Turnabout Legend
Chapter 4:
Athena's Investigation, Part 1
*KNOCK**KNOCK**KNOCK*
"Coming!" calls a female voice from inside the room. Genesect sighs as he waits patiently outside of Athena's room.
Since interviewing Darkrai last night, according to Giratina, they got a few leads. He wasn't sure, since he left near the end of their interviewing in a rage, something about Darkrai getting bullied by the other legendaries.
That's all that he heard, due to the robotic insect being busy. The Swords of Justice were being uncooperative with Genesect, investigating the crime scene when they weren't told to yet, which led to him telling Arceus about it.
Then Genesect had to go see if Celebi was all right, as she was pretty shaken up about the murder, and ask her a few more questions about the details of the crime, on the order of Arceus. Finally, the robotic insect had to go check up on Ash's friends and Pokémon, to see how they were holding up. This finished around two-o'clock in the morning, leaving Genesect with no sleep at all. Understandable, since there was a murder.
This morning, he was ordered by Arceus to get Athena ready, along with some things that had to be prepared beforehand, and then go help Mewtwo and Dialga with the autopsy report. And all of this while with a pounding headache, due to the poor guy not getting any dinner or breakfast.
"Now I feel how Detective Gumshoe feels..." Genesect thinks to himself, looking up at a clock, which reads '10:00'.
The mind of the robotic bug wanders off to last night. The images of Cresselia's and Ash's body visualize and mentally frighten him. He had never seen a dead body before in his life, much less two of them, but there they were. Just lying there among the plants, broken. Not moving, not alive, and most certainly dead. It can shake someone, or in this case some Pokémon, to the core.
A click of the door is heard, and Genesect goes back into reality, and meets Athena coming out of the door.
"Guten Morgen, Genesect!" exclaims Athena, slamming her fist into her other hand. "I can't wait to start today!"
Athena then frowns, confused at something. "I thought Arceus was supposed to greet me today. You know, give me some tips on handling the Legends, and other things like that."
Genesect bows, politely. "Yes, Miss Cykes. Miss Arceus sends her apologies, as she is currently building the Courtroom from scratch. We never had a human trial before so this is all new to us."
Athena then grins. "Well, thank you for tell me, Genesect! Are you here to escort me to the crime scene first? Because to be honest, I have absolutely no idea where it is!"
The Insect nods. "Yes, Miss Cykes, but there is a few things we must go over before that."
Genesect seeming pulls out a piece of paper from nowhere, and begins to read off the details from the said pieces of paper.
"Mr. Giratina would have done this in placement of Miss Arceus, but unfortunately, the heating seems to be on the, as they say, the fritz."
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"Alpha Block's heating is separate from the Hall of Origin's heating. Here, it's fine, but for some reason, the rest of the Hall of Origin's heating, along with the water supplies, isn't working. Mr. Giratina has gone with Mr. Zekrom to find the source of the problem. This means that the Legendaries and the Humans staying in the out Wings of the Hall haven't had a warm shower or a wash, so some of them may be a bit cranky. Mr. Palkia is currently sorting something so everyone else can have a wash."
Athena nods, taking this all down. This may come in handy later.
Hall of Origin Heating Problem Data added to the Court Record.
Genesect looks at the paper again, and then frowns a bit. "Ah. This next bit may be a bit gruesome for you."
"How come?"
Genesect hands Athena two pictures to her and she has a look at them. Both of them are photographs of the bodies of Ash and Cresselia.
On the photograph with Ash's body, you can see him lying by the broken bush with his black suit and shirt on, though it is shown ripped by the three large claw marks on him, the middle mark going down his chest while the others have almost cut off his arms. His expression on his face shows that he was shocked as he was killed, his eyes glassed over, now lifeless. His trademark hat, which seems to be his Kalos hat, has fallen off slightly from his head, onto the dirt a little. A large pool of blood surrounds his body.
Athena looks at the picture of Cresselia's body. Her body doesn't look as damaged. The body is lying on the floor in the image, the head in an unnatural position. It looks like the neck was twisted so fast and so hard; because Cresselia's expression is still on her face. An expression of anger and fear. Cresselia might have caught the killer in the act, and the killer disposed of her quickly and effortlessly. A small puddle of blood is around Cresselia's mouth, dripping from it.
Athena heard an upset emotion coming from Genesect, who looks nervous.
"S-sorry, M-Miss Cykes. T-those i-images make me feel nervous..."
Athena smiles. "It doesn't matter, Genesect!" She looks at the images again. "Did Miss Arceus tell you to give these to me?"
"Y-yes." Genesect replies, trying not to look at the images. "S-she said y-you may find a contradiction in the i-images and may need them. I h-have faith t-that you do..."
"Gracias, Genesect!" Athena gave her trademark peace sign. "Although the images are gruesome, and I can't find a contradiction yet, they'll show their true potential later, and I'll have you to thank, vous insecte utile!"
Image of Ash added to the Court Record.
Image of Cresselia added to the Court Record
Athena hears Genesect's emotions go back to normal, and the cyborg Pokémon goes back to the paper.
"One more thing before we head over the crime scene. Since Mr. Justice and Mr. Wright aren't allowed to help you with your investigation, apart from Mr. Justice's ability to find habits, Miss Arceus has decided to give you a Legendary as your assistant. This Legendary will help you during your investigation, and will join Mr. Justice and Mr. Wright on their investigations as well."
Athena is taken aback, a silly grin on her face. A chance to work with a Legendary Pokémon? Wait till Junie hears this!
"Which one?"
"Well, according to this..." Genesect looks at the paper, saying. "Miss Mesprit."
"Mesprit?"
"Yeah... me."
Suddenly, a small Pokémon appears out of nowhere. The Pokémon is a small, gray, fairy-like Pokémon. It has two tails that each have a red jewel encrusted in them. The Pokémon has a partially magenta face with four long, with drooping appendages and another red gem encrusted in its forehead.
Genesect looks at the Pokémon with a smile. "Hello Miss Mesprit. This is Athena Cykes, one of Darkrai's attorneys."
Athena raises a hand to Mesprit, who shyly looks at Athena, then response with a handshake.
