Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney
Turnabout in Ultradimension
by Derald Snyder
Epilogue
April 10
Seven Sages HQ
Rei's Bedroom
"Mmmnnnngghhh..." Rei slowly roused, her eyes blinking open, seeing an unfamiliar ceiling... (Where am I...?) She sat up, looking around for her glasses, soon finding them on a nearby nightstand and slipping them on... just then, she heard footsteps, a nearby door opening to reveal her counterpart.
"Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling?" the former Tari CPU asked.
"Tired..." Rei put a hand over her mouth as she yawned. "What happened...?"
"I-I'm not sure... apparently after you d-defeated th-that dragon, you f-flew off with Iris Heart t-to have a c-cooldown battle... Um, she b-brought you b-back here unconscious, s-so I had you sleep in my b-bed... I didn't think y-you would s-sleep until the morning, though..."
"Iris Heart...?" Rei grunted, before gasping as the memories came flooding back... "Ahhh! Th-that's right, we were battling, b-but then I g-got pinned to the ground, and... sh-she s-started k-k-kissing me...!"
"Kissing...? NO, she didn't!" the other Rei put her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.
Rei could only nod in response. "She did... sh-she said it was a reward f-for a j-job well d-done..." She quivered involuntarily. "I never th-thought th-that I would lose my v-virginity like th-that..."
"At least t-tell me she d-didn't whip you or hurt you..." the other Rei dared to ask.
"No, she didn't do that... b-but she j-just kept going, and going, and going..." Rei shivered again. "I lost track of how many times I... ugh, I don't want to think about it."
"Yes, p-please spare me the d-details," the other Rei nodded. "Oh, um, by the way, I g-got your collateral f-for payment f-for your services..."
"Huh? Oh, right, I almost forgot..." Rei shook her head, standing up and stretching. "So, where's my payment at?"
"Right th-this way," her counterpart gestured as she exited the bedroom...
April 10
Seven Sages HQ
Central Hall
"Clothing...?" Rei couldn't help but sweat-drop at seeing the two large trash bags full of assorted clothing items.
"I'm sorry... It was all I c-could come up with th-that had any monetary v-value," the other Rei lamented. "B-but you c-could probably g-get a d-decent profit selling these t-to thrift stores..."
"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," Rei sighed. "Still seems hardly worth all the shit I had to deal with yesterday... then again, I guess nobody could have seen events escalating like that."
"I know, I had no idea that murder was linked to Shares being stolen from Planeptune," her counterpart concurred. "B-but I'm g-glad you were able t-to help resolve the situation b-before it g-got out of c-control..."
"As am I," another voice spoke up, the two Reis turning to see Zelestria walk up with Nel at her side. "Lady Rei- the lawyer, I mean- You have my deepest gratitude for nipping Nil's misguided ambitions in the bud, before he could devastate this nation, and perhaps the other nations as well."
"...You never called me that back in Tari," the other Rei sighed. "Th-then again, I c-couldn't really b-blame you..."
"Well, taking a look around here, it's clear that you're at least trying to learn from your mistakes in the past," Zelestria allowed. "On that note, now that my identity has been exposed to the public at large, I figured I should come back to the one person who even halfway accepted me in the past... if you'll have me."
"Eh?! Y-you're asking t-to join the Seven Sages?!" the other Rei gasped.
"I don't really have anyplace else to go at the moment," Zelestria shrugged. "Besides, I want to make sure that you stay on the right path this time, now that you're no longer drunk on power like you were in Tari..."
"Right... I've sworn off ever t-transforming again, because I d-don't t-trust myself not t-to lose c-control again..." She turned to her counterpart. "Honestly, I'm a little j-jealous th-that you c-can access HDD without losing y-yourself..."
"It's not easy," the lawyer Rei shook her head. "There's always that temptation... I almost succumbed to it when I absorbed that Share Energy Nil stole... Good thing Lady Plutia was nearby. I make it a rule to only transform when I have to..."
"Good for you, Lady Rei," Zelestria nodded.
"Yes, and I'm glad you managed to acquit Miss Melusine- I mean, Zelestria- and her apprentice of false charges," Madeline said as she walked up with Abnes and Gregory in tow. "Ah, but where are my manners? I'm Madeline, and this is my cousin Abnes. We look forward to working with you, Miss Zelestria." She gave a formal bow to the dragon woman.
"Uh, I'm Gregory," the green-haired man spoke up. "I'm a mage, but I'm still learning... maybe you can teach me a few things...?"
"Well, we'll see," Zelestria nodded with a slight smile.
"I'm just hoping you'll be a bit more competent than this useless man and the stupid rat," Abnes grumbled.
"You're not much better, maggot, when you get into a spat with Madeline," the other Rei growled.
"Hey, I never asked her to join! She's the one who wanted to meet the ancient CPU!" Abnes protested.
(Don't start, don't start...) Madeline chanted internally as she gritted her teeth. (Have to make a good impression for Miss Zelestria...)
"So, what about you, Miss Nel?" Gregory asked. "Are you joining us, too?"
"No, I'm not," Nel shook her head. "Actually, I came to make a request of Lady Rei- the lawyer, that is."
"Me?" Rei said, nonplussed. "W-what d-did you want f-from me?"
"I..." Nel hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. "I was... wondering if I... could go with you. Back to your dimension, I mean..."
"EH?! B-but why...?" Rei asked.
"Poor Nel's been devastated by her twin's fall from grace; she blames herself for not seeing it sooner," Zelestria elaborated. "She just wants to get away from everything for a while, get her head on straight."
