Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to this wonderful story! Yeah, it's a rather fast update consider the long hiatus moment I was on for the past few months. That's because I'm right now on summer vacation from my college classes! It's a well-deserved break if you ask me seeing as how I worked my butt off to get a C+ and a B+. Yeah, I only took two classes for summer; that's because summer doesn't generally offer a lot of good classes for Juniors to take. Still, that's not too bad of a result if you ask me! And when you take into consideration the fact that I only just managed to bounce back from academic disqualification just before the summer session started, I would say that these two grades are pretty good for an official reboot start to my college career. Now here's to hoping I can keep it up from here on out, although I'm sure I can handle it now after experiencing the ordeal I went through just to be reinstated!
But yeah, that's enough about my school life. The point is I'm now on a two week summer vacation now that the summer quarter is over. this should mean that I can squeeze in another chapter or so within the two weeks I have for vacation. I'm really excited at that prospect. I should also let you know that this story is almost officially over! I can't believe I'm actually saying that! This has been one of the stories that I thoroughly enjoyed writing for the past two years; I'm actually kind of sad that it's now almost over with. Oh well, all good things must come to and end. At least I intend to make this all end with a big bang! I guess then that you can consider this chapter to be part one of the big bang exit!
And on that note, let me just say that this chapter will be the first and only official showing of the Logic Chess system. The reason why I introduced it so late is because I've only just seen the translated version of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 on youtube a couple of weeks ago. Until then, I had no idea how the Logic Chess system worked. That's why it has been pretty much nonexistent for the entirety of this story until this point.
Now that I'm able to understand what was being said courtesy of dowolf, the one responsible for the translation of the entire game which is still a work in progress, I now have a solid understanding of it. For those of you who have seen his translation work, then I hope my rendition of the Logic Chess system was as you expected. If you never seen his work on the video, then I suggest that you watch it and see the parts with the Logic Chess to get an understanding as to the basis of the system itself. While it's not as fun watching it as it would be playing it out for yourself, it does showcase how questions can be very effective when asked at the correct time. It's almost like a reflection of real life where you sometimes have to start out small before being able to tackle on the main reason of something.
Overall, I really hope that this chapter reaches your expectations and showcases how awesome the end of this trial is going to be. I promise you all that this is going to be anything but a smooth ride! Then again, it's not like Sonic and Tails had it easy just to get to this point. It'd be a miracle if they could win it so easily.
Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story. They are always very helpful as morale boosters to get my creative thoughts moving, especially since I'm so close to the end and want to keep the excited high of almost officially completing a story! Until the next update to this and any of my other stories on this site everybody!
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: Sonic's badge proving that he's a genuine defense attorney. Ever since getting tied into a murder because of him losing it, he's since taken precautions to make sure that it stays secured within the inside of his gloves.
Pistol: The weapon that was recovered at the Mobius Dock. The ballistic markings on the bullet extracted from Ms. Mae's body matches to the gun. Signs show that it was fired twice, the second happening during Shadow's case. It also bears Shadow's fingerprints. It also appears that this also used in the LK-9 Incident as the weapon to have murdered Maria Robotnik.
Picture: a photograph given to Sonic by Knuckles who had received it from Salemand Eres. It shows a picture of a white-furred lion with occasional blue spots on all fours like a wild animal and looking at the camera and smiling. Amazingly, his face looks almost child-like despite his rather strong-looking body. It's clear that he has the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome.
LK-9 Case File: A case file summarizing all the information gathered by police and detectives at the height of the LK-9 Incident. A copy of the file was given to Sonic and Tails by Vector in hopes that it would help them obtain the answers they seek about the case. Just before the trial began, it was discovered that both the paper and digital forms were destroyed. Vector's and Silver's official copies are the only two left to exist.
Vector's Account: Testimony recorded by Tails and detailing what Vector saw in the courthouse lounge on the day of Knuckles' acquittal. He said he saw Mephiles entering the lounge for the first time in his entire career and watching over Sonic's case. He then said the old prosecutor left the room after hearing Shadow exclaim that Ace be held in protective custody.
Notes: Notes taken by Tails depicting what he, Sonic, and Silver had discussed regarding possible connections with Sonic's cases and the LK-9 Incident. It's speculated that all the murderers in the previous cases were orchestrated by one mastermind who seems to be in some kind of smuggling ring.
Case Summary File: A file found in the LK-9 Case File that summarizes the scene of the crime. The crime took place that the Mobius Dock's lighthouse that was then a business called "Prycey Seafood". It was owned by three people; two of them were Lois and Maxwell Pryce who owned a lesser percentage of the business. An unnamed third person had owned a majority of the business before it closed upon being a spotlight of a murder.
Witness List: A list of witness found in the LK-9 Case File. According to the list, there were four potential witnesses to the murder. Two of them were Max and Lois Pryce and have been recorded as supplying witness statements to the police. The third person was Salemand Eres who appears to have been working at the Prycey Seafood at the time, although Shadow states that he was merely working undercover then. A fourth person, the third owner of the business, was kept anonymous for some reason and had his wish to refuse to testify be granted.
Victims' Report: A report that supplies basic details of the victims of the LK-9 case. One of them was a senior detective by the name of Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle. The second victim was a defense attorney called Maria Robotnik, Shadow's good friend and apparently a relative of Dr. Robotnik.
Charles' Autopsy Report: Charles was found dead with a single strike to the head with a blunt object. The bruises covering his body and on his fists show that he was in a fight prior to dying. The murder weapon has never been recovered.
Maria's Autopsy Report: Maria was found dead with a single gunshot wound to her head. The bullet was shot at a distance and went straight through her skull. The entry wound was from the back and exited the front. There were no signs of any struggle.
Bullet: The bullet that was found lodged in a wall after killing Maria Robotnik. It was proven five years ago through ballistic testing that it was fired from the Pistol that was used once again on Prosecutor Flora Mae. According to the trajectory report, it was fired from a position directly parallel to the hallway.