"Um... hi. I'm Mesprit."
Athena grins sincerely. "Hiya there. As you may know as Genesect already introduced me, I'm Athena Cykes! It will be a pleasure to work with you, Mesprit! Das ist richtig, natürlich!"
Athena hears Mesprit's emotions become happier from that introduction.
"Mesprit actually volunteered to help you out." confirms Genesect, seriously. "She's the only one who didn't say no, yell at my face or gave me a dirty look when I asked 'Do you want to help Darkrai's attorneys?"
Mesprit nods, with a small but cute frown. "Yes, I did." she says, softly, still frowning, sadness coming from her heart. "I've been feeling everyone's negative emotions since Ash's and Cresselia's death, and I wish for that to stop."
Athena nods. "You want everyone to be happy, don't you?"
"That's right. Despite what the others have said, I don't believe Darkrai did it. He would have been upset if he killed his friend, and I could tell from his emotions that he didn't do it."
Then Athena realized something, and became dishearten a little. "I wonder if Genesect was fibbing about going to other Legends and went straight to Mesprit and hoped for the best, because something is telling me that Mesprit and I fit together due to the emotions theme."
Mesprit smiles softly. "I guess... I just want to help to get rid of Darkrai's sadness, that's all...!"
Athena returns her smile. "That's all right, Mesprit! We'll make a great team! Será genial!"
The Emotion Legend covered her face in shyness, blushing a bit. "Thank you, Miss Cykes."
"Please, call me Athena!"
*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
Athena and Mesprit turn to see Genesect looking at some kind of device, and the cyborg insect frowning. "Oh great...!"
"Um..." starts Mesprit, unsure of what's happened. "What's the matter, Genesect...?"
"Mr. Mewtwo and Miss Dialga want me to help with the autopsy report. Apparently, some of the machinery is broken, so I have to go get Mr. Zekrom." replies Genesect, still looking at the device. "This means I won't be able to escort you to the crime scene..."
Genesect looks up from the device. "Sorry about that. I got duties to perform since the murder happened."
"You mean the garden…?" asks Mesprit, softly, but smiling. "I know how to get there… I can teleport Athena and me there."
"REALLY?!" went Athena, with fangirl sparkles in her eyes, to Mesprit. Athena would have never expected to ever teleport in her life. This is a once in a lifetime chance!
"EEK!" Mesprit suddenly disappears into thin air. Athena looks round confuse while Genesect sighs. A few seconds later, Mesprit re-appears, blushing with embarrassment. Athena heard some sadness
"Sorry about that..." she murmurs, shyly. "You scared me, and when things scare me, I go invisible..."
Athena merely smiles, to cheer Mesprit up. "All right then." Genesect bows to Athena and Mesprit. "I'll be going then. If you wish to know anything about the Legends, or how the Hall of Origin works, find me and I'll answer questions."
Genesect then turns into his Flight Mode, and flies off. Athena watches the Robotic Insectoid fly off, and then hears a confused emotion coming from Mesprit, turning to see her looking at Widget on Athena's neck, studying the small device.
"What is that?" asks Mesprit quietly, looking at the device with intent. Athena takes Widget off her neck and gives him to Mesprit.
"This is Widget. He helps me during Court."
"How?"
"Well, the thing is, Mesprit, I am able to hear emotions like if they were sounds."
Mesprit looks surprise, shock on her face. "Y-you hear emotions? How is that possible?"
Athena shrugs. "I don't know myself, but I've been able to do so since I was younger. Apollo is able to detect habits, but he can't without his bracelet." She shakes her head. "Anyway, when I hear emotions coming off from people or Pokémon for this case, I have a program on Widget called the 'Mood Matrix'."
"'Mood Matrix'?"
Athena nods, with a grin. "Ja, das ist, was es heißt. Widget is linked up to me, so when I hear an emotion, Widget will display an emotion up on the screen. Here, I'll show you!"
Mesprit gives Widget back to Athena, and she actives the small device. Widget starts displaying a screen with four emotions in each corner, Happy, Sad, Anger and Shock.
"When people are saying things, they can actually feel something else then what they actually say." explains Athena, with Mesprit looking at the screen. "For example, in a case that I helped with, the witness said they were scared as she discovered a murder, but we found a Happy Emotion along with what she felt."
Sparkles are in Mesprit's eyes. "Wow! So this device can detect when Pokémon and humans are feeling something else from what they just said?"
Athena nods. "It can also show a missing emotion. Say some Legend you knew told you that they were shocked about something but they weren't. Widget can show that on the screen as well!"
"Really?" Suddenly, the emotion icons for Shock and Happy start going off, rapidly. Athena smiles. "See, I'm hearing shock and happiness coming off you, and it's showing there!"
Mesprit looks gleefully at the screen, with a small soft smile. "I've would never have expected to see this ever!" Mesprit then calms herself, and grins.
"Does this really help during Court?"
Athena nods. "It does indeed. We managed to catch an international spy with Widget!" She then shook her head to change the subject. "Anyway, should we head over to the crime scene?"
Mesprit nods, and without a word, grabs Athena's hand, and begins to glow.
Athena begins to glow as well, and the two teleport to the crime scene.
10:10 AM
19th December
Hall of Origin – North West Wing - Crime Scene
When Athena and Mesprit arrived at the garden, and after Athena composed herself after feeling a bit dizzy after the teleportation, they noticed it was almost completely empty.
It still looks the same from when the crime was discovered last night, but some things have appeared since then. One, white outlines to mark where the dead bodies were found, so they know where the crime took place, and two, some kind of police type has been put up to prevent anyone messing with the scene apart from the investigators.
Mesprit tells Athena that she has no idea what Legendaries have the authority for that.
Then they notice a Legendary guarding the scene, sitting down.
The Legendary is a quadruped, colt-like Pokémon with a cream-colored body. He has a short, rounded snout with large nostrils, and blue eyes. He has a large, feathery red mane, long, dark blue, ridged eyebrow-like protrusions, and a single cream-colored horn that curves slightly. The back of his head, as well as his neck, is covered with fluffy, light blue fur. The Legendary has blue hooves, and his tail is light blue with white spots and resembles an elaborate feather in a cap.
