(A/N: For this first part, the song I'm using is "Courtroom Lobby ~ Prelude to the Future" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

Trial Final

May 15, 9:47 am

Downtown Courthouse

Courthouse Defense Lobby No. 3

*"I guess this is it then," Trucy said as she and Phoenix stood outside the courtroom. "Are you sure we're ready for this?"

"There are only so many suspects in this case," Phoenix thought. "But there's only one who could have done it…I just hope my plan here works…" "We're as ready as we're going to be," he replied. He then heard a sigh behind him, turned around to see Mr. Bryan standing behind him, looking exhausted. "Mr. Bryan, are you hanging in there?"

Bryan smiled weakly. "As best I can," he said. "One way or another, I'll be glad when this is over."

"Don't give up yet," Trucy said. "This isn't over yet!"

"No…this is just the beginning."

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Court Begins" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

May 15, 10:00 am

Downtown Courthouse

Courtroom No. 3

After the judge banged his gavel, the commotion in the audience died down. *"Now then, the trial of Mr. Bryan will continue," the judge said. "Are both sides ready to begin?"

"The defense is ready Your Honor," Phoenix said.

"The prosecution is also ready Your Honor," Thompson said.

"Very well," the judge said. "Yesterday it seemed we reached an impasse in this case…Mr. Thompson, I'm hoping you can help us continue along. Do you have any new witnesses?"

Thompson, at least from Phoenix's point of view, looked like he barely got any sleep last night. "I do Your Honor. We have yet to hear her side of the story so with that being said the prosecution is calling Kelly Sweeney to the stand."

"I knew this was coming," Phoenix thought. But the real question he was wondering was whether Kelly would cooperate.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Eccentric 2007" from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.)

After Kelly had been seated, Thompson addressed her. "Now witness, state your name and occupation." However, Kelly seemed distracted at the moment, looking around the courtroom. She was once again wearing that same green sweater. "Er…witness, could you please state your name and occupation?"

*"Wow, this courthouse looks much larger than how they show it on TV!" Kelly said. She then looked over at Phoenix and waved. "Mr. Wright, look at me I finally get to be on the witness stand!"

"That's…nice?" Phoenix said, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh brother…"

"Miss Sweeney, I will not ask you again for-" Thompson suddenly stopped. Kelly was giving him a rather sour look. "What is that look for?" he almost stammered.

"Sorry, I'm not the biggest fan of prosecutors," Kelly replied. Thompson seemed at a loss for words at the moment.

"Miss Sweeney, you will address and cooperate with Mr. Thompson or I will hold you in contempt!" the judge snapped.

"Eep!" Kelly squeaked. "S-Scary…"

"Very scary…" Phoenix said, sweating now.

"She's certainly full of spirit, isn't she?" Trucy asked.

"I'm Kelly Sweeney, high school student but hopefully soon to be defense attorney extraordinaire," Kelly said with a smile.

"Now Miss Sweeney, as I seem to recall you were at a sleepover at the time of the murder," Thompson said.

"That's right."

"And I'd like to know your whereabouts during that time and upon coming home the following morning."

"Alright, I can do that."

"It's go time now," Phoenix thought.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Cross Examination ~ Moderato 2013" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

*"I believe it was around nine o'clock when I left to go over to my friend's house.

"I said bye to Dan and told him I'd be back in the morning.

"I think Mr. Bryan came short after cause I didn't see him when I left.

"It was starting to get foggy and rainy so I had to run quick to my friend's house to avoid getting wet.

"I didn't even know about Dan's murder til I came back the following morning."

"Hmm…" the judge said. "So at no point that night did you run into Mr. Bryan or anyone else?"

"Nope, although it's possible we may have just missed each other," Kelly said.

"Just one other question," Thompson said. "Where have you been staying the past couple of days?"

"At said friend's house," Kelly said. It seemed like she wasn't going to give names out.

