Author's Note:
Rather than being a Fire Emblem: Warriors-centric chapter, as I had planned, this chapter will contain more or less a bunch of characters from across the Fire Emblem series. Keep in mind that no original Warriors characters will appear. Now for the guest reviews:
"Can you add the characters from Star Ocean: The Last Hope? (Since they're part of Square Enix) the characters from Phantasy Star Universe? A Pokemon Puzzle League chapter? Is Lilith gonna stalk Dark Pit when she appears? (Since she might think he's a fallen angel) Is Vergil going to be using his original voice actor or the one from the controversial Devil May Cry reboot? Are Chaos and KOS-MOS from Xenosaga going to be a couple? And finally, which Fire Emblem characters are going to help Faye get over Alm?"
I could do a little Star Ocean, already have an affinity for one of the characters (you probably know who this character is). I can do Phantasy Star as well. Might do a Pokemon Puzzle League chapter. Lilith will definitely stalk Dark Pit. Virgil will use his voice from the reboot. Chaos and KOS-MOS might be a couple. And as for Faye and Alm...won't be saying anything about that, for now. Now I received a few anonymous guest reviews, and I believe they're from the same person, so I'll put their suggestions together, and answer them in one response...
"1. I have a little question... Will classic sonic appear in the sonic forces/mania episode?
2. I know it's a obvious no,but can you put cuphead and mugman at least as a cameo?(if you know about cuphead,that is.)"
1. Classic Sonic will indeed appear in the Sonic Forces episode.
2. I'm already familiar with Cuphead and Mugman...but don't expect a cameo from either one.
With Sephiroth now a free man, Derick Lindsey gave me this idea to ponder over...
"...if I suggest Sephiroth destroys [Master Hand's] precious Lamborghini..."
Why haven't I destroyed the Lamborghini yet? It's not like Master Hand needs it. Eh. Last up is J300:
"1. Since Super Mario Oddyssey comes out soon, are you tying this arc in With the basic story?
2. Will the Broodals appear if and only if you think it would work in the plot?
3. Could you show what are Corrin's reactions to the new Episode VII trailer for Star Wars?"
1. The current arc isn't tied with Super Mario Odyssey...but rather another game coming out soon. Won't say what it is.
2. Broodals could appear, just gotta find out how they would fit.
3. Yup, it's been a week since that Episode VII trailer...but I'll still show Corrin's reactions regardless.
Episode 96: Accusation
Jakob's reputation at the Smash Mansion was already in hot water, given that he was losing the trust of Master Hand and the mansion residents. And if the ending of the previous episode was any indication, the butler was going to find himself in even more hot water...
Following a day of investigation involving Layton, Luke, and the Phantom Thieves, Master Hand and Mario had a long talk with Jakob, after there was some evidence found in the previous episode that had to do with Jakob. Jakob did everything he could to dismiss the validity of the evidence, but even after his talk, Mario and Master Hand couldn't help but grow even more skeptical of the butler.
Jakob, with his days seemingly numbering at the mansion, didn't act afraid in the slightest - he still believed that despite everything going on with him right now, he still had the mansion butler job in the bag. He would display a sense of confidence, as he spoke with Geno outside the kitchen that morning.
"Word has it that this could possibly be your last day at the mansion," Geno said to Jakob, who didn't appear to be unfazed one bit about this rumor. "Are you afraid, nervous, anxious, anything?"
"As the old saying goes, Geno, 'there is nothing to fear but fear itself,'" Jakob coolly replied, quoting the famous Franklin Delano Roosevelt. "Quite frankly, I don't have any fear in me - never did, never will. I tackle every day, every challenge, every circumstance, with a sheer amount of confidence, for I know that if I become full of fear, then that fear will turn into doubt, and doubt will prevent me from accomplishing my goals."
"I've also heard that a lot of Fire Emblem folks are coming to the mansion...denizens from Nohr, Hoshidio, Plegia, Elibe, Athena, and other kingdoms are apparently coming to the mansion soon. Do you have any knowledge about this?"
"No I don't, though I should...any important matters is usually passed down to me from either Mario or Master Hand. Sure hope that their declining lack of trust doesn't mean that they can no longer share any news with me."
Jakob: The "evidence" the Phantom Thieves accrued last week? *scoffs* All of it is false, all of it. They're not real investigators, they're just a bunch of no-good kids who can't accept the fact that the world is genuinely full of evil people, and waste their precious time trying to evict the world of something that cannot be simply taken away. Layton and Luke's investigation is definitely taking a turn for the worse; two weeks ago, they needed the help of Team Chaotix, and last week they had to bring the Phantom Thieves over. How could one possibly trust those two detectives when they can't even do their job by themselves?
Breakfast was coming to an end, and some of the residents were making their way through the kitchen. The first to come through was Fox...who much to Jakob's surprise, gave the butler some dap.
"Well, Jakob, it's been real my man," Fox said to the butler, acting like he was going away on some lengthy vacation, vowing to never return. "See ya on the flippity-flip...I guess. Or the floppity flop, but that doesn't make any sense. Anyways, take care!"