Athena recognizes this Legendary, as she does with all the other Legends. This one is Keldeo, one of the Swords of Justice.
Sweat-drops of nervousness appear on Athena, as she thinks to herself: "Let's hope this Sword of Justice isn't a jerk, pour l'amour de Dieu..."
The horse-like Legend looks like he is deep in thought, turning his head left, day-dreaming. He then notices Athena and Mesprit approaching the crime scene, and stands up, with a frown on his face.
"I may not know who you are..." Keldeo starts, politely, looking at Athena only. "But I must refer you away from here. This is a crime scene, and I know it's upsetting that Ash was your friend..."
"She... isn't one of Ash's friends, Keldeo!"
Keldeo turns to Mesprit, with a soft but determined expression on her face.
"Huh?"
"She's one of Darkrai's attorneys. Her name is Athena Cykes."
The frown from Keldeo's face disappears, and a surprise one appears in its' place. Athena wonders what Keldeo is so surprised about.
"Oh..." Keldeo rubs the back of his head with one of his front hoofs, abash a bit. "Well, sorry about that, Ms Cykes. My masters told me to keep any humans from the crime scene. I can't really disobey them..."
Athena swears she heard a twinge of sadness in Keldeo's heart. That's weird.
Keldeo grins, unaware of this. "Anyway, I am Keldeo, one of the Swords of Justice. You met Cobalion yesterday. Sorry about his rudeness, but what can I do for you?
I assume that you're here to investigate the crime scene, am I correct?"
Athena nods. "That's true. Is it all right I ask you some questions first?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Athena quickly thought of a question. A simple one to break the ice here, to get to know Keldeo.
"First things first, can you tell me more about yourself? I would like to get to know every Legendary as I can."
Keldeo nods, with a grin.
"Sure. I'm Keldeo, as you may have guessed, and I'm a Sword of Justice."
Keldeo does some kind of back flip, which surprises Athena a bit.
"What the Swords of Justice and I do is protect the innocent Pokémon from evil-doers! I love being part of the Legends, and making friends with everyone!"
Mesprit nods. "Um... What do you think of Darkrai?"
Keldeo do his version of shrugging his shoulders. "I think he's an alright Legend. A bit quiet, though."
"For my next question, may Mesprit and I investigate the crime scene? We really need to, so we have a better idea of the area."
Keldeo suddenly scowls, with a disappointing expression. "No. You can't." he put bluntly, surprising Mesprit all of a sudden. "I am under direct orders from Terrakion not to let you investigate the crime scene."
Athena is taken aback at this. "How come? We need to investigate the crime scene, to prove Darkrai's innocence!"
"That is exactly the point." Keldeo stops scowling for a moment. "Darkrai is guilty, no matter what. The Swords are determined to find that verdict for him. This dark age of the legends can finally go away."
A surprised expression suddenly appears on Athena's face. "That's weird... He went from thinking Darkrai is okay, to then hating him...? What happened?!"
She then frowns slightly, noticing something from Keldeo's emotions. "...And are you happy that he's been, well, arrested for this crime? Are you happy to presume this?"
"Yes."
"Well, your emotions don't certainly fit with what you're saying..." Athena thought. Despite Keldeo saying that he's happy with it, he is actually quite sad and angry about it. Athena is hearing the Sadness Emotion and the Anger Emotion coming from Keldeo's heart. She glances over to Mesprit, who nods. Looks like Mesprit can feel Keldeo feeling different from what he said.
Athena ponders to herself. She needs to find out more about the crime, and get a way to investigate the scene.
Time for another approach...
"Um...do you have the...uh...autopsy reports?" Mesprit asks meekly. Keldeo shakes his head.
"No, unfortunately, for Ash. Mewtwo, who is doing the autopsy along with Dialga, only did Cresselia's last night, and is currently doing Ash's."
Athena gained a grin. It's possible that Keldeo does have a copy for Cresselia's autopsy. A possible lead...?
Keldeo cocks his head slightly, and smirks. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have a copy of Cresselia's autopsy report. Virizion has it, and she won't give it to anyone. I'm not going to tell you where she is. You won't win this case."
"Scheiße!" Athena cursed in her head, quite annoyed. This Sword of Justice is being very uncooperative. Why are his masters doing this...?
Wait, maybe Athena could trick Keldeo into saying where Virizion is...
"So..." Athena starts, her plan going along. "The rest of the Swords of Justice... What are they like?"
Keldeo grins, while Mesprit looks confuse on what's happening. "My masters are great! We all fight together to bring justice to the wrong doers! Cobalion is kind of stern and strict, but when you get to know him, he's quite nice!"
Athena nods, playing along. "That sounds nice! Continue on!" "He didn't seem like that to me..."
The Sword of Justice nods, grin intensifying. "Terrakion is the strongest member of the group, and he yells quite a lot, but he's really kind and has a great passion for justice!"
"...Now I'm expecting Terrakion to burst into the room, yelling 'In Justice we Trust!'"
Athena briefly shuddered at that memory.
A thinking expression then turns up on Keldeo's face. "Before this murder happened, Terrakion and I were discussing a battle cry for when we go into battle. How is 'In Justice we Trust!' sound?"
"...Mein Gott...!" Athena twitched.
"That...sounds kinda cheesy..." remarks Mesprit, softly, thinking. She felt Athena's anger towards that phrase. It wasn't an ordinary anger, though. Mesprit wonders what happened with Athena and that phrase.
"Anyway..." continues Keldeo, bragging about the Swords. "Virizion is the kindest Pokémon you'll ever meet, but don't underestimate her, because she is powerful!"
"I wonder if that kindness will show itself me, considering that I'm Darkrai's attorney..." Athena thinks. She then remembers something. Since Simon is the Prosecution for Day One, and the Swords are technically the Detectives, one of the Swords must be with him. Athena decides to ask about Simon.
"So... What do you think of Prosecutor Blackquill?"
Keldeo's expression turns quickly into one of nervousness. "P-Prosecutor Blackquill, you say?"
Mesprit looks somewhat scared. "Y-yeah, I saw Meloetta bump into him this morning, and she disappeared off, screaming!"
