The State VS. Lillie Moon
"The Court is now in session for the trial of Lillie Moon!"
May would be hearing those words very shortly. She followed Queen Elodie's orders and she was escorted into the court house. The silence from the carriage to the lobby reminded May of a walk to the scaffold. Why did Queen Elodie have to be so secretive about it, May wondered? Her fingers were starting to become clammy at the thought of what was ahead of her. Something dark was coming around the corner and May hated it. All she wanted was a peaceful holiday with her friend and to spent more time with her boyfriend. What she ended up getting was witchcraft, murder and politics.
As soon as they reached the lobby, the bright lights appeared to be a lie. There was a young girl who was around the same age as May curled up in the corner. Everything about the girl was white. Her pale skin brought out the redness in her puffy eyes. Her plats, travelled down her dress, and touched her long socks. Her huge hat covered must of her face, but May could still see the tears dripping on her face. There was no need for an introduction, it had to be Lillie. She looked like a ghost. She had been crying so hard, she was gasping for breath. Her body vibrated the pillar next to her. May picked up the vase and placed it in the corner of the opposite side of the room.
One of the guards glared at May.
"What?" May said. "I didn't want to vase to collapse on her; she would get hurt."
Trucy had gone out looking for clues about the case. May wasn't sure how far Trucy would get if she didn't know the victim's name. Then it occurred to her, Trucy had been up most of the night reading stuff from her phone. She would have found the information through a simple search on Google. May wished that she had thought of that before. It still didn't explain why she put in the dark about everything until now. At least Ash was there. Of course he would be there, he was always there for his friends. He went over to Lillie and slapped both her shoulders. "Listen to me," Ash said, "You'll be okay."
Lillie let out a huge gasp and croaked out, "What makes you say that?"
She collapsed into Ash's lap. The way Ash comforted Lillie was proof that there was no way that Ash was a criminal. As far as May was concerned, Ash lying in the previous trial was just a dumb mistake on his part. It was foolish for him to do it. If he had told the truth, things would have been much easier. May still felt that she didn't know the full story of what happened in the desert between Lillie's mother, stepfather and the demons, but she felt it was time to bury it under the sand, and move on.
May quickly crouched down and lifted her up. She wasn't even sure if she was fit enough to be standing trial. She looked at Queen Elodie who simply stood still as if time had paused.
"Your Majesty," May called. "Are you going to tell me why your stepsister is in this position?"
Queen Elodie nodded. "They found Detective Looker's body and a gun in Lillie's handbag."
"Lillie," May said. "What happened?"
"We found the body and we tried to save him, but we were too late."
"Who's we?"
"Me, Ash, Lana, Mallow and Sophocles."
May glared at Ash. "You knew and you never told me."
Ash shrugged his shoulders. "You would have found out anyway. And besides, Queen Elodie told me not to tell you."
"If we're going to be married at some point in our lives, then you can't keep stuff like that from me.
Ash went mute for a few moments. "I'm sorry," he whispered, standing up.
"How am I suppose to do my job if nobody tells me what's going on?" May shouted, directing her anger at Queen Elodie. "I don't know what you're trying to achieve with your shenanigans, but it's not helping. Unless you want Lillie to go down for a crime she didn't commit, then you'll have to help me. Stop keeping secrets from me. Unless..." May had a sudden conclusion that would bring the case to a swift end. She pointed at Queen Elodie, "Unless it was you that killed Detective Looker."
"Don't be silly," Queen Elodie snarled. "Of course I didn't kill him. Why would I hire you if I was the guilty one."
"To remove yourself from suspicion"
"You don't even have any proof," Queen Elodie snapped. "And I would never kill those people; never!"
"She right," Ash said. "We haven't got anything on Elodie. All the evidence is pointing at Lillie."
"Who's the prosecutor?" May asked. "You can at least tell me that?"
"Miles Edgeworth. He used to be known as the Demon Prosecutor."
"Isn't he friends with your boss?" Ash asked May.