Diagram: Floor plans that show the interior of the lighthouse five years ago when it was still known as "Prycey Seafood". Vector has written in a red sharpie on it the path Maria took upon entering the lighthouse. She first went to the bookshelf on the other side of the foyer before making her way to the office and then back where she was ultimately killed.
Statements: Statements made by Sonic and friends five years ago about their kidnapping ordeal. All four said the same thing and that they were blindfolded when they entered the lighthouse. They felt themselves going downstairs and were then left in a pitch black and windowless room. However, detectives failed to find said room. That and they were ultimately discovered on the lighthouse second floor, so the statements were thus considered useless and shuffled away.
Leon's Statement: Testimony regarding the moments leading up to Leon's kidnapping. He entered the old Prycey Seafood Warehouse and went to the office in an attempt to collect more information with regards to either the smuggling ring or their person of interest. Before he could perform a thorough search, he was soon attacked and imprisoned in the office before the Chaotix Detective Agency found and rescued him. He mentioned that the room looked as though it had been rifled through when he came to.
Warehouse Keypad: A sophisticated password system for the door to the Prycey Seafood Warehouse. According to Salem, the security company in charge of the password is still supplying service to the building. However, the bi-annual password change is sent to only one person. It's suspected that Mephiles is the one with access to the new passwords.
Salem's Testimony: Testimony recorded during Salem's court appearance. He testified to working overtime at the warehouse from midnight until one. He made it clear that nobody left the lighthouse the moment he went out to take a look after hearing gunshots. All four employees, including himself, were scattered about the Prycey Seafood Business grounds when the police had arrived. Charles was still alive when he first approached him. He also mentioned that Maria and Charles had knowledge of the smuggling ring and believed through their last case's client that the company had ties to the ring.
Profiles:
Sonic Hedgehog: He's a seventeen-year-old cobalt hedgehog who has taken upon himself to act as the defense for the LK-9 Incident despite the clear lack of a defendant. He wishes to obtain more information on the case in its last day of legal life and to try solving it.
Miles Prower: A twelve-year-old two tailed fox who likes to go by his nickname "Tails" and is now working at the Robotnik Law Firm as their local detective. He's now working alongside Sonic in an attempt to find answers that lie hidden within the LK-9 Incident.
Knuckles Echidna: An eighteen-year-old red echidna who is a detective at the local Precinct and now watching the proceedings of the LK-9 trial. He delivered the evidence from the LK-9 Incident to Vector after learning of someone destroying both the electronic and paper versions of the case file.
Salemand Eres: An Interpol Agent who has decided to reveal his true identity in court in order to be granted immunity from the charges of tampering with the scene of a crime and removal of evidence. He was working undercover in the Prycey Seafood Company at the time the double-murders happened. His real name is actually "Salem".
Shadow Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old ebon furred hedgehog who became a prosecutor at sixteen in a country that allowed bar exams at younger ages. He has been cleared of murder and is now overlooking the case from the gallery to see what new details will surface during the trial regarding the LK-9 Incident.
Silver Hedgehog: A nineteen-year-old silver furred hedgehog who is the country's youngest Senior Detective. He has taken it upon himself to testify to the courts as if he were one of the detectives from the initial investigation of the LK-9 Incident despite only reciting what it was he read from the case file.
Mephiles: A sixty-five year old veteran prosecutor whose ruthlessness is well known both inside and out of the courtroom. If not trying to leave a strong impression in all his cases, he expects nothing but obedience and cooperation from the officers and detectives overlooking the collection of evidence in the cases he's working on. He's known to get any officer or detective who dared to defy his direct orders in trouble with the Precinct. For unknown reasons, he has chosen to refuse to preside over the LK-9 trial.
Vector Crocodile: A twenty-three-year old local prosecutor who is friends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as well as Shadow's coworker. He has decided to continue with his work as a freelance detective along with Charmy Bee despite the conviction of his friend and partner Espio that caused shadows about the integrity of his work that soon quickly dissipated. He has also taken it upon himself to oversee the LK-9 Incident as a prosecutor and help as much as he can to keep the trial going.
Leukis Kruger: Salem's younger brother who's afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, Feralisis Syndrome. He also happens to be with Interpol. According to Salem, they were reunited after Leukis had managed to successfully shake off members of the smuggling ring who figured out his true identity and wanted him dead. His real name is "Leon".
Charles Hedgehog: Sonic's uncle with greyish blue fur who was once a resourceful and reliable senior detective down at the local precinct. Because of the events from five years ago, he became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident. Was the key reason why Sonic decided to pursue a career as a defense attorney.
Maria Robotnik: Shadow's good friend with beautifully long blond hair who was once a defense attorney. She apparently has some relations to Dr. Robotnik. Because of the events from five years ago, she became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident. Was the key reason why Shadow decided to pursue a career as a prosecutor.
Ace Sleuth: A former Senior Detective who was jailed for the murder of his fiancee. He was then sent to a secluded safe house courtesy of Shadow upon discovering he had some connections with the LK-9 Incident. However, some unknown person discovered where he was hiding and killed him. An anonymous note sent to the Precinct telling officers about the murder seems to have been written by the mysterious fourth witness.
Chapter 33: The LK-9 Case Turnabout Pt. 6
"Court will now reconvene!" the Judge announced once everybody had returned to their respective places in the courtroom. "I trust that everybody has had a chance to calm down during the past hour. I wish I could say that same for myself, but things are just too amazing to simply relax now. Anyway, I believe we left off from when our previous witness let loose a rather shocking claim."
"As shocking as it is, I doubt that Interpol Agent Salem would make such an accusation lightly," Vector replied, his arms crossed as though he were thinking heavily about something. "In fact, the basis of his accusation is merely on the grounds that Prosecutor Mephiles is the perpetrator behind the smuggling ring he's been investigating. I'm sure he has a certain amount of evidence that he felt confident enough to confide in us what I assume to have otherwise been rather sensitive information.