"That's Simon for you!" Athena thought as she chuckled a little bit.
Keldeo shakes his nervousness off, but Athena could hear fear in his heart. "Um..." he starts. "Prosecutor Blackquill... is... well..."
Keldeo sighed, and an angry anime tick appeared on the side of his head. "HE'S SO RUDE!"
Mesprit suddenly yelps and disappears, turning invisible quickly, while Athena is not surprised at Simon's rudeness, but surprised at Keldeo's yelling.
"How do you find Prosecutor Blackquill rude?"
Keldeo is seething. "First, he completely disrespects my masters! NO ONE DOES THAT! He said Cobalion has a weak will, Terrakion looks fat, and told Virizion to shut up! I have NEVER seen ANYONE say that to my masters!"
Athena just smirks a bit. That's Simon Blackquill for you.
"Then, he yelled 'Silence!' when Terrakion tried to argue, and it looked like he almost cut off Cobalion's horns! That's not POSSIBLE for a human! HOW DID HE DO THAT?!"
Keldeo stomps his hooves, in pure anger.
"And he gave disrespectful nicknames to us! Cobalion's 'Baka Will Sword', Terrakion's 'Baka Fat Sword', Virizion's 'Baka Flower Sword' and I'm 'Little Sword'! I'M NOT SMALL! Then he had the nerve to split us up! I had to stay here, Cobalion's gone off to the autopsy room, Terrakion's gone to talk with Pikachu and Virizion has gone with Prosecutor Blackquill and Lugia to interview Celebi! We work as a team! He REALLY gets under my skin! ARGH!"
Athena grins, her plan managed to work. Keldeo said where Virizion is, with Simon. That way, she can get the autopsy report, and get some more information.
"Gotcha."
"What?"
Mesprit suddenly re-appears, with a small, but happy smile. "Thank you, Keldeo... You just told us where Virizion is."
Keldeo blinks, taking a few seconds to remember what he just said. He blinks again.
"Oh biscuits..."
Keldeo went pale, after saying this. He shakes his head, and he looks like he's going to have a nervous breakdown. "Oh no, I failed... I wasn't supposed to say that... Cobalion's gonna be really angry..." he mutters to himself.
Athena felt the sadness in Keldeo's heart from those mutterings. She then thought about Keldeo's sudden change in opinion of Darkrai. From what she could gather, an example made by Keldeo earlier saying Terrakion told him not to let her investigate, the Swords of Justice are making sure that no information that could help her in Darkrai's case get to her, and have told Keldeo not to say anything. This explains why the young Sword refused to talk about the crime, because of his loyalties towards the Swords.
However, judging from Keldeo's behavior before asking to investigate the scene, and his reaction to letting info slip, he has an entire different opinion towards Darkrai's case. It could be possible that Keldeo thinks that Darkrai didn't do it, or deserve a fair trial, a contrast to Cobalion, who is doing everything to get a guilty verdict.
This explains his first view on Darkrai, and how it changed quite quickly. But this doesn't explain his emotions. Maybe Keldeo is torn between giving Darkrai a fair trial, and his loyalty towards his masters. The Swords are usually doing anything to protect the innocent, but it seems they have become obsessed with getting Darkrai's guilty verdict.
It's either believing in a fair trial for someone nobody likes or sticking with friends who are ditching their sense of justice for a dark deed.
This kind reminds Athena of Simon, during the UR-1 Incident. He had a choice between getting a fair trial for himself and letting her go to prison for her mother's murder, or go to jail for Athena, to show loyalty.
In the end, Athena was glad Simon picked loyalty, but she wished that Simon hadn't have gone to jail.
Athena has come to the conclusion that Keldeo is stuck between a rock and a hard place, either a fair trial for Darkrai and get on his masters' bad side, or stick with his masters and let their obsession with the Nightmare Being's verdict being guilty, throwing away their justice.
It's simple coming up with these conclusions when you have a degree in Psychology!
"Hey, Keldeo."
The Sword of Justice looks up. "What is it?! You've already made me slip up, and I ain't gonna give you any more info!"
"What do you think of the rest of the Sword's dedication towards Darkrai's verdict, to get him guilty?" Athena asks, simple.
Keldeo blinks, confused. "What? What are yo-"
Mesprit, having read Athena's thoughts about Keldeo's emotions, knew what to say. "Well, Athena and I could tell from your emotions that you are feeling different from what you say. You said that you were happy for Darkrai getting a guilty verdict, but you felt angry and sad instead. From what I could tell, you are actually angry and sad that others are automatically decided that Darkrai is guilty."
Keldeo's eyes become wider. "W-w-w-what...?"
"Then your sudden change in opinion of Darkrai." Athena continues. "You said at first you were okay with Darkrai, and then said you were hoping for a guilty verdict, since he's a bad Legend. That doesn't sound like some Pokémon that is okay with you."
"..."
"This all suggests that you have a different opinion from the rest of the Swords, correct?" Athena asks, gently. "You're not angry and sad at the rest of the Legends or humans, those emotions are directed at Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion."
A emotionless expression is on Keldeo's face. He then looks down, sighs, and looks back up with a glum expression.
"...I don't know how you figured it out... But, yes... That's how I feel..."
"Why don't you talk about it?" Mesprit questions, softly but concerned.
Keldeo sits down, and sighs again. "I never knew how much hatred my masters had towards Darkrai. I knew that they disliked him, and that was all."
Athena nods, hearing his pain. "And this was all before the murders happened?"
"Yes." Keldeo remarks bluntly, looking up. "That hatred that I knew beforehand, it was its' nice side. And I saw its' ugly face last night."
He looks up, scowling.
"Terrakion was excited for this, getting a chance to, as he put it, 'the bastard getting what he deserve. I hope they execute him painfully!' That… that very much shocked me. I didn't know how to even reply to that."
Mesprit does a sudden yelp in shock and disappears again.
"He couldn't get to sleep last night, as he was too happy for the chance to get rid of Darkrai." Keldeo says with disgust in his voice. "Cobalion did a long lecture for me on how evil Darkrai is, and the sins that he did. What I heard was just complete hatred and ignorance towards him."
