Earthcub12 Presents

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~ Courtroom Champions

-Turnabout for a Prayer / Inv. 2-3-

-September 4, 3:41 PM-
-Junkyard-

It was now a cool, breezy day. Colorful leaves were rolling past the street and the birds were chirping and flying about. It was until Phoenix and Apollo entered the junkyard when the pleasant weather shut off as they gazed at the sight of junk, waste, rusty metal, and numerous destroyed cars littering the place. Apollo sniffed his nose and groaned.

"Ugh! That smell! It reeks!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know." Phoenix told him. "The sight of the place isn't that good, either. Let's just get what we came for and get out of here."

Both lawyers looked around with no sight of any human being in the area. Just more junk.

"I don't see anyone right about now. That's curious." Phoenix commented. He looked forward and saw a small living area with a tattered, worn-out armchair, a nasty rug, a bowl of rotten fruit atop a tired coffee table, and finally an old-fashioned television that has seen better days. Someone has definitely been here recently.

"But until then, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look around." Phoenix continued. "I mean, look at this place. Someone had to have been here."

"Alright, boss." Apollo replied. "Let's hope we don't run across another murder scene. This place gives me the creeps."

Phoenix approached the living area and examined the bowl of fruit. The fruit was nasty, rotten, and fly-infested. Phoenix gagged.

"Man, you couldn't pay me all the money in the world to eat this stuff! Has someone seriously eaten off this bowl?"

Apollo walked up to Phoenix and looked at the fruit himself and noticed an apple core next to the bowl.

"Gag me with a spoon," Apollo said, disgusted, "I guess someone has. Look at that apple core."

"Let's just move on." Phoenix stammered. "What's that over there?" Phoenix then pointed to a white object buried underneath some junk. Phoenix walked up to it and leaned forward.

"What are you doing, boss?" Apollo called. "It's just more junk. We need to focus."

"Hang on, Apollo." Phoenix leaned in closer and gasped. "No way!" Phoenix started lifting trash and scraps from the pile, getting his suit dirty in the process.

"Mr. Wright, what is it?"

"Apollo, help me move this thing!" Phoenix gestured Apollo over. Apollo reluctantly paced towards Phoenix and grabbed the white object. With their combined strength, the two managed to pull it out of the pile almost with ease. When they set the item up straight, neither Phoenix nor Apollo could believe their eyes: a white David statue.

"Th-this statue!" Apollo commented, amazed. "This must be the statue Jack Anchor was talking about!"

"Yeah… I think it is." A tired Phoenix said under his breath, patting Apollo on the back.

"So that guy wasn't full of it!" Apollo excitedly said. "H-he had to have seen this statue, then! But… what does this mean?"

"It means there are definitely two statues we're dealing with. I knew it!"

"Is there blood on it? Anything incriminating?"

Phoenix looked all around the statue and saw nothing but white. "No, I don't see anything. Still… this is very important. Let's make a note of this."

'WHITE DAVID STATUE' ADDED TO COURT RECORD

ITEM DESCRIPTION: A white David statue found in the Junkyard. Mr. Hope donated it to the bum in the Junkyard.

Apollo looked down to his feet and saw something shining. The light's glare caught him in his eye. He crouched down and picked up a dirty, damaged disc.

"Hey, boss." Apollo called over to Phoenix. "I think you might wanna see this."

Phoenix walked to Apollo and looked at the disc. Apollo wiped away some dirt and saw the disc labeled as '11 – VERY IMPORTANT!'.

"Do you think this is the disc that DJ was talking about?" Apollo asked Phoenix.

Phoenix examined the disc closer. "Huh. It might be. Hold onto it, will you? It looks awfully damaged. We'll see what we can do."

'CD' ADDED TO COURT RECORD

ITEM DESCRIPTION: A disc that has faced some hardship in the junkyard. Could be DJ's lost disc.

With that, a voice bounded about that caused the hearts of Phoenix and Apollo to jump.