"Consequentially, his investigation has merged with our case due to the fact that they both happen to take place at the lighthouse as well as having the same person in both incidents being of high interest," he added while unconsciously casting a glance towards the defense. "He's already explained in detail his reasons for working at Prycey Seafood five years ago and provided us with the murder weapon for the LK-9 Incident after explaining that he took it because of its ties to the smuggling. This is irrefutable proof that both these investigations are interconnected to one another!"
"I must agree with Prosecutor Vector, Your Honor," Sonic spoke up in show of support. "If Prosecutor Mephiles really was the fourth witness in the double-murders five years ago, then it would stand to reason that he was the one who had control over the Prycey Seafood business. As such, he would have power to oversee the business operations as well as what goes in the cargo meant to be sent out. In terms of Interpol's smuggling case, this meant he had the means and routes necessary to smuggle away goods if he is in fact the true perpetrator."
"I suggest that we leave that portion of the investigation to Interpol," the old man replied while looking thoughtful about something. "It was only by their good graces were we able to learn of such information today. However, let me go on the assumption for a while that the good prosecutor really is in fact the leader of a smuggling ring. I fail to see how that would have any correlation to his want to kill Detective Charles and Defense Attorney Maria Robotnik. As far as I knew, those two had nothing to do with any cases involving smuggling."
"Don't you remember what Interpol Agent Salem mentioned during his testimony?" the hedgehog reminded him. "He said that the two were the only ones outside of Interpol to have known anything about the smuggling ring. Their client happened to have been a member of said ring; however, he was made into a scapegoat for the case he was involved in. I would suppose that was when the detective and defense attorney learned about a bunch of shady dealings within the seafood company. It was since then that they had connections with the previous witness until the night they died."
"This also meant that Interpol had the rare opportunity to obtain some valuable insider information courtesy of the two LK-9 murder victims," Tails continued as he began reading through records of the day's previous testimonies. "Because they were defending a man who had ties with the smuggling ring and was providing them with information on the group, they called it in to the agency who then referred them to a proper correspondent. This in and of itself is evidence that they both had some level of involvement with Interpol's case! And if you continue on with the assumption that Prosecutor Mephiles is the smuggling ringleader, the fact that the two were getting information from a former member is more than enough reason to want to commit murder!
"Of course, everything we've said so far is nothing more than speculation at this point," he added just as he saw the Judge's face reflect the concern. "I will readily admit that we lack the proper evidence to back up these claims. That's why we request that we be able to hear from Prosecutor Mephiles himself about what happened at the lighthouse five years ago. While we may not uncover anything about the smuggling, we can at the least learn something new about the conditions of the day of the double-murders."
For a couple of moments, the Judge looked lost in thought as he considered the request. It was almost as though he were having a hard time believing that a fellow overseer of the law would be wrapped up in something like murder and smuggling.
"… …I suppose that's all we can do considering the circumstances before us," he finally replied with a sigh. "With the accusation the previous witness made on top of your interesting bouts of conjecture, I feel it only fair if the good prosecutor were here to defend himself. Bailiff, if you would please ask Prosecutor Mephiles into the courtroom."
"There's no need for that, Your Honor," a familiarly deep voice suddenly replied just as the courtroom doors opened. Walking in with stiff and even steps was the man whom they were all now curious about, Prosecutor Mephiles. "I've already saved you all the time and came down here myself."
"P-Prosecutor Mephiles! How did you know that we were planning on summoning you here to testify?"
"I had been in the courthouse library looking over some details for my later cases," the old prosecutor simply explained as he took his spot at the witness stand. "That was when one of the attorneys approached me and said I've been named a person of interest in this case. That's how I came to notice that you might want me down here to testify about certain matters before you announced the recess. I can't even begin to tell you how many fellow attorneys seemed to have heard of this and are waiting with bated breath for the results," he added with an amused scoff. "It's almost as though they're waiting to see if they won the lottery."
"I suppose then you know why we've expressed an interest in calling you here," Vector merely said as he began fidgeting with the cord of his headset. "That'll help make things move at a smoother pace. Let us go ahead and cut to the chase; would you please state your name and occupation for the court?"
"You seem especially blunt right now, Prosecutor Vector. I can't understand for the life of me why you're choosing to side with a witness who made an accusation that he can't back up with sufficient evidence."
"Your name and occupation, witness," the crocodile repeated with added emphasis on the last word. Even the defense team were surprised at how serious he had suddenly become and dared to vocally stand against someone of higher seniority. "Don't make me have to repeat myself again."
"You really are serious, are you?" the other replied with a stoic face that no doubt hid a myriad of feelings at the current situation. "I suppose I have no choice but to play along with this charade of a trial lest I get slapped with contempt of court. My name is Mephiles; I'm one of the top prosecutors employed by the state's prosecutorial offices."
"Prosecutor Mephiles, you've been called into this courtroom because you were named as a person of interest in the murders of the LK-9 Incident," the Judge started off the witness proceedings. "You were also suspected as being the ringleader of a smuggling ring by the same witness. As such, we would like to ask you a couple of questions and allow yourself to defend against these claims."
"I fail to see exactly what it is I have to defend myself against, Your Honor. As I've already mentioned earlier, the witness you heard from before this recess just spontaneously made a claim that I was the one responsible for the murders five years ago. From what I've managed to gather about this interesting situation, his claim doesn't even have a shred of evidence to back it up! I find it hard to believe you're all entertaining this notion. And I'm not even going to explain to you all the idea of me being a smuggler. I don't know what they're doing in Interpol, but I can assure you that they're merely wasting their time. I have better and more important things to do than to smuggle around illegal goods."
