"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice."
"But he attacked me!" countered Yang, angry that no one believed her. Ironwood continued to pace the room, simply stating, "Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise." "But Yang would never do that!" argued Weiss; she hadn't gotten to know Yang as well as Ruby or Blake, but she still knew Yang well enough to make a judgement. "Yeah!" agreed Ruby, standing up for her sister. Ironwood sighed. "You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did...under normal circumstances. What I believe and hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..." Yang countered, "But I wasn't-" "That's ENOUGH!" snapped Ironwood. "The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that you are disqualified." Ironwood left the room, and Yang sat there in disbelief.
After a few moments, Yang asked her team, "You guys believe me, right?" "Duh!" Ruby said, not understanding why her own sister would think she's not believable. "You're hotheaded, but not ruthless," Weiss added. Blake, however, had said nothing. "...Blake?" Yang asked. "I want to believe you..." Blake started. "Huh?!" shouted Ruby. "What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Weiss. "...Blake?" asked Yang again, this time on the verge of tears. Weiss continued, "How can you say something like that? Yang would never lie to us!" Blake sighed. "I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right. ...This is all just...very familiar." Yang looked at Blake, now with tears rolling down her face. "...But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So...I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did." Yang, wiping away her tears, said, "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back." Blake sighed, smiled, and looked at Yang. "Okay. Thank you."
"I think I'm gonna rest up," said Yang. Blake, walking out with Weiss and Ruby, said, "We'll get out of your hair." Ruby closed the door, before Jaune, who was outside their room with Team JNPR, asked, "She doing okay?" Blake responded, "She's doing the best she can." Ruby then said, "I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened." Yang, hearing this, remembered something, before pulling out her scroll and declaring, "If anyone can help me out here, it's him." She held her scroll up to her ear, while it rang.
January 9, 2:36 PM
Wright & Co. Law Offices
"Ugh...rent is coming up," said an agitated Phoenix Wright. "Yea, and we haven't had a client in forever," added Maya. "What are we gonna do..." said Nick. He switched on the TV. The reporter said, "In other news, a student at Beacon Academy participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament apparently attacked her other opponent. While this would be unsurprising, the shocking part is she attacked him after the fight was over. While no one is sure as to why this occurred, officials are saying that the student and her other teammates have been disqualified from the tournament altogether." Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Maya, who was closest to the phone, picked it up. "Wright and Co. Law Offices, Maya Fey speaking. ...Uh, yea, just a second." She handed the phone over to Nick, saying "It's for you, Nick." Nick cleared his throat, before saying, "Wright and Co. Law Offices, Phoenix Wright speaking." "Hi...Mr. Wright? ...I need your help," said the voice on the other end. Nick, running through all the people he knew in his head, couldn't match the voice. "May I ask who's speaking?" "My name is Yang Xiao Long, and I'm a student at Beacon Academy. Surely you've heard of it." Nick was starting to put the pieces together. "...You wouldn't happen to be the one who was disqualified from the Vytal Festival Tournament, would you?" "Talk about perfect timing," Maya muttered. Yang sighed. "Yes, that's me. And that's why I'm calling you - you are a famous defense attorney, after all." "Well, what do you want me to do? The footage clearly shows that you did it," Nick responded. Yang explained, "But here's the weird part: I saw him attack me." Nick, put off by her explanation, said, "Ask the headmaster to give you the footage of the incident. Tell him you're going to get some help. I'll be over as soon as I can." Yang, excited, said, "Sure thing, Mr. Wright!" As Nick got ready to leave, Maya said, "This has got to be one of the weirdest cases we've done! Everyone else saw her attack him, but she said he attacked her! Got any ideas, Nick?" "Well..." started Nick, "the first step to any situation is to investigate. Do you know where this Beacon Academy is?" "It's out in a place called Vale, so we'll need to travel by flying. Beacon Academy is the most famous school for hunters and huntresses. Now I'm excited to go there!"
January 9, 3:54 PM
Beacon Academy
Nick and Maya found themselves landing at Beacon Academy. Maya, in awe of the giant school, began to look around ecstatically. "Look at this place! It's HUGE! The people who get to go here must be the top of the top!" "Maya...remember, we're not here for sightseeing. We're here to help Yang out," said Nick. Ruby, who was just outside of the academy at the time, perked up at the sound of her sister's name. "Wait, what did you just say?" she asked, before immediately recognizing the lawyer. "Oh my gosh! You're Phoenix Wright! What's a famous lawyer like you doing here in Vale? Are you here to watch the tournament?" "Hi there. We're actually here because a student named Yang called us down here," explained Nick. "Oh...you're here because of that? Hmm...why would she do that? Everyone else is basically turned against her!" said Ruby. Maya said, "Come on, what are Nick and I known for? We're known for turning around cases that almost seem impossible! This is certainly no different." Ruby nodded in agreement, before saying, "If she called you down here, then you're gonna want to go to our dorm room. I'll take you there!" "Great, thanks, uh..." said Nick, realizing he didn't know her name. "Ruby Rose. I'm Yang's little sister."