ShredderRex14 Presents
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~ Courtroom Champions
-September 5, 1:32 PM-
-District Court-
-Courtroom No. 4-
Phoenix Wright looked up at Damien and said, "Mr. Hope…you can deny it all you want. But there is only one way you would know about the statue." Phoenix then pointed his finger at him and exclaimed, "Obviously, you were there in the crime scene when you killed Mr. Vaughan!"
The priest groaned, gritting his teeth. "This is ridiculous… I never once stepped foot in that room between the sermon of that night up until now!"
Phoenix shook his head. "You're lying, Mr. Hope. I know you are."
"Objection!" Hera cried out, slamming her metal arm on her desk. "Cut the crap, Mr. Wright! This is a court of law! Words are not enough. You want to make these accusations?" Hera then aimed her metallic arm at him and said, "Then let's see some evidence!"
Phoenix chuckled. "Oh, Ms. Novak… you think I would make such a claim without presenting a piece of evidence of sorts? You should know better by now."
Hera growled, her teeth gritting. "Well, then, let's see it!" Hera, again, pointed her arm Phoenix. "Evidence that Damien was in the crime scene between the murder and now!"
"Take that!"
Phoenix pulled out the bag of coffee beans and displayed it to the court. Hera could only giggle. "Mr. Wright, is this a joke? What does that prove? It's too late for coffee."
"This bag of coffee beans was given to a Miss Athena Cykes by the witness, Maria Cupp." Phoenix explained. "Yesterday, Miss Cykes went into the crime scene, only to disappear. This bag of coffee beans was found in that very room."
Hera shook her head. "Now how does this at all relate to the murder, might I ask?"
"Athena Cykes mentioned she was abducted that day." Phoenix answered. "A stranger knocked her out and hid her where no one would ever look."
"A-abduction!?" The Judge exclaimed wildly. "Is she alright?"
"Miss Cykes is fine, Your Honor. She is in the gallery as we speak."
His Honor sighed a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. Did she happen to see the attacker?"
"Well… that's the thing, Your Honor." Phoenix blushed. "She… didn't exactly get a good look at him."
"That's just about enough evidence to say anyone attacked her." Hera argued. "Hell, it could have been Maria herself that attacked her."
The Judge nodded. "That's true, defense. This is just simple conjecture on your part."
"That's because neither of you let me finish." Phoenix retorted. "Who attacked Miss Cykes is beside the point. What's important here is where she was taken."
"Where… where she was taken?" The Judge asked, puzzled.
"Mr. Wright," Apollo interrupted. "You're not going to… are you?"
"I won't tell the church's 'secret', Apollo. Not in a hundred years." Phoenix assured. "But think back to when we went down there. Do you remember seeing something important?"
"Oh!" Apollo replied, smiling. "I gotcha."
Phoenix pointed his finger and said, "Your Honor, here is proof that the person who abducted Miss Cykes also committed the murder!"
"Take that!" Phoenix yelled, presenting the bloody rug. "Think back to the events of the murder. The attacker's hand was slashed with a weapon. Needless to say, the attacker bled. This bloody rug was found hidden in the very place Athena Cykes was being held. It's likely the killer hid this rug just after the murder to hide his tracks!"
Suddenly, a loud slam echoed through the court. All eyes turned to Damien, whose face was red and sweaty, his palms resting on the witness stand. "You can stop right there, Wright!"
"Mr. Hope?" The Judge questioned, concerned.
"I know what you're going to say." Damien growled. "The blood is mine, right!? Well, let me tell you now… the blood is not mine."
"I think that'll be up to the analysts to decide, don't you agree?" Phoenix responded.
Damien smiled. "Fine… have at it. But when you see for yourself that you are a greater fool than David Vaughan is, you'll be begging for forgiveness."
(…For some reason, him saying it like that makes it a little less than comforting.)
"Well, Your Honor, I ask that this rug be taken in for further analyzing!" Phoenix said, pointing at the Judge, who nodded in return.
"Of course. Bailiff, bring this rug in for further analyzation!"