"Yeah," May replied. "That's Mr. Wright's best friend."
"The trial is about to start," May said to Ash and Lillie. "Are you both ready?"
Ash helped Lillie stand up. She nodded gently and they all went into the courtroom. Queen Elodie followed them from behind and took a seat close to the defence team's bench. It was another packed house. Though May could see that there were several of Queen Elodie's royal gaurds patrolling the court.
"Hey," Ash said to May. His eyes were fixated at the prosecution desk. "What's your boss doing on the prosecution's side?"
May had never faced Miles Edgeworth in court before. She had met him enough times to feel as if she had known the gentlemen. He was a good friend of her boss, Phoenix Wright. There was something about Edgeworth that oozed in justice. It wasn't just because of his handsome looks and a very refined mauve suit. From the moment May saw him push his glasses up with a small smile, May could tell that he was here for the truth. He wasn't going to be the kind of prosecutors like Gaspen Payne who tease young lawyers just so they could win. He was chief prosecutor after all.
The Judge banged his gavel. "The court is now in session for the trial of Lillie Moon."
"The defence is ready, Your Honour," May lied. She was nowhere near ready.
"The prosecution is also ready," Edgeworth announced with his arms folded.
"Mr. Wright," Ash called out. "What are you doing on Edgeworth's side? You should be on this side helping May out."
"Wright has been kindly helping me out with this case," Edgeworth responded before Phoenix even got a chance to speak. "And that is why is standing here today."
"I have a question," Phoenix said. "Where is Trucy?"
"She went out looking for clues," May replied. "We thought while I was here, she could go out and look for anything we might have missed."
"You should have started your investigations before the trial," Edgeworth said.
Queen Elodie hopped out of her seat and marched towards Edgeworth. "Miss Maple only just picked up the case last night. I've only just given her the details today."
"Sounds very illogical," Edgeworth noted. "Your Majesty, you need to so stop interfering with courtroom affairs."
"Lillie is innocent," Ash cried out. "You should all know that."
"And I'm the Queen," Queen Elodie reminded Edgeworth and the rest of the court. "And I can do what I like."
May knew that Queen Elodie meant every word of it. And she would happily change time at her disposal, but after her father's death she seemed to be quite different to how she was before. A little bit kinder and a little bit more bolder.
"Mr. Edgeworth," the Judge cried out, seeming tired of Queen Elodie's behaviour. "Can we please have your opening statement."
"Of course," Edgeworth said. "The victim was Detective David Looker. He had worked for the police work for all his life. He was a homicide detective who also worked for the international police. During one of his cases, he went missing. His body was later discovered by a young group of friends one night. The defendant was one of those young people. The police found a gun in her handbag and that is why we believe it was her."
"Someone planted it in there," Ash snapped.
"Ash," May whispered. "You can't shout like that in a court. Let me do the talking."
"No! They're being nasty."
"They're just doing their jobs," May hissed. "Now control your temper or else they'll throw you pack in again."
"What makes you think it was planted there?" Phoenix asked.
"Motive," May answered. "If you really believe that Lillie is the killer, then you need to figure out why she did it? What was her relationship with the victim before the murder took place? And why did she have the gun in her pocket? And DNA? Is it her fingerprints on the guns. And more importantly, what case was Detective Looker investigating before his death?"
"Wow," Ash mumbled. "You're good."
"Fortunately I have come to a solution," Edgeworth responded. It didn't sound good. Ash grabbed onto May's hand and squeezed it. "Lillie did not have a motive for killing Detective Looker and the gun did not have Lillie's fingerprints on it."
"Then that means the case is closed," Ash said. "She's clearly not guilty."
"Not quite," Phoenix said. "There are ways to avoid your fingerprints being on the murder weapon." Phoenix picked up a plastic bag containing white silky gloves. "Such as these."
The gallery gasped.
