Hello again, everyone. It's been a long time. Far too long, I know, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm here now.
However, before we get down to business, I need to discuss some things with all of you.
Some of you may have noticed that this story appears to have less reviews than before (especially those of you who have recently reviewed). There is a reason for this. The last chapter I posted, my AN response to a guest reviewer, was originally posted due to a flood of reviews from one guest reviewer, begging me to update. Normally, this isn't a problem to me. However, it is now. You see, this guest reviewed repeatedly in the span of a single day and though I am glad this guest was enthusiastic about my story, I do not appreciate receiving the same review every few minutes.
Now, the other reason so many other reviews have been deleted is because of what happened after I posted my AN. Guest, I understand that you are excited about this story and that you wanted to share your idea with me. Usually, I am fairly open to ideas from my readers, for example, I have used several by a guest by the name of Gry20 over the six years I've been on fanfiction. I have even asked for ideas when I have been stumped on what a certain thing should be.
However, there is something I must make clear: for every story I write, I never post it unless I have major plot details planned out. Especially for a story that spans across a series. I posted the first chapter of Objection on July 28, 2014, over four years ago. Since then, none of my major plans for the story have changed, only been fine tuned. I have even sent them to my good friend on this website, EmeraldWings1992, to help me work out the details behind them.
I understand that you are all excited for the era of AJ-SoJ because Jasmine will be older by then. I understand that you all are probably planning your own scenarios when I'm not updating. I understand and I love that you guys love this story so much that you imagine what I'll do next. I love it when you guys share them with me. And, typically, I will leave the reviews alone, because each one is usually encouraging in some way.
But, recent reviews have not done so for me. Repeatedly reviewing 'please' and 'next' and 'update' on the same chapter, simply because you are a guest and can do that, is not something I like. Pushing an idea onto me repeatedly without waiting for my response, is not something I like.
I am not trying to be mean to you, Guest, or to anyone else who reviewed and supported that idea. But it's not the plan I have in mind.
So, due to this recent string of reviews, I have been forced to turn on my ability to moderate all reviews before they are posted. I have not had this on since I joined fanfiction, because I didn't know about it then. I am sorry about this, especially if it means a review a guest leaves will never be seen. But these are not the kinds of reviews I want.
If you want an example of reviews I want, look at EmeraldWings1992 or LapisLuzuliHF or Jack54311 or Kallia Kerovia Oliver or if you want to go back even further in my list of reviews, The Forgotten Reader's first ever review or pyrosaurus X's many reviews when this story first began or even NNinja's reviews, who, despite disagreeing with me on some things, helped me out. There are so many reviews in this story that I love going back to and reading. They remind me of just how far I've come, where I used to be excited at 16 reviews for a 16 chapter story. Now I have a 23 chapter story with 90 reviews that I adore.
Please, everyone, understand that I am not trying to be mean or rude. I just want you to consider how you would feel if you received a similar string of reviews. I am grateful to LapisLuzuliHF and Muhammad Sban for supporting me when this string of reviews began. Knowing people supported me when I felt as if I was failing as an author was an amazing feeling.
And so, I will now finish up this really long AN with that. Thank you to my 90 reviewers, 117 followers, 103 favorites and 33,135 readers as well as everyone who read this entire note. You all mean the world to me and I am grateful to you all.
I cannot promise updates will pick up again, but I can promise that I will never forget about this story. I will never abandon it. Jasmine, Miles, Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, all of them, they are precious to me. They brought me to my closest pocket friend who has helped me when it's come to this situation and they allow me to continuously explore this beautiful world that I have fallen in love with.
You all have the anime to thank for this update. We are three chapters away from finishing Rise From the Ashes at last. It is time I do exactly that and I will with this chapter. This story shall rise from the ashes I left it in and become even better.
Please enjoy now
As it turned out, I was not fully prepared to stand in court once again the next day. Just the thought of walking through those doors made my body freeze up and made my hands shake uncontrollably. I could barely hold my tea still enough to drink it. And so, I found myself sitting outside the courthouse on the snow covered steps leading to it, lost in thoughts.
Jasmine sighed as she slowly sipped her chamomile tea. She really wanted to be able to step in court today, she wanted to help with the case, for Phoenix, Edgeworth, Ema and Lana's sakes as well as her own.
But the nightmares never left her alone. She was lucky to get one hour of sleep last night, having woken up every few minutes in a panic, thinking she was back in that room, trapped and unable to breathe for fear of him changing his mind and simply killing her instead.
Jasmine barely noticed the shaking in her hands until she felt a drop of tea hit her chin. She sighed as she carefully wiped it away and set the cup down. Gingerly, she reached up and grasped the sunglasses on top of her head, pulling them off.
The glasses were shaded so darkly that she would just be able to see if she were to put them on. They had been a suggestion from an old friend, after that horrible case.
"I need your help." Jasmine admitted as she stood in the defense attorney office.
"Mina, whatever you need, name it." The man sitting behind the desk, Ray Shields, stated, his eyes kind and caring. It had been years since Jasmine had stepped foot in this office, after all.
"How do you stand in court every day, remembering what happened?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"Ahh." Ray nodded as he stood and carefully approached her. "This is about that case for Miles Edgeworth, isn't it?"
"I…I'm so scared, Uncle Ray!" Jasmine gasped as she shot into his arms. "H…he's there all the time, I can't think of going back at all, but I have to! Help me, please! Make it stop!"
"I'm so sorry…" Ray whispered, running a hand through her hair. "I can't make it stop or go away…I don't know if they ever will. But…I can help you adjust."
"H…how…?" Jasmine asked as she gingerly pulled away, allowing Ray to wipe away the tear tracks across her cheeks.
"The next time you're serious about going into court, wear a pair of dark sunglasses. That will block the sight of the courtroom, but allow you to still participate in the trial like you want." Ray explained.
"You think…that'll work…?" Jasmine asked, her voice soft and uncertain.
"Only if you believe it will." Ray stated, gently kissing her forehead.
Jasmine sighed as she played with the sunglasses. She wanted to go into court, she wanted to do her job, but…
"Hey, Apollo, isn't that the woman you told me about? The one that was in the news?" A young, male voice asked.
"Clay! Stop!" A familiar voice hissed.
Curious, Jasmine looked up only to see two young teenage boys, no older than thirteen, approaching her.
One was a boy with wild black hair and dark brown eyes.
The other was…
"Apollo?" Jasmine called.