"What on earth was that all about...?" questioned Jakob, as Fox walked away. Later Doc Louis would exit the kitchen, emphatically patting Jakob on the back.
"You had a good run at this mansion Jakob, but all good things come to an end...actually, all bad things come to an end," the boxing trainer said to Jakob, greatly befuddling the butler. "But don't worry, you'll see what I mean later on!"
"Something definitely is going on, and it must involve me..." inferred Jakob, stroking his chin. Coco would exit the kitchen next, and she just looked at Jakob, not knowing what to say.
"Eh, I would bid you with a farewell, but I haven't formed a strong enough opinion on you so I'll just tell you to take it easy and leave it at that," the blonde bandicoot would say as she left the premises. Jakob was growing even more confused, wondering why everyone was telling him their goodbyes all of a sudden.
"So many people telling me goodbye...I desperately need some answers." Asuka walked out of the kitchen, with a futomaki roll in their possession (too early to eat that; must be saving it for later), and Jakob was quick to approach the ninja girl, putting his hands on her shoulders and startling her. "Asuka, you must tell me...what is going on, why is everyone acting like I'm leaving the mansion?"
"How about you go find out yourself, I'm forbidden to tell you," replied Asuka, getting Jakob's hands off of her as she walked away. Since Jakob couldn't get the answers from Asuka, he now had to find the answers on his own...
Jakob hastily retreated, now on the search for the answers he needed. Since Asuka was forbidden to tell the butler the truth, there was a good chance everyone else in the mansion was forbidden as well. So Jakob had to look for physical evidence, if there was any evidence to begin with.
When Jakob went up to the second floor, he would pass by a room, and saw Mr. Game and Watch, working away. The butler, wanting to take a sneak peek, looked inside the room, and was left stunned...the room looked like a legit courtroom, with the two podiums, the seats, the jury's box, the judge stand, the witness stand, the evidence table, and then some. It was too much for an already confused Jakob to take in.
But when Jakob took a step back and looked up, he saw a sign posted above the doorway...
...which you won't see until later on, but the sign made Jakob even more shook, the butler taking multiple steps back as he stared at the sign. It was like he was stuck in some bad dream. The dream would continue, when the doorbell sounded. Jakob, fearing for the worst, headed down to the foyer, standing on the staircase, and saw Mewtwo, greeting two individuals and letting them inside...
...Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey. Jakob's bad dream was suddenly a dream come true...
Master Hand: Oh yeah, something big is gonna go down today, and it's gonna be big, even bigger than the...no, I'm not telling you exactly what's gonna take place! That's called spoiling, and spoiling ruins the fun in everything! Ruins the element of surprise, and easily kills off anticipation! Do you realize how hard it was to limit spoilers and leaks for newcomers like Mega Man and Cloud? Don't even get me started on Mewtwo!
"Fancy seeing you back at the mansion, Phoenix and Maya," Mewtwo would say to the investigative duo, as Phoenix adjusted his tie and Maya fixed her hair. "How have you and Maya been since Mario's wedding?"
"I'm just...hanging in there, just doing my thing," answered Phoenix, after he was finished with his tie. "Had to crack a case with Athena Cykes of all people, and boy it was a nightmare...you have no idea how hard it was to work with a chick who fangirls over a STUPID LAVA LAMP!" Couldn't be worse than that one time Athena was fangirling over an aquarium,
"Yes, Athena does act like a complete dork...but you act like one too, Phoenix," stated Maya, earning a glare from her partner-in-crime. You might know about Phoenix's dorky, goofy side if you ever played any of the Ace Attorney games. "Always dressing down Athena and talking up a storm about how much she unnerves...you don't have a crush on her, do you?"
"No I do not, why would I even harbor a crush on someone when I know any romantic feelings will interfere in my attorney duties?" Phoenix snapped on a now smiling Maya, before reverting his attention to Mewtwo and clearing his throat. "You must excuse my assistant for her idiotic questioning, Mewtwo - she has a potent tendency of shipping me with girls I don't even like, nor would want to be with even while solving a major case."
"Yeah, you don't look like you're cut out to be a boyfriend anyways," remarked Mewtwo; Phoenix wanted to give the psychic Pokemon a piece of his mind, but saved his breath. Defending himself would be opposite to what he said about romance distracting him from his attorney duties. "Professor Layton and Luke Triton have been informed about your arrival...would you two like to see them?"
"Layton and Luke...Layton and Luke...wait, why are they at the mansion? Did Master Hand extend to them an invitation to reside in the mansion? Master Hand must be giving out these handouts like crazy!" Phoenix sounded somewhat salty when he said this.
"A temporary invitation; Layton and Luke have been staying with us to investigate the Four Seasons hotel explosion that went down prior to the Mario and Peach's wedding reception." Now Phoenix was even more salty. "At this moment, we're not sure if the two will be permanent members once the investigation is over with..."
"How DARE Master Hand hire Layton and Luke to investigate the hotel attack, instead of hiring Maya and I! What do those two British detectives have that we don't?!"
"...for starters, Layton is more chill and down-to-earth than you are, and doesn't act like a...like a...a complete dork," Maya meekly offered her take, as Phoenix glared at her yet again. "Excuse me for keeping it real..."