An even harder scowl appears on his face. "Virizion was complaining about not able to investigate what happened, because she said 'the sooner we do it, the sooner Darkrai can go.'"
Athena is completely dumbfounded by that bombshell. The Swords of Justice, a group representing good itself, display prejudice towards a single being? Who would have thought…?
"It's just as bad with my friends as well..." Keldeo stomps one of his hooves on the floor.
"Victini thinks he did it, Rayquaza is badmouthing him off, I think Kyurem's neutral towards what happened, Xerneas, Groudon, all the others, even Meloetta!"
Keldeo suddenly flares up, transforming in his Resolution form for a brief second, before turning back.
"I HATE IT, I HATE IT, AND I FREAKING HATE IT! I'm sick and tired of this prejudice and discrimination towards Darkrai!" he rants, angrily. He then stops, and calms down. "But... I can't betray my friends or masters, because they're special to me... I-I-I...I just can't do it..."
Mesprit then re-appears to comfort Keldeo, but Athena stops her. She looks at Keldeo, frowning.
"Tell me something. What is the reason why the Swords hate Darkrai to such an extreme extent?"
"Well... to be honest, it's not without reason. Have you... ever played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon? It's probably a video game in your world."
"Mystery Dungeon... you mean Time, Darkness, and Sky?"
"Yeah."
"I... do remember playing through that one. Darkrai was evil in that game. He was very evil." Athena recalled.
"He was possibly the most evil version of Darkrai to ever exist. He was actually the first Darkrai that Arceus created."
"...The first?!"
"After what that Darkrai did, and his irredeemable sins in that world, Arceus had to do something very drastic. She normally doesn't interfere, but this was a major exception. She intentionally wiped his memories, removing all evil in his mind. She essentially remade him from scratch, creating a more benevolent and kinder version... but very few Pokemon see that. Everyone judges Darkrai on what he did in that world and his sins, not who he is now."
Athena thought about this for a moment. "I'll have to ask Darkrai about that later."
She spoke up. "...I see. That would explain the prejudice against him, even from the Swords. They only see Darkrai as nothing but guilty, and nothing but evil. Well... there's something else you should know."
"Huh?"
"It's all bueno y todo that you care about your friends and such, but you still think Darkrai needs a fair trial. I get that."
Athena put her hands on her hips and grins. "But you've got to stop listening to your head, and start listening to your heart. Don't think about the consequences and decided which is better! Follow your own sense of justice!"
"My... own sense of justice?"
Athena nods. "Yes. Everyone has their own point of views on justice. You need to find your one. Either stop working for the Swords and start finding what REALLY happened to Ash and Cresselia last night or work with the Swords to protect your loyalty."
Athena did a piece sign. "Remember, even if it hurts, sacrifices have to been made to find the truth!"
Keldeo blinks, unresponsive of that speech. Athena turns to Mesprit. "Since Virizion is with Prosecutor Blackquill interviewing Celebi, doesn't that mean he's somewhere quiet?"
Mesprit nods. "Yeah. The Hall of Origin Library is currently closed for witness interviews. That's the quietest place in the Hall, besides the garden."
She glances at Keldeo, who is thinking deeply about what Athena said. "...What about him? Are we..."
"Let him think for a while." Athena says. "I really wasn't kidding about what I said. He has to decide what is for the greater good."
Mesprit smiles meekly, and then grabs Athena to teleport to the Library.
10:40am
19th December
Hall of Origin – South West Wing – Library Entrance
Athena and Mesprit materialize into the Hall of Origin's Library. It is a vast library, with huge book shelves reaching up to a high ceiling. Books of many colors are placed within the shelves, all sorted into their specific genre. The shelves themselves look to be well made, with mahogany. If you were to look at the shelves, you may see a small inscribe that says 'Made by Groudon'.
At the front of the library are a couple of tables, with chairs under them, and in the middle of these tables, lies a single lamp, enough to light the entire table. A couple of over-hanging chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling. One would think that there are candles on those chandeliers, but in reality, it's just light bulbs.
Two massive book shelves are near the tables, leaving a large gap between them, so the largest of Legends can get through. It appears there are ten identical shelves behind them, five to each side, with the same sized gap.
Athena and Mesprit look around. It appears that there is no sight or soul around here, at the entrance, so where could Simon and Virizion be?
Athena then looks at the amount of books in the Library's bookshelves. There must be hundreds, no thousands of books on these shelves "Mein Gott... That's a lot of books. What do you Legendaries need with all these books?"
Mesprit looks at them, and then turns to Athena. "Arceus wanted to keep track of everything that happens in the universe, to store away. From fiction to non-fiction, if you are searching for the entire history of human-kind in this world, there's bound to be a book somewhere in this library."
Athena nods, thinking.
"I get that, but why are there still so many books?"
"Well, there has to be records of events that have happened or will happen one day. How myths and legends start, and how the world works. All subjects in our world are here in book form. If you want to know something, it will be here. The problem is… well, how to find it."
Athena nods again. "That sounds plausible. There's something I would like to see, now if I think about it..."
Mesprit turns her head, slightly confused. "What is it?" she asks, softly.
"Well..." Athena pulls out two profiles of Apollo and Phoenix. "I'm quite knowledgeable of the Pokémon World, but Apollo and my boss aren't. I know what each Legendary looks like, what they're called, what their type is and what moves they can learn, but these two don't.
Is there a book here on the Legendaries' biology?"
Mesprit looks confused. "'Biology'?"
"Basically, a book on each individual Legendary and the details of them. I can assume that the murderer might be a Legendary. If that's true, my colleagues need to know about it."
Mesprit thought for a moment, then smiles meekly. "I think I know what you're talking about. 'Zoology of Legends' is what it's called. It has everything on each Legendary."
Athena nods. "Does it contain entries for Darkrai and Cresselia?"
"Yes, it does!" Mesprit did a back-flip in the air. "I'll go get it for you! I know where is placed. I saw Uxie put it away the other day!"
"Espera un segundo..." Athena thinks, to herself. "Aren't Uxie's eyes normally shut?"