"H-hi, Ms. Wright." Apollo stuttered as he and his friend stopped in front of her.
"Hey, I told you, you can call me Jazz." Jasmine smiled before she patted the step she sat on. "Why don't you two have a seat, I could use the company."
"Thanks!" The other boy grinned as he pulled Apollo down. "I'm Clay Terran, by the way! Apollo's best friend!"
"It's nice to meet you, Clay." Jasmine smiled. "I'm Jasmine Wright, but you can call me Jazz too."
"Jazz…isn't there a trial your brother's in today?" Apollo asked. "Why aren't you inside?"
"Ah…you heard of the case where Mr. Edgeworth was accused last year?" Jasmine asked. At the boys' nods, she continued. "Well, I got caught up in it and have been…out of sorts lately."
That was putting it mildly, but they were children. She couldn't discuss PTSD with children.
"That's too bad, Apollo said you and your brother were really cool." Clay shook his head.
"Clay!" Apollo cried as his cheeks turned red.
"Oh, I'm glad! Don't forget our promise, okay, Apollo?" Jasmine smiled.
"O-okay." Apollo nodded. "Can you tell us about this current case?"
"Well…it's the one involving the detective dying at the prosecutor's office." Jasmine explained. "Have you seen it on the news?"
"Yeah, it's on all the time." Clay confirmed.
"They showed the trial footage too." Apollo added. "He was killed in two different places?"
"That's what it looks like. But I'm pretty sure it's just a clever magic trick. Nick'll unravel it." Jasmine smiled.
"So will you! A defense attorney is nothing without a legal aide, after all!" Apollo insisted.
Jasmine stared at the boy in silence for a moment, shocked, before she giggled.
"Haha, thanks kid. It's nice to hear that." Jasmine laughed.
Apollo's cheeks turned red again as Clay nudged him when the court doors suddenly burst open and Ema ran out.
"Ema!?" Jasmine cried, surprised.
"I…I gotta go!" Ema gasped, barely stopping at seeing Jasmine.
"Hey, are you gonna go investigate?" Clay asked, causing Ema to stop in her tracks.
"W-well…yes…" Ema stuttered, looking startled at the two boys only a few years her junior.
"Let us go with you! Apollo's an ace attorney-in-training, after all!" Clay grinned.
"Clay, I-" Apollo started to protest.
"Sure, why not? You might see something I miss!" Ema agreed. She seemed out of it still, despite carrying on a conversation with the boys and agreeing to letting them come.
"Thanks, Ema!" Clay grinned.
"Yeah…thank you." Apollo smiled.
"No problem, now let's hurry!" Ema stated before she ran off, the two boys on her heels.
Jasmine felt frozen for a while there, unsure of what was going on exactly. Even still, she picked up her tea and carefully placed her glasses over her nose.
It was time she confronted her fears head on.
February 24th
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2
Phoenix was, predictably, surprised when Jasmine walked in, glasses on her nose and tea in hand.
"Jazz, what are you doing here!?" He cried.
"I'm going to help you with the trial." Jasmine answered.
"You don't have to-" Phoenix started to protest.
"I want to, Nick. I want to save Lana, just as much as you do. And I want to do my job. So, I'm going to do it." Jasmine stated, her voice deadly serious.
"…you surprise me, Ms. Wright." Lana said, drawing the twins' attention. "It's been less than two months since what was understandably a traumatic trial for you. And yet, you stand here and are willing to return, even after your last attempt to do so ending in failure."
"I don't give up easily, Lana." Jasmine said. "I will return to court and to do that, I need to start by going in for around half a trial."
"Are you positive?" Phoenix asked, meeting Jasmine's eyes so they could be exactly clear.
"Not totally…but I need to do this. I need to confront this fear instead of letting it rule me. I belong in there, Nick, and I won't let him take that away from me." Jasmine insisted.
The twins simply stared at each other for several minutes before Phoenix nodded.
"Alright, let's go."
"Thank you." Jasmine smiled as she took Phoenix's hand and allowed him to lead her into court.
February 24th, 12:14 PM
District Court
Courtroom No. 9
As soon as she was behind the defense bench once again, Jasmine could feel the urge to flee fill her. She could feel herself locking up, feel the urge to flinch, to hide, to run.
But she wouldn't. Because running would only encourage this behavior and she wouldn't do that.
She'd take it one step at a time, just one at a time.
She could handle that.
The gavel came down and she flinched.
At least I didn't fall to the ground again…she thought in consolation, even as the urge filled her.
She wouldn't run.
"The court will now reconvene for the trial of Ms. Lana Skye." The judge stated. Then his eyes noticed her. "Ah, Jasmine, er-Ms. Wright, it's good to see you back behind the bench once again."
"Th-thank you, Your Honor." Jasmine stuttered, surprised.
"If you ever need to leave, feel free to. There is no pressure for you to stay." The judge reassured.
"Thank you, Your Honor. I appreciate the sentiment." Jasmine smiled as she briefly bowed her head in thanks.
"Now then, Mr. Edgeworth." The judge nodded. Edgeworth nodded and Jasmine could feel his eyes on her, on her trembling hands.
She wouldn't run.
"Allow me to call the next witness to the stand: the officer in charge of guarding the evidence room on the day of the crime." Edgeworth stated.
The doors to the court opened and Marshall made his way to the witness stand, easily drinking from his canteen.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation." Edgeworth requested.
"Me, pardner? Oh, I'm just a man, same as you, wanderin' the trails of civilization, occasionally helping the elderly cross intersections when needed." Marshall answered with an easy smile.
"Oh, I know! You're a 'patrolman'!" The judge proudly deduced.
"As for my name, if you listen hard 'nuff, you can hear the howling wind calling it out." Marshall added.
"To be exact, it's Jake Marshall…Your Honor." Edgeworth cut in. Jasmine could see his eyebrow twitching the slightest bit. He hated witnesses like this.
It was strange though…the sunglasses she wore were dark, dark enough that she could barely make out the judge's or even Marshalls' faces, only their shapes. But Edgeworth…if she focused hard enough, she could still make out the tiniest details that revealed his thoughts.
That was…a comfort.
A snap ringing in her ears.
"GUILTY!"
Fear, icy cold fear.
Jasmine shook her head, carefully lifting her cup in her shaking hands to take a sip of her tea. Calm, she needed to be calm. She had to help Phoenix.
The sound of the gavel knocked her out of her thoughts.
"Maybe it's best we get on with this quickly." The judge said. "Please share with us your testimony of the day of the crime…in English!"
