Hey, everyone. It's Yoshi with a fic I know is ludicrous for me to attempt, but AFAIK, nobody else has done it yet. And I've been ready.
This is a rewrite of the game Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy. Because it desperately needs one. Since there is a lot of ground to cover, I'm breaking each chapter into three parts: Introduction, Investigation, and Conclusion. I am also only going to update once a month at most.
Now that that's all established, enjoy the story! :)
Prologue: The Importance of Being Ernest, Part One
Katrielle roamed down the corridors of Scotland Yard, to the back office her brother, Alfendi, had been assigned to for four years now.
Four years since then...
It was the serious crime division, a section of the station she had frequented in all that time, especially when Alfendi had first returned to work.
Since that incident...
She shook her head to banish the thoughts of what happened at Forbodium, as she reached the 'Mystery Room' as Alfendi dubbed it.
To think that this began as an archive room for cold case files! She pondered, pushing the doorbell near the knob she helped Alfendi install shortly after things there truly started to take off.
"It's open!" Called a woman's voice from inside.
Upon entering, she was met by the owner of the voice: a young woman, who had to have been no older than herself, she believed initially, with apricot skin, short ginger hair that was mostly concealed by an oversized tan cap, and the most vivid garnet eyes. Her badge indicating she was a detective constable was fastened securely at her hip.
"Oh, hello." Katrielle greeted her.
"Hello!" The constable greeted back. "Is there summat the Prof or I might help you with?"
"'Prof'?" Kat repeated, confused at first. "Oh, you mean Alfendi!"
She approached the woman, extending her right arm.
"I'm Katrielle Layton, Alfendi's sister." She said.
Ee, nice to meet you, Katrielle! I'm Lucy. Lucy Baker." The Yorkshire woman replied as she took Kat's hand. "I call t'Prof 'Prof' since he's summat of a mentor to me!" She added, looking over at the tall lanky man who was in the middle of a phone call.
For the briefest of moments, Kat could have sworn she saw a soft smile draw itself on her brother's lips, evidently hearing Lucy's words.
"I had heard my brother acquired a new assistant, so it's nice to finally meet you in person." Kat stated.
"Listen, you know I'm not the least bit interested in these sort of cases." Alfendi explained to whoever he was on the phone with, trying very hard to maintain his composure. "If he's a smart man, I'm sure he can figure it out for himself."
He was about to hang up, when a glance at his younger sister gave him an idea.
"Better yet!" He spoke again into the phone. "Why don't I send someone else over? Yes, yes, well she is a beginner, but I think even you will see her potential soon enough. Mm-hm, she will be there in just a few minutes."
And with that, he hung up for certain before turning to the girls.
"Splendid news, Kat!" He beamed, clasping his hands together. "I've just snagged you your first real case!"
"Have you really?" Katrielle exclaimed, ecstatic but also skeptical at the same time.
"Over in the Special Ops division." He nodded, confirming. "Ask for Inspector Hastings."
Kat nodded eagerly as she listened.
"I'm on my way, then!" She exclaimed, on her way out, but not before telling Lucy once again it was nice meeting her.
"Your sister seems real nice, Prof!" Lucy remarked to her superior. "Is she plannin' to be a policewoman?"
"A private detective, actually." Alfendi clarified.
"Eh? Police don't work with private detectives, do they?" Lucy questioned, with an eyebrow raised.
"Mm, she's taking a very 'Sherlockian' approach, to say the least." Alfendi retorted.
"I've told you already, I'm innocent!" The skinny green-haired nineteen year old's voice nearly cracked as he pleaded to the burly blond cop across from him.
"You expect me to buy that, sunshine?" The police inspector bellowed. "You're the only one who could've done it, and you know it!"
Inspector Hastings had just apprehended the prime suspect in his latest case, and was trying to get a confession to the crime. Instead, he found himself growing more frustrated with each ounce of denial from the young man in front of him.
"I swear, I didn't!" The teen cried, now completely in distress.
"I know it was you who broke into Dr. Ohm's laborat'ry and nicked 'is research papers!" Hastings slammed his hands down on the table, and leaned into the younger man's face, growling. "Admit it!"
"Broke into...? No, no I didn't!" The skinny boy continued to plead. "There's been some terrible misunderstanding!"
Their back and forth could be distinctly heard from the hallway, as Kat discovered, and from that pinpointed the room where it was at its loudest as her destination.
"I had only started Gressenheller University!" The young man stated. "Why would a fresher like me-"
"Oh! Gressenheller University?" Kat interrupted upon hearing those keywords.
The young man's cheeks grew warm as she walked in turning to a faint pink hue. The sun glowed through the window, further bringing attention to the woman who had just entered the room; most notably her round face framed by light copper curls, enhanced by her vivid blue eyes, small button nose, and thin lips. Indeed, she was a lovely being. For the briefest of moments, Ernest wondered if this was his guardian angel...