Mesprit goes to get the book from where it is usually place.
"I am afraid Mesprit, and Miss Young Lawyer, you won't find that book, because it is with me."
Mesprit stops, and along with Athena, turns to see a Legendary walk into the Library. The Legendary is a large Pokémon that resembles a dragon, but in other sense, a bird. It is primarily pale silver-white, but it has blue undersides with slightly varying tones. It has a ridged mouth similar to a beak, although it has pointed teeth on its lower jaw. Its' head has a point to the back, and the Legendary's eyes have pointed blue or black spikes on them. The Legend has a long, slender neck and a smooth, streamlined body, with the exception of dark blue or black plate-like protrusions that run down the length of its back, and two smaller ones on the ends of their tails. It can fold back these plates to increase its speed. It has large wings that resemble hands. In one of its wings, is a book.
Athena recognizes this Legendary instantly. This is Lugia, the Guardian of the Sea, and the Legendary got help from Ash to stop Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres rampaging in the Orange Islands.
Lugia stares at Athena, with a serious scowl on his face. "So, you must be Athena Cykes, correct?"
Athena gulps and nods, nervous. Lugia, in the film he was in, was quite close to Ash, despite the small amount of time together. Lugia might be angry at her for defending Darkrai, who's thought to have killed Ash.
A small smirk appears on his face. "If you're looking for Prosecutor Blackquill, he's deeper in the Library, with Virizion, interviewing Celebi. They asked me to go find the 'Zoology of Legends'. Kyurem had it for some reason, and was okay giving it to me."
Athena then grins, nervously, as Mesprit floats over to her side.
"Um... Is it okay we can have the book...?" Mesprit asks, meekly.
Lugia nods his head. "Yeah. I don't see why not. But first, let's talk." Lugia puts on a serious expression on his face. "I want to know Ms. Young Lawyer here a bit more. My reasons? Well, you'll find out later."
"'Ms. Young Lawyer'? At least it's better than being called an excitable banana..." Athena thinks this.
Lugia gave Athena the 'Zoology of Legends' book, and folds his wings if he is crossing his arms.
Zoology of Legends added to the Court Record
"So, it must be daunting for you to be in a world where Pokémon exist. I heard that you are from another dimension."
Athena nods. "That's true. Pokémon only exist in video games, anime and manga, sometimes cards. They even do films. The second one was about you in the Orange Islands."
Lugia then turns his head, if remembering the past. "Ah... I remember that... Did they really make a film about that?"
"Yes, they did."
"Did they have me rapping in it?"
Athena is taken aback at this, while Mesprit giggles a little. Lugia smiles slightly, showing some carefree nature in his otherwise serious expression.
Athena blinks. What he does say? Rapping? She MUST have just misheard...
"What did you just say?" she asks, completely bewildered at what just happened.
Lugia chuckles, finding this funny. Athena heard happiness in his heart, probably amusement on what's happening.
"And I thought you had sensitive ears, Ms. Young Lawyer." he said, somewhat cheeky after finishing chuckling. "I said 'Did they have me rapping in it'?"
Athena blinks again, shocked about it?
"YOU RAP?!"
"Heh." went Lugia, grinning. "It's a hobby of mine, and I practice when I can. I was rapping last night, at the party, you know? Although..."
Lugia itches his head, think of what he did. From what Athena could tell, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but wasn't now Lugia thinks about it.
"...I went against Meloetta in a rapping contest. Despite her never practicing it, she really gave me a rap beating, no pun intended."
Athena blinks again, still bewildered at this. Mesprit giggles again.
"Don't worry, Athena... Lugia is actually quite good at it..."
"I just can't see how Lugia can rap! It's so absurd! It sounds silly!"
Mesprit goes to think. "I think what you see in your dimension's games, manga and anime doesn't really show our universe's true versions. Anything could happen...!"
Athena begins to sweat nervously. "But having Lugia, a respectful Legend, rap? I bet nothing could beat that, not even Keldeo reviewing fan-fiction! Wait... where the heck did that thought come from...?!Qu'est-ce que l'enfer?!"
Lugia chuckles a bit. "I guess you didn't expect that." He shrugs his wings.
"I don't blame you. As far as I am concerned, you're from another world, where we don't exist! You have no clue what our personalities are like! However..."
Lugia slightly frowns a bit, thinking. "You have to be careful sometimes with the other Legendaries. You won't believe the amount of times humans have mistaken Shaymin for being a male!"
Lugia suddenly grimaces hard. "Believe me, Ms. Young Lawyer. You don't want to get on the wrong side of that Legendary! Never make Shaymin angry!"
Athena frowns, and then turns to Mesprit, only to see Mesprit has disappeared again, due to fright.
"Shaymin can't be that scary!" Athena remarks confused, turning back to Lugia. "I mean, come on! She's tiny!"
Lugia shakes his head. "Are you aware of Yveltal?"
"Yes, why?"
"Yveltal isn't afraid of anything, not even death. There is one thing he is scared of, and that's Shaymin!"
"...How can a giant death bird be scar-"
"Yveltal once blasted Shaymin off her chair in a wall." Lugia interrupts suddenly, looking nervous. "We found him two months later, cowering in a wardrobe somewhere in the Hall, muttering something about Shaymin and demons..."
"You know what...I am not going to continue this line of questioning...Esto es absurdo..." Athena thinks, dishearten.
Mesprit suddenly re-appears, and floats around Lugia's head, in a somewhat frantic daze. "Can we change the subject please? Maybe you could show Athena some of your rapping, Lugia?"
Athena crosses her arms, and looks at Lugia with some disbelief on her face. There is no way he could r-
"Eh..." goes Lugia, shaking his head. "Nah. I don't feel like it at the moment. It's just that..."
A huge spike of sadness suddenly appears in Lugia's heart, and the Legendary looks depressed all too sudden.
Athena knew what he is sad about. Ash and Cresselia. She glances over to Mesprit, who has returned back to her side, who is also looking sad.