"My job was to keep a wary eye on that bone orchard. They said I was supposed to make rounds three times a day, but that ain't my style. Besides, the room's protected by two security systems, anyway. If I remember right, I was at a street-side saloon at the time it went down. I'm just an innocent travelin' man, so if you're out of ammo it's time I hit the trail." Marshall testified.
"Well, i-isn't he a f-fun one." Jasmine whispered to Phoenix, wincing at the stuttering in her voice.
"No kidding. He's very reassured in the fact that we won't catch him." Phoenix nodded in agreement, though his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked at Jasmine.
"Well, let's prove him w-wrong." Jasmine tried to smile. She probably didn't succeed.
She could hear his voice and her skin was crawling when-
"I can't say I particularly care for your attitude…" The judge commented, breaking through the haze of fear like a kindly grandfather.
"I can't say I care for your beard, but you don't see me complainin'." Marshall sniped back.
"Wait a minutes…what do you mean by 'two security systems'?" Phoenix questioned.
"I mean the security cameras and the ID card reader." Marshall answered, playing with his knife as he spoke. "I reckon even a cowpuckle like you knows about those."
"B-but what about t-the fingerprint activated locks i-inside the evidence r-room though?" Jasmine asked. Her voice was soft and stuttering, as if she didn't want to be heard…Did he really…even take away the court from me…?
"Fingerprint activated locks? What kind of new-fangled doohickeys are those?" Marshall asked. He honestly sounded confused.
"He's not that good with machines…or following orders." Edgeworth supplied by way of an explanation.
"Sounds…like a t-troublesome employee." Jasmine commented, her voice still soft. Fear gripped her. Would she lose the courtroom too? Could she not escape that monster's influence at all?!
"Jazz, come back, it's alright, you're safe…" Phoenix whispered, his voice gently pulling her out of the fog of bad thoughts she found herself in.
"Thanks Nick…" she smiled slightly.
"Okay Mr. Wright, he's all yours." The judge stated. Obviously, she missed something, but she didn't particularly care.
"My job was to keep a wary eye on that bone orchard. They said I was supposed to make rounds three times a day, but that ain't my style. Besides, the room's protected by two security systems, anyway. If I remember right, I was at a street-side saloon at the time it went down." Marshall repeated.
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted, cutting him off. "Officer Marshall. Doesn't it strike you as odd? That is, you being called to testify like this?"
Marshall was silent, Jasmine was pretty sure his hat was shielding his eyes based off the shape of him she could make out.
"After all, you weren't in the security room at the time of the crime." Phoenix added.
"And yet you dragged me down here." Marshall said. "Explain yourself, pardner."
"It's quite simple." Phoenix stated. His arm shot out as he pointed at the witness. "You left a very large trail behind at the scene. Or, to be exact…a handprint."
"Hmph! Listen real good, pardner." Marshall's voice sounded as if he was smirking. "Like I said, I'm the caretaker of that crypt. I pay my respects…that is, make my rounds, about once a month. It's only natural my fingerprints would be in there."
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shook his head as he cried out. "I only wish it were, Officer, but you see…"
"Your f-fingerprints were…c-covered in b-blood." Jasmine stuttered as she finished her brother's sentence, though her voice fell where his rose. "Care t-t-to explain, Officer Marshall?"
The gavel slammed down and Jasmine flinched, hunching in on herself and gripping the defense bench with tight knuckles.
"…culprit of the DL-6 Incident!"
"…declare Miles Edgeworth guilty of killing his father."
"Nick…help me."
"Jazz, come on, I'm right here…" Phoenix's soft voice somehow pulled Jasmine from the dark memories racing through her mind. When she came back to herself, he passed her the tea she left on the defense bench, helping her lift it to her lips.
"T-thanks…" she whispered, fear and hesitation in her voice.
"It's nothing." Phoenix shook his head. "You good now?"
"Yeah…g-g-get back t-to work." Jasmine tried to smile, but it was fragile at best. Phoenix, however, nodded in agreement and turned back to the court.
"The blood was wiped away. However! A luminol test clearly revealed this!" Phoenix supported his claim, taking out the official results Jasmine had typed up the previous night with their luminol testing and placing them on the evidence table so they may be added to the Court Record. "Well, Officer Marshall?"
"…it seems to me…there ain't a person in this room with a head on his shoulders." Marshall countered.
Jasmine felt Phoenix tense as he returned to her side.
"I take it you have an explanation then, Officer Marshall? About the 'bloodstained' fingerprints?" Edgeworth asked.
Marshall's silence spoke volumes. The gavel came down in response.
A snap.
"I heard voices arguing and a single gunshot…"
"…about your fingerprints, found at the scene of the crime!" The judge finished saying as Jasmine came back to reality.
"Like I said, it's only natural for my fingerprints to be in that evidence room. One of them just happened to be at the same place as the bloodstained handprint. The murderer touched the locker where my fingerprint was by chance. The bloodstain and the fingerprint are completely unrelated. Or didn't you know the murderer was wearing gloves? See? I had nothing to do with it." Marshall testified.
"Hmm…the witness' explanation appears valid, although there's room for doubt." The judge declared.
"Life wouldn't be fun without any doubt, pardner." Marshall stated in response.
"The defense may now cross-examine the witness." The judge declared.
"You got the same f-feeling I d-do, Nick?" Jasmine whispered.
"Yeah. Now we just gotta drag out whatever he's hiding." Phoenix nodded.
"E-easy enough f-for you." Jasmine smiled. "G-get 'im."
"Like I said, it's only natural for my fingerprints to be in that evidence room." Marshall repeated.
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix cut in. "That's because you…how did you put it…"
"'Pay your r-r-respects', right?" Jasmine supplied.
"Yeah. You do that once a month, right?" Phoenix asked.
"Yeah, that's right. That, and one more thing…that locker happens to be mine." Marshall said.
"What!? What do you mean?" The judge asked, eyes wide.
"That's the locker I used when I was a detective…the locker I still use." Marshall explained. "All that's in there now is a heap of broken dreams…"
"I see…" Phoenix nodded as Jasmine carefully wrote the information down for a future reference.
"It'd be strange if my prints WEREN'T all over that locker." Marshall said before he returned to his testimony. "One of them just happened to be at the same place as the bloodstained handprint. The murderer touched the locker where my fingerprint was by chance. The bloodstain and the fingerprint are completely unrelated. Or didn't you know the murderer was wearing gloves?"