"What d'you think you're doin' here, bargin' in 'ere when I'm interviewin' a suspect?" Hastings asked, definitely unhappy with the intrusion.
"I'm here on behalf of Inspector Layton." Kat stated firmly.
"That nut job?" Exclaimed Hastings, taken aback.
It took all of Kat's self control to hold her tongue; normally when she would find herself defending her brother whenever someone called him something he simply wasn't. He was not the one that needed it today, however, the uni fresher before her did. She shook her head before continuing.
"I can't believe you've brought this poor man here to Scotland Yard." She remarked. "You can't accuse people without carrying out a proper investigation first. It sounds like the only evidence you have is circumstantial, that he was at the scene."
"Who are you, you little cheeky so-and-so?" Hastings demanded, strongly disliking it when others told him how to do his job.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Katrielle. Katrielle Layton." She said.
Inspector Hastings grew defensive upon that name again. He hadn't yet had the opportunity to work with the alleged "Genius of the Yard", but he had heard from certain officers -who may or may not have- that Layton was not a man to be trifled with, lest one be met with his violent side. And if this girl was anything like him…
"Well, I don't care if you're the Queen o' Sheba, you don't come down 'ere and start interferin' in police business!" He snapped.
"Inspector 'Astings!" A uniformed constable interrupted as he entered the impromptu interrogation room. "Sorry to barge in, but it's nearly time."
Hastings attention was briefly diverted to his subordinate, collecting his composure in the process.
"Oh, yes, of course. I've got an appointment at Gressenheller. Thanks for remindin' me, Constable." He said, before focusing once more on the suspect and the intruder. "Right, Greeves, it looks like you're off the 'ook for now."
Relief began swelling in Ernest.
"But you're still at the top of my list, sunshine, and as soon as I get more evidence..." Hastings added, sincerely.
"Oh no, please..." Well that didn't last long.
"Come on then, PC Beate, let's get over to the university." The police inspector spoke as he headed out, followed closely by the constable, leaving Ernest and Katrielle to their own devices.
Relief returned once Ernest was told he was free to go. Of course, he knew he wasn't entirely in the clear yet. Kat noticed this almost instantly, and suggested they get out of there, too. Ernest was quick to agree.
"Um, thank you..." Ernest stuttered as they reached the lobby. "For helping me before, I mean. I'm Ernest. Ernest Greeves."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Ernest." Kat smiled.
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Layton." Ernest proclaimed, taking her hands into his. "I must say, it's jolly good of you to believe me. That I'm not the thief, I mean."
Kat blinked at the gesture, then shook her head.
"Oh no, I just couldn't abide that loud-mouthed inspector's sloppy detective work, that's all." She corrected him. "Besides, I was sent in place of my brother, since he doesn't consider this a serious enough crime to get involved."
"Oh!" Ernest released her hands, feeling especially awkward now.
"I wouldn't like to say if you did it of not." She added.
"But, but I didn't do it!" Ernest pleaded for what had to have been at least the tenth time that day.
As they continued walking, Kat learnt more about the young man beside her, such as how he had just started studying botany at Gressenheller, a place she hadn't gone in ages; she even turned down going there on a scholarship, knowing just being there would bring back so many memories, she would never be able to focus on her studies.
In fact, after what happened with her brother four years earlier, she concluded for certain she would be unable to handle the added burdens that come with higher education. It simply wasn't in her future, especially when everything she would need to know for her up-and-coming small business could just as easily be learnt online, which was -for her at least- far cheaper, and way more convenient.
She listened to Ernest as he droned on, summarizing the case for her: From what she gathered, the research papers -written by the very professor who would otherwise be Ernest's instructor- went missing and quickly believed to have been stolen, and because Ernest happened to be in the same room where they were last seen, he quickly became the prime and only suspect, in spite of the lack of evidence or motive.
"And you didn't do it? Honestly?" She inquired, though it was already apparent to her he hadn't. No wonder Alfendi couldn't be bothered!
"No! Honestly, I didn't." The uni fresher insisted, waving his hands about, nearly distressed all over again. "Please, you have to believe me!"
Through their talking from there, she also learnt how he was a rather unlucky person, to say the least; only that morning, he claimed to fall into a drain and was bitten by a dog. A walking calamity, by the sound of it! A part of her pitied him, however, hoping he wouldn't need to get a rabies shot.
"Well, your luck may have changed. I intended to go to Gressenheller today, anyway." Kat explained. "If you come along with me, I can do what I was planning there and prove your innocence en passant."
Left with very little (if any) choice, Ernest agreed, and they were finally off to the university. To the scene of the crime.