"I'm sure that working as one of the country's top prosecutors can eat up a lot of your precious time," Sonic sarcastically replied, earning him a glare from the witness. "But I'm sure you can find the tie in your busy schedule to give us testimony explaining why you can't have been the one responsible for the double-murders five years ago."
"I wouldn't be caught standing here enduring your bouts of even if I had all the time in the world!" Mephiles bit back nastily. "And under the current light of things, you don't have the right to ask me to testify. You've yet to hold up your end of the bargain as an attorney. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't any evidence that supports the idea of me being a murderer; you can't even prove that I was at the scene of the crime! All you have is the spontaneous accusation from a man who claims to work for Interpol. I know for a fact that they don't deal with local murders, so his claim is already of a questionable nature."
"He only made that claim because of the many connections between his investigation and this case," the cobalt hedgehog explained as he tried to stay on the offensive. "Even the Judge has taken notice of it or he wouldn't have entertained the idea of summoning you here. That should be reason enough for you to at least want to defend yourself!"
"You really are a persistent little upstart!" the old hedgehog sneered. "You've let all your past wins get to your head and deluded yourself into thinking you can get your witnesses to do anything simply by demanding. I happen to be a person with great knowledge about the law, and I'm not obligated to give testimony regarding a claim that has yet to see any potential of being the truth. As such, I don't have to answer any of your questions and inadvertently provide fuel to the flames of disaster that you've created!"
"…As much as I hate to admit it, he's right about this," Vector begrudgingly began to explain. "Claims that are only backed by a single person's words and can't be confirmed through a second witness or concrete evidence usually isn't testimony material. Unless there is evidence that even shows the smallest of hints of his involvement, he doesn't have any legal obligation to provide us with testimony."
"It's true that we only called him in because of an unsubstantiated claim," the Judge nodded his head in agreement. "I'm afraid we are all at fault to some degree for having jumped the gun. Mr. Sonic, do you have any kind of evidence that can show us how the witness might be related in any way possible to this case?"
"Of course I don't have any evidence!" Sonic exclaimed, quickly growing frustrated at how much more difficult it had become. "That's why it's in the court's best interest to hear what Prosecutor Mephiles has to say in order to clear up any confusion!"
"And allow you to waste more of the court's precious time on something completely unrelated? I'm truly amazed at how you're always able to get away with it. You lack evidence that shows any hint of my supposed involvement with this case, so you have no basis for having called me in here. And it's on that same note that I have no obligation to provide you with any testimony as your original assumption can't even withstand simple scrutiny!"
"Testimony isn't the only thing we can demand from you!" Tails, who had been quiet ever since Mephiles showed up, exclaimed. "Questions are also something we can have you answer so long as they pertain to the current topic. With that in mind, I think it'd be in your best interests if you were to stay and answer."
"Questions of any caliber can only get you so far when faced without testimony," the witness asked, sarcasm written clearly on his face. "I'll admit that you have an unusually bright mind, but you're clearly just trying to find some flimsy way to keep this trial alive. I would hate to see you thrown in jail for actions construed as contempt of court."
"Your concern is unnecessary but duly noted," the fox replied with the same sarcastic bite. "Regardless, I will be asking you questions. I promise you that they have regards to this trial. Just think of it this way; I might be completely wrong on one of my assumptions. If you're not here to defend yourself, then I'll be forced to assume the worst. So unless you want me to unintentionally sully your name, I suggest you stay and listen to what I have to say!"
For a few moments, the two merely stared at each other as if they were trying to burn holes into the other. Mephiles seemed intent on wanting to leave as quickly as possible; Tails was doing everything he can to entice him to stay and answer questions. The two of them were enough to make the air filled with tense energy.
"…I suppose you do have a point about that," the old hedgehog finally gave in with an annoyed sigh. "Just make sure you say whatever you have to say quickly and that it's on topic. I would hate for my most entertaining moment in years to be suddenly cut short."
"What are you trying to do, Tails?" the blue hedgehog whispered once the witness had finally conceded into staying for a while. "There's no way we can get him to tell us more about this case. He refuses to testify on the grounds that there isn't any evidence that can cast any suspicions on him!"
"Then I'll have to use the technique Leon explained to me a few minutes ago," the other explained as he began to mentally prepare himself for the coming battle. "I don't see how else we're going to pull anything new out of him. We need to show that we have ample reason for wanting his testimony, and this is the only way I can think of making it happen. Just promise me that you'll let me do most of the talking. I'll need all the concentration I can get since I hardly have any idea what I'm really supposed to do. Make sure that whatever you want to say doesn't end up throwing us off track."
"…I sure hope you know what you're doing," he murmured before resigning himself to be a back seat viewer of whatever was about to take place.
Begin Logic Chess
(Knowledge of the LK-9 Incident)
"How about we start off with a simple question?" Tails started off as he tried to come up with a suitable opening question that would hopefully lead him to the real answer that would make Mephiles testify about being a person of interest. "Are there any details you can share with us that pertain to this case?"
"If you think asking me that will help garner you more information, then you're sorely mistaken," Mephiles explained with his arms crossed. "I hardly know a thing about this incident. All I know is that a detective and defense attorney were killed during it. It truly is a shame that they both died, but it can't be helped that they stuck their noses in business that didn't concern them. If you ask me, they got what was coming to them."
"What did you say?!" Sonic shouted as his temper quickly rose upon hearing his beloved uncle being insulted. Tails immediately placed a hand on the other's arm in an attempt to calm him down. It barely worked as the defense attorney settled for glaring harsh daggers at the old hedgehog's direction.
"No need to rile yourself up over that," he continued on with a smug look. "It's merely my opinion on the matter. Don't get me wrong; I understand that they died while trying to save both you and your friends. However, I fail to see how that justifies their brash behavior. As much as I hate to say it, they should've continued on with their case and let the police handle the search for you. God knows how much more aggravation they caused for them after managing to get themselves killed. Then again, I suppose it's a godsend for me and my fellow prosecutors now that they're not here to hound us at every case we work on."