"HEEEEY, YOU KIDS! WHAT DID AH TELL YA ABOUT PLAYIN' IN THIS PLACE! I TOLD YA TO STAY OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Phoenix and Apollo turned right around and saw an older man charging at them. The man wore a long, thick, gray beard and long and messy hair, a green coat kept together with duct tape, baggy pants, black gloves, and bare feet.

The man stopped right in front of the two visitors. His back was at an arch and his hair was slightly flailing in the wind.

"I told ya before, ya runts!" He went on. "This ain't no place for kids, you hear!? Get outta here before I call me guard dog!"

(Well, this must be the homeless guy Damien told us about. Not that it was hard to tell…)

Shocked, Phoenix spoke to the old man. "S-sorry, sir. But we aren't 'kids'. My name is Phoenix Wright and this is Apollo Justice. We're both lawyers."

"Eh?" The man picked his ear with his left hand. "Lawyers? I didn't call for no lawyer."

"Everything will be all right, sir." Phoenix told him. "Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

The man finished cleaning out his ear and rubbed his beard. "Fine. But make it snappy!"

WHO ARE YOU?

"Excuse me, sir," Phoenix calmly said to him, "but what is your name?"

"Name's Dennis de Bum." The man told Phoenix, scratching his neck. "Me friends call me De Bum. But you may call me Dennis De Bum."

"Mr… de Bum," Phoenix said, "may I ask you something? Are you… say, homeless, by any chance?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dennis snapped. "Just because you and I wear different clothes doesn't mean you're better than me! Don't you insult me like that! I served in the war!"

Phoenix scratched his chin. "What wars?"

De Bum paused. "All of them! How about you show me some respect before I call ol' Zachariah over here!"

"Who's Zachariah?" Apollo asked. Suddenly, Apollo turned awfully nervous. "Your, uh… guard dog?"

"What!? I said no such thing!" de Bum said. "He's my pet rat! Zachariah! Don't be rude!"

De Bum suddenly stroked his long beard and a small, thin rat popped its head out. The rat, then, squeaked hello."

"Ol' Zachariah has been with me since I moved here. He and I are unsalvageable. I mean, inseparable."

"Um… hi, uh, Zachariah?" Phoenix nervously greeted as he leaned in. Phoenix reached in to pet the rat, only to have it bite Phoenix's hand. Phoenix jerked back, screaming, as Zachariah cowered back into de Bum's beard. Phoenix examined his hand as he saw a slight nibble on his thumb.

"D-does he have rabies!?" Phoenix asked, panicked. "A disease!? Anything!?"

"Eh…" de Bum brushed off, stroking his beard. "You'll live. Zachariah is cleaner than a whistle. That's just his way of saying hi."

(Stupid rat! Oh, you'll get yours, you rodent!)

"You okay, boss? I've never seen you freak out like that." Apollo asked Phoenix.

"I-I'll be okay. Just a bit surprised is all." Phoenix lied, trying to cool himself.

(This guy is a basket case and a half!)

"…But to answer your question, I'm not one of those homeless weirdos!" de Bum finally answered. "This is my home! Can't you tell!?"

De Bum gestured to the junkyard and the small living area in the center. "This is my place, can't you tell? Welcome to de Bum's Junk and Goods! Feel free to come in and see my junk anytime!"

(…..I'm… just going to ignore that one.)

THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER

"Mr. de Bum," Phoenix said to him, "do you know anything about a murder?"

"Eh? Murder?" de Bum asked. "So, my ex-wife finally lost it, eh? 'Bout time."

"No, no, no." Phoenix interrupted. "The murder at the church. A priest was killed and another priest took the blame. You know anything about that?"

There was a long pause as Phoenix and Apollo awaited his answer. Finally, he said, "Nah, I don't." He said, scratching his head. "Sorry, buddy."

Suddenly, everything went dark for Phoenix except for de Bum. Several steel chains rushed past the old man as four Psyche-Locks appeared. Phoenix stared at the Psyche-Locks in disbelief.

