Well here we go Day 2 of the trail of the White Ranger and it will be an uphill battle
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this.
DM77's Ace Attorney Chapter 19
Back Against the Wall
October 19. 9:42 AM, District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 1
Things were not looking good for J, she was going in on the second day of the trial to defend Johnny with almost nothing in her arsenal. To make it worst there was a chance Hunter might call Kota to the stand to testify.
Johhny looks at the worried look on J's face and said "Ummmm…. Mrs. J?"
"Yes?" J said trying to look calm.
"Parden me for asking but why do you look so…. unhappy?" Johnny asked.
"O-oh! Oh, nothing! Eh heh, heh." J said chuckling nervous. "Really, it's nothing." She looks to Terra who was hear via channeling through Jaden still "Right, Terra?" She notes the look on his face 'Oh no. He looks even unhappier….'
"J. Your client is now practically a dead man walking…" Terra said bluntly. "Perhaps that's why I feel particularly close to him."
"This is no time for dead people jokes, please." J said face screening.
"You know we're going into this trial utterly defenceless." Terra explained "Yet, if Mr. Bravo is truly innocent…We should be able to find something overlooked in the evidence to prove it."
"Something 'overlooked'…?" J said thinking.
"We have to find something, J, today." Terra told her. "It's that, or lose the trial."
'This isn't going to be easy.' J thinks
Soon it was time for the trial to begin so they made their way in.
October 19, 10:00 AM, District Court, Courtroom No. 4
The court was starting the people in the stands chatter until Maccadam bangs his gavel and said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Johnny Bravo."
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." Hunter said with a nod.
"The defence is ready, Your Honor." J said keeping her nerves in check.
"Very well. Mr. Deamonne, your opening statement, please." Maccadam said.
"An unexpected fact has come to the attention of the court." Hunter began his opening statement. "Yesterday, we learned that there were other people present at the studios. Today, I would like to show evidence proving they had nothing to do with the murder."
"Very Well." Maccadam said nodding. "You may call your first witness, Mr. Deamonne."
'I wonder if it'll be that producer…' J thinks to herself.
"The prosecution calls Mr. Roshi to the stand." Hunter states.
'…or that director.' J adds to her previous thought.
Soon Roshi arrived and takes the witness stand ready to give his testimony.
"Will the witness state his name and profession?" Hunter said to Roshi.
"Hmph, how rude can you get!" Roshi said in response "You don't know ME?! I'm the director! I make the White Ranger, you fool!" He then sees Hunter give a stern stare and gets nervous "R…Roshi. I'm a director. Television."
"Were you at Vox Studios on the day of the murder?" Maccadam asked Roshi.
"Y-yes, Your Honor." Roshi said nodding.
"Hmmm…Very well. Please testify to the court about the events of that day." Maccadam told him.
"J. Let's start by picking this testimony apart." Terra said to J. "If Johnny is innocent, you know what that means. Someone in the trailer on that day did it!"
"R-right." J said nervous and thinks 'He doesn't waste any time putting on the pressure.'
Roshi then began his testimony on The Day of the Murder saying "I was at the studios from around 9:00 that morning. During the morning, I was doing… umm… an action scene run-through. It took a lot more time than I thought it would."
"I hear that everyone else ate lunch in the Employee Area…" Roshi continues his testimony "But I had a meeting in the Studio Two trailer, so I ended up skipping lunch. We were in the meeting until around 4:00…During the meeting, well, I'm pretty sure no one left their chairs. That's about it."
"Hmmm…The time of Miss. Melromarc's death was 2:30 PM." Maccadam said thinking. "And according to your testimony, you were in a meeting at that time. Miss. J, you may begin your cross-examination."
"Yes, Your Honor." J said nodding and with not hearing any clear contradictions starts pressing the statements starting with the first one saying "Hold it! Is that when you always come in to work?"
"Oh, oh no." Roshi said shaking his head "I come in all sort of hours. It's the 'industry' way."
'Yeah, I know all about the freaks in your 'industry'…' J thinks on that.
"Through still, I was pretty busy all that day" Roshi said sighing.
"As you told us" Hunter said nodding.
J then presses the second statement about the run-through saying "Hold it! In the Employee Area?"
"That's right." Roshi said nodding "It was a fight scene between the White Ranger and the main villain Evox."
"Was anyone else at the run-through?" J asked him.