"I'll take it that you weren't terribly fond of the two," the fox calmly replied while trying to keep the anger bubbling inside him from taking over. "It should be safe to assume then that you didn't have much of a work relationship with either one."
"I make it a rule to never associate myself with the likes of defense attorneys and their hired help outside of a courtroom. I see little point in becoming friends with the enemy when I'm merely going to crush them once we cross paths in the battle with the law. In the end, you can only rely upon yourself to move forward in this world."
"Working alone can only get you so far," Vector stated while trying to hide his confusion as to what the defensive team had planned. "There had to have been times when you had to rely on the help of others in order to solve your cases. Even a man such as you has their limitations when it comes to the collecting and examination of evidence."
"Those kinds of relations hardly count," the witness merely scoffed. "The Prosecutor's Office and the police department couldn't be further away from each other in terms of my work position. And even if I have to take to the field myself, I make sure they all know to never approach me for any reason apart from the discovery of new evidence. So long as they stay out of my way, they needn't fear my wrath during their next performance hearing.
"However, Detective Charles and Ms. Robotnik always seemed to make it a point to stick their noses in all of my investigations," he continued as he let a growl leave his mouth. "That was already odd in itself as they were merely working on behalf of another defense attorney I would be facing off against later. They've always served as a thorn on my side by disrupting the investigation and providing my opponent with material that I planned to keep to myself until the moment it hurt the defense the most.
"Imagine how happy I was when I heard that I was to finally face them in court. To exact revenge on them for causing me so much grief and making it harder to ensure my victories was the most exhilarating thing I've experienced in years."
Becoming somewhat disturbed by Mephiles's reaction, Tails chose to ignore him. At the same time, he kept careful watch over Sonic and made sure he did not try making any uncalled outbursts that might derail their plans.
"In the end, I was the prosecutor to have faced the two in court for their final case before they passed on," Mephiles said with faux sadness in his tone. "In a sense, I am kind of saddened that they died before they could even finish it. It's unfortunate how their deaths couldn't reflect how tenaciously they tried to overthrow my solid theories. Detective Charles being beaten to death certainly didn't cross my mind as a way he could've died; Ms. Robotnik dying from a bullet was even more of a shock. Then again, I suppose being shot in the back of the head would most likely ensure immediate death under any circumstances."
"I thought you said earlier you didn't know much about this case?" Tails asked as he caught the slip. "You just blatantly contradicted yourself! How could you be so detailed with their deaths if you claimed to have not known much?"
"…It appears you're ready to make something big out of nothing in order to keep this trial going," the old prosecutor simply replied after pausing for a moment. "I really hope the Judge isn't willing to let this continue on as you drag me further in. Regardless, I will admit that I know more about the case than I previously let on. I'll even go so far as to say that I have went and read through some of the documents occasionally."
"So he read over the case files and became familiar with the details," Tails murmured as he tried to figure out what he could do with this information. "Strange why he would want to keep this from us, but I can't say much on it right now. More importantly, I think I can use this to form another mode of questioning. Thanks for the help, Sonic!"
"Hey, I just caught a rather obvious slip of the tongue on his part," the hedgehog grinned sheepishly. "I'm not about to sit back looking pretty while my little brother does all the hard work and make me look bad." At the same time, he saw Vector looking at them in a confused fashion as to what they were doing.
"As much as I want to question your motives for asking these pointless questions, I'm not in much of a position to do so since they surprisingly seem to pertain to this case," the crocodile answered harshly despite his eyes reflecting how he actually was intrigued by it all. "Just make sure you don't start asking unrelated questions. I'd hate to have to ask the Judge to put an end to this admittedly entertaining show because of that!"
"He may be pretending to resist us, but does he have to make it sound that real? If I didn't know any better, I'd think he'd be hating us for this!"
"I'm sure that's his way of making sure we stay on track," the fox explained. "All we can do is make sure we live up to his expectations. For now, let's just continue asking questions and figure out Mephiles's reasons for not wanting to take on this case!"
(Refusing to Oversee the Trial)
"I think it's safe to assume that you knew as much about the case as we did when we first started," Tails began. "That makes me wonder about your actions today. Why did you choose not to oversee this trial as its prosecutor when you heard that it was to be reopened? For a man of your caliber, I don't see any reason why you would want to refuse."
"Logically speaking, the chances of this case being solved are beyond what any attorney worth his salt would consider wasting time on regardless of the fact that I did know as much as you," Mephiles merely replied. "That and my time is worth a lot; I don't go prosecuting cases without having first performed adequate investigations. I don't see any point in squandering it over this when I can be doing something more productive like attending to the other cases that are stacking up in my office.
"And if that isn't good enough reason for you, then consider the lack of a defendant as another," he continued to explain. "If nobody is to be punished for their crimes once this is all over, then I don't see a point in me overseeing everything that was to go on today. After all, my sole job as a prosecutor of the state is to punish any who dare to play the role of defendant in this courtroom and keep them from escaping their just punishment. Being that one hasn't been present for this, I'd consider it a waste of time to be using my powers to merely satisfy one's idle curiosity about past events."
"But wouldn't you also agree that a prosecutor's job is to discover the truth of any case and ensure that the correct people are properly punished?" the fox countered as he tried to make sense of the old hedgehog's reasoning. "Just because a defendant isn't present, it doesn't mean you can abandon your duties as an attorney. To say that your job merely requires you to punish whoever happens to serve as your opposition is just ridiculous! How can you do so without first discovering what the truth of the matter is?"
"Unfortunately, the real world of the law doesn't work like that," the old prosecutor responded with a shake of his head. "In a world where people want only the best at their side, attorneys must be picky as to what case they work on. The way I see it, glory is measured on the successfulness of your skills which then reflects onto the reliability of your firm. Prosecutors run under the same process, although what they really gain or lose is the faith of the people counting on them to put away dangerous criminals. The truth is merely a byproduct of the process that only serves to confuse if solely concentrated on."