"Both Layton and Luke are greatly anticipating seeing the two of you," said Mewtwo, fearful that Phoenix might pop a vein and go off for no reason. "Follow me, I shall take you two to where the British detectives are."
With Mewtwo leading the way, with Phoenix and Maya following after him, Jakob looked on, with a hand over his mouth, overwhelmed with worry. The courtroom, Phoenix and Maya, several residents saying their farewells...
...it seemed fairly obvious what was going to happen later on.
Chrom: My lovely girlfriend Raven is expected to come to the mansion, along with her lady friends Nowi, Caeda, and a few other girls that I cannot remember by name. I would like to spend my entire day with Raven, to prove to everyone that we're still going on strong as a couple...but I don't know if the other ladies would handle it. By it, I mean Raven and I as an item. I might have flirted with many ladies over the war, but I'm not exactly what you would call a womanizer...after all, Lucina was there. Had to keep a good reputation with my daughter around.
Shortly after Phoenix and Maya arrived at the mansion, many Fire Emblem folks came, and Ike had to stand by the now open front door and welcome them in. The swordsman, knowing a majority of the visitors, was unfazed during his one-man welcoming committee.
"Sup Lyn, how's the best Assist Trophy character doing?" Ike would greet the first Fire Emblem character to step foot in the mansion, Lyn. Showing a whole lot of bias right now. "Those legs of yours looking nice as usual...don't give me that look, just keep on walking...Yo, Frederick, what's good my man? No, I haven't asked out Mia yet, but give me some time, not everything has to be instant, even love. Just don't try and start a fire, we just had a fire two weeks ago, aight?...Navarre, long time no see dude! Sorry for thinking you were a girl that one time, you should really look into cutting your hair, it's too long even for a man. Should also smile a bit more, having the same facial expression isn't really good for your health..."
All in all, twelve Fire Emblem folks were at the mansion - Raven, Navarre, Lyn, Frederick, Anna, Niles, Berkut, Rinea, Soren, Caeda, Xander, and Nowi. They were all brought to the living room, where Mario and Cortex were holding forms in their hands. Uka was hovering over the two, his angry scowl enough to strike fear in Raven and the others.
"Before-a I begin, let me just thank-a you all for making it here-a today," Mario started things off, as Cortex picked his nose, contaminating his glove and disturbing the others greatly. "Now I know this might-a be the first time at the mansion for-a some of you, but I guarantee that you-a will find your way in-a no time!"
"Considering what you twelve will be doing for us today, the newcomers in the group won't even have to worry about being lost," added Cortex, as Mario glared at the N head. A clear indicator that Cortex said something he wasn't even supposed to say - he was almost giving away a spoiler, and as Master Hand said earlier, spoilers can ruin the fun of anything.
"Shut-a your mouth otherwise your head-a will be stuck in the chimney again..." Cortex, not wanting such fate to transpire again, kept his lips sealed. "Cortex and I will-a hand out these forms, and you have an hour to fill-a them out. So take-a your time!"
So Mario and Cortex would hand out the forms to the twelve; these forms turned out to be jury applicant forms. Asked for stuff like name, gender, residence, date of birth, occupation...typical fields you would see on an average form. Soren didn't want to even touch his form because of one reason...
"Um, Mario...I don't want to fill out this form, it might be infected," stated the mage, putting his form to the side it like was cancerous. Soren witnessed Cortex picking his nose, and the N head gave one of the forms to him.
"Everything is infected, everything has germs...your clothes, this form, the very sofa I'm sitting on, everything is infested with germs," stated Frederick, acting like he was some kind of scientist. "Germs are like the very oxygen that we breath...it's everywhere, and we can't see..."
"We didn't come to the mansion to hear you lecture us about germs Frederick, so why don't you just hush so we can fill out our forms in peace?" Raven said to the Great Knight, as Frederick shot a look at her. Some unwanted tension was building up in the living room.
"If you don't hush, then you're gonna make things even worse..." said Navarre, struggling to maintain his stoic nature. He should definitely follow Ike's advice, if he wanted to do what was "best" for his health. "Don't want to be a part of a fight..."
"Did someone say anything about a fight?" asked Lyn, taking out her Sol Katti. The tension was reaching a tipping point, and there was nothing Mario and Cortex could do, lest they wished to be caught up in all the hoopla. "I certainly don't like where this conversation is heading, but if you guys don't..."
"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WILL YOU PEONS PLEASE STOP?!" Uka boomed at the top of his nonexistent lungs, cutting off Lyn. Lyn meekly sat down, putting her sword away, and quietness would return to the living room, as Lyn and the others quietly filled out their forms.
Cortex: Those twelve Fire Emblem folks honestly scare the pants off of me...especially that one guy with an eyepatch. If there's anything I learned in life, it's to never trust a man with an eyepatch!
Uka: Worst life advice ever...
Cortex: Another person I found to be frightening was that woman with the long black hair. Didn't say much, but she definitely look like she could kick my butt blindfolded!
Uka: Pretty sure that was a guy...
Cortex: Don't even get me started on the other lady in the living room, the one by the name of Caeda...she looked kinda intimidating as well! She looks oddly similar to Marth - must be a twin sister of hers.