"Yes, Your Honor!" The bailiff replied before rushing the bloody rug out of the courtroom.
Minutes passed as the court was waiting patiently for the results of the blood to return. As Phoenix was looking around, he noticed Damien, giving his sinister grin at the attorney.
(I'd make a comment about that creepy grin of his… but he seems awfully calm, considering the situation. I hope I'm doing the right thing…)
Suddenly, the courtroom door slammed open, the bailiff walking inside. "Your Honor, the results for the blood came back."
"Well done, bailiff." The Judge said. "So, how does it look?
"Well… let's just say the defense won't like this."
Phoenix froze. "Wh… WHAAAT!?" He screamed.
"B-bailiff! Give it to me!" The Judge ordered, as the bailiff walked down the courtroom to hand His Honor the reports. The Judge read through it, and choked.
"Why… why…" The Judge slowly said. Suddenly, Hera slammed her hand on her desk.
"Your Honor! With respect, I demand we know at this moment!"
"The blood… it's…
…..David Vaughan's."
The courtroom went quiet. Phoenix was in utter disbelief as Damien stroked his hair and said, "You see now… Mr. Wright? Just like all men… you have failed."
(This is… no… there must be a reason for this!)
"Nice try, Wright." Hera said. "You gave a good fight. But I'm afraid it's over now."
Damien, his eyes closed, continued to chuckle. "What a waste. To think David trusted you with his life. You're no 'Blue Prophet', or whatever the hell you told yourself. You are just another man…"
Phoenix growled. (Think, Phoenix… think! You're at a bad position here…)
Phoenix slammed his desk and yelled, "There's a simple reason behind this, you know. A reason for David's blood on this rug."
"You mean besides for murder?" Hera asked.
Phoenix nodded. "Exactly… the blood on this rug is…!"
A RED HERRING
NOT BLOOD AT ALL
SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOOD
"It's simply a red herring to throw us off and pin the crime on David!" Phoenix argued.
"Objection! Mr. Wright, will you ever give up?" Hera questioned. "Where on earth could Damien Hope get David's blood?"
(No question it's David's blood. But if I could prove HOW Damien got that much blood, it could save us.)
Phoenix grinned. "I think the answer's simpler than you think. This is where Damien got David's blood!"
"Take that!" Phoenix cried out as he presented Owen's jar of blood. "I want the court to look at this."
The Judge squinted and said, "Why… is that a bottle of ketchup? Mr. Wright, what's a container of ketchup doing in my court!?"
Phoenix blushed and said, "Well… no, Your Honor… it's, um… blood?"
The Judge was silent for a moment before he spoke, "B-B-B-B-B-B-BLOOOOOOOD!?"
"While this is Owen's blood in this jar," Phoenix continued, "all the priests of the church must donate a moderate sum of blood in order to prove their commitment to the church. It was at that moment Damien used David's own blood to literally spread his DNA in the crime scene."
"That's ridiculous!" Damien argued, despite his face turning red again. "Don't you think you're stretching this a bit far!? Even if I did such a thing, I would've had not time at all!"
"Not exactly. The night of the crime… you had no time, sure. The days after? Perhaps."
Damien began to work up a sweat. "What… what are you…?"
"The day or two after the murder, Damien went into the crime scene to finish his job: ensuring David Vaughan takes the blame completely. By covering the rug with David's blood, it was the final, decisive piece of evidence." Phoenix went on to explain. "But he had a surprise visitor at that moment."
"Athena…" Apollo whispered.
"Damien quickly knocked her out and dragged her out of there, leaving the rug hidden and secure."
"This is ridiculous." Hera argued. "Why hide the rug when he could have just left it as a piece of valuable evidence?"
"Perhaps it was to keep the evidence at safe keeping so that nobody would touch it." Apollo answered to Hera. "Or to make David look even more guilty by hiding his own blood?"
"That's it, Apollo." Phoenix told him. At that moment, Phoenix slammed his desk and said, "Damien Hope… I got you!"