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix shouted. "How do you know that!?"
"I may be a loner, but I still do my job. I keep up on the reports." Marshall scoffed.
"There was a bloodstain at the scene, thought to be left by the murderer." Edgeworth confirmed.
"That's right, it was found on Detective Gumshoe's locker." Phoenix nodded.
"However, no fingerprints were detected on that handprint." Edgeworth finished.
"Hmm…so that would mean…" The judge spoke up. "the murderer, wearing gloves, happened to place his hand on top of Officer Marshall's fingerprint."
"That's the only logical conclusion." Marshall stated. "Are you starting to get the picture, pardner?" Suddenly, Marshall's voice was cold and serious.
"The picture…?" Phoenix repeated.
"This seal of blood…in the desert, it's just food for the buzzards." Marshall said as the data on his fingerprint appeared on the courtroom's TV screens. "There's only one reality and that's this." Marshall then pointed at the tap resting almost innocently on the evidence table. "So as long as my trail isn't in there…you can't say otherwise."
"The gavel slammed down.
A scream.
Electricity surging through her body.
Two gunshots.
"You will declare Miles Edgeworth guilty…"
"Too bad it wasn't me in that video, right, pardner?" Marshall's voice somehow broke through the fog.
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix cried. "What do you mean by that?"
"You want to tie me to this crime, isn't that right, pardner?" Marshall asked, rhetorically. Phoenix remained silent in response. Jasmine felt on edge. "If so, that video is the only direct evidence you have."
"OBJECTION! But that video is next to useless! It's full of blind spots!" Phoenix countered.
"Blind spots?" The judge questioned.
"P-places you c-c-can't see, Your Honor." Jasmine explained.
"The camera's panning back and forth, the floor isn't shown...if someone was familiar with the camera's position, he could leave the room without being caught on tape!" Phoenix pointed out.
"OBJECTION! We don't have time for your speculations, Mr. Wright." Edgeworth shook his head. His voice helped Jasmine to relax, her hands steadying as she took a sip of her tea.
"Well, Mr. Wright. If you can show us evidence in this video that indicates Officer Marshall was present, please do so now." The judge requested.
"Very well. Allow me to point out your mistake, Officer Marshall!" Phoenix smirked.
"Tread carefully, Mr. Wright, or you might be the one making a mistake." Edgeworth warned.
The gavel slammed down. Jasmine didn't react and the voices quieted…Edgeworth chased them away with a single warning.
"Now then, let's have another look at the video." The judge said. "Show us this incriminating evidence of the witness…Officer Jake Marshall!"
"TAKE THAT! Bringing our attention back to the security camera…is a mistake I'm sure you'll soon not forget, Officer Marshall." Phoenix smirked.
"…the days are short in Texas…and so are our tempers." Marshall stated. "Could you sum up what you have to say in eight words or less?"
"Very well." Phoenix nodded before he slammed his hands on the defense bench and pointed at Marshall. "You can clearly be seen in this video!"
"Exactly eight words…not bad, pardner." Marshall chuckled.
"The key…lies in a certain locker shown in the video." Phoenix continued as the video was pulled up on the TV screens. Once the video reached the end, Jasmine held a hand up.
"Please pause it." She requested. "S-see this locker that has a white cloth s-s-sticking out? This is the w-witness' l-locker."
"Now then, let's rewind the video a bit." Phoenix requested.
The bailiff in charge of the video complied and the video was rewound until the locker was shown once again.
"Pause now, please." Jasmine requested as she lifted a hand.
"Oh!" The judge gasped as he saw the locker. "The white cloth…it's gone! What's the meaning of this, Officer Marshall!?"
"When the crime took place…the white cloth wasn't there." Phoenix stated. "Then…it suddenly appeared! There's only one explanation: Officer Marshall! You were in the evidence room at the time of the crime! What's more, you opened your locker when the camera was turned away!"
"Order! Order!" The judge cried as he slammed his gavel down once. "It would seem that's the only-"
"Hold your horses!" Marshall cut in.
Jasmine shivered as a chill ran down her spine. She figured it wouldn't be that easy.
"Sorry, pardner…but you've got the wrong man." Marshall said. "So what if my locker was opened? That doesn't mean I'm the one who opened it! The murderer needed to hide something, so he opened a locker and stuck it in. It's not my fault he happened to choose mine!"
The entire courtroom was silent throughout Marshall's argument, either waiting for him to finish or in pure shock.
Jasmine was extremely happy that Marshall looked so uncomfortable when he finished.
"…why's everyone looking at me like I'm a wanted man?" He asked, nervous.
"Sorry, Officer, but you are actually the only person who can open that particular locker." Jasmine stated, a smirk crossing her features. They had him.
"Oh yeah? I call your bluff." Marshall scoffed. "You say I opened that locker…now prove it!"
"TAKE THAT!" Jasmine's voice was soft, but in the silence of the courtroom, it commanded attention as the fingerprint sensor appeared on the screens.
"A…'fingerprint' sensor?" Marshall gasped as he looked at the screen.
"That's correct. My brother mentioned this before. The lockers can only be opened by the d-detectives they belong to." Jasmine explained, playing with a strand of her hair as she spoke.
"W-what kinda crazy talk is this!?" Marshall demanded.
Suddenly realizing she was on the spot and hearing the echo of a snap in her ears, Jasmine shrunk back from Marshall's gaze and held her tea tightly.
"N-N-N-Nick…?" She whispered. She couldn't continue, the eyes, the staring, the snap, the silence…it was too much all at once.
But…returning to court as she used to…was a nice feeling…
"I know." Phoenix nodded. He slammed his hands. "So sheriff…what do you have to say…in eight words or less?"
Marshall pulled on his beef jerky before he spoke again.
"I only got one word for you, pardner, bambina." He stated. "NOOOO!"
"Order! Order! Order!" The judge cried. "Witness! Explain yourself!"
"If this is a joke, it's the worst I've ever heard…" Marshall trailed off.
Jasmine pushed up her sunglasses, feeling fear coiling in her stomach, icy and sharp. She couldn't speak up, not again. She grabbed Phoenix's arm for support, allowing his warmth to chase the cold away.
"I assure you this is no joke, Officer Marshall." Phoenix stated. "Now then, please tell us what you were doing in the evidence room at the time of the crime?"
Marshall was silent, pulling on beef jerky with his teeth again.
"Ole! Please answer the question!" The judge agreed. Jasmine snorted softly at his words.