Uka: We've been through this conversation before Cortex, Marth is NOT a girl...
Cortex: Marth's hair and stature keeps telling me otherwise...so checkmate, Uka!
Uka: *rolls his eyes*
Xander would be the first to fill out his form, handing in his form and pen to Mario. The eldest son of the Nohrian royal family was dying to see Corrin and Kamui, and was interested in seeing how much Corrin has progressed in terms of knowledge.
"I would like to see Corrin and Kamui, so I can give a report of their status at the mansion to my father, Garon," Xander said to Mario, who was quick to oblige. "Kamui also wrote me a letter about Corrin worrying at times about Elise...our sister has been feeling better ever since the wedding explosion, and is back to a hundred percent. I must deliver the good news to Corrin and Kamui."
"Finished with the form, Mr. Mario, here ya go..." Niles would hand his form to Mario, before noticing Xander with the famous plumber. "Say, Xander, are you gonna see Corrin and Kamui? Haven't seen those two rascals in forever..."
"You're more than welcome to come along Niles...just as long as you keep your distance from the two." Xander had to keep a very watchful eye on Niles...
Mario would call in Sonic - who was still caretaking Suzie- to lead Xander and Niles to the Nohrian twins Corrin and Kamui, who were in the movie room looking for Star Wars films. Or rather, that was what Corrin was doing; Kamui was just keeping watch of her twin brother. Pac-Man and Cloud were also present in the room, configuring the television.
"Just so you kids know, movie night has been cancelled this week, so don't waste your time looking for films that you won't even watch," Pac-Man warned the twins; movie night was formally cancelled by Master Hand, and for a good reason, a reason that will be revealed later on.
"I don't think Corrin can hear you, Pac-Man, he's too busy looking," Kamui informed the eater of ghosts, as Corrin was throwing DVDs over the place all willy-nilly, with Kamui having to catch these DVDs otherwise they'd land on the floor, and something obviously bad would happen to them. "He told me that he won't leave until he finds that 'Rogue One' DVD..."
"But we just saw that movie last week, why does Corrin need to watch it again?" questioned Cloud, being momentarily distracted from his work. "He was watching that movie more dutifully than everyone else! Pinpointing every little detail, critiquing the performance of the actors, making note of the special effects and camera shots and angles and..."
"...and that's why I got kicked out, before we even reached the halfway point of the movie," answered Corrin, continuing on with his search. "Master Hand apparently couldn't handle my critique and insight, and so he kicked me out of movie night because the information I supplied with everyone was too much to handle. Ignorance is bliss, sometimes at its pure finest..."
"You constantly bored everyone to death with your nonstop chatter, but I have to admit, the movie was a LOT more enjoyable once you left. Might've been the only movie night I enjoyed."
Pac-Man: Corrin can be very...adverse, when it comes to movie night. If it was a crappy movie like Sharknado or Baby Geniuses, Corrin would be fast asleep. If it was a legendary movie, like The Lion King or Jaws, Corrin would still be fast asleep. If it was even a mediocre movie, like the new Mummy movie or every Ice Age film after the original, Corrin would still be fast asleep...but put any Star Wars flick up on the movie screen, and Corrin would be all up on the screen like he was some infant watching television for the first time. Corrin's love for the Star Wars franchise works in mysterious and strange ways, and in ways that I don't even bother to comprehend.
Sonic would take a peek inside the movie room, and saw Corrin and Kamui. The hedgehog, with Suzie in his possession, would motion over to Xander and Niles, leading them inside the movie room.
"Corrin and Kamui, two very important people from the kingdom of Nohr would like to see you!" Sonic called out to the twins, who stopped what they were doing and turned around. Both were delighted to see Xander, smiling at them...though the same couldn't be said when their eyes fell upon Niles.
"Hello Corrin and Kamui, my two great younger siblings," Xander would greet the twins, his smile still intact - Corrin and Kamui could only wave. "I hope everything is well during your stay at the Smash Mansion. I'm more than pleased to tell you both that..."
"Hey Pac-Man, hey Cloud!" Niles would say hi to Pac-Man and Cloud, in a normal tone, cutting off Xander before his eyes fell prey upon Corrin and Kamui, unnerving the both of them with a creepy smile and demeanor. "Hey Corrin and Kamui..." Niles said in a creepier tone, filling up Corrin and Kamui with cringe.
"Woah dude, why did you say 'Hey Corrin and Kamui' like that?" questioned Sonic - Niles' demeanor and way of acting was why Xander had to keep a very close eye on the outlaw-turned-retainer.
"I like both Corrin and Kamui." This response, and the way Niles said it, was enough for Sonic to slowly back away...before speeding off at the speed of light. The hedgehog, having done his task, felt like now was a very good time to resume his previous activities.
"Anyways, before I was so rudely interrupted..." continued Xander, shooting a glare at Niles, who quickly went back to being a normal, dignified person. "...I'm more than pleased to tell you both that Elise has been feeling better, and she's now back to being a hundred percent." Corrin absolutely felt like squealing inside. "The nurses have taken great care of Elise..."
