Hahahah. I had the third chapter already done when I posted the second chapter. Anyways, I hope people aren't bored with this already. Hahahah dinner. I might post something extra about what the dinner was like.

Anyways...Disclaimer. You probably know I don't own anything I write, or I'll probably force you to pay for reading this load of junk. Or maybe I'm weird.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Case File: "Degree in Turnabout"
Day 2

November 16, 9:42 AM
District Court
Defense Lobby No. 2

Maya and I thanked Detective Gumshoe for driving us (I noticed a bandage around his head) and walked inside the building (almost slipping on the ice once or twice). We were early, of course, so we just sat on a bench and waited patiently outside, like we usually do. While Maya was trying to be patient, I reflected on the dinner last night.

Gumshoe ate like he would never get the chance to eat again. Maya ate like no tomorrow. It wasn't like they ate extremely quickly or anything, just that the two together would eventually eat a person out of house and home. Seiyaku suddenly had a malicious glint in her eye as she stared at Gumshoe, so I tried to distract her (no use for unnecessary violence after all…) and we ended up talking about Seiya and the trial.

"Yeah, she's pretty shy, because she usually don't like talking to people. Dunno why. Maybe she doesn' like 'em or trust 'em or something." She had said. "She just opens up to people she thinks she can, maybe. Or maybe she really does get a 'feeling'. Even if she does like you enough to talk to you, she usually won't talk much. Just doesn't like talking."

A client that doesn't like to talk. Either that or just doesn't like me. My job seems to attract people with vocabulary that doesn't have 'cooperation' anywhere in sight.

Maya jumped up when she noticed Seiya come in through the door. "Hey!" She cried enthusiastically. The bleak girl stared (?) back through her hat.

"So…today's the day, huh?" I said conversationally. She showed as much response as a brick wall. "…Right. Well…I guess we better go soon. The trial…you know…" And then she murmured something. I was completely caught off guard. I didn't expect her to say anything… "H-huh?"

"I said 'Good luck'…" With Seiya, I wasn't exactly sure if she actually meant it. She was looking away at me, to some interestingly bland floor tiles to the left. Call me paranoid, but she was looking doubtful. (It would be nice if people actually mean what they say…) At that point, Maya called us over, and the bailiff escorted us in.

November 16, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 6

A crowd filled the stands, talking animatedly amongst themselves. I always wondered how the same people manage to go to every one of my cases. Maybe they were fans (which is flattering and frightening at the same time. I can understand actors or singers having fans, but a defense attorney?) Or maybe they just thought watching me get whipped by Franziska von Karma was funny (which it isn't).

The Judge (real identity unknown – I just call him the Judge) hammered his gavel and started the trial in the usual way. "This trial is now in session for Ms. Seiya Mizuki."

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." Franziska said across the room, glaring at me, which would be the usual way if I didn't only have one case against her.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor." If you ever wonder what would happen if you said, 'The defense is not ready', then I'll have to tell you that you don't want to say it. Not even when it's true. Especially when you're in public, in a court, with Franziska and a whip in hand, quite ready to start ranting about fools. Plus, it's not the usual way.

"Very well." The Judge nodded like a well oiled machine (I've noticed that sometimes his brain doesn't act as so). "Ms Von Karma, your opening statements please." This is the part where the prosecution rubs (or whips) in my face that they have super evidence and enough witnesses to prove the obvious: the defendant's guilt and that we're all wasting our time by having this foolish trial. At the same time it's supposed to depress the defense. (It usually works)

Franziska smirked that smug…smirk and curtsied in that irritatingly mocking way. (Von Karma seemed to teach his daughter to curtsy, but I've never seen him bow. Only snap and shout Objection in a very demonic way…) "The prosecution knows that they have the evidence and witnesses to confidently declare the defendant guilty, Your Honor. It is, therefore, a waste of time to hold this case."

"Even so, we must proceed…" The Judge said. He looked ready to flinch.

"Very well. I call Detective Dick Gumshoe, the detective in charge of the investigation, to the stand." On cue, the large and awkward detective lumbered to the podium. The Judge was about to say something about the bandage, but apparently decided against it. "Tell this court about what happened." Crack. The detective swiftly whipped out a small grubby sheet of paper, as if he had been waiting for this moment all his life, like an excited little boy. Or a threatened one.

"Well, y'see, I drew a little map of the dorm." He held up the map, which looked like a bunch of rectangles in a big rectangle. "According to eyewitness accounts, the victim was at a college party, before the murder. Judging by the time it takes to walk back from the party, the victim probably left at 9:35 and arrived in the defendant's room and was shot right here at 10:18. At 10:30, the defendant's sister came in and called the precinct. And…well…that's basically it."

"Testify about the murder." Another crack.

"What, no 'please'?" Maya said right beside me as Gumshoe nervously coughed and began to speak.

"We received a call at the office, I'd say around 11:35, saying that there's been a murder, see?

"When we got there, we found the victim, face down on the floor.

"The defendant admitted that she was in the room the time the body was found, so we arrested her.

"The victim was shot, pal. Bang! Right in the middle of the forehead!

"The murder weapon hasn't been found yet though…but the defendant over there's the only one who could've done it!"