"Oh, yeah. That security guy was sitting there watching the whole thing." Roshi said chuckling "He was cheering on Malty, if you can believe it."
'He certainly has the lungs for it…' J thinks sweat dropping and asked, "Anyone else?"
"Nope, just us four." Roshi said thinking.
J then presses the fifth statement about Roshi missing lunch saying "Hold it! So in the end, you didn't get to eat?"
"Yeah. No steak, at least!" Roshi said sad "Can you believe it?"
"That must have been tough." J said sweat dropping.
"J." Terra said looking at you.
"Yeah?" J asked.
"Doesn't something about that seems odd to you?" Terra asked her.
J thinks then realizes that it was contradictory and said "Yeah, it does seem odd, now that you mention it." She looks back at Roshi "Mr. Roshi!"
"H-hmm? W-what do you want?" Roshi said nervous sweating.
"When I went to Studio Two, I saw something on the table there." J told him. "There were two plates the same kind of plates as the ones in the Employee Area." She points at Roshi "Who ate lunch there?"
"M-mmpf!" Roshi winces and said nervous "No, er, ah, um, eh heh. Good call!" He sweats. "I, er, I was embarrassed so I didn't mention it…" He smiles "But I did eat, after all."
"A t-bone steak, you mean?" J asked him.
"Yeah, well, I mean the assistant went through all that trouble…" Roshi said nodding and grins "I brought it to the trailer, thinking I could eat it later."
'Clearly a man who likes to eat a free meal. I'd suspected as much…' J thinks sweat dropping and asked. "So, when exactly did you eat it?"
"We took one break during that meeting." Roshi said thinking. "I, er, wolfed it down then." He chuckles a bit.
'A mental image I will delete as soon as I can…' J thinks sweat dropping again. Then realizes 'Wait a second…! If they took a break in that meeting, that contradicts his testimony! I'll press on that one a bit more…'
J then presses on the seventh and final statement about no one leaving the seats saying "Hold it! You didn't take a single break?"
"Er… well…" Roshi said thinking "Y-yeah! Not a one!" He sweats.
'Hmmm… what's he sweating so much about, I wonder? If only I had an idea…Wait a second…Maybe I do have an idea!' J thinks and presses harder slamming her hands on her desk and said "Wait a second! Mr. Roshi, you just contradicted yourself! Didn't you just tell the court that you ate that t-bone steak during a break?"
"Oops! Oh dear!" Roshi winces and panics a bit.
"Well?" J asked him.
"Ummm…." Roshi tries to think worried.
"Mr. Roshi, what's this all about?" Maccadam asked the director.
"W-well, yeah, I guess we did take a little break." Roshi admits worried.
"J! Great job!" Terra said smiling proud. "If they took a break, one of them could have gone to the studio during that time!"
"Your honour! I call the witness to testify to the court about this break!" J said to Maccadam.
"Very well." Maccadam said nodding. "Mr. Roshi, your testimony, please."
"Urk!" Roshi winces at that.
"Heh, heh, heh…." Hunter chuckles smiling confidently.
'Oh no, Hunter is laughing…' J thinks, knowing him this will not be good.
Roshi began his testimony about The Break saying ""Yeah, I'll admit, we took a break…heheh! But it was only 15 minutes! 15! That's only 13 in Base 12! Not enough time for someone to, say, commit murder in Studio One! Hahaha! That's only just enough time to eat a t-bone steak, if you ask me!"
"Hmmm…I don't think it would even be enough time for that, but that's just me." Maccadam said thinking "Very well. You may begin the cross-examination."
J begins to try and find a contradiction and presses the first statement on him admitting to the break saying "Hold it! What time exactly did you take this break?"
"Hmmm…" Roshi thinks "I'd say it was from around 2:30 or so until 2:24."
'2:30! That's the time of death!' J notes in her thoughts. 'So he could have gone to Studio One, killed Malty, and come back…I guess it's possible time-wise…'
Hunter looking at J but remains quiet.
"Hold it!" J said and the statement about how long the break was and asked, "What were you doing for those 15 minutes?"
"Eating my t-bone steak! What else?!" Roshi states.
"There were two plates on that table…?" J points out to him.
"Oh, right. The other one was Diva's… sorry, Stella's plate." Roshi explained.
'Stella…. The producer.' J thinks on that.
"To eat a t-bone steak in 15 minutes… that's quite a feat." Hunter admits.