"That's alright, Officer Marshall. I believe we can figure the rest of from here." Phoenix smirked.
"We can?" The judge asked, curious.
"Have a look at these floor plans." Phoenix said as said plans appeared on the screens. "There is no place for someone to hide in the evidence room. Yet, Officer Meekins didn't see Officer Marshall."
"If that's so, then…where was the witness?" The judge questioned.
"It seems Mr. Wright has an answer." Edgeworth stated.
"TAKE THAT! Officer Marshall was standing right here!" Phoenix answered as the floor plan showed a red square around the victim marker.
"There? But that's…that's where the victim, Detective Goodman, was!" The judge exclaimed.
Jasmine took slow, controlled breaths, trying to calm her heart rate. She couldn't step out, not now, not when they were getting so close to pinning this guy down.
Just then…a memory washed over her and she allowed it, feeling it run through her mind like a cool wave, washing away the tension and fear from her body.
It helped that the memory was from a simpler time.
It started off as a normal day as Jasmine and Phoenix walked to school together, Phoenix excitedly talking about the latest Signal Samurai episode while Jasmine quietly smiled at her brother.
"Hey, Miles!" Phoenix yelled suddenly as he ran ahead. Jasmine stopped for a moment, blinking in shock, before she ran to catch up with her brother and their friend.
It still felt odd, having friends. Sure, Larry was her friend, kinda, but things were different now that the class trial had happened and Miles had joined their friend group. Jasmine was still quiet, but…she felt she could trust them. It helped that they defended her from bullies too, and gave her the Purple Princess keychain she kept on her backpack.
"Good morning, Phoenix, Jasmine." Miles nodded.
"Hi." Jasmine smiled, giving a small wave.
"Did you see the latest episode last night?" Phoenix asked excitedly.
"Yes, I did. It was a good one." Miles smiled.
"Wasn't it?! My favorite part was when Signal Blue took on the Black King to allow Signal Yellow and Signal Red time to save Purple Princess!" Phoenix grinned, his eyes starting to sparkle in excitement.
Jasmine simply giggled at her brother's enthusiasm. He was cute like this.
"He sure loves this show." Miles whispered to Jasmine as Phoenix continued to talk, unaware of their conversation.
"Well, so do I and so do you." Jasmine shot back quietly, raising an eyebrow. Miles blushed slightly, as he always did when his love of the show was pointed out. "Don't be like that, we all feel the same way." Smiling, she shook her backpack to show off her keychain.
"I know, you're right." Miles chuckled.
"Oh! How's your puppy? You named him Missile, right?" Jasmine asked, speaking louder as Phoenix finished speaking.
"Yeah, how is the little guy?" Phoenix added brightly.
"As excitable as when we first met him." Miles chuckled, shaking his head. "Father loves him though and…I do too."
"I'm glad, you look like you needed a friend." Jasmine smiled.
"And you ended up with four! Me, Jazz, Larry and Missile!" Phoenix grinned, nudging Miles in the side.
"Speaking of, where is Larry?" Miles asked.
At that question, all three children froze, unease filling them.
"Oh no…" They whispered in unison.
And sure enough, their uneasy feeling was proven correct once they got to school.
For there, sitting at his desk, was Larry…covered head to toe in bright pink paint…which was also covering the classroom…
"Larry…" Jasmine and Phoenix groaned in unison, hanging their heads in embarrassment to even know this idiot.
"What? I didn't do anything!" Larry protested.
"The evidence that is the entire classroom begs otherwise." Miles sighed, placing his hand on his forehead and looking briefly exhausted.
"Edgeeeeey! Not you too! You're supposed to defend me!" Larry protested, tears in his eyes.
"Only when you're actually innocent. Here, you are not." Miles stated matter-of-factly.
The whole situation was so utterly ridiculous in that moment that Jasmine found herself softly giggling. Phoenix looked at her then, a grin slowly forming on his face before he too began to laugh, causing Jasmine herself to laugh louder.
Eventually, their laughs caught the attention of Larry and Miles and the two joined in as well. Sure, their teacher would scold them for this, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that they were having fun, together.
When her laughter subsided, Jasmine looked up and smiled brightly, widely, at Miles as his own laughter faded. Miles' cheeks tinted pink as she did so, but Jasmine didn't pay too much attention to that as Phoenix threw an arm across her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug while Larry began to tell them the story behind the paint, gesturing wildly the whole time.
After all, Miles was probably pink from laughing so much. There wasn't any other reason behind it.
Just at that moment, the door to the classroom opened and their teacher entered.
Without a single thought, the class moved as one and pointed at Larry.
"The Butz did it."
"AW, COME ON!"
When Jasmine came back from her memory, she found a talking courtroom, a sweating and panicked Phoenix, the gavel coming down and her notepad in her hand.
Her notepad, which was full of extensive notes of what she hadn't heard.
How…? She thought, before a warm wave washed over her. Mia…?
"It seems this trial has reached its conclusion. There's no room for doubt." The judge said, drawing Jasmine's attention. Her eyed widening, she quickly read over the notes left for her.
The rest of Marshall's testimony was documented there, along with the fact that the murder at the police station being a fake, meaning Lana was…
Jasmine's eyes widened even more.
"No…!" She gasped, her hands clenching the notepad tightly even as they shook.
"Well done, Mr. Wright. Thanks to you, I didn't need to waste my time…disproving the alleged 'murder' at the police department." Edgeworth smirked.
"Nick, no…" Jasmine whispered, but she was helpless. She had nothing, but fear and shaky hands and the want to just leave, but she can't! She refuses! Not now!
The gavel slammed down.
"Now then, the time for the verdict has arrived." The judge said. "This court finds the defendant…"
"HOLD IT!"
Everyone turned as the courtroom doors slammed against the wall and three teenagers standing there.
"Ema!" Phoenix cried.
"Apollo! Clay!" Jasmine added. Did they find something?
"Y-Your Honor! Wait!" Ema begged. "The defense has an objection! A scientific objection! Right?"
"What do you mean, 'right'?" Phoenix asked.
"That's where you're supposed to agree, Mr. Wright!" Clay protested.
"Mr. Wright. Are you these children's guardian?" The judge asked, disapproval in his eyes.
"Your Honor! Oh, uh, in a sense…" Phoenix stuttered.
"They are Ema Skye, Apollo Justice and Clay Terran, Your Honor. They are with us." Jasmine stated. Then the judge turned to her and she instantly stiffened up and turned away, pushing her sunglasses higher up her nose and grasping her tea in her still shaking hands. "S-sorry…"
"Your Honor, please, just listen to us!" Apollo begged.