"Very well. Mr. Wright, you may begin your cross examination," the judge said.

"Was there anything in there that seemed contradicting?" Trucy asked.

"It sounds like she's telling the truth…but nevertheless something isn't adding up," Phoenix commented.

"I believe it was around nine o'clock when I left to go over to my friend's house."

"Just out of curiosity Miss Sweeney, how long does it take to get to your friend's house?" Phoenix asked.

"About twenty minutes, I certainly don't mind the walking," Kelly said. "And please Mr. Wright, you can just call me Kelly." She gave him a slight wink. "Anyway, the distance isn't far and if I needed to come back for anything in the middle of the night I had an extra house key with me.

"Er…right Kelly…" "That last bit sounded important…I'll just save it for later."

"I think Mr. Bryan came short after cause I didn't see him when I left."

"I believe you mentioned he comes over quite a lot. Is it always after nine o'clock?"

"No, it depends on the day, a lot of times he comes over earlier, they are- well, were best friends after all," Kelly replied.

"Are Mr. Bryan's coming and goings that important to the case?" Thompson asked.

"Er…no I guess not, sorry," Phoenix replied sheepishly.

"It was starting to get foggy and rainy so I had to run quick to my friend's house to avoid getting wet."

"Was it already wet when you left Kelly?" Phoenix asked.

"No, not yet," Kelly said. "It hadn't rained for awhile so the ground was pretty dry if I remember."

"Hmm…now I think I'm getting somewhere…"

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Phoenix Wright ~ Objection 2013" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

"I didn't even know about Dan's murder til I came back the following morning."

"Objection!" Phoenix exclaimed. "Miss Sweeney, most of your testimony holds up but I'm afraid you were lying about not returning to the house til the next morning."

"W-What?" Kelly said. "How could I be lying?"

"It's very simple," Phoenix said. He then took out a picture. "These are shoeprints found at the scene of the murder and the only reason they were noticeable was due to the shoes both being wet and slightly covered in mud. *Oddly enough, these shoeprints match the shoe size you currently wear."

"A-Ah!" Kelly squeaked in surprise.

Suddenly the whole started up in commotion and the judge had to bang on his gavel multiple times. "Order, order!" the judge said. "Mr. Wright, you are suggesting Miss Sweeney was at the scene of the crime when it happened?"

"I am Your Honor," Phoenix replied.

"Objection!" Thompson said. "I knew you were going to pull this one out Mr. Wright, and what proof other than those shoeprints do you have that can prove that Miss Sweeney was even there at the time?"

"Y-Yeah, what about Mr. Pierce?" Kelly asked.

"Weren't you listening Mr. Thompson?" Phoenix asked. "Miss Sweeney herself just said she had an extra key on her."

"Ugh!" Thompson said, suddenly dumbstruck.

"Ah, so if her father locked the door she could get back in without a problem," the judge said.

"But how do we know Mr. Sweeney locked the door in the first place?" Thompson asked. "Yes, Mr. Pierce said the front door was unlocked but it doesn't establish the fact if anyone ever locked it or unlocked it."

"He does have a point there," Trucy commented.

"This is all true…but there's one last thing that confirms my belief…" Phoenix thought. "Then I will bring up one more piece of evidence." He then showed the bag of glass from the picture frame. "Detective Marshall himself concluded that Mr. Sweeney was the one who threw the picture frame which then shattered, hence the glass on the floor. However, neither Mr. Bryan nor Mr. Pierce had any fragments of glass found on them nor any cuts."

"W-Wait!" Kelly said. "I…I can explain that. Your Honor, may I add something to my testimony?"

"Very well Miss Sweeney, and if you can, please try to give more detail as well?"

"Yes Your Honor," Kelly replied.

"Now what is she thinking?" Phoenix wondered.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Cross Examination ~ Allegro 2013" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

*"I was in a rush before leaving and a lot of times I pick up and look at the picture of my foster mom.