"B-but d-don't you th-think g-going to another d-dimension is a b-bit... extreme?" Rei pointed out.
"Eh, that was partially my fault," the adult Neptune said as she joined the group. "Nel here was pretty depressed after Nil was hauled off in an ambulance, so I was tryin' to take her mind off things by telling her 'bout my adventures in Hyperdimension with Tiny Me and the others..."
"Right, my curiosity was piqued," Nel nodded. "I mean, is there, like, any mercenary work available in your home nation? I'd like to be able to take my frustation and sadness on those who actually deserve it... But being associated with Lady Zelestria and Nil might make people here think I'm unsavory as well..."
"But in Hyperdimension, you would be completely unknown," Rei finished. "Well... I do know someone who might be able to help with your request. But only if you promise me that you'll come back here and reconnect with your teacher someday, and perhaps your twin as well!"
"No, I'm not leaving forever, I promise," Nel shook her head. "Just until I feel I can come back here without being wracked with guilt and sadness every second..."
"...All right, fine. But I'm gonna hold you to that, peon!" Rei vowed.
"Well, hopefully by the time you return, people will have realized how Miss Rei and Zelestria really are, instead of judging them by their, um, horns," Madeline said hopefully.
"Yeah, people still give ME the stink-eye, when I pass out programs for the Seven Sages," Abnes grumbled.
"Well, perhaps if you got rid of the skulls, and didn't slam open every door you walk through..."
"I don't slam doors! I go 'ga-thunk'! It's completely different!" Abnes protested. "And who are you to question my fashion sense, cousin?! Don't you know armored dresses are so gauche?!"
"It's not fashionable, it's practical! I've told you that before!" Madeline shot back.
"TAKE IT OUTSIDE, MAGGOTS!" Both Reis yelled in unison, causing the duo to squeak in fear before very quietly exiting the room.
"...It looks like my first order of business is to help smooth out relations between those two," Zelestria sighed.
"I try to break them up, but I'm not very good at it..." Gregory sighed. "So I'll take any help I can get with those two."
"Right, well once Rei and Nel get their things together, I'll warp them back to Rei's home," Neptune spoke up.
"Right, I should at least get a couple changes of clothes..." Nel concurred.
"I just hope this is the last time I have to stick my neck out for you," Rei said to her counterpart. "It's bad enough when shit hits the fan back home..."
"Well, now that Melusine- (ahem) I mean, Zelestria is back with me, we shouldn't have too many problems that we can't handle," the other Rei said hopefully. "But I really do appreciate your coming to help, and that I could give you something more than second-hand clothing..."
"Just as long as you don't regress back to your old ways, that'll be good enough for me," Rei allowed.
"Oh, don't worry, Lady Rei," Zelestria interjected, "I promise to keep Ryghts here on the straight and narrow if she starts to stray... maybe if I'd done that sooner she wouldn't have caused the other CPUs so much trouble to begin with..."
"No,I th-think g-getting beaten down by that Neptune a-and th-the others was th-the only way t-to g-get it th-through my th-thick skull, unfortunately..." the other Rei lamented with a nervous half-smile.
April 11
Samson & Co. Law Offices
Front Desk
"Well, it seems you had quite the adventure once again," Bartholomew nodded after Rei and Nel finished their story. "There's a part of me that's almost jealous... but then again, I'm not a CPU like you are. Getting abducted by the mob that one time was not fun, believe me..."
"I didn't like going into that snake den either, even IF those thugs were mere maggots to my HDD form," Rei concurred. "Anyway, I made a call to Dr. Grove about Nel here, she said that they should be swinging by today..."
"Dr. Grove?" Nel inquired.
"Mechanical engineer," Rei clarified. "One of the best in the field... When Jacob gets here, you'll see what I mean..." Just then there was a knock at the door. "Oh! That might be him right there..." She went to the door and opened it, and sure enough, it was Jacob Fredrick, clad in his red and white armor suit, carrying his helmet under one arm. "Hello, Jacob."
"Hey, Miss Ryghts," Jacob nodded, before turning his attention to Nel. "So this is the lady Dr. Grove was talking about?"
"Yes, this is Nel DeSombron," Rei introduced. "She's good with a spear, and can also transform into a dragon."
"A dragon?! Whoa, really?!" Jacob gasped with wide eyes.
"Yes, my bloodline is descended from dragons of ancient times," Nel clarified. "...You look rather young to be a bounty hunter."
"I don't really like being called that," Jacob put a hand behind his head. "I just like to travel the countryside and help whoever I can, with my assistant Sophia... but my suit and mobile tank have enough firepower to deal with any monsters causing trouble, with a few exceptions."
"Mobile tank...?" Nel raised an eyebrow.
*Outside...*
"Whoa..." Nel gasped as seeing the large mobile tank with the large cannon on the front end. "I, I see what you mean..."
"Oh, is this the mercenary that's going to be traveling with us?" asked the blonde girl standing nearby said tank. "You look a bit different from what I expected..."
"Well, you'll excuse me if I snap at you on occasion," Nel said. "Let's just say I've got some issues to work out, and leave it at that for now. Don't take it personally."
"As long as you only lash out with your tongue, we should be fine," Jacob stated.
"I'm not usually inclined toward physical violence, unless they strike first," Nel assured him. "Shall we be going, then?" She hefted a bag over her shoulder, filled with clothes and other essentials.
"All right, let's head out!" Jacob nodded as he slid on his helmet the two joining Sophia as they got into the tank, which revved into gear and drove off down the road.
"Happy hunting!" Rei called as she and Bartholomew waved goodbye.
~*Fin*~