"So Corrin, how's it like having the two maids Flora and Felicia at the mansion, feels great to have another set of Nohrian twins with ya, huh?" Niles, again cutting off Xander, would ask the prince, as Xander glared at him rather intensely. "Did you ever ask Felicia out on a date? I bet you did, didn't you? Tell me how your date went, tell me all the juicy details!"
"Will you please cut it out and quit interrupting me like that?!" Xander scolded Niles, smacking the back of his head. "Now as I was saying...the nurses have taken great care of Elise, and now the explosion that took place on Mario's wedding day is now a mere afterthought. Speaking of the explosion, has Mario found out the idiot responsible behind it?"
"Mario and Master Hand actually hired to detectives to investigate the explosion - Professor Herschel Layton and Luke Triton," replied Kamui; Xander recalled having a chance meeting with Layton and Luke before Mario's wedding started. "They believe they're almost close to solving the mystery, after they spent much of their time at the mansion looking for clues."
"That's good to hear, glad to see Mario and Master Hand taking the initiative. Whoever this perpetrator is, they will definitely receive their comeuppance..."
Xander: I thought you'd be better than this, Niles...you had one job, ONE JOB. And you know what that job was? To act like a normal person - noble and just, not striking anyone the wrong way...but what did you do? Smile creepily at Corrin and Kamui, and wave at them, not only frightening them, but making Pac-Man and Cloud question you. Why couldn't have Master Hand picked Azura to be at the mansion over you...
Niles: Pfft, nobody wants that overrated singer anyways, she's only good for singing that one song. The better question is, why would Master Hand pick YOU of all people? Sure, you might be the oldest sibling in the royal family, but you're basic, with no spark...your personality and appearance is more bland than a regular bar of soap. Ladies all over Nohr would shun you!
Xander: *stands up and takes out sword, scaring Niles* Say that again, I dare you...
Niles: *cowering in fear* ...Xander, Xander, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!
Out of the Fire Emblem twelve, only two members were together, as a couple - Berkut and Rinea. Berkut, after overhearing that Alm and Celica were at the mansion, was stomping through the hallways, on a search for the Valentian couple...though Alm was the only person Berkut was interested in looking for.
"Berkut, you don't have to do this, why can't you just leave Alm and his wife alone?" Rinea would say to Berkut, the heir to the Rigelian throne, chasing after her fiance who was angry to the bone. "He has done nothing wrong, and neither has Celica! Just leave them be, will you?"
"Alm believes he's far more superior than I, doesn't he..." seethed Berkut, his fists clenched with rage as he marched down the hallway, not knowing where he was going for he was letting his beef with Alm take control of him. If Alm just showed up, then Berkut's method would pay off. "Thinks that he's better than me, that his stupid kingdom is better, thinks that his wife is better-looking than my fiancee..." Alm, a very humble guy, would never say or think such things...it was all just inside Berkut's head. "Today I'm gonna teach him a lesson that he'll never truly forget!"
"You must be out of your mind, it would be uncharacteristic of Alm to even say those things!" Rinea now found herself pulling on Berkut's arm, trying to drag the heir away, but only being dragged by Berkut in the process. "If you do talk with him, how about you just talk things out, find a common ground and put both of your differences aside, for once and for all?
"That is the noncomformist way to solve your problems...and by no means am I a noncomformist. Alm and I shall settle our differences our own way, and who knows, it might end with a fight to the DEATH!" Rinea certainly didn't want something like this to be the endgame.
Berkut would eventually find his rival Alm in the gaming room, having a chit-chat with Pit. The heir of Rigelia would peer through the doorway, spotting Alm speaking with Pit, the angel holding a Baby Yoshi in his hands.
"This Baby Yoshi can glow in the dark, like a night light!" Pit would explain to Alm, demonstrating as the golden Baby Yoshi was shining like a lightbulb, bright enough to make Alm and several others in the gaming room shield their eyes. "Very useful for going through dark forests, although I've never been through a dark forest before. Thought that was only a thing in story tales, but Viridi proved me wrong..."
"I know Yoshi has his hands full with these baby dinosaurs and all," remarked Alm, removing his arm from his eyes, as the Baby Yoshi stopped shining and Berkut sneakily advanced inside the gaming room. Rinea, who had some signs of social anxiety, would follow her fiance inside the gaming room, keeping herself wary of those present. "Yoshi's on-and-off girlfriend is Birdo, right? Has she been informed about the Baby Yoshis, or does Yoshi wish to withhold the news from her?"
"Yoshi has repeatedly denied Birdo as his girlfriend, so I don't think he has told her yet. But we all know that Yoshi has a new girlfriend already, that chick named Makoto who showed up last week...hey Alm, who's that guy glaring at you, do you know him?"
Alm turned around, and his face sank when he saw the man Pit was pointing at...Berkut, the heir of Rigel, glaring at Alm and looking into his soul. Berkut inhaled, then exhaled, likely done for dramatic effect, to silently remind Alm of how much he despised him.
"Alm, prince of Rigel, holy king of Valentia...we meet again..." snarled Berkut, as Alm looked uneasy. He did not wish to fight Berkut, but the heir of the throne was giving him the initiative to do so...
