the judge, and K-Sha remained, at least from her point of view.
"I'm begging you, Ms. Ryghts...!" the Oracle pleaded, "There's no need for pulling such stunts!"
"I agree," Rei concurred. "Now that the peanut gallery's been dispensed with," Another brief flash of light as her transformation reverted, "Perhaps now we can conduct this trial properly. Right, Your Honor?"
"No! Please don't hurt me!" wailed the judge from under his desk. "I have a wife and children! I have grandchildren...!"
"Your Honor, Ms. Ryghts is back to normal..." Kei sighed as she put a finger to her forehead.
"S-she is...?" the robed man slowly peeked out. "Oh! She is!" He quickly stood up and adjusted his robes. "Ahem, right then..." He re-took his seat. "So, ah, what were we doing again?"
"I was about to cross-examine the witness, Your Honor," Rei stated calmly. "And K-Sha, come out from under the bench already."
"Hee hee hee..." the schoolgirl giggled nervously as she emerged. "Sorry... I, uh, dropped one of my pencils..."
"V-very well, then," the judge nodded, "Proceed with your cross... but please, no more transforming! I don't think my heart could take it..."
"...I'll think about it." With that, Rei slammed her fists on the bench as she addressed Razzie Porter, "So, you think Oracle Jinguji and Detective Thomas were trying to hide me from justice?"
"W-well, yeah..." Razzie stuttered.
"But that's not what happened at all, is it, Prosecutor Jinguji?" Rei chuckled lightly.
"Indeed," Kei nodded, "the reason we took Ms. Ryghts down to the basement was to show her some new evidence Detective Thomas had discovered..."
"Wh-what evidence?" Razzie grunted, sweating.
"TAKE THAT!" Rei declared as she presented the wig and fake horn. "As you can see, this is decisive evidence that someone plotted to frame me!"
"Frame you?!" cried the judge. "Wait a minute! Why wasn't I informed of this prior to the trial?!"
"Ask the person at the witness stand," Kei deadpanned. "We were forced to arrest Ms. Ryghts and charge her in order to prevent a riot instigated by this yellow journalist..."
"Arrrghh!" Razzie yelled as he gripped his hair with his hands. "B-but how do we know y-you d-didn't plant that yourself?"
"Because there's a black hair in the wig, which proves that someone actually wore it!" the horned lawyer retorted. "And I'll bet dollars to credits that it was your 'source' who gave you the map of this escape route, that wore this wig!"
"And just what do you base your flimsy conjecture on, Ms. Ryghts?" Kei inquired.
"Well, while it's illegal for me to ask about Mr. Porter's source, there's nothing stopping me from guessing." Putting a hand to her chin, Rei continued, "I'm guessing, Mr. Porter, that your source is a man about my height, with dark hair and a slight build, right?"
"WHAT?!" Razzie's hair briefly frizzed out. "How did you-?!"
"Quite simple," K-Sha spoke up. "Because that's the limited physical description we've put together of the *real* killer in this case... the Dragon Killer!"
"D-Dragon Killer?!" Porter freaked. "N-no way! Th-that can't be true! There's no way that kid could be...!"
('Kid'?) Rei thought to herself, as the judge banged his gavel.
"Mr. Porter, please calm yourself! I know that's a tall order, given who the defense is..."
"It's fine, Your Honor," the lawyer shook her head, "I'm through with this witness." She put her hands to her side, as if about to draw a sword. "Now get out of my sight, worm!" *Wha... P-SHING!*
Razzie recoiled as the air was cut in front of him. "G-gladly! Lemme outta heeeeerrreee!" he screamed as he fled the courtroom.
"Y-you can do that in human form, too?!" K-Sha asked incredulously.
"N-not with enough f-force to a-actually ch-chop anything," Rei admitted. "B-but he d-doesn't need to know th-that..."
"W-well then," the judge grunted, "Now that Ms. Ryghts' innocence has been proven, I suppose I should pronounce my verdict..."
"HOLD IT!" declared Kei. "That's a touching gesture, Your Honor, but we're not finished yet."
"W-we're not?" the older man blinked in confusion.
"We still have to ascertain the identity of the true killer," the Oracle pointed out. "As soon as he hears that Rei Ryghts has been acquitted, the Dragon Killer will likely flee the area, and the trail will go cold once more." She then slapped a hand on the bench. "This trial may be our best opportunity to bring him to justice once and for all!"
"But, Prosecutor Jinguji..." the judge sighed, "Even if what you say is true, how do we go about finding him? That vague description could describe at least half the men at the studio, not to mention any customers at the laundromat..."
"Actually, Your Honor," Rei cut in, "I m-might have an idea w-who it c-could be..."
"You do?!" the judge's eyes went wide.
"Really, Miss Rei?" K-Sha gasped.
"B-but first, I need t-to c-confirm something..." the lawyer stuttered. (This isn't much more than an educated guess, but if I'm right...!) "I-I'm not t-too familiar with how Lastation's c-court system works, but... w-would it b-be p-possible for me t-to call a witness?"
"Call a witness?" the judge blinked a few times.
"...The prosecution has no objection," Kei stated, "Provided said witness is relevant to the case at hand."
"O-of course she is!" Rei protested.
"Very well then," the judge nodded slightly, "So who would the defense like to call?"
Rei took a breath before calling loudly, "S-Sha! Are you still here? You didn't flee when I transformed, did you?"
"Of course not," a familiar voice spoke from behind the former goddess, causing her to jump almost a foot in the air. S-Sha then walked out from behind the defense's bench and over to the witness stand.
"W-what were you doing there, witness?!" the judge inquired in mild shock.
"I was prepared to do what was necessary to save my fellow Gold Third member," S-Sha stated matter-of-factly. "Thankfully, it wasn't necessary this time."