"All I'm asking for is a minute of your time!" Ema added. "Please hear me out! Mr. Edgeworth, please…"
"…I don't want to leave any loose ends." Edgeworth agreed. "You want a minute? I'll give you three."
"Wow, you're really nice, Mr. Edgeworth!" Clay grinned.
"Thank you." Apollo bowed gratefully before he turned to the high school student among them. "Ema?"
"Right." Ema nodded, her shoulders slumping as if her adrenaline faded. Apollo rested his hand on hers as they walked to the witness stand as a trio. "I…I was kind of in shock. I mean, to find out the SL-9 Incident referred to the Joe Darke Killings! But that's when I figured it out. I mean, what Officer Marshall was trying to do that day…so I knew his fingerprint had nothing to do with the crime. That left only one thing…the other handprint!"
"You mean the traces of blood found on Detective Gumshoe's locker…" Edgeworth supplied.
"But no fingerprints were found on it, right?" The judge asked, clarifying.
"No, but I figured if I examined it scientifically…I'd be sure to find a clue!" Ema insisted. "So I ran over there and looked at it again with my two assistants here!"
The sparkle was starting to return to Ema's eyes as she spoke of science and Jasmine could see the relieved looks on Apollo and Clay's faces at the sight. They were good kids, all three of them.
"! So did you find anything?" Phoenix asked, his eyes sharp.
"Um…no…" Apollo admitted, wincing slightly.
"Huh?" Phoenix repeated, probably hoping he misheard.
"Sorry. I guess I'm not much of a scientific investigator after all…" Ema apologized, looking away.
"No, don't say that! You're fine!" Clay insisted, grasping Ema's other hand. Apollo nodded in agreement, his face set in stone. Ema smiled slightly down at the boys in thanks.
"…um, is that all?" Phoenix asked, sweating nervously.
"Nick!" Jasmine hissed as she nudged her brother in the rib.
"Ow! What was that for?" Phoenix asked as he rubbed his now bruised rib. Jasmine gestured to the witness stand as Ema's smile fell.
"Please don't be mad. I'm just a high school student!" She pleaded.
"But Mr. Wright! Those traces of blood are the only clue we have!" Apollo pointed out. "If there's something wrong with them…"
"Please, Mr. Wright. You're a professional." Ema said, looking up with fire in her eyes now. "If anyone can save Lana, it's you!"
"Me? Oh boy…" Phoenix gulped at the sudden pressure.
"You up for it, Nick?" Jasmine whispered with a small teasing smile, her tea secure in her hands. "This is our final shot or we can't save Lana."
"Jazz…" Phoenix whispered, staring at his little sister.
"I believe in you." Jasmine said as she turned to Phoenix with a smile. "Okay? So believe in yourself…and smile. Lana needs you right now, so be there for her."
"…okay." Phoenix nodded, determination fresh in his eyes. Jasmine smiled in response.
The gave slammed down and Jasmine flinched at the sound, confidence fading quickly, though the fear didn't slam down.
"Time's up. Now then, Mr. Wright." The judge said. "With regard to the incident at the police department…does any reasonable doubt remain?"
Phoenix was silent, trying to find a way to word what he wanted to say, Jasmine thought.
"It appears the defense is troubled by the other blood mark." Edgeworth noted, raising a hand out to help them. Metaphorically and subtly, of course. He raised his arm and pointed to the TV that showed the evidence and the floor plan appeared, a mark appearing over the location of the unidentified blood mark. "Looking at the floor plans, a handprint was discovered around here. Is there a problem with this?"
"Mr. Wright! I'm sorry I can't be of more use…" Ema apologized, briefly looking down before her head shot up again, fire in her eyes as her hands tightly squeezed Apollo and Clay's, as if they were currently the only things holding her together. "But still! If you can't find anything wrong with that blood mark, Lana will be…"
"Well, N-Nick?" Jasmine stuttered, her eyes on the children and the children alone as Clay whispered something to Ema while Apollo squeezed her hand tighter and leaned into her side. "Wh-what can y-you do?"
"Please answer my question, Mr. Wright." The judge said. "We don't have all day."
"Y-yes, Your Honor." Phoenix stuttered, before he looked at the TV screen carefully. Jasmine saw the exact moment the connection was made and she allowed a small smile right before he yelled out, "OBJECTION! This handprint left at the crime scene…clearly shows a contradiction!"
"The only thing that seems clear is you're grasping, Mr. Wright." Edgeworth shook his head with a chuckle.
"You've been staring pretty intently at those floor plans." The judge hummed. "Tell me…is there a problem with them?
"…take a good look at these floor plans." Phoenix said as he stepped around the defense bench and pointed at the TV screen. "Something is missing."
"'Missing'…?" Edgeworth repeated, his eyes narrowing, but Jasmine had no doubt he'd already seen it. "You mean, something hasn't been drawn on there?"
"Yes. Something that, when drawn, will completely change the meaning of the blood mark!" Phoenix confirmed.
"Let us pray the defense isn't simply trying to buy time." The judge sighed as he slammed his gavel.
Jasmine's eyes narrowed at those words. I resent that assumption.
"Very well, Mr. Wright!" The judge gave him the go ahead. "The question is…which item can prove something is missing in the floor plans?"
"TAKE THAT!" Phoenix cried as the Blue Badger appeared on the screen.
"What about that piece of plywood?" Marshall questioned as he sipped from his canteen nonchalantly from the previous witness seat.
"The Blue Badger! Mascot of the police force! Defender of truth, guardian of proof!" Phoenix proclaimed, a smirk slowly growing on his face.
"Explain yourself, Mr. Wright." Edgeworth demanded, his brow furrowing further.
"Please look at the floor plans of the crime scene." Phoenix requested. "The Blue Badger is not here."
"So?" Marshall questioned.
"So watch what happens when we put him in." Phoenix smirked before he pointed at the screen. "This is where he was dancing at the time of the crime." A figure was added to the floor plan, labeled the Blue Badger…right in front of the blood mark in question. "Well…?"
"Well…what?" The judge asked, confused.
Suddenly, Edgeworth's eyes widened and he reared back as he gasped.
"That's right." Phoenix nodded. "So long as the Blue Badger is dancing here…it would be impossible…to place a handprint at this spot on the locker!"
"Whaaaaaaat!?" Marshall cried.