"...You've probably guessed how much the Legends cared for Ash and Cresselia." Lugia looks up at the ceiling, trying to hide his emotions on his face. "So, I'll put it in a nutshell. I was on neutral terms with Cresselia, but she was a good Legend. We have lost a good Legendary among the order. As with Ash, I felt safe around him, during the incident at the Orange Islands, like he was a real friend to me. I've lost a friend due to this...mess."
Athena nods, understanding what he's talking about. It felt she had lost Simon as a friend when he went to jail, and hardly recognized him after seven years.
"...Are you with the Prosecution to vent your anger on Darkrai...?" Mesprit asks, meekly. "...I can kind of understand why..."
Lugia looks down with slight red eyes, if he had been crying, and a scowl.
"No. I'm not."
"Why?"
Lugia sighs. "A part of me wishes I am. I am quite angry at Darkrai for this whole mess. But that's not the reason."
His scowl intensifies. "Unlike the Swords of Justice, I'm not doing this for the Guilty Verdict. I want the truth out, to know what happened."
He crosses his wings. "If Darkrai did kill Ash and Cresselia, that's fine enough. Give him the verdict. But, if there is any doubt that he didn't do it, and it leads to the true killer being revealed, I'll make sure it happens. I will make the true culprit pay."
Anger starts to show in Lugia's heart, which Athena is hearing at the moment. It's understandable that's he's angry.
Mesprit smiles a bit softly, happiness coming from her heart. "That's great that you're thinking like that. Makes a change from what the other Legends and humans are thinking at the moment, like the Swords..."
Lugia snorts, not impressed. "Don't compare me to the Swords. Before all of this, I did respect them, but now, they do not even deserve the name of 'Justice', with their current ideals at the moment. But nobody dares to argue with them."
Athena then remembers something. Maybe...
"Do you have a copy of Cresselia's autopsy report?" she asks. "We haven't got one yet, and the Swords, well, Keldeo is refusing to gives us a copy."
Lugia became surprised. "That's weird. Prosecutor Blackquill told the Swords to give you two a copy as soon as possible."
Mesprit shakes her head. "Virizion told Keldeo not to give it to us."
The Guardian of the Sea sighs.
"I should have expected that. Looks like the Swords are trying to make sure you don't get any advantages. I'm not surprised, since you three can basically turn a case on its' head, like a true turnabout."
"Are you referring to me, Apollo and Mr. Wright?" Athena looks mildly amused.
Lugia nods. "Of course. I'm sure you can find out what really happened. But, in the meantime..."
He reaches behind his back, and seemingly pulls an envelope from his feathers. He hands the said envelope to Athena, and she notices some writing on the front.
It says 'Cresselia's Autopsy'.
Athena then notices Lugia cringing from the sight of the envelope. "Sorry. It's bad to see the body of someone you knew right in front of you, but reading HOW they died is too gruesome for me."
The Attorney in Yellow nods, while Mesprit looks nervous.
Cresselia's Autopsy added to the Court Record.
Athena grins. "Thanks Lugia. We would never have gotten the Autopsy Report at this rate, if the Swords are still refusing to help."
Lugia extends his wing out, for some kind of handshake. "No problem, Ms. Young Lawyer."
Athena returns the shake, while Mesprit smiles softly.
All things are going well for the attorneys so far.
"Pray tell, what on earth are you doing, Lugia?!"
Until now.
Athena turns to see another Legendary coming from deep within the Library.
The Legendary is a deer-like, quadruped Pokémon that is primarily green. On the sides of its head are horns that end in dull, curled points. It has a pointed snout with a black blaze running from its nose to the back of its head. Its face, hind legs, and underside are white. There is a pinked-tipped leaf on each side of its neck, and leafy tufts on its shoulders. On its back, there are pointed tufts of fur forming a medium-long tail. Its lower legs resemble knee-high boots with pink highlights at the knees, and it has black hooves.
Athena knew who this was. Normally, she would be excited to see this Legendary, but what happened with Keldeo and Cobalion, that won't be the case.
This is Virizion, the Grass Type member of the Swords. And she does not look impressed with Lugia, at all!
The Guardian of the Sea crosses his wings, and scowls. "Oh, Virizion, what's making you upset? Is it me helping the opposition, I bet?"
Virizion snarls. "Cut with that rapping crap, Lugia, and stay on topic!"
Lugia smirks, cheekily.
"Oh, for you see, I cannot, Sword of Justice!
With all this hate for Darkrai, this case you ain't gonna bust this!
True justice doesn't have its' judgment clouded, but yours just is!"
Athena sweat-drops, at Lugia's mini-rap. "Okay, I take that back not believing Lugia... Él puede rapear... Let's hope no more Bobby Fulbright references are made..."
Virizion shakes her head.
"This is not the time for that." She directs her attention towards Athena and Mesprit; the latter disappears again in fright of Virizion's scowl.
She looks at the Autopsy report that Athena's got, and then turns back to Lugia.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she questions, rhetorically.
"I'm helping out with the defense. They didn't have the autopsy report because you told Keldeo not to give it to them!" replied Lugia, angrily.
"The point of that was to make sure that Darkrai's attorneys don't get a one-up advantage from us! Are you TRYING to get him a Not Guilty verdict?!"
"Hey! Unlike you and the rest of the Swords, I'm trying to find the truth on what happened to Ash and Cresselia!" Lugia continued to argue with Virizion.
"The truth is that Darkrai murdered both of them!"
"That's only your assumption! You need to stop judging things based on narrow-minded cultural assumptions, Virizion!"
"Oh shut up, will you? You shouldn't be on our side in the first place!"
Athena watches the two Legendaries squabble like little toddlers fighting over a toy, with a dishearten expression on her face.
Never in her life would she have expected two Legendary Pokémon act like children.
Mesprit re-appears, a bit nervous.
"Uh..."
"SILENCE!"
"EEEKKKK!" Mesprit disappears again, as Athena sees that Simon Blackquill has come from the depths of the Library, with Taka on his shoulder.
The Twisted Samurai glares at the two Legendaries, who immediately stop. "Baka Flower Sword. Lugia-San. You two sound like the screeching of a witness being caught for the murder they supposingly didn't see!"
Athena knew what he was talking about. That case at Tenma Town...
The two legendaries remain quiet. Simon smirks.