Damien grasped the stand, shaking. He then slapped his hands onto his head and cried, "D-DAAAAMMMN IIIIIIIT!"
"Objection!" Hera shouted. "You have nothing, Wright! Nothing but sad delusions!"
"Well, there's only one way to prove this, once and for all!" Phoenix extended his arm and pointed it right at Damien. "Damien Hope… show us your hand!
Damien gasped and hid his right arm. "What… no! Absolutely not!"
"If you have nothing to hide, Damien, then there should be no problem with showing us your hand!"
"N-no! This is invasive! Your Honor! Please!" Damien begged, only for His Honor to shake his head.
"Mr. Wright is correct, witness. Please show us your hand."
Damien gritted his teeth as sweat poured down his face. "This is… impossible!"
Apollo turned to Phoenix, smiling. "We have him on the edge, boss! One more push, and we have him!"
"Alright… let's finish this!" Phoenix replied with energy. He then slammed his desk, pointed at Damien, and shouted, "Alright, Mr. Hope! It's time for-!"
"Quiet, You!"
The entire court went silent, just like that. Damien was still sweating bullets as Apollo nervously stared at Phoenix. Phoenix stood there, his arm still stretched out and his finger pointing at the witness. Phoenix was perfectly still… and noticed something right on the tip of his finger: a blue dart.
Phoenix was still frozen solid as he looked forward at Hera… her robotic arm stretched out. Right around the wrist of her arm, was something that resembled some kind of gun or cannon. With it, a collection of variously-colored darts. Hera cocked her wrist, the gun closing back into the wrist. She slowly set her arm down. "That'll be enough, Mr. Wright." She slowly said to him.
Phoenix was still frozen. Suddenly, he leaned forward, sweating and breathing heavily. "Mr. Wright… Mr. Wright… are you okay!?" Apollo yelled.
"I… I, uh… I just need to, er… bah… buh-doo…" Phoenix tried saying, before he collapsed on the floor.
"MR. WRIGHT!?" Apollo shouted. He then slammed his fists on the desk and exclaimed, "What did you do to her, you witch!?"
Hera, her eyes closed, said, "Relax… it's just a tranquilizer dart. He'll be up and ready in about twenty minutes."
"T… tranquilizer dart!?" Apollo and the Judge yelled together.
"He'll be fine. It's a small dosage. Though my ingredients have caused a little bit of… amnesia, or a comatose state for a few hours. But, that's only happened to two out of eleven subjects."
(If you were a conductor, you wouldn't brag about two out of eleven of your trains crashing…) Apollo thought to himself nervously.
"Your Honor, the witness is clearly confused and exhausted." Hera said, casually pointing at Damien, who was still quite shocked. "I ask for one more recess so he can gather his thoughts."
Apollo growled. (No! We were so close!)
His Honor sighed, then slammed his gavel. "Very well. As soon as Mr. Wright awakens, we will continue the trial. Mr. Hope, you have a lot to answer for."
"Do not worry, Your Honor." Hera said, grinning. "I'll be sure to lecture Mr. Hope as to what we can do revolving all this during the recess…"
"Objection!" Apollo yelled. "Wait, Your Honor! I'll take this trial! No need for a recess!"
His Honor shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, this is Mr. Wright's case. As soon as he wakes up, we will continue. Court is adjourned!"
(Ugh… of course, I always take the back seat in these…)
With a slam of the gavel, the Judge put the court on the final recess.
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.
-Silver Ring: A silver ring given to the priests. Belongs to David. Rumors are these rings could lead to amazing things.
-Owen's Coat: Owen's coat that was worn the night he was murdered. A white coat with golden fleece and some blood around the collar.
-Bloody Rug: Owen's rug that was found in the secret tunnel under the church. Bloodstains are on it.
-Filch Statue: A statue of Phineas Filch's grandmother, a legendary thief. Found at the site of the supposed 'treasure'.
-CD: A lone CD found in the Junkyard. Too damaged to get anything off it, but contains about 15 minutes of white noise.
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.