(You were about to stab me in the back?!) Rei thought, sweating profusely.
"Sorry, Miss Rei..." K-Sha sighed. "I gave S-Sha a few pointers on how to sneak up on an enemy..."
"So, what did you want me for?" the platinum-blonde asked.
"A-actually..." Rei tapped her fingers together. "W-would it be p-possible for m-me to t-talk to E-Sha-"
"Absolutely not. Out of the question," S-Sha stated firmly. "E-Sha is terrified of you. And after that stunt you just pulled, there's no way I'm letting you anywhere near her!"
"B-but...!" Rei stammered.
"HOLD IT!" K-Sha jumped in. "Miss Rei, please leave this to me." Looking the bluenette in the eye, she continued, "Just sit down, and allow me to handle this mission..."
"O... Okay," Rei nodded, sitting down.
"What are you doing, K-Sha?" S-Sha raised an eyebrow.
"S-Sha... maybe *I* could talk to E-Sha?" the schoolgirl suggested. "She considers me a friend, right? She knows I'm no threat... And I've got a good idea of what Miss Rei wanted to ask..."
"K-Sha..." S-Sha sounded somewhat uncertain.
"Please, E-Sha! I just want to ask you a few questions! Please?" K-Sha pleaded.
S-Sha did not answer, closing her eyes for a few moments... but when they opened, her red irises had changed to a green color. "Yes, K-Sha?"
"W-what?!" the judge blinked. "Did her eye color just change?"
"Your Honor, the woman we know as S-Sha actually has two souls in her body," Kei Jinguji explained. "The S-Sha most of us know is the dominant soul... but the one standing in front of us is the body's original owner."
"T-Two souls in one body?!" the judge gasped in surprise. "I-is that even possible?!"
"...Yes, Your Honor," stated the woman at the witness stand.
"Witness, if you would please give your name and occupation for the record," Kei ordered.
"...E-Sha. Member of Gold Third." She looked over at the defense's bench, shivering slightly at seeing Rei Ryghts sitting next to K-Sha, despite the lawyer trying to look as non-threatening as possible.
"...If it makes you feel better," K-Sha suggested, "You could focus on Oracle Jinguji instead, and just listen to my voice..." E-Sha blinked, before turning her head away, taking a breath to calm herself. "OK. Now then... I wanted to ask you about your friend, Tori. Did he... take a trip to Lastation about three years ago?"
"...Yes. As did I." E-Sha replied.
"OK, good. My next question... Did Tori happen to get hurt during that trip?" K-Sha asked.
E-Sha nodded. "Yes... I administered first aid."
"How noble of you," the judge commented. "But I don't quite see the relevance here..."
"Just be quiet and listen for now, Your Honor," Kei slapped her hand on the bench.
"Y-yes, ma'am," the judge assented.
"All right, E-Sha. This last question is really important, so listen closely," K-Sha instructed. "The injury Tori suffered... was it a bullet wound to the left shoulder?"
E-Sha blinked, turning back to look K-Sha in the eye. "...Yes."
"...!" Both Kei and Rei's eyes opened wide at this.
"That's... oddly specific," the judge muttered.
K-Sha bit her lip. "E-Sha, I really hate to break this to you, but... if I'm right, the one who shot Tori three years ago... was me."
"Y-you?!" E-Sha's green eyes went wide. "But... why?!"
"Self-defense," the former mercenary answered. "He would have slit my throat if I hadn't... because Tori is the Dragon Killer."
"WHAT-?!" E-Sha cried in utter shock.
"Just a minute! Who is this 'Tori' character?!" the judge asked.
"The director's errand boy," Kei Jinguji explained. "Part of the reason S-Sha allowed her subordinate Dogoo Man to be cast in 'The Revengers' was to allow E-Sha to meet with her old friend..."
"But what she never realized," Rei spoke up, "was that her friend was actually a serial killer bent on revenge... revenge against K-Sha, who refused to become a victim, and wounded him in the process! And as the errand boy, if he was seen anywhere suspicious, he could just explain it as doing a task for Director Iceberg or someone else on the film crew!"
"OBJECTION!" Kei suddenly cut in. "Nice theory, Ms. Ryghts, but you're forgetting something crucial..."
"A-and what would th-that be?" Rei asked, somewhat put off by the abrupt objection.
"Director Iceberg and most of his closet confidants, including the victim, are Leanbox citizens," the Oracle pointed out. "How could you suggest that any of them are responsible for an extended murder spree in Lastation?"
"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted. "What if, Prosecutor Jinguji, that was exactly what the Dragon Killer was banking on?" She slammed her fists on the bench. "After all, if all the murders occurred in Lastation, it would never even occur to the investigative team that the culprit was actually a foreigner, now would it?!"
"Nggooooh!" Kei recoiled, before leaning over her bench. "I-it can't be...!" (She completely turned my argument around on me...! No wonder she's so successful in Lowee!)
"No..." E-Sha whimpered. "Not him... no... no... No! No! NO! NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOO!" she yelled in denial as she abruptly fled the courtroom.
"Miss E-Sha!" the judge gasped.
"Oh no!" cried K-Sha. "I should have seen this coming... I'll go after her, Your Honor!" She promptly took off in pursuit.
"Uh... *ahem* A-anyway, Tori needs t-to be b-brought in for questioning!" the horned lawyer asserted.
"...I agree," Kei nodded. "Perhaps this would be a good time to recess, Your Honor."
"Very well," the judge agreed. "We will take a half-hour recess while Mr. Tori is summoned. That should me enough time to get some warm milk to calm my nerves... not to mention a change of underwear."
(We really didn't need to hear that last part, Your Honor...!) Rei groaned inwardly.
"Court is now in recess!" the judge declared, banging his gavel.
To be continued...