"Good. What were you two arguing about?"
"Lugia gave the defense one of the Autopsy reports! They have an advantage now, thanks to him!"
Simon looks at Lugia, with a scowl. "Is this true, Lugia-San?"
Lugia nods. "The Swords are being unfair. I want Darkrai to have a fair trial, to find the truth."
Simon remains silent, if thinking.
"Eh." he goes, shrugging. "I see no problem with that. That was a good choice, Lugia-San."
Virizion is shocked. "Wh-"
"SILENCE!"
"Baka Flower Sword, shut up for once, will you?!"
Virizion remain silent. Simon smirks again, then turns to Athena. "Cykes-Dono, and Mesprit-Dono. Sorry about my subordinates' uncooperative with giving you the autopsy report. I'm going to have a word with them later. Since you have one autopsy report, I presume you don't have the other?"
Mesprit re-appears, and is seen to be hiding behind Athena's back. "U-u-uh... Y-yes..."
Simon chuckles. "Don't worry, Mesprit-Dono. 'Never judge a book by its' cover' they say."
"H-huh?"
Athena points towards the deeper parts of the Library. "Is Celebi still down there?"
Simon nods, somberly. "Yes. I manage to find out what she saw, with great difficulty due to her traumatized state. I'm heading to Cat Clone's lab, for the other autopsy report. But, I'm gonna have a talk with the victim's Pikachu later on."
Athena nods. At least someone is being helpful...
She is detecting some anger coming from Simon's heart. What's that all about?
Simon does his whistle thing, to catch Virizion's and Lugia's attention.
"You two. We're heading over to the lab, now. Let's go."
Virizion hesitantly nods, while Lugia smiles slightly.
"See you later, Ms. Young Lawyer, and Mesprit." Lugia proceeds to follow Simon out of the Library. Virizion also does so, but she stops, and turns her head slightly towards them.
"Don't expect us to go easy on you with the evidence next time, attorney."
Mesprit frowns sadly, as she watches Virizion leave the Library.
Afterwards, Athena smiles, broadly. "Righty then! Let's go see Celebi!"
Athena and Mesprit head into the Library, with some hopeful hearts. Who knows what Celebi had to say about what she saw...?
To be continued...
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Evidence List:
Defense Attorney's Badge: My proof of being a defense attorney. Although, it may not work in the Pokémon World...
Hall of Origin Map Info: Map for the Hall of Origin's layout. The party was in the West Wing, the murders happened in the North West Wing and Darkrai's Bedroom is in the South West Wing.
Hall of Origin Heating Problem: All the heating in the Hall of Origin, apart from the Alpha Block, isn't working for some reason. I wonder why...?
Image of Ash: Shows Ash's body. Notable to see the three large claw marks on his chest, along with his hat on the dirt.
Image of Cresselia: Shows Cresselia's body. Her neck is twisted, with a small amount of blood coming out from her mouth.
Zoology of Legends: A book on the Legendary Pokémon, on everything, from form differences to moves, act. I don't particularly need it, but Apollo and my Boss do...
Cresselia's Autopsy Report: Cause of death: A sudden twist to the neck resulting the spine to be snapped instantly. Victim is to be thought to have lived some few minutes before dying. Time of Death: 7:30
Profiles:
Athena Cykes: That's me! A greenhorn attorney still fresh from a big case, and had been dragged into the Pokémon World to defend a Legendary Pokémon. I would have never expected this… ever.
Phoenix Wright: My boss, and the Head of the Wright & Co Law Offices. The attorney for Darkrai on the third day. Will do anything to find the truth, though he is sarcastic most of the time.
Apollo Justice: My co-worker, and a fellow attorney. He's the attorney for Darkrai on the second day. He yells a lot but he means well.
Simon Blackquill: A former prisoner and a prosecutor who's a close friend of mine. He's my opponent for the first day of Darkrai's trial. Kinda scary sometimes but he's really nice.
Klavier Gavin: A musician who is also a Prosecutor, and Apollo's opponent on the second day. I think he's great, though Apollo doesn't like him. I wonder why?
Miles Edgeworth: The Chief Prosecutor for L.A., an old rival for my boss, and the prosecutor for the last day. His skills as a Prosecutor are legendary.
Mesprit: The Emotion Legendary, and my partner for my investigation! She's very kind, a bit shy and soft-spoken though...
Arceus: The leader of the Legends Order, and the Pokémon God of the Pokémon world. Serious and firm, apparently Arceus is a female despite me seeing the 12th Movie...
Giratina: A Legendary Pokémon that's a large dragon. Quite blunt and sarcastic sometimes, he cares for Darkrai. Despite his hardened shell, he's actually quite kind.
Genesect: A Legendary that resembles a robotic insect. Acts weird for some reason.
Darkrai: The Nightmare Pokémon, and the defendant for this case. Despite his looks and reputation, he's quite nice, though slightly anti-social. He's sometimes bullied by the other Legends for his nightmare powers.
Ash Ketchum: The main protagonist for the Pokémon Anime, the Chosen One for the Legendaries, and one of the victims. Was here in the Hall of Origin for a party celebrated in his honor.
Cresselia: Darkrai's counterpart, and the other victim. Was one of the Legends who didn't care about his powers.
Cobalion: A Sword of Justice, and one of the investigators for the crime scene, or how I would put it, the Detective for the case. He's a big jerk who assumes that Darkrai is automatically guilty.
Celebi: Yet to meet her, but is the witness to the crime. Is nice to Darkrai, but apparently she attacked him the day before the crime unprovoked. I wonder what that was all about...
Keldeo: The youngest Sword of Justice. He's torn between helping his masters, and a fair trial for Darkrai.
Lugia: The Guardian of the Sea, and one of the investigators for the Prosecution. Wanting to find the truth, and apparently a good rapper...
Virizion: A Sword of Justice, and one of the investigators, who's going round with Simon. Despite her kind nature, I find her kind of a jerk for not letting me get the autopsy report...
Pokémon © Nintendo / Game Freak
Ace Attorney © Capcom
Well, that's Chapter 4!
Again, please be sure to read and review. And of course, be sure to check out DragonNiro's version as well!