"That may be the truth, but I can say for at least myself that not every attorney thinks that way," Vector spoke up in defense of himself as a prosecutor. "While I am proud whenever I can procure a successful conviction, nothing pleases me more than the discovery of the truth of what really happened. Only then can I say that I'm comfortably satisfied with the job I've done. Of course, it's been clear to me since I've started working that you are a man who only cares of the results. Then again, I fail to see how that matters seeing as how you're the only prosecutor I've known to have both accepted any case that came your way and won them all."
"That's the results of being the most educated person in the world of prosecutors. Any case that appears before me will always be solved with the defendant behind bars. They were brought before me in court for a reason, and the evidence always speaks of nothing but the truth. Take away all the unnecessary questions and you'll have a quick and succinct finish to cases that are always made overcomplicated by curious people.
"And before you say anything else, I have no need for the glory that comes around upon a successful end to a trial," Mephiles added in a prideful manner. "I'm far above such trivialities that come with equally useless titles. However, I can't say the same for my fellow prosecutors and the worthless defense attorneys. As such, I can't for the life of me begin to understand why Prosecutor Vector expressed interest in overseeing this case. It's clear to me, though, that glory and public reliability isn't one of his top concerns."
As much as Tails wanted to say something about how glory was not everything that attorneys should strive for, he instead stayed quiet. He figured that the old prosecutor would just counter with how everyone who was not at his level would require immense recognition in order to be successful.
"Regardless, I believe I delved far from what you originally asked of me," he continued with a sigh after taking note of everybody's silence. "The point I'm trying to make here is that I didn't take on this case because I felt it to be an unnecessary waste of time what with the lack of a defendant. That and I was never properly presented with the opportunity to take it on. So what if I knew about all the information that you all discovered up until this point? You've still yet to arrive at a suitable candidate for the role of defendant and have thus seen it fit to accuse me with nothing more than weak speculation from a sole witness."
"You already knew about all the information we've unearthed up to this point?" Tails repeated while raising an eyebrow at this comment. "I thought you said earlier that you knew as much as the rest of us when the case was first reopened. Why the sudden change in the amount of knowledge you claim to know?"
"…It's because I've become confused due to all the concerns you've addressed to me," the witness replied before tightly crossing his arms in a defiant manner. "However, I doubt that this is something you should be worried about. I've already thoroughly explained myself; I see no point in taking part of something that I was never officially asked to be in and would only be a waste of time. I've better things to do than to oversee something that's only open for one day and has no relations to me in the slightest!"
"Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this case has absolutely nothing to do with you," the fox corrected as he allowed himself a smirk. "I'm sure you know that the events leading up to the birth of the incident are also taken into due consideration. On the day the two were killed, they were in this courthouse overseeing the trial they've been working on. You've already stated earlier that the only time you fought against them was on the last case they worked on. That is as good of an admission as any to the fact that you were involved to some small degree to the LK-9 Incident, even if it was before the murders occurred!"
"Humph, I suppose your claim does have some merit to it," the prosecutor conceded as a deep scowl appeared on his face. "If you allow yourself to consider that line of thought, then I'll admit I was incorrect when I said I had no involvement with this case. However, that also goes to say that this minor connection is the only one of its kind in terms of this incident! Any further potential connections were severed the moment the case I was battling against Ms. Robotnik on was called to an abrupt end!"
"Regardless, it is a connection that the defense has managed to uncover," Vector replied as his eyes suddenly shone with realization. The witness kept with his scowling demeanor as his eye began to twitch the statement. "Under this note, I recommend that we go ahead and explore just how deep this connection goes. Perhaps then we'll see if you truly became severed from this case as you so claim."
"Don't think for a moment that either of you are going to keep this case alive by merely throwing around baseless questions! All you've managed to do with them are pick at the minor details that are completely insignificant in and of itself. I've a mind to just up and leave right now to keep you from further harassing me!"
"It sounds like Vector's finally caught wind of what you're trying to do," Sonic noticed as he saw a barely noticeable smirk of confidence coming from the crocodile. "But it also looks like Mephiles is starting to lose his patience with us! We better be able to find something strong the next time around or he seriously might end up walking out!"
"Then here's to hoping Vector will be able to help us get through this if things start to get crazy. For now, I'll just concentrate on trying to exploit as much as I can from this connection regardless of how small or insignificant it may be!"
(Movements before the Double Murders)
"How about you tell us just what exactly you were doing on the day of the incident?" Tails asked as he tried to keep a calm demeanor. "I doubt that handling your case against Ms. Robotnik was the only thing you did then."
"Are you really so desperate to find a nonexistent connection with me and the case that you'll ask that?" Mephiles questioned as he suddenly seemed to take on a defensive tone. "I've already explained to you earlier that my involvement only extends up to the point when the trial that day ended. Anything beyond that can't possibly be construed by you in any way as another so-called connection that you're so keen on finding!"
Sensing the onslaught of hostility, the fox merely remained quiet while minutely shifting his head towards Sonic's direction to indicate the same thing. Not only was it unusually hostile; the words also served no purpose to be further probed into. It was almost as though the man was trying to bait them into performing an emotionally driven attack.
"I'll take it by your silence that you finally agree with me," the old prosecutor replied with a frustrated sigh. "It's about time you backed off. Your tenacity truly reminds me of what I had to deal with when I was cross-examining Detective Charles!"
"How so do we remind you of him?" Sonic suddenly asked despite his little brother's harsh glare indicating for him to shut up. "None of us have learned anything about questioning witnesses and whatnot from him."
"He may not have passed along any of his knowledge, but you two seemed to have inherited his annoyingly tenacious attitude. I always had to make a dash to the Prosecutor's Lobby during the recesses just so I could calm down with a cup of coffee!"