"Hold it!" J said for the third statement about it not being enough time for murder and asked, "Why is that?"
"Objection!" Hunter then called out suddenly and asked, "Haven't we had enough of this pointless line of questioning? Your honour! The testimony to this point has made one certain fact painfully clear: The people in the trailer had nothing to do with this murder! It was impossible for any of them to go to Studio One!"
"What?!" J asked shocked.
"Something wrong, Miss. J?" Hunter asked grinning "Surely you aren't suggesting one of the people in the trailer went to Studio One!"
"Hmmm…Well, Miss. J?" Maccadam asked.
"J, this is critical!" Terra told J "Think about it before you give your answer!"
"Do you claim someone from the trailer went to Studio One?" Maccadam asked.
'I don't want to write off so many possible suspects…But I can't keep claiming the imposible either…' J thinks and said "I agree that it was impossible for anyone in the trailer to go to the studio in that time."
"Ha hah!" Hunter chuckles grinning "I thought you might be thoughtlessly treading on thin ice again! But I see you had at least an inkling of the truth."
"What do you mean, Mr. Deamonne?" Maccadam asked.
"It's quite simple…" Hunter said smiling and explained "True, the break in the trailer meeting came right at the time of death…However! The path from there to the scene of the crime was blocked!" He looks searious and slams his hand on the desk and said, "The fallen Woody Woodpecker head barred the way!"
Hunther continues to explain "At around 2:15, a strong gust of wind knocked off the studio mascot's head. Ergo! When the people in the trailer took a break at 2:30, the way to the studio was blocked. Blocked… by Wandy Woodpecker's severed head!"
J was sweating at that explanation but thinks 'It's actually 'Woody Woodpecker,' buy Hunter has a point…And somehow, I feel no desire to correct him.'
"I believe we have seen enough evidence." Hunter said nodding and takes a bow "I would like to relieve Mr. Roshi from the stand."
'Wh-what? It's over?' J thinks surprised.
The members of the court murmur on this and Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Very well. The court's opinion on this case is as follow: We have found that there were several other people in Studio 2 on the day of the murder. However, it is also clear that none of these people could have gone to Studio One. They therefore have no relation to this case."
Maccadam then brings up a photo and said "Furthermore with regards to the photo of the White Ranger…Given the size of the costume, no one other than Mr. Bravo could have worn it that day. All that is lacking is decisive evidence that he is the one who did it. If we had that, I'm afraid I would have to find Mr. Bravo guilty."
"Your Honour." Hunter said and smirks "The prosecution is pleased to announce that we indeed have decisive evidence: a witness."
This causes the members of the court murmur in shock and Maccadam bangs his gavel to quite them and said "Who is this witness, Mr. Deamonne?"
"My witness saw the very moment when the White Ranger stabbed the victim!" Hunter states.
The members of the court murmur again at this second shock and Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Order! I will have order! I see. The court will take a 10-minute recess, after which we will hear your witness. Court is adjourned for recess!" He bangs his gavel.
October 19, 11:04 AM, District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 1
J was sitting on the couch hands in her face, she felt like it was over. She looks u at Terra and asked "What do we do now, Terra? If everyone in that trailer has an ablibi…"
Terra looks down and said "I'm sorry, J. I guess I was wrong."
"T-Terrra!" J said in shock. "Don't tell me you're giving up! If you give up, what hope do I have…?"
Terra smiles a bit and says "Don't get me wrong. I've never given up on a trial before, not while there was a chance. Only one thing became clear in your cross-examination. The people in the trailer could not have gone to Studio One. I thought there was more to it than that…But I was wrong. That's all there is."
"Ummm…" Johnny said walking up "Er…. What's going to happen to me? It kind of seems like everyone in that courtroom thinks I did it...They think I'm a murderer!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Bravo." Terra said smiling "If you are innocent, we will prove it. I guarantee it. Leave it to us, and… be yourself. Be strong. You are the White Ranger, hero to children everywhere, after all."
"I…" Johnny said smiling "You…Thanks." He sniffs.
"Okay, J." Terra said checking the time. "This one's for the kids! Let's do it!"
J nods and takes a deep breath; she knows that the next witness has to be Kota. If she has any hope of proving Johnny's innocence, she has to find contradictions in the young fanboy's testimonies.
Well things are not looking good, hopefully J can turn it around by cross examining Kota. Will she succeed find out soon.
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