"My hands were slippery so the picture fell out of my hands and it shattered.

"I was going to clean it up but Dan told me not to worry about it.

"So that explains the glass on the floor and I didn't pick it up because I was worried about cutting my hands."

"Hmm… so where the glass was found was where you dropped the frame?" the judge asked.

"That's right," Kelly said.

"Now I know she's lying," Phoenix said. "She just dug herself a bigger hole…and I still have my trump card, hoping that it works."

"You may begin cross-examining the witness Mr. Wright," the judge said.

"My hands were slippery so the picture fell out of my hands and it shattered."

"Objection!" Phoenix said. "I'm sorry Miss Sweeney, but what you said there was impossible."

"Impossible how?" Kelly asked.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Pursuit ~ Keep Pressing On" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

"There was carpet throughout the house and if you did drop the picture frame, it could have possibly shattered the glass but not the way it was found," Phoenix said. "The amount of force it took to shatter this glass means the picture frame was thrown and hit against the wall. *I think it was Mr. Sweeney who threw the frame and I believe you were the target!"

Kelly suddenly looked stricken as the courtroom erupted even louder than before. "Order, order I say!" the judge said. "Mr. Wright! Are you now saying it was the victim who attacked the witness!?"

"There's no doubt in my mind," Phoenix said. Strangely there was no objection coming from Thompson's side.

"Mr. Thompson, what are your thoughts on this?" the judge asked.

Thompson was silent for a moment. "I am curious as to what Mr. Wright has to say."

"Then I better keep going!" Phoenix thought. "There's been one thing that has bothered me since we met Kelly. It's the middle of May and it's been quite warm and yet you're wearing a turtleneck sweater…the same one almost three days in a row I might add."

"I…uh…it's a fashion trend," Kelly weakly replied.

"I think I finally understand the reasoning behind it," Phoenix said. He then pointed a finger. "Miss Sweeney, you're hiding the cuts underneath your sweater!"

Kelly looked even more nervous than before and she couldn't even muster out a reply.

"Uh…Mr. Wright, are you suggesting…?" the judge asked.

"Yes, I'm asking the witness to remove her sweater!" Phoenix then paused, realizing how bad that just sounded. "Um…if she can that is."

"I think what Mr. Wright means is to show where the cuts are Your Honor," Thompson said. "Miss Sweeney, I do not wish to embarrass you, but considering the circumstances I must ask that you prove, here and now, if whether or not you were attacked."

It was suddenly quiet in the courtroom, enough for the entire audience to hear the next word that was spoken. "Alright," Kelly said. She then took a hand and pulled down on her collar, exposing her neck. There, for the judge, Thompson, and Phoenix to see, there were deep cuts on her neck, nothing fatal but it left long scabs on her neck where the wounds were healing.

"I don't know why it happened," Kelly said. "It was just a regular night as always…I ended up having to go back to the house later that night because I forgot my toothbrush of all things. The lights were still on but the door was locked so I went in, trying to be as quiet as I could. Dan was still awake though…and drunk from the look of things. He also seemed upset, looking at the picture of his wife…"

Kelly realized about an hour after arriving at her friend's house she had forgotten her toothbrush. Normally, she wouldn't worry about it but considering her house was close enough she decided to make the trip back. She would be in and out in less than a minute anyway.

Once she got back home, she used the extra key she had to unlock the door and opened it slowly. The lights were dimmed and it sounded like Mr. Bryan had already went back home. She was about to go upstairs when a voice stopped her.

"Back already are you?" Kelly looked over and saw her foster father standing by the corner, looking at a picture.

"Oh, no I forgot my toothbrush, I was just going to get it quick," she replied.

Dan Sweeney didn't seem to be listening to her. "Almost every night before I go to bed I always say goodnight to your mother, even after her being gone all this time. This picture is really all I have left of her…but it doesn't really matter does it?"