"These gloves belong to the defendant," Phoenix stated. "They're quite an elegant pair. These aren't just any pair of gloves. These are designer." He had his set on Queen Elodie. "These gloves are something that only royalty would wear. Lillie Moon was working for Queen Elodie."
"Nice try there." Queen Elodie wasn't fazed in the slightest. She closed her eyes gently at sat in the corner of the court with her legs crossed. May was convinced that Edgeworth couldn't stand her.
"Ash Ketchum is also a possible suspect," Phoenix Wright announced. "He vanished before the police got a chance to interrogate him."
"How can you say that?" May asked. Anguish filled her face with invisible tears. "Tell me it isn't true Ash."
"I know you two have been through a lot," Edgeworth said to May. "But as it stands right now, he simply can't be trusted."
"You're blinded by your love towards him," Phoenix stated, pointing directly at May.
"No I'm not. I know Ash Ketchum more than anybody in this courtroom."
"You guys really have it in for me don't ya?" Ash said with his arms folded. "I'm trying to make a decent living for myself after being in prison and you try to accuse me of everything under the sun."
"The defendant has a motive," Phoenix spat out.
"Wright," Edgeworth whispered. "I think it's wise that you let me do the talking."
"Just this one," Phoenix muttered.
"Yes?" The Judge said as he fiddled with his gavel.
"The defendant does have a motive," Phoenix said. "A very strong one."
"She does?" May said. "Why don't you prove it then?"
"Uh oh," Ash rammed his back against the wall. "What is he trying to do?"
"The defendants mother was recently murdered along with her stepfather. They were travelling with Detective Looker and Ash Ketchum on the day they were killed. An eye witness actually said that there were four people present."
"Wait!" Ash cried out. "You've got it wrong. Charlie's never met Detective Looker."
"That's right," May said. "I don't know what you're aiming for Mr. Wright."
"Lillie might hold some resentment towards Detective Looker," Phoenix announced. "If Detective Looker was in fact there, the causalities might have been avoided. They could have arrested Harley Quinn straight away."
"Or maybe perhaps it would have been another casualty," May said. "Everyone admired Detective Looker. Lillie had no reason to kill him. And if Queen Elodie really wanted Looker gone, than she could have done it herself. I mean look at the woman in the stand? Does she look like a killer to you?"
"Looks can be misleading," Phoenix announced. "When you get a few more years under your belt than you would understand."
"Shall we bring some witnesses?" The Judge banged his gavel as he spoke trying to summon tranquillity in the room.
"The prosecution would like to call Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand," Edgeworth requested.
May still didn't understand why Phoenix was standing by Edgeworth in the trial. As Gumshoe took the stand and gave his statements to the court, May began to think hard about how to remove Lillie from suspicion. It would be a bonus if she could find out who the real killer was, but she wasn't hoping for much luck.
"Detective Looker was shot directly in the heart." Detective Gumshoe went through the autopsy report with the court. The murder took place on the cliff near the sea."
A projection of the map appeared at the scene. Gumshoe pointed at the cliff above the blue area. "This is where he was killed. Looker was the point of the cliff. The assailant shot him and he fell into a watery grave. We found particles of the cliff rock on his shoes and seaweed in his hair. The forensics believe that Looker might have been underwater since the 10th of September."
"That's the same day as mom was killed," Lillie said.
"At least it rules out Mr. Wright's theory," Ash muttered to May.
"Hmm..." If Detective Looker was shot directly in the heart, then it would mean that the true culprit must have been someone who was an expert. Somebody who was very good at what they did? Perhaps the true assailant could have been a hunter, someone in the army, another police officer, gang member or maybe... an assassin?
"What's up May?" Ash asked.
"I'm hoping Trucy finds something."
"Miss Maple," the Judge called. "You may begin your cross-examination."
Ash patted May's back. "Good luck," he whispered.
"Detective Gumshoe," May said. "What date was Detective Looker's body found?"
"13th August."