(…I knew it.)

De Bum rubbed his nose. "Sorry I can't be much help, young'n." He said. "So unless ya want to buy some junk here, I guess I'll catch you around?"

"Um… yeah. Yeah, sure…" Phoenix said, glaring at him.

(This guy is hiding something. I'm going to figure out what. I don't think I have what I need to crack him, though. So I should probably head back over here and find out more.)

Phoenix suddenly regained vision of everything else around him. Apollo says to Phoenix, "We done here, boss?"

"Yeah. For now. Be prepared to head back here, though. Something stinks, and it isn't just this junkyard. This man here is hiding something, I'm for certain."

"Well, what now?"

"Hmm… well, we're already out. Let's go pick up Owen's coat like we promised to Mr. Hope. I'm sure we took far too long. Also wouldn't hurt paying Detective Novak and her sister a visit."

"Phoenix… do you really think she has something to do with all this?" Apollo sternly asked.

"Yes. At this rate, I'm almost positive. She was there at the church that night, and she doesn't strike me as a common church-goer. Plus, she bribed Ms. Cupp to lie to the police like that. That's something I won't rub off."

"You think we should question her?"

"Doubtful. I say we should just act like we don't know anything until the trial tomorrow. Then… we surprise her. But, we'll talk more later. The investigation isn't over yet."

"Right… hey, boss? About Athena..." Apollo weakly said.

"She's fine, Apollo." Phoenix reassured him. "I promise. She's probably back over at the office. We can head over there later, if you want."

"Thanks, boss." Apollo said, pumping his fist. "Alright! What should we do first!?"

"I really think we should pay David Vaughan a visit. It's been a while since we last spoke." Phoenix suggested.

"I agree. But… before we go there… I really think we should confess to David." Apollo told his boss.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"This whole… Blue Apostle thing. And how we used and tricked him. This feels wrong."

Mr. Wright sighed. "Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of it, too. Fine… this'll break his heart, but it's for the best."

Apollo nodded. "Thanks, boss. Also, after we take care of that, let's get Owen's coat and head back to the church."

"Okay, let's go to the Detention Center." Phoenix and Apollo then made their way to the Detention Center paying no mind to the old homeless man playing with his rats.

September 4, 4:25 PM
-Detention Center-

Phoenix and Apollo entered the Detention Center and saw a gleeful David behind the glass. "Apollo! Apostle! Thank you for coming here!"

Phoenix and Apollo sat down in front of David. Phoenix gave a weak, but ensuring smile. "Hi, David. That was a pretty rough trial, huh? We sure cut our luck, huh?"

"Oh, no worries, Apostle." David chuckled. "You had everything under control, just as the prophecies claimed. I must thank you for your service."

"Yeah… yeah." Phoenix weakly said. David gave a worried look.

"Is everything alright, Apostle?" David asked. "You look ill. You almost look pale."

"Look, David… I need to tell you something. And it's going to hurt me as much as it will hurt you."

"Oh… okay."

Phoenix sighed. He turned to Apollo. Apollo just nodded, waiting for Phoenix. Phoenix turned back to David and said, "David… I… I'm not the Blue Apostle you speak of. I… I lied."

David tilted his head in confusion. Suddenly, he lit up, grinning and laughing. "Oh, Apostle! I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to trick me, aren't you? Is this some kind of test to prove my devotion? Well, nice try. But I trust you with every fiber of my being."

"No, David!" Phoenix snapped. "I… my name is Phoenix Wright. I am just a regular guy that went to law school, took the bar exam, and became a lawyer. I'm no… Apostle, or anything like that. I'm a human being. A rotten, regular human being that lied to my client so I can defend him. I'm… sorry."

David stared at Phoenix in silence. He tried speaking, but nothing would come out. Finally, he said, "No… that's not true. The book! It said I was destined for this! That this was my destiny! How… how can this be!?"