Kelly suddenly had a bad feeling in her stomach. "I'm sorry, I'm just going to go upstairs real quick and I'll be out of here."

"But you hardly cared didn't you?" Sweeney said. "You were just glad to have food in your belly and a place to belong didn't you?"

"I've never said anything-"

"Shut up!" Sweeney snapped. "It's all your fault she's gone! All your fault!" He suddenly threw the frame at her. She quickly moved out of the way but as the glass shattered, she felt some of it cut against her neck. She suddenly fled upstairs, a hand to her wound. The blood wasn't flowing out quick, meaning nothing had nicked any major arteries.

Sweeney was following her upstairs slowly. "Why are you running? Is it because I'm right?"

"Get away from me, I'll call the police!" Kelly yelled at him.

She was at the top and was backing away slowly. Sweeney didn't seem to hear her words. He was too far gone now. "Not a day goes by without me thinking about her…and each day I know who's at fault…You caused this to happen; you're going to pay for what you did to her!"

"NO!" Kelly said, suddenly using all her strength to push him backwards. The man suddenly felt his balance shift and suddenly he fell down the stairs, crashing to the bottom with a sickening crack and thud, remaining motionless as the life drained out of him…

"As soon as I saw what happened I panicked," Kelly said. "I knew I should've called the police but I was so scared to think what everyone would have thought. I just grabbed my sweater and got out of there and I didn't say a word to anyone."

"This…is startling news," the judge said. "So really it was the victim that attacked the suspect?"

"I still find it hard to believe that such events took place," Thompson said. "The way he died is easy enough to understand but how he got there seems fishy."

"You think I'm lying!?" Kelly snapped.

"I'm not really sure what to think anymore," Thompson said. "But a confession is a confession."

"That is correct," the judge said. "Is there anything else you wish to say Mr. Wright?"

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Revisualization ~ Synaptic Resonance" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

Phoenix had listened to everything and was now in deep thought. "Everything that Kelly said adds up but before I give my answer I need to think this through one last time.

*"Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Bryan met up and had drinks this much we know. And this was after Kelly had left. I remember seeing about six beer cans in the house and in less than an hour that's a lot of alcohol.

"If Mr. Sweeney had kept drinking, even after Mr. Bryan left, he would've been extremely intoxicated. So how does this play into his death? Because his motor functions were depressed extremely and therefore…when Kelly pushed him he lost his balance easily."

"As a matter of fact I do Your Honor," Phoenix said. "I believe that this incident was not just self-defense on Miss Sweeney's part but an accidental one as well. I know she did not contact the authorities when she should have but Miss Sweeney is by no means guilty of murder!"

"Interesting…" the judge said. "I believe the same as well."

"Objection!" Thompson snapped."Your Honor, this can hardly be seen as accidental. Yes, the suspect was scared and in danger but there could've been a different way to resolve this! And even then, how could she at her size been able to knock a man his size down the stairs?"

"It's very simple Mr. Thompson," Phoenix said. "Mr. Sweeney was intoxicated, and it hardly matters how much he drank, it has the same effect. Miss Sweeney had no intention of harming the victim, she only wanted to get away from him."

"I hate to say it Mr. Thompson but that's something even you can't argue against," the judge said.

Thompson suddenly looked defeated. "Very well…the prosecution rests Your Honor."

"Now before I give my ruling, I'd like to say something to you Miss Sweeney," the judge said.

"Y-Yes Your Honor?" Kelly asked.

"I now understand how scared you were that night and how traumatic the episode was," the judge said. "However, not contacting the police put you in a bad situation with the police. You know I cannot simply let you go unpunished like this."

"I understand," Kelly said miserably.

"Then with that being said, I now find the defendant Mr. Bryan not guilty!" He then banged his gavel. "Court is dismissed."

May 15, 11:03 am

Downtown Courthouse

Courthouse Defense Lobby No. 3

"I can't believe we won!" Trucy said, beaming. "Of course, I never doubted you for a second Daddy."