The gallery began to talk and the gavel slammed three times. Jasmine took a deep breath, pushing the fear back and focusing on her confident brother instead.
"So that means…uh…just exactly what does that mean!?" The judge demanded.
"It means it can't be done!" Phoenix proclaimed.
"What are you saying? Blood traces were undeniable found on that locker!" The judge pointed out.
"Don't look at me, I didn't put it there!" Phoenix shook his head.
"Mr. Wright! Think it through scientifically!" Ema insisted as she, Apollo and Clay hurried over to join the defense bench. "On that afternoon…Officer Meekins was the one who brought the Blue Badger to the evidence room, right? After he put it down, it would be impossible to leave a handprint on that locker."
"So that means the blood mark…!" Apollo gasped, his eyes widening as he pieced the evidence together at the same moment Phoenix did.
"Was left there before the Blue Badger was brought in…?" Phoenix finished.
"There you go…" Jasmine smiled proudly.
"Just one moment! I will not allow such farfetched balderdash in my courtroom!" The judge cut in.
"It may sound farfetched, Your Honor…but it's the only possible explanation!" Phoenix insisted.
"This means…on F-February 21st…in t-the police d-department's e-e-evidence room…" Jasmine picked up where her brother left off. She took a deep breath, adjusted her sunglasses and then the twins acted in unison.
"Blood was spilled not once, but twice!" The twins cried as they pointed at the prosecutor's bench.
"B-but how…!" Edgeworth growled as he leaned on his bench.
"One time was captured on this tape, taken by the security camera." Phoenix explained, gesturing to said tape. "Officer Meekins cut his hand, from which a trivial amount of blood fell. The problem is…the 'other' time. Someone bled prior to the struggle shown on this tape. It had to have been…Detective Goodman, when he was really murdered!"
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth shouted, slamming his hand on the bench. "That's ridiculous! I refute you!"
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted back. "The murder portrayed on the security tape has been proven to be a fake. However! That does not explain the blood mark found on the locker!"
"Yeah!" Clay piped up, mimicking Phoenix and slamming his hands on the bench. "The physics doesn't add up at all! Not with that giant thing in the way!"
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth cut in. "So then…assuming this 'murder' you purport really happened. When did it take place!? I demand you show evidence that proves it occurred!"
Lowering her sunglasses the slightest bit, Jasmine scanned her notes for any evidence she had recorded that could prove the time of the true murder.
The gavel slammed down. On a reflex she hadn't even realized was forming, Jasmine pushed her sunglasses up instantly, shadowing her vision once again.
"To surmise, the defense claims that…prior to Officer Meekins being cut by Jake Marshall, who was disguised as Detective Goodman, another 'incident' took place in that evidence room." The judge summarized.
"The blood mark on the locker proves this." Phoenix nodded.
"Very well. Then tell us…when did this 'first' incident occur? Proof must be presented." The judge stated. "Now then. Will the defense please present its evidence?"
Suddenly, Jasmine gasped as she realized the evidence they needed.
"Nick!" She whispered.
"I know." Phoenix smirked, as if reading her mind. He probably was. "TAKE THAT! If the crime took place inside the evidence room, then the perpetrator would had to have entered the room. In order to do so, an ID card is required."
"An ID card…oh! The ID card record!" The judge gasped, realizing what the attorney was getting at as said record appeared on the screens.
"Officer Meekins b-brought the Blue Badger p-panel into the evidence room at…" Jasmine started to read.
"Let's see here…4:50 PM." The judge read. "If the crime took place before that time, then it would be…"
"Wait, but isn't that…?" Apollo trailed off as he looked at the holder of the ID card above Meekins'.
"4:40 PM…ah! AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Miles Edgeworth! Just what have you done!?" The judge shouted, glaring at the prosecutor.
"Wait! He didn't do anything, Your Honor!" Jasmine cried, her voice the loudest it had been in the whole trial. She wouldn't let anyone accuse Edgeworth, not again. Her only consolation, at least, was that the judge sounded like a disappointed parent rather then, you know, the head of the courtroom.
"Jazz…" Phoenix whispered, squeezing her arm. It was only then that she became aware of her increased breathing, almost getting close to hyperventilation. Edgeworth's eyes were on her and she knew the cool silver of them were beseeching her to stop before she had another episode.
"I never figured you had nerve, boy." Marshall stated.
"Put off the act, witness." Edgeworth scoffed. Just his voice alone cause Jasmine's shoulders to relax minutely and her breathing to slow. He was defending himself… "It doesn't take a lot of thought to figure out it couldn't have been me."
"Hmm…nope, I ain't gettin' it…" Marshall smirked, simply to irritate Edgeworth.
"Hmm…I'm afraid I don't understand either." The judge admitted, being entirely honest.
"But…he's the judge…shouldn't he understand?" Apollo asked, confused.
"Maybe he's just a little on the slower side." Clay shrugged.
"When he holds Lana's life in his hands?!" Apollo asked, sounding horrified.
"He's not the brightest, true, but he always gives the correct judgement." Jasmine smiled at them. "Just watch."
"Maybe we'll learn something useful!" Ema grinned at the boys, who quickly turned back to the trial themselves.
"It's clear from the luminol test that blood was there." Edgeworth explained to the court. "However, when the 'second' crime took place…both Officer Meekins and Officer Marshall failed to notice the blood."
"That means…the blood from the first crime was wiped away…by the real murderer." Phoenix elaborated. Jasmine smiled behind her tea as she sipped it. The two idiots probably didn't even realize they slipped into a tag team.
"I would have had just ten minutes to murder the victim, carry his body away, and clean away the blood. Unfortunately, that's physically impossible." Edgeworth continued on.
"That would mean…the crime must have taken place before Mr. Edgeworth entered the evidence room." The judge corrected.
"Let's look at the chart again." Phoenix suggested and, once again, it appeared on the screens. "There's only one other card number remaining: '7777777'!"
"Talk about a lucky number…" Marshall muttered.
"But wait…that doesn't make sense!" The judge protested. "How could Detective Goodman have entered the evidence room?"
"Since there's no record of his card being used beforehand…he must have entered along with the real murderer." Phoenix stated. "That's the only plausible explanation. He went in with '7777777'!"
The gavel slammed down.
"Mr. Edgeworth! Please look into this ASAP!" The judge requested. "Find out whose ID number is 'sevensevensevensevensevensevensevenseven'!