"We and… and Maria Cupp forged that story. It's not true." Phoenix confessed. "It was the only way to have us defend you. I'm so sorry."

David had his eyes closed. A rage was expressed on his face. Suddenly, he sighed, and looked back up at Phoenix. "This church… Father Owen… Maria… they were the only ones that kept me going. I… I almost ended my own life if it weren't for Owen."

"David…" Apollo tried consoling.

"The church greeted me with open arms. Maria… Filch… Hope… they were the only ones in my life to accept me for who I am. Now… I'm sure they all hate me."

"No, no, no, David!" Phoenix urged. "Not at all! Maria said-!"

David looked down at his priest coat. "I'm a mess. I couldn't even keep myself from getting arrested again. I'm a joke of a person… and a joke of a priest. Huh… Blue Apostle… what a joke, and what a fool I was to fall for such a tall tale."

"Look, David, it's not over." Phoenix assured him. "We can still turn this around! Just, listen!"

"No! You've done enough!" David barked. He looked at his palms, and his two silver rings. "They say these rings lead to greatness. They say only the destined holds the one ring that will lead to their destiny. Please… any child can get a ring for… for participating!" David, then, yanked the rink out of his finger and slam it on the surface in front of him.

David looked at his other ring and shook his head. "This ring was for saving a cat… Please. Damien Hope gets a ring for converting a man who killed a police officer and all I can do is save a cat from a river. That was much contribution to the church… what a joke." He again yanked his ring off and tried snapping it. Just then, the ring broke into two pieces. David threw the broken ring away from him.

"David, don't-!" Apollo urged, holding his arm out to him. David picked up the other ring and looked at it. "Owen was the only one who understood me. Now… he's gone." David grabbed the ring with both his hands and tried bending it, but to no avail. David weakly dropped the ring and wiped away a tear.

"Sorry. I… I'm not usually like this." David said, breathing heavily. "I… I hereby vow to leave the church. And as for you, Mr. Wright and Apollo Justice, don't bother defending me. I deserve the punishment I get for being such a fool."

"David, no! Don't do this…" Phoenix begged.

David slid the undamaged ring past the glass. "There. Take this and give it to Maria or Damien. Tell them that this is my official resignation of the church."

Phoenix glared at David. "…Okay, David. As you say."

"Mr. Wright!" Apollo snapped to Phoenix. "What are you doing!? We can't do this!"

"There's no use arguing, Apollo. As our client, we must do as he says. I'm sorry."

Apollo looked down and sighed. "…Damn it."

"Thank you for understanding, Wright." David told him. "At least you respect me for that."

'SILVER RING' ADDED TO COURT RECORD

ITEM DESCRIPTION: A silver ring given to the priests. Belongs to David. Rumors are these rings could lead to amazing things.

David sat there in total silence, looking away from the lawyers. "Well… since it's out there, I might as well tell you the truth. Everything."

Surprised, Phoenix sat straight up and eyed David. "Yes, yes. Thank you!"

THE BLOOD AND THE CUT

"David, how did you get this cut?" Phoenix asked. "Also, how did you get Owen's blood all over yourself? Please, David."

"I… I heard a noise inside Owen's office." David explained. "I went in to inspect it. When I saw Owen's body, I rushed to him. After Maria left the room, I went to the window to investigate. But, I tripped and scraped my hand on the broken window." David held up his injured hand. "You see? I was just careless."

"But no blood of yours was on the window." Apollo reminded. "How is that?"

"I… I was scared. I was scared that the police would blame me. I carefully snapped that fragile piece of glass off and hid it in my coat." David explained. "I was in a frenzy. After all, my mentor was killed and I slashed my hand. I ran to Owen's desk, unknowingly spreading my blood all over the scene and making a trail.