"Yeah, it was a nail biter alright," Phoenix replied. "But still, I can't help but feel bad for Kelly. She didn't ask to be put in this situation."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about her." Both Phoenix and Trucy turned around to see a much more relaxed Bryan smiling at them.

"Mr. Bryan, I'm sure you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders," Phoenix said.

"You could say that," Bryan said, laughing slightly. "I've been thinking a lot these past couple of days. Kelly is as important to me as she was to Dan. I know he was upset about losing his wife and to be honest, I wish I had done more to help him…but he was still a great guy and I owe it to him. So, I'm thinking of taking Kelly in as a daughter."

"Wow, that's great Mr. Bryan!" Trucy said. "That really is sweet of you."

"It's the least I can do for her," Bryan said. "Now, if it's alright with you, I think I'll go outside and get some much needed fresh air."

As soon as he left, they were greeted by another person. "Wright," Prosecutor Thompson said.

"Mr. Thompson," Phoenix said automatically, not sure how this was going to play out.

"I have to admit, at first I thought all the rumors about you out west were just that," Thompson said. "But I see now you're not just committed to your clients, but the innocent as well. For that, I apologize for my rudeness."

"It's no problem at all," Phoenix said. "But what about Kelly's situation."

"I can't say for sure, but I don't think she'll be spending any time in jail, I can promise you that," Thompson said. "We'll have to wait for the judge's decision on that. By the way…" A slight smile formed on his face. "I realize it's been awhile but surely you haven't forgotten about me already? I'm sure Mia hasn't already."

"Uh…"

"When you get back to California you'll have to read up on it," Thompson said. "Now if you don't mind, I must be heading back to my office. It'll be interesting if we meet again Wright."

"You know him Daddy?" Trucy asked as he walked away.

"I…don't know…" Phoenix replied. "He knows me and Mia…? I wonder…"

"So what now?" Trucy asked. "Do we head back home now?"

"Yeah, but I have one more thing left to do."

(A/N: For this last part, the song I'm using is "Detention Center ~ Prisoner's Elegy" from Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations.)

May 15, 11:42 am

Detention Center

Downtown

Kelly Sweeney was genuinely surprised to see who was waiting for her. "Mr. Wright? You came to see me?"

"How are you holding up?" Phoenix asked.

*"I'm a mixture of emotions, and how couldn't I be?" Kelly asked. "As far as I know, my career was over before it even started…and even if I do manage to get by no one will look at me the same anymore. All I wanted was to someday be a lawyer, just like you and now I'll be lucky just to get into college…"

"Can I offer you some advice?" Phoenix asked.

"What's that?"

"Don't give up," Phoenix replied. "I may not know you well as others but I can tell you're a fighter. Work hard in college for your major and that degree. And then when you pass the bar…" He then took out a card and gave it to her. "I want you to give me a call. I can always use people who are determined like you are on my team. So please Kelly, don't think this is the end…this is only the beginning."

Kelly took the card as tears started to form in her eyes. She then looked at Phoenix and smiled, probably the most genuine smile he had ever seen from her. "Thank you Mr. Wright…" she said. She wiped her eyes and stood up straighter. "I won't let you down!"

It's people like Kelly that make me proud to be a lawyer…the fact that I can inspire others is enough to keep me going. I know she'll keep her word and in a few years I'll be expecting her phone call. All I can hope is that Mr. Bryan can keep up with her pace…

The End

(A/N: So I apologize for the long wait. For whatever reason, I thought I had already finished this case but I was sorely mistaken. For the record, I haven't abandoned this story, there are just other stories that need to be worked on and if I feel like writing a chapter for one, then that's what happens. Of course, we still got about three or more cases in this story so we're not finished yet (don't let the words above fool you). With that being said, the next case as you can guess will involve Apollo and Athena so it should be fun and for all of you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this case, for there's plenty more to come.)

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