"Hm…that's a very straightforward testimony." The Judge, once again, wasn't exactly on my side. The prosecution just always seems to have a way of persuading the Judge right off the bat that my clients are guilty. Even though it gets really aggravating, it's all worth it once I prove the opposite. Every time I look at my clients during a court case, they always seem small compared to the…everything (Yes, even the huge Will Powers). Them against everybody else.

"Like I said, it's obvious who did it. The only one found in the room that time was the defendant herself. Ergo, she is the perpetrator." Those words shook me out of my thoughts just in time.

"The defense may now cross-examine the witness."

"You can do it, Nick! This is Gumshoe, right? If you just press at the right places, he just might remember something important!"

"That is true…" Though technically it isn't a good thing when you're a detective and you forget something important. Anyways, it's thinking time…or 'press statements randomly' time. I looked once at Seiya's small frame before looking at Gumshoe again.

"So…" I started. Unfortunately, starting off with 'So…' shows that you have absolutely no idea what you're doing. Von Karma's can sense hesitation and usually pounce during then. And having absolutely no idea what you're doing in court isn't a good thing unless you just happened to walk in court and say 'I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing in court.' Then you can just walk out. Unless you're a defendant who has just suffered a small case of amnesia. No, Wright…stop rambling! Time to get to business. "The victim was shot in the middle of the forehead, right?"

"Yup. I took a picture of the victim myself. Nobody moved him before that, of course. I can show it to you if you want! Hang on…where is it…" Gumshoe dug deep in his pockets before producing said picture. "There!" He beamed. The picture was handed to the Judge, who looked at it thoughtfully.

"It doesn't show much, does it?" The old man finally said before revealing it to the rest of the court.

"Ick." Maya groaned besides me. I couldn't help but agree. Gumshoe was able to fit a close up of Vigor's whole head in the shot, bullet hole and all. A thick dark line marked the flowing blood. It sent chills down my back. I hoped there weren't any weak-stomached people in the audience watching us. But even though I wanted to tear my eyes away from the ghastly hole, something was off…like something was missing.

"Even so, the court accepts this as evidence." Great. Now what?

"Hold it…Detective Gumshoe. You said that the body was found face-down on the floor, correct?"

"Yup." The detective nodded back and I couldn't help but grin.

"And the victim was also shot in the forehead, right?"

"Yeah…" I could sense the confusion in his voice and I couldn't help but grin some more.

"Where are you going with this, Mr. Wright?" The Judge was also clueless as usual. I glanced over at Franziska and as usual, she seemed to catch on faster than everybody else.

"Actually, Detective Gumshoe should know better than anyone. You were hit with something in the forehead too, right?"

"Hey, pal, I almost forgot that whole ordeal! Now my head's hurting again…" Gumshoe rubbed his bandage and winced, realizing it wasn't a good idea to rub his bandage.

"The important thing is, which way would a person fall when being hit by something in front of him?" I glanced at Franziska again and grinned (Maybe I was getting full of myself too early in the case, now that I think about it…).

"They…they…fall backwards…" She murmured, though just loud enough for several people to hear – including the Judge.

"Exactly." I think by now, I was emitting smugness.

"Wait…" Something in the Judge's mind clicked. I saw it behind his eyes. "…But the victim was found face down! That means he fell forward, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Your Honor, but he wasn't shot from behind, he was shot in the forehead! So what's he doing face down?" That did it. The crowd was now murmuring loudly (which is an oxymoron by the way) and while the Judge started hammering his gavel, Franziska suddenly attacked.

"Objection! The defendant could have just flipped him over after killing him!"

"Objection! The victim is a very hefty man! Why would the defendant go through all the trouble to just flip him over?" The Judge went on banging his gavel.

"Order! Order! Mr. Wright! I have to ask you a question! What is the victim doing face down?"

"Nick, you do know why, right?" Maya hissed at me while my mind raced. At least my mind has done enough racing to be a champion marathon runner.

"Huh? Oh yeah…right…The reason is…

"Vigor was killed somewhere else and was dragged into Seiya's room." The crowd started murmuring again. Hah, I never thought that they would get so loud so early in the trial! Looking over at Franziska though…

She was smiling again. Crap. "Didn't the defendant notice a dead body in her room?" The Judge asked, looking wide-eyed and baffled after settling everybody down.

"Um…well…my client sometimes isn't exactly aware of her surroundings…" Glancing over at Seiya, she looked asleep then. With her hat on, it was hard to tell. As I watched, her head seemed to sag dangerously downwards, victim to gravity. The Judge noticed this too.

"Well…I have to say, I can agree with Mr. Wright's reasoning…" The Judge nodded.

"Hah. Only foolish fools would listen to such foolish drabble of a fool." Franziska snorted from across the court. "Mr. Phoenix Wright. If such a thing really did happen, do you have proof?"

"Ms von Karma does have a point, Mr. Wright. Do you have any proof that the victim wasn't killed in the defendant's room?"