"As I grabbed a cloth off of Owen's desk, I tripped and knocked over Owen's jar of blood. Some of the blood spilled all over me. So that explains how blood got on my coat. And when I tripped, the glass in my coat cut a hole halfway. I hid the mess underneath a rug and ran outside in a panic. I couldn't find the intruder, so I quickly tried to remove the glass just in case somebody were to walk past and cut their feet. Then, the police came by and saw me in my… current condition and arrested me. The police grabbed me, roughly mind you, and that is when the tear on my coat finally snapped off."

(Well, that explains the injury, blood, and the ripped coat, alright. However…)

"That leads me to my next question, David." Phoenix said to him. "Why does Owen have a jar of his own blood…?"

"It's required of all of us." David told Phoenix. "When you enter the church, you are required to donate a small amount of blood per month in order to show your devotion to the church. Odd? Yes. But it is needed."

(Man, this is so surreal. How could one guy make such a mess all by himself? And I thought I was always the one cursed with bad luck.)

"Why didn't you tell us this before, David?" Apollo asked. "Why hide this all from us?"

"I… I didn't want you thinking I was a fool!" David argued. "Only a fool like me could cause so much chaos."

"David, we wouldn't have thought anything of it." Apollo assured. "We're here for you no matter what. It's what we're here for."

David turned away. "It's nice of you to say."

THE CHURCH'S "SECRET"

"Thank you, David. But I have one more question before we leave you alone." Phoenix said to him. "You, Maria, Jack Anchor, and Damien are all hiding a secret. There's something about this church that you're not telling us. What is it?"

David drooped down and sighed. "Fine. They're only rumors, but… the church… sort of has an ancient secret. A secret passage, if you will."

(A secret passage…?)

"That is why we are given these rings. They say one special ring is the key to the greatest riches. But even Owen told us that is too far-fetched to be real."

(The greatest riches…)

"That's all I know. But I was forbidden from speaking about it. But… I suppose it doesn't matter anymore."

(Hmmm… something seems off about this whole 'riches' thing. I should probably look more into it.)

Suddenly, an officer walked into the room and said, "Visiting time is now over! The accused must come with me and call it a night!"

"Be right there, officer!" David called. He looked at the two and nodded. "Thank you, gentlemen. Despite everything, you hung in there for me. I wish you both luck." With that, David started to get up.

"Hold it!" Phoenix yelled, standing straight up. "David, please! Let me defend you!"

David shook his head. "No, Wright. It's over. There's nothing else you can do for me."

"I'm sorry. But I won't take no for an answer, David! Give us another chance."

The officer walked towards them. "Accused! NOW!"

"Why do you want to do this?" David asked Phoenix. "Money? To prove a point? Redemption?"

"Nothing." Phoenix told him. "I'm a lawyer. It's what I do. And I'll be damned before I abandon my client like this!"

David closed his eyes and sat there in silence.

"I said… NOW! Move it!" The officer ordered, impatient.

"Please, David…" Apollo begged. "We may have messed up before, but we're only human! Nobody is perfect! Heck, you probably feel less of a fool now, don't you?"

"Apollo, that isn't helping." Phoenix told him. Suddenly, David chuckled.

"Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right, aren't you, Apollo?" David finally said, looking up. Then, his smile disappeared as he looked back up at Phoenix and nodded. "…Fine. I'll… I'll let you continue defending me. I… I trust both of you. And I'll see you tomorrow."

David, smiled. Suddenly, Phoenix noticed the Psyche-Locks reappear on David as they shattered one-by-one.

(There we go… everything is okay, now.)

Phoenix smiled and nodded. "Thank you, David. I'll see you tomorrow."

The officer approached David and rest his hand on David's shoulder. "Let's go, son." David nodded at the officer as he escorted him out.

"Tell Maria I said hello." David said to them.

Just as David left the room, he looked back at Phoenix and Apollo sitting behind the glass and gave them nervous smile, then a wink. Phoenix took a long, exhausted breath and rest his head on the counter. "You did great, boss." Apollo told him.

"Apollo… are we bad people?" Phoenix asked Apollo.