"I'll take it then that day was no exception?" Tails pressed in an attempt to get information from every last relevant statement made. "If we are to rely on your behavioral patterns, then you would've went for a cup after the trial concluded!"
"That normally would've been the case. Unfortunately, something more pressing had caught my attention then. As such, I was forced to put off my coveted cup of coffee."
"What would be so pressing that you would actually consider abandoning your normal routine?" Vector asked, his tone clearly conveying his intrigue at the statement. "If there's one thing I've learned in the couple years I've been working at the Prosecutor's Office, it's that you are a very habitual man. Even doing something as simple as skipping coffee can be construed as strange when you're put into its context!"
"Even the most habitual of creatures is allowed to break a pattern from time to time, Prosecutor Vector," Mephiles explained without so much as looking at the crocodile. "Of course, I would only do so when something urgent demands my attention. And unfortunately for me on that day, my secondary concern required my presence."
"What do you mean by that?" Tails inquired. "Are you saying you went somewhere once the case had been postponed? I doubt you mean back to the Prosecutor's Office seeing as how that's directly connected with your primary concern."
"…Must you always insist on questioning me on every little detail I mention?" the old hedgehog growled, his tone quickly turning irritated. "What I do in my time while I'm not busy being a prosecutor isn't any of your business! It's a little something that I like to consider a part of my personal affairs. It's something you'll never be made aware of."
"Then can you at least tell us where you went?" the fox probed while trying to avoid furthering annoying the witness. "I'm willing to respect your privacy; I just want to know the location of where you went after your trial had concluded. If you really have nothing to do with this incident, then it shouldn't be too much of a problem to tell us."
For a couple of moments, the two seemed fit to simply stare at each other. If looks could kill, then both were quickly heading for a stalemate. The atmosphere was so tense; it was almost as though both were daring the other to say something.
"… …I was an entrepreneur at the time," he finally said while shaking his head. "There was a problem at the business I had invested in; I was the only one at the time able to go there and correct it. And being that I owned a majority of the company's stocks, it was my obligation to make sure everything that came out of the business was as advertised. I'd be damned if I ended up losing money over a mistake some stupid rookie made!"
"I never thought you'd actually go out of your way to participate in something other than a court case," Sonic stated in surprise. "With the way you present yourself in court, I wouldn't be surprised if your coworkers there saw you as a slave driver."
"Don't dare to assume that you know everything about me. There are many things about me you probably never thought I'd be capable of. However, I will say that becoming the owner of a business wasn't one of my originally planned side-hobbies."
"Mind if we asked what you originally had in mind then?" Vector asked without missing a beat. "I must admit that hearing you having influence with a business definitely doesn't seem like something you would ever consider."
"I fail to see what this exactly has to do with the trial," Mephiles simply countered as he effectively dodged the question. "It's something I needn't answer as it only serves to satisfy your idle curiosity.
"However, I would like to address a comment Mr. Sonic made earlier about how I treat my employees," he added as while shifting his attention to the cobalt hedgehog. "I've no need to work them to the bone in order to keep the business in good standing. As long as they're worthy of my respect, I treat them all evenly and in accordance to how the current situation is being reflected. Even my fellow business partners are both competent and educated enough for me to treat them as my equal."
"Allow me some leeway to say that you don't strike me as a person who would ever consider anyone to be your equal," Tails surmised before crossing his arms in defiance. "But let's just say for a moment that you would. If that's so, then why would you have such an imbalance of power in the business? You've already admitted to owning the majority of the business's stocks. That makes you the one with the power to call all the shots without having to earn yourself a consensus from your fellow stockholders!"
"…A business only needs one person to keep it up and running," the old hedgehog said after a moment of silence. "Any more than that would simply be an invitation for chaos to take root. The market the business specialized in happened to be oversaturated; the two co-owners were merely bumbling around like idiots trying to come up with a suitable solution. I quickly resolved it by buying off a majority of their stock and assumed immediate control. Once that was all settled, my singular rule was enough to pull through the oversaturated seafood market. The two former owners ended up working for me as a way to both give me thanks and still have their hands in the business."
"You're the owner of a seafood company?" the fox repeated, his mind quickly beginning to make assumptions based on details already covered from the trial. "I can't believe you would put yourself into such a business. To be perfectly honest, I was more under the impression that you were instead the owner of some high-end store or restaurant."
"Seafood itself can be a high-end product depending on how you prepare it. Treating the food of the sea with the utmost respect during the packaging stages is what makes the difference between a good and bad dish. That is my philosophy. I suppose then that you could consider me as some sort of seafood connoisseur."
"And how would you say the business is doing right now?" Sonic asked while trying to refrain from rolling his eyes. At the same time, his mind seemed to have come to the same assumptions as his little brother. "The way you explained your rather stellar entrance into the company, it sounds like it should be well-off now."
"Unfortunately, it no longer exists. Even with my expertise and guidance, the company still fell apart. As such, I was forced to close it down and cut my losses."
"So how long have you been officially out of business?" Vector asked as he also seemed to have caught on to what the question could possibly unearth. "It's only for the sake of my idle curiosity, so I apologize if I'm asking something off-topic."
"Yet you still proceeded to ask something unrelated," Mephiles replied with a growl of annoyance. "Your apology was hardly worth anything. And even if it were, I wouldn't have been made obligated to grace your question with an answer."
"Then how about I answer it for you?" Tails quickly suggested in a tone that left no room for any arguments. "Would I be correct in the assumption that your business met its unfortunate end five years ago?"
"H-How did…?!" the old prosecutor actually stuttered in surprise. Clearly, he was taken aback by this announcement. However, he quickly recovered and continued on as if nothing had happened. "The fate of the business was determined during a private meeting and kept from the public. The only indication that it was still in operations was the bargain made in which certain products would still be sold under the company name but shipped and packaged by a third party contractor. There's no way that a person such as you should be allowed access to confidential information like that!"