Pit: Woah...I had no idea Alm was a prince AND a holy king! This whole time, I thought he was a retired janitor, from some make-believe kingdom. Learn something new everyday...
"Didn't I...kill you before?" asked Alm, remembering that one time he fought both Berkut and Rinea. "Rinea, is that really you? Weren't you supposed to be reborn as a witch, how come you look perfectly normal?"
"SILENCE YOUR MOUTH AND FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION BACK ON ME!" Berkut barked at Alm, grabbing the attention of everyone in the gaming room. "You thought I was dead, but by some incomprehensible nature, like a miracle, I've been brought back to life, and it was also thanks to him that Rinea has had her soul restored, saving her from being a witch. Now that I'm here, I can finally dethrone you, and become the prince of Rigel!"
"Okay, so let me get this straight - back when we had our beef, you wished to become the emperor of Rigel...but now you wish to be the prince? Sounds like a major step down from your original goal, don't you think?"
"Yeah Alm's got a point, wanting to be the prince rather than the emperor is like being an employee at a fast-food joint when you could be the CEO of a fast-food company," said Pit, backing up Alm with an analogy that did not apply to Berkut's situation in any way at all. Alm just nodded his head, hoping that Berkut would somehow apply Pit's strange analogy to his current situation and see the error of his ways...but we all know that wouldn't be possible.
"I did desire to be the emperor...but sometimes, you have to start off small, and work your way up to the top! Choosing not to do that and have my focus set on being the emperor was truly damning on my part, and might have contributed to my death...but I'm back, and better than ever! Isn't that right, Rinea?"
"Whatever keeps you content, Berkut..." Rinea meekly replied, backing away just a little. You wouldn't like Berkut when he was overtly ambitious.
"Not exactly a response of utmost confidence, but you're my fiancee, so I'll take it either way...now, Alm, prepare to feel my wrath, feel my rage, feel my..."
"Berkut, Rinea, where on earth are you?" Ayaha's voice was heard from the hallways, and soon enough, the black-haired assistant would find the couple in the gaming room, with Berkut about to go ham on Alm. "Ah, there you two are! Master Hand wants to meet with you in the others in the meeting room. Trust me, it won't be long!"
"I shall deal with you later..." Berkut would whisper to Alm, glaring at him one last time as he and Rinea followed Ayaha out of the gaming room. Alm could only chuckle, shaking his head with his hands on his hips, in great disbelief.
By now at this point in the episode, Phoenix and Maya would have met with Layton and Luke...but unbeknownst to Mewtwo, the two British detectives were randomly ordered by Master Hand to walk the Duck Hunt Dog around the block. (Technically Luke didn't have to walk the dog, but he just enjoyed the company of Layton, and Layton enjoyed the company of Luke.) So Phoenix and Maya pretty much had to wait in the foyer until Layton and Luke returned.
"Could've hired any duo in the world to investigate what went down at the Four Seasons hotel...and Layton and Luke were the ones chosen," Phoenix moped as he sat in a chair by himself, as Maya filed her nails to pass the time. "Could have been worse...Mario and Master Hand could have hired Apollo Justice AND Athena Cykes to crack the case!" Phoenix couldn't help but shudder at the thought of that.
"Get over it Phoenix, you've been bitter all day long," Maya said to the attorney, as Crash came over to sniff her fingers. The assistant had to slap the bandicoot away, as Crash quickly retreated. "Oughta be glad we didn't have to solve a case involving Furio Tigre!"
Maya: Furio Tigre is a loan shark in charge of a loan company called Tender Lender...or at least he used to be in charge. Thankfully, Tigre is now behind bars, and for a reason other than his murderous streak...his explosive temper. Convict him in court, and he'll scream so loudly, the lights in the courtroom will go out! Tigre has a very potent tendency to go Super Saiyan when angry, hence his fitting nickname. Furio's a guy that would go unleash his angry emotions all over you if you accidentally spilled coffee on his suit.
Phoenix kept on moping, thinking about how unfair his job and life was, when the sound of the doorbell was heard. Do the residents not have a house key to enter the mansion? Presumably not. Phoenix would get up from his hair, and trudge over to the front door, opening it with disgust written on his face...
...only for said disgust to go away completely, when he was standing eye-to-eye, face-to-face, mono e mono, with the great Professor Herschel Layton. The very man he once worked with in the past. Sure, Luke was also there, standing with Layton, but he was irrelevant now.
"Professor Layton..." Phoenix would utter the British detective's name, not knowing what to say other than his name. The words would soon come later. "It's, uh...hello, er...how are you...going?" Phoenix was happy and angry at the same time - happy to see his old colleague, but angry that said colleague was doing something he and Maya could have done themselves.
"Hello to you two, Phoenix Wright, so good to see you again, my friend," smiled Layton; the term "friend" irked Phoenix, for some reason. "Heard you would be at the mansion today. Now how about a handshake? Can't remember the last time we even shook hands!"
Phoenix looked down, and saw Layton's extended hand, the detective expecting a handshake. Phoenix would take his hand, and slowly brought it over to Layton's hand, before the two hands met in perfect harmony, held together as the shaking of the hands commenced.