"So she was arrested after The Joker's trial," May said. "Then how did the gun end up in her bag? If he died 3 days before, why is the gun still in her bag? Unless she trying to kill somebody else. If she really was the killer, then why didn't she hide the weapon? She could have easily have thrown it in the sea."
"Not all murderers are smart," Wright said.
"Lillie's one of the smartest girls I know," Ash snarled.
"Watch it," May said to Ash. "Otherwise they'll penalize me."
"The defence has a good point," Edgeworth admitted. "I also think that it is strange to be carrying a gun in your handbag for that long."
"Lillie's a student as well," May said. "Staff can inspect student's handbags anytime for security reasons."
"She would been expelled for sure if she was found with a gun," Edgeworth said.
"Exactly." May thought she was getting somewhere. "You can see now we're going on the wrong path. We need to figure out who and why the gun was planted in Lillie's bag."
"I know two people already," Phoenix said.
"It's not Ash," May said. "And it's not Elodie either."
"How do you know?" the Judge asked.
"I just know."
"I just know isn't good enough for this court," Phoenix reminded May. Edgeworth nodded.
"It's better than trying to bluff your way out."
"Yes Wright," Edgeworth noted. "Do take that in. I'm glad that Miss Maple hasn't picked up that nasty habit of yours."
"I'm trying to help you out," Phoenix said, glaring at Edgeworth. "And you're throwing shade at me."
"Is there anything else that you would like to say before I finish the cross examination?" May asked Gumshoe.
"I think we're covered," Gumshoe said. "Oh before I go. I wanted to say that the group of people that found the body tampered with it so much that the autopsy took a little longer than expected."
"We tried to perform a CPR," Lillie said. "But we didn't succeed."
"How could you not tell he was dead?" Phoenix asked. "It should have been pretty clear."
"If his body was covered in seaweed than it might have been hard to tell," Edgeworth said.
"We thought he was unconscious," Ash responded. "His body felt warm when we touched him." Ash nodded at three people in the front row who all nodded. They must have been Lillie and Ash's friends from school. The large guy with ginger hair and a geeky top was Sophocles. The small lady with dark skin and green hair was Mallow. The girl dressed in blue, including her hair was Lana.
"Maybe a wild pokémon used a scald attack to bring him back to shore," May thought. "I know it sounds crazy but that might be why you thought he was still alive."
There was a knock on the door. Everyone turned their faces towards the large wooden doors.
"Let them in," the Judge sighed. "They might have some important information for us."
The bailiffs opened the doors. It was Trucy and Serena at the door.
"TRUCY!" Phoenix gasped.
"Hey May!" Ash cried out. "I didn't know Serena was here."
"You found some evidence?" May said happily to Trucy.
Trucy nodded. "I found Serena. She has an idea on who killed Looker."
May giggled. "She's awesome," she said to Ash. "That's why I love the girl." She cleared her throat. "The defence would like to bring Serena Yvonne to the stand."
"Well then, young lady," the Judge said. "What's this information."
"I'm pretty sure it was Drew De Killer that killed him."
"Really?" Phoenix cried out. "Shelly De Killer's son?"
Serena nodded.
May nodded as well. "You've been in this situation before. You know what to do."
"Drew De Killer was reported to have been spotted in several locations in Alola. Detective Looker was trying to hunt him down. The last thing he said to me was, if you have any information on De Killer that I had to call him."
"Here you go May." Trucy passed Drew's business card over to her. May got out her phone and dialled the number.
"What are you doing?" Edgeworth asked May. "It's not appropriate to use your phone in a trial."
"I'm going to call Drew," May said. She put the phone onto speaker phone.
"De Killer services, Drew speaking how can I help?"
The courtroom developed an eerie atmosphere from the sound of his refined voice. "Drew..."
"Oh May!" Drew seemed pleased to hear from her. "What can I do for you? Is there somebody you want me to silently wipe out from existence."
May shook her head. "I wanted to ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
"Did you kill Detective Looker?"
"Yes," Drew admitted. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm defending Lillie Moon."