"So are you admitting that you were involved with the business until five years ago?" the crocodile asked as he seemed convinced with what the questions had produced. "I can't see how else I can construe your recent statements."
"I don't know how you managed to come across private information such as that, but I fail to see how you intend to uncover something over something as simple as when my seafood business was forced to close."
"The business you had control over was the Prycey Seafood Company," Tails bluntly stated. "By the information that you've already provided us along with the bit of clarification you made earlier, I can safely come to this conclusion. After all, what other seafood business just decided to close their doors five years ago? And since you said you had two partners, I would imagine them to be the Pryce siblings. It would only stand to reason seeing as how their family name has main roots within the name itself."
For a few seconds, Mephiles continued to look shocked over the sudden claim made by Tails. For once, he actually failed to come back with a suitable retort and appeared content to just stare daggers into the defensive team. It kind of felt a bit unsettling considering that the man they were dealing with always had some sort of objection or cocky retort to things that were said against him.
"…I think your silence is enough of an answer for us," Sonic replied as he cut through the immensely tense air. "Pieced together with what we know and what you've told us, the Prycey Seafood Company is the only possibly in terms of the business you were running five years ago. As such, the thing that caught your attention at the end of your trial against Defense Attorney Maria Robotnik was coming from the company's main office in the lighthouse at the Mobius Docks! And coincidentally enough, that was where the defense attorney and Detective Charles Hedgehog were found murdered later that night! As such, your place of business became the scene of the double murders!"
"I still can't say whether or not you don't have any direct involvement with the LK-9 Incident," the fox admitted while crossing his arms. "However, it's clear from the questions you answered that you at the least had an indirect involvement due to your business being the focal point of the double murders. With that in mind, I believe it puts you under some mode of suspicion in this courtroom."
"I can't see what other excuse you can use to allow yourself to keep silent about this," the crocodile concluded. "As such, you no longer have a suitable reason as to why you would want to withhold testimony in regards to why you can't be the culprit!"
"…You think you're so smart!" the old hedgehog growled out. "You think that since you managed to discover the business I was involved in five years ago that you can drag me into this case? You couldn't be any further from the truth!"
End Logic Chess
"It looks like we finally established a concrete reason for having you testify to us about that day five years ago," Tails announced with a sigh now that he had finally managed to make himself an opening. "As you were the owner of the Prycey Seafood Company which happened to be the scene of the double murders, you at the least have an indirect connection with it. And since you've been proven to have a connection, I suggest that you testify to us in order to prove your innocence."
"There's nothing I need to prove myself to the likes of you!" Mephiles spat out angrily. "Your questions hardly hold any merit to this trial. Everything you've mentioned has been nothing but conjecture!"
"Nevertheless, it's conjecture that was substantiated by the answers you provided them," Vector explained without as much as a flinch from the harsh glare he received. "And since they came from your own mouth, you can't say that they based their findings on mere conjecture without having to contradict the validity of your own words."
Unable to counter with a suitable argument, the old hedgehog merely balled his hands into fists and slammed them against the witness stand. Even the Judge, whom had been quiet during the entirety of the questioning proceedings, seemed somewhat shocked at the sudden turn of events.
"I can't believe I managed to find a reason to make him stay," the fox murmured before allowing his shoulders to relax. "I didn't think he'd be that hard to crack what with all the questions I was asking him."
"Yet you managed to pull it off," Sonic replied with a smile and a thankful pat to his brother's shoulder. "I really owe you for this, you know? Now we can properly question Mephiles and see just how involved he really was with the LK-9 Incident. Just be prepared to help me in case things go crazy. Knowing him, he's not going to allow himself to go down without at least making our lives miserable."
"As long as you manage to cross-examine him properly, I promise to do whatever I can to help you through this!" the other stated with a curt nod. "Like Shadow said on the first day of his trial, there's nothing we can't do so long as we work together! Let's make good on his words and show this witness what we're really capable of!"
Well, that's it for this new chapter. I truly hope that you enjoyed it, especially the parts concerning the Logic Chess system. I'll tell you all this right now; it was hell to write out that portion! I'm so used to writing statements that contradict the evidence; I had to rewire my brain a bit so that it played out like in the game where the Mephiles inadvertently contradicted himself without him meaning to. Combine with the challenge to not make them so obvious even to a man of his caliber and you have a recipe for a difficult construction of this chapter. Still, it was fun to write down those self-contradictory statements which all had a connection to the central question Tails was trying to get to: Mephiles's overall involvement with the LK-9 Incident!
Regardless of the challenges, I still managed to get it completed and out for you all to see. As you are now no doubt aware, even a cautious man such as Mephiles can slip up when questioned correctly and persistently. Now that Sonic and Tails have established reasonable doubt in the fact that the old prosecutor was not indefinitely connected to the LK-9 Incident, they can now hear his official testimony. I'm sure it's going to be just as difficult to write the cross-examination portions as it was to make the Logic Chess dialogue if not more so, so don't grill me if it takes a while to be published. I will guarantee, however, that the wait will be worth it.
And as you can see, there are no new evidence to introduce in this chapter. In respect to how the Logic Chess system was played out in Ace Attorney Investigations 2, no new evidence is ever announced during or after the system has been completed. All the evidence that's been recorded at the beginning of this chapter is what will be carried on into the next. I just figured it best to put it up there for the sake of showing what has already been collected and that it hasn't been spontaneously abandoned.
And just as a side note, I'm actually kind of considering possibly creating a sequel to this story once this is done. However, that has not been finalized yet. I need to see if I'm ready to make another two-year commitment to a story that I'm sure would no doubt be popular to all of you who are reading this one. I'm just letting the possibility out so you'll know in advance if I ever do plan on making the sequel.
That's it for my ranting moments now. I should go to bed seeing as how it's like a quarter before four in the morning for me here. Damn me and my stupid bouts of insomnia! On that note, until the next update to this and any of my other stories everybody!