"Why, of course I do!" I replied in that confident voice that definitely wasn't my own. Defense attorneys are masters of bluff and if you don't know how to bluff, you don't have a defense attorney in you. Maya knows all of this, of course, and she clasped her hands together nervously as I fumbled through the Court Records, maybe a bit too clumsily. And then…

"The proof? It's in this picture, right here!" The Judge leaned forward in anticipation, or maybe his eyesight was going.

"Hm. Right where? I don't see it…" "Don't see anything, pal." Sighing, (and hiding it with a cough) I pointed out the area on the floor, below Vigor's bullet wound. "…Hm…" Was all the Judge had to offer.

"There isn't a pool of blood collecting below the wound." I explained, and a small lightbulb lit up behind the Judge's eyes (I think). "You can clearly see the bullet wound, and you can see the blood was flowing down…but if this body really stayed in this particular place, then where's the puddle of blood? The real killer dragged the body into the defendant's room, noticed the blood trail, and cleaned it up."

"A bit farfetched, but still possible…" The Judge agreed.

"Hoh hoh." Franziska laughed coldly. Crap. "Your Honor, I can clear all doubts of the defendant's guilt. Detective! What did you do during the investigation?"

"Ah…The investigation, sir…" Gumshoe said uncomfortably shifting his eyebrows under his bandage. "…Cleaning up the scene a bit, sir…" Crap. The crowd was murmuring again, but it wasn't a good thing this time. I was sweating bullets by now. It would be nice to wear T-shirts instead, even if it was hellishly cold out.

"Objection!" I shouted as the Judge tried to keep the court silent. I was amazed that I didn't stutter. "They wouldn't clean up a blood stain would they? That room was messy and they just wanted to see if they missed any clues!" Franziska smiled coldly again and snapped her whip. The crowd grew silent immediately. The Judge pounded his gavel once before realizing there was no need to.

"Detective! Did something interesting happen? Say before you moved the victim?"

"Well…I was getting ready to take a picture of the victim so we could move the body…and the defendant's sister was there too…"

"Wait, wasn't the defendant's sister in questioning?"

"Well, I think she wanted to just stay, judging by the way she knocked out the guy who was trying to escort her to the precinct." Oh.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright, please refrain from interrupting this story." Franziska proved to the world once again the coldness of her heart.

"Um…well…before I took the picture, she happened to have a hamburger, see? And…she dropped it on the victim's head…there was ketchup all over the place, so I had to clean it up, right? And blood can be mistaken as ketchup, right? And I might have cleaned almost everything up, thinking it was just ketchup…" Maya had a hungry glint in her eyes, but she knew when to be worried. I wondered how come all the violent girls seem to work against me.

"There it is, Your Honor. The explanation to this foolish blood business."

"But there's still a possibility that there was never a pool of blood there!"

"Mr. Phoenix Wright. You don't have any proof anymore, and I have to say that I doubt something else. You say that somebody else killed the victim, dragged him over to the defendant's room, and cleaned up all the blood? In twelve minutes? You said so yourself, the victim is pretty hefty. You would either have to be strong or conveniently close by to do all that, and even so, I'm doubtful that anybody could do that in twelve minutes and not get caught by the defendant's sister." Ah. Dammit. Or to be consistent, crap.

"Well, what if the real killer was hiding in the room when the defendant's sister came in?"

"I believe that to be impossible and I can prove it. Your Honor, my next witness will prove once and for all that the only possible perpetrator is the defendant herself."

"Well in that case…" Seeing the Judge ready to call in the next witness, I desperately tried to cling on to something – anything that might help my point.

"Objection! This changes the testimony! I wish to exercise my right to cross-examine!"

"How foolish. What's the point of cross-examining? There's nothing wrong with it. You'll just end up pulling out the same baseless reasoning." She whipped her desk. It felt like she hit my stomach instead.

"Nick! Shouldn't we do something?"

"She's right, Maya. Von Karma forced us back to square one. At least we know who the next witness is." Seiyaku didn't seem willing to testify against her own sister. Maybe that would help.

"No further objections? Very well then. We'll take a ten minute break." Bang. "Court is in recess." I allowed myself to slump as I reminded myself that Seiyaku would most likely refuse to talk. I'll just hope that she can be convinced to talk.

Why is it that whenever I take a case, there's always at least one person who makes the day go longer?

November 16, 10:55
District Court
Defense Lobby No. 2

Almost an hour since the beginning of the case. How time flies.

"Franziska was prepared from the very beginning, wasn't she?" Maya said when it was apparent our client wasn't going to say anything.

"Yeah…that's Miss Perfect Case for you." She prepared for the very thing that could've gotten me a head start on the case.

"Don't worry, Seiya! We'll at least delay this case to the next day!" Our stoic friend showed as much happiness as a blank sheet of paper.

"You don't have to do this…" She mumbled.

"I don't have to, but I can't leave you alone." Maya once commented that I acted somewhat like a typical hero from a comic book or something. Larry, my old friend, said I can be a bit dramatic. Either way, Seiya was left speechless (or just returned to her quiet self) and there was nothing more to say. The recess was about to end anyways.

Ooooh. Tesstimmoonnyyyy...I have a feeling I did too much with Gumshoe's testimony, but oh well. Deal with it.

And please review. I'm lonnlleeyyy...