But it wouldn't stop there, oh no...Phoenix would pull Layton in close, towards him, and patted him on the back. Layton, out of confusion, would do the same to Phoenix. Maya and Luke looked on with cringe, no doubt feeling bad for both Phoenix and Layton.
"Hoo boy, it's been a while..." remarked Phoenix, wiping the sweat off of his forehead, as his awkward handshake-turned-hug with Layton - the crowning moment of awkwardness - came to an end. The attorney looked down at Luke, feeling silly for not acknowledging his presence sooner. "Ah, I see you've brought Luke Triton with you, love this little fella...how are ya?"
"Doing just fine, thanks for asking!" replied Luke, as Phoenix gave him a simple fist bump. Phoenix couldn't tolerate any more awkwardness. "So, uh, are you gonna let us inside? Not sure if you know this, but we kinda...live here, only temporarily."
"Oh yeah, come right on in, make yourselves at home...even though this is technically your home...temporary home, that is." Phoenix would let Layton and Luke inside the mansion, where they would find Phoenix's assistant Maya sitting on the sofa, smiling.
"Hello boys, long time no see," Maya would greet Layton and Luke, getting up from the sofa. "It has definitely been a long time since we last worked together. Ah...good times, good times. So how has your little investigation been so far?"
"It has been going very swell, Luke and I believe that we're almost done investigating," replied Layton, overjoyed to see Maya again. Same went for Phoenix, even after that awkward exchange he had with him. "Would you and Phoenix like to see the evidence we accumulated?"
Layton and Luke would take Phoenix and Maya upstairs to the Star Records room, where Fox had to pull out his laptop to show Phoenix and Maya the security footage from the Four Seasons hotel. But we all know how playing videos turned out on Fox's laptop...so he told X to get his laptop instead.
"As investigators yourselves, a duo like yourself should watch video film such as this," Zero said to Phoenix and Maya, as he pulled up the security footage on X's laptop. Said security footage was on a disc, inserted into X's device. "Layton and Luke got more security footage from the hotel, which you will see in a moment...they had to disguise themselves in order to get the footage in the first place."
"Why disguises though, why not just go inside the hotel like normal people?" asked Maya, as Phoenix quietly added "disguising oneself to enter buildings" to a list on his notepad. This list was called "Things Professor Layton Did That I Could Do Better".
"The owner of the hotel refused to let anyone from the mansion inside his establishment," stated Layton, hoping to never again go by the Huckleberry Freeman name. Luke was still trying to put the Walter Malone moniker behind him. "Apparently that rule applies to Luke and I..."
Layton: Still use the Huckleberry Freeman to this very day - even use it as a name on my debit card. Since Wario put me in a huge amount of credit debt, spending it on senseless things and never thinking about using his own cards...also use Huckleberry Freeman on Soundcloud. The people that visit that site now think I'm the hottest grime artist on the scene!
Knuckles: Life pro tip: never do grime on Soundcloud, it's a huge contrast from all the emo rap songs on there. Also, having to fake a British accent while singing is hard! Why did Layton even set up a Soundcloud account in the first place? Fox and Falco must be desperately looking for new Star Records talent.
Layton, Luke, Phoenix, and Maya all watched the security footage, and since the media player on X's laptop could actually rewind and fast-forward, Zero would fast-forward in the video to the moment the cloaked figure entered the ballroom, with the ski mask dudes in suits accompanying him. The guys in suits were the Team Flare members, but the identity of the cloaked figure had yet to be revealed.
"As you can see in the footage, that cloaked guy is directing the guys in suits - who are all Team Flare members - to set the propane tanks in the ballroom closet," explained Luke, as the video kept on playing until it reached an end. Phoenix watched intently, stroking his chin.
"Would that mean the cloaked dude would have to be Lysandre?" asked the attorney, going with a wild guess that could very well be proven true. "If Lysandre somehow survived the collapse of his Team Flare headquarters, then him being the cloaked dude would be probable."
"Well, we definitely know Lysandre is alive; Layton and Luke found a Holo Caster in the ballroom while they were disguised, and they initiated a call with Lysandre," said Zero, as he closed out of the security footage video. "However, I'm sure Lysandre is a very tall dude...the cloaked person is definitely on the short side. Lemme play another security footage video, we could find out the cloaked person's identity that way."
So Zero would pull up a different security footage video, and this video displayed security footage of the hotel foyer, were the reception was. The Team Flare grunts were filing out through the sitars, arriving at the foyer, with the cloaked one leading the way...and a certain Magikoopa directing them to where they must go.
"Hold up, is that Magikoopa?" questioned Fox, looking at the video as he walked by with a cup of cappuccino in his hand. "What's he doing there with the cloaked guy and those Team Flare losers? He and Fawful are working together with Team Flare? Sheesh..."
"If anything, Kamek's presence makes things a bit more intriguing," said Layton, wondering if that was indeed Kamek in the security footage and not just some random Kamek wanting to be a part of things, wanting to feel important rather than just being some generic Mario enemy. "Zero, do you happen to have any security footage of the hotel exterior? There's a good chances our hoodlums are exiting the hotel!"