"Eh, I don't think so. We convicted ourselves, apologized, now everything is back in order." Apollo admitted.

"Yeah… I think so, too."

Phoenix and Apollo stood straight up and finally left the Detention Center to finally pick up Owen's coat, the two feeling fresh, enlightened, and thankful.

COURT RECORD

-Attorney Badge: My personal badge proving my profession. I never leave home without it.

-Owen's Autopsy Report: Cause of death was an instant kill by a David statue to the victim's head. Time of Death: About 8:00-8:30 PM. Victim is covered in bruises.

-Body Outline: The aftermath of the crime. Blood is splattered around the head and facial area. The statue sits to its left.

-David Statue: Depiction of Michelangelo's David statue. The murder weapon.

-Shattered Coffee Mug: A cup that was likely to have been shattered during the fight between Owen and the killer. Owen probably used this cup against said killer in defense. Was made by Maria Cupp for an ill Owen.

-Jar of Blood: A jar of Owen's blood found in his very office. I have several questions…

-Child's Drawing: A drawing showing Owen, David, and an unknown woman. A bloody smear is on the side because of me.

-Bloody Print: Some kind of bloody print from a shoe on top of the dumpster. Could it be involved with the murder?

-Glass: Shards of glass littering the floor. Must have come from the broken window next to it. A shard has blood on it.

-Black Cloth: A black strip of cloth. Origin unknown.

-Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken of the crime scene. Drops of David's blood left a trail between Owen's desk in the background to the shattered window.

-Church Diagram: A detailed diagram of St. Owen's Baptist Church. The crime scene on the left side is highlighted.

-Bloody Priest Coat: David Vaughan's official priest coat. It is completely coated in Owen Mile's blood. There is also a small tear in fabric over the blood.

-Raya's Statement: "David Vaughan was covered in the victim's blood and his right hand was bleeding profusely. We had doctors patch his right hand up on the way to the Detention Center."

-What it's Like To Be an Average Jack; By Jack Anchor: "Memoir written by Jack Anchor. Includes original, award-winning chapters like, "How to Be Me" and "How to Tackle the Game of Life, Today".

-Jack Anchor's Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken by Jack Anchor; contains a man that fits David's description in the crime scene just after Owen Mile's murder.

-Bag of Coffee Beans: Bag of coffee beans made by Maria Cupp. Gave this bag to Athena before she suddenly disappeared. Found in the crime scene.

-Wall Markings: Odd markings on the wall above the body outline. Could have been a shelf or bookcase.

-White David Statue: A white David statue found in the Junkyard. Mr. Hope donated it to the bum in the Junkyard.

-CD: A disc that has faced some hardship in the junkyard. Could be DJ's lost disc.

-Silver Ring: A silver ring given to the priests. Belongs to David. Rumors are these rings could lead to amazing things.

PROFILES

-Apollo Justice: A strong, but loud and persistent, attorney who works with me at the agency. Is friends with the defendant.

-Athena Cykes: A gifted attorney that can read people's emotions though their hearts.

-David Vaughan: The suspect of the crime. A priest at the church where the murder took place.

-Owen Miles: A revered priest that owned the church. The murder victim.

-Jack Anchor: A prestigious news anchor who prides himself a bit too much. Witnessed the murderer.

-Raya Novak: A no-nonsense detective in charge of the investigation. Only been working for a few short months.

-Phineas Filch: A tricky thief that was a witness to a crime a long time ago and is now a janitor at the church.

-Damien Hope: A happy-go-lucky priest that was Owen's apprentice. An overall loving, trusting guy.

-Maria Cupp: The kind, eccentric coffee-lady that works at the church. Called the police.

-Hera Novak: The prosecutor of the case and sister to the detective. This is her very first trial, but showcases great skill.

-Desiree Johnson (AKA DJ): A teenage girl in charge of sound and light. Operates in the church's control room.

-Dennis de Bum: A bum that lives in the junkyard across the church.