"That's one 'seven' too many, Your Honor." Edgeworth pointed out. "Unfortunately…I'm unable to look up the owner of that ID card. At least, at present."
"What!?" Phoenix cried.
"Miles…" Jasmine whispered.
"Mr. Edgeworth!" Ema gasped.
"Why not!?" Apollo and Clay shouted.
"Explain yourself, son." Marshall stated.
"The ID number '7777777' belongs to someone with a rank of Captain or higher…someone who is a so-called 'executive officer'." Edgeworth explained. "We don't have the authority to inquire into such a person's identity."
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix cried, his hands slamming down. "But that's ridiculous! Just how…"
"I'm not finished talking, Mr. Wright." Edgeworth cut in. "There is one situation in which we can be granted such authority."
"If an official charge filed against an executive is accepted." The judge confirmed.
"A 'official charge'…" Phoenix repeated.
"You're all alike, aren't you?" Marshall scoffed. "With your 'cover-ups' and your 'forgeries'…that's how the Prosecutor's Office operates!"
"That's not true!" Ema protested over the noise of the gallery. "Lana and Mr. Edgeworth…they aren't like that!" Her voice was lost and unheard by all except who stood beside her. In response, Apollo and Clay leaned into her sides.
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth shouted, stopping the noise. "I take pride in my work, Officer Marshall. I would appreciate it if you kept your slander to yourself."
"'Slander', is it? Okay. Let me ask a question." Marshall said.
"Yes?" Edgeworth asked.
"No, not to you. To her, the defendant sitting over there." Marshall said as he turned to face Lana. "Your own little 'executive'."
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth cut him off. "Don't be stupid. She's been charged with murder. Of course we looked up her ID number…and it's not '7777777'."
"Don't play me for a fool, pardner." Marshall shook his head, his face cold. "That's not what I want to ask. All I want to know about is one thing…about that incident."
"The SL-9 Incident?" The judge questioned.
"Answer me this, Chief Prosecutor!" Marshall demanded. "In that trial two years ago…did you really only use legitimate evidence!?"
Gracefully, Lana rose from her seat at the defendant chair and made her way to the witness stand. The entire time, Marshall's cold eyes glared at her back.
"Officer Marshall…" Ema whispered under her breath. "Lana…"
"Do you need the witness to repeat his question, Chief Prosecutor?" Edgeworth asked.
"I heard him fine, Mr. Edgeworth." Lana said, her voice detached and professional.
"Two years ago…I was in charge of the prosecution for that trial." Edgeworth said. "At the time, we…"
"Occasionally…we felt the powerlessness of the law." Lana picked up the story. "At least…I did."
"L-Lana…" Ema whispered, her eyes never leaving her sister's body.
"I became a prosecutor in order to suppress crime with the law." Lana continued. "But before I realized it, we were the ones being suppressed by the law."
"Defendant! Just what are you saying!?" The judge demanded.
"I'll ask you again, Chief Prosecutor." Marshall said from where he sat behind Lana. "During that trial two years ago…did you really present all the evidence in court? Can you look me, an investigator in that crime, in the eye and say that you did?"
"Chief Prosecutor! You didn't…" The judge gasped in horror.
"…I don't have to, Officer Marshall." Lana stated.
"! Why don't you answer him!?" Edgeworth demanded, surprise lacing his tone from her response.
"Drastic crimes require drastic measures…" Lana elaborated. "That's just the way it is. We did what we had to…in order for him to get the verdict he deserved." As she spoke, Lana turned to the side, hiding her face in her hair away from the court, away from Ema.
"But Lana!" Ema cried.
"Even if it involved 'forging' evidence." Lana stated.
The courtroom was dead silent…until Marshall stood up from his seat and pointed at Lana.
"See? That's what I'm talking about." He stated.
"No…NNNOOOOO!" Edgeworth shouted.
The court roared with noise after that moment, everyone talking and yelling and clamoring over each other thanks to Lana's words.
"Order! Order! Order! ORDERRRR!" The judge shouted, but nothing could calm the courtroom.
In that moment, the complete and utter chaos Lana's remarks caused was absolutely deafening. At that time, I could neither see nor hear and I barely felt as if I existed. I did know, however, that because the court could not be calmed, could not be tamed after such words from the public's Chief Prosecutor, that the verdict would be extended to the next day, the final day in this trial.
And there we are! Phew! Would you guys believe me if I said I started writing this chapter back in November? Yeah, well, considering how long it takes to write these chapters, trial chapters especially because unlike in investigation chapters it's VERY HARD to go off script, I'm not surprised. In all honesty, I took a long break after November and decided to finish this chapter up when I started watching the AA anime again yesterday. Now it's done. And considering I only did the latter half of the trial, I think this is a good length. Believe me, it'd be A LOT longer if I had to include Meekins' testimony too. That would've been painful.
Anyways, thank you all so much for sticking with me, despite how slow my updates have become. We've got two chapters of this game left and then we can move on to JFA.
Speaking of, how would you guys feel if I used parts of the anime for the following games? And I don't just mean adding the backstory episodes or the courtroom layout like I've already done. I mean, for example, using the anime's Turnabout Big Top in order to cut that case down (cause I freaking HATED it when I played it, even if Acro and Bat and the end all made me cry). The same would also be true of Recipe for a Turnabout and maybe some other cases too, just to cut down the load I have to write and allow me some more wiggle room with Jasmine's role. I'm not abandoning the game for the anime, of course not, but there are parts of writing by the anime that would be easier for me. Let me know please!
Speaking of the anime, I need to share this with someone, did you guys who watched the English dub realize that Furio Tigre's voice is Sam Riegel, AKA the current English game voice actor for Phoenix? I find that hilarious cause now Furio Tigre actually DOES sound like Phoenix, game!Phoenix that is!
Also, don't take my first author's note to heart too much. I'm not trying to be mean, but I'm older then when I started this fic and that means I won't let reviews like this walk over me. I appreciate every review, I honestly do, and I do love hearing the ideas and theories you guys have of what I'm going to do. But please don't insist repeatedly that I do something cause I've been working on this story for years and my major plot points are all set in stone and being adjusted all the time whenever a new idea strikes me. I even have plans for two sequels to this story when I eventually finish it, so don't worry about what'll happen after SoJ. And I have plenty of changes planned too, we just need to GET to that point first.
I think I've gone on long enough now. Thank you all so much for everything, especially waiting by patiently for me to return to this story. I can't promise a fast update (again, these chapters take literally forever to write), but I will do my best! Bye for now then everyone!