"Oh I see. Are you at work now?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"You monster!" Ash yelled through the phone. "WHY DID YOU FRAME LILLIE?"
"There's no hard feelings," Drew said. "I had to pin it on somebody. It's my duty to ensure that my client is removed from suspicions. Now you don't expect me to tell you who my client is do you? I can't do that. I would disgrace my family if I did."
"You..." Ash couldn't have been any more angrier than he was at that moment. May knew that Ash wanted to swear but knew he couldn't.
Drew hung up.
"Does that mean the trial is over?" Lillie asked.
May nodded. "I think it does."
"Drew De Killer will be caught eventually," Edgeworth assured them. "If he carries on in his father's path, he will share the same fate."
"What does that mean, Mr. Edgeworth?" Ash asked.
"Death."
Lillie Moon was found not guilty. There was a grand party in the city to celebrate Lillie's acquittal. May had no idea who hired detective Looker, but she wondered how long it would remain a mystery for. Ash and May shared a dance under the moonlight surrounded by other couples. The dance was shortlived but it made May feel happy. She didn't want it to end.
She knew it had to.
"I've gotta go!"
"Who are you up against this time?" May asked.
"Voldemort."
"You'll be back soon right?" May asked. "If they're easy."
"I hope he'll be as easy to beat as the others. None of them are good trainers. I'll see ya in the morning."
Ash's kiss on the cheek would comfort May for a long time.
Ash opened the doors of the castle. There was nothing but thick cobwebs and coats of dust as far as the eye could see. If there was anything worth of value, they were long lost under the silver dust.
"Seems empty," Ash said to Pikachu as he walked towards the table near the staircase. He wiped dust off one corner of the table and his hand became covered in it as if it were candyfloss on a stick.
"PIKACHU!"
Ash flicked his head towards the doors that slammed shut. After the bang he looked up to the stairs. "Voldemort is hear somewhere."
There were three doors waiting for him as he reached the top of the stairs. The middle was solely shut with blue padlock. When Ash lowered his head to check on Pikachu, he noticed two trails. The silver trail led to the door on the left as the gold guided him to the right.
"Let's go for gold!" Ash ran towards the golden trail and he couldn't open the door. Ash slammed his whole body against the door. It wasn't very effective. "Fine," Ash hissed. "Let's go to the other door. Let's try one more time. " He pressed his body against the door but it was in vain. "I guess we will have to try the other door."
Ash signed and dashed towards the left door which opened automatically. As soon as Ash stepped into the room he was greeted with exceptional decor. His footsteps echoed on the marble surface. Emerald pillars stood out from the dulled our painting and snake patterns slithered around the hall. In the centre of the great hall was a pale man in a black cloak.
"I've been expecting you, Mr. Ketchum."
"You must be Voldemort!"
"You've done well to make it this far," Voldemort said as he twirled round the hall. A ghost escaped from behind his sleeve. It was a white gengar shaped as a tooth. Ash was not deceived by its colour as the pokémon was just as dark as Voldemort himself.
"Pain split!" Voldemort commanded. His gengar flashed his hands and clutched Pikachu's face.
Both pokémon screamed. The latter shook around the floor and tried his best to go on the floor. Voldemort made his move again. "Shadow ball!"
"NO!" Ash yelled. "You can't use two moves at once!"
Voldemort laughed. "I just did."
"Now Pikachu," Ash said. "Teach these guys a lesson."
"Pika!" Pikachu used all of the energy it had in one huge thunder. It was so powerful that it knocked down all eight pillars in the room. The great hall in Hell's Kingdom was now an epic ruin. Ash had earned another dark mark, this time it was a skull.
"Well done, Ash." Voldemort gave his applause. "You have won. But I can assure you if it were a wizard duel instead of a pokémon battle, then the fate would have been different. After all. I was the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"And yet you were defeated."
"Even legends have bad days," Voldemort argued. "You will find that out for yourself."