"Most definitely, Professor Layton, I got it all covered!" Zero gave a thumbs up, as he pulled another security footage video, of the Four Seasons hotel entrance. The cloaked one and the Team Flare grunts would exit the hotel, and then...
...the cloaked one would finally take off their hood, before taking off the cloak altogether. This individual would reveal themselves as some sort of animal - dark skin, with a silver metal mask on their face. Only one visible eye was on their face - a red sclera with a yellow iris and black pupil - while the other eye was covered. The animal-like creature wore black gloves with silver streaks, and also wore silver hi-tops.
Then, something freaky transpired...the creature would hover in the air, shrouded in a red aura, as Layton and company looked on in awe. Seeing this creature hovering in the air like that, it made them crave for them, made them want to see what this creature was up to and why he was possibly working with Team Flare, of all evil groups...
"PROFESSOR HERSCHEL LAYTON, LUKE TRITON, WHERE ON EARTH IS THE DUCK HUNT DOG?!" Master Hand's voice boomed throughout the mansion, startling everyone in the Star Records room. The giant hand's voice was enough to make the very foundation of the mansion shake, as the vibrations almost caused Fox to spill his coffee all over the floor.
Phoenix: Same old, same old...Master Hand is still extremely loud, and his yells can be heard from almost a mile away. Dude always acts like he's ticked out about something, like someone peed in his...in his...hand cereal. Also, what's this I hear about Master Hand apparently owning a Lamborghini?
"Whoops, knew we were forgetting something when we returned to the mansion," Layton smiled as he looked down at Luke; evidently the apprentice forgot about the Duck Hunt Dog as well. "Must be at the convenience store on the other side of town...Roy did say that the store was the Duck Hunt Dog's favorite spot to hang out. Could be other dogs hanging out there, who knows. Fox, mind if we take a ride in your Landmaster, or Arwing?"
"We'll just take the Arwing - I have to conserve the energy for my Landmaster," replied Fox, as he drank the rest of his cappuccino and placed his coffee mug on the Star Records table, before grabbing his keys. "Let's go get the mutt before he starts peeing all over the parking lot." Layton, Luke, and Fox would leave the room, and shortly after they left, Isabelle would poke her head through the doorway.
"Greetings, Phoenix Wright, and Maya Fey, I'm sure you two are enjoying your trip back to the mansion," the shih tzu said, quickly grabbing the attention of both Phoenix and Maya. "Mr. Wright, Master Hand would like to speak with you in his room."
"I have to speak one on one with Master Hand himself?" Phoenix asked nervously, as Isabelle nodded her head. Phoenix heaved a nervous sigh, as he backed away from the desk and looked down at the floor. "Okay then, I'll just go...speak with the hand...Maya, I want you to stay with Zero, for your own safety. If I never come back, I just want to let you know, that I..."
"You'll be fine, Phoenix - quit acting like Master Hand is plotting to kill you!" smiled Maya, instilling some courage inside of Phoenix. "Do you seriously think Master Hand wanted you to come to the mansion just to kill you?" Unless Master Hand was a ruthless serial killer, Maya had a strong point. "Just face Master Hand like the man you're supposed to be!"
"Yeah, you're right Maya, I mean, if Layton can look at Master Hand in the eye...wherever his eye is, then so can I! Take me to Master Hand's room, Isabelle!" So Isabelle would escort Phoenix to Master Hand's room, as Maya and Zero remained in the Star Records room. The security footage was paused, and remained paused ever since Master Hand sounded off on Layton and Luke.
"Let's watch the rest of the security footage and see if anything noteworthy happens." Following Maya's command, Zero pressed the play button, as the security footage resumed playing. The footage showed the floating creature and the Team Flare grunts advancing towards someone. The face of this individual couldn't be seen, but they were wearing black clothes.
"Hmm, judging by the attire alone, the person they're approaching looks oddly familiar..." Zero furrowed his brow, watching closely, as the individual in question walked closer to the creature and the Team Flare grunts, with their arms behind their backs, making their visage visible.
Maya did not recognize this person of interest at all - she didn't recall seeing them before. Zero, on the other hand, just watched with his mouth agape...
Back to the courtroom, where Akuma would step inside, wearing a court dress with his hair dyed white and in long, flowing locks. Akuma, grumbling to himself as he made his way over to the judge bench with a gavel in his hand, started to rue what he was doing, and how the rest of his day would turn out.
Akuma: Today is a rather historical day for the Smash Mansion...a day in which we'll have our first court case, our first courtroom trail, as prepared by Master Hand. Ganondorf and I were apparently in consideration for the judge role, and apparently I "earned" the job over Ganon because not only of my large size, but because I have "luscious long hair". Those were the very words that came out from Master Hand's mouth. The ladies had to strap me down and dye my hair white, and I sure hope the hair dye can be washed out...otherwise I'll join Captain Falcon in jail for committing voluntary manslaughter.
Akuma would reach the bench, placed in front of the American flag and a flag with the Smash logo on it, and took his seat grudgingly. Akuma looked down at this left, and saw the witness stand, polished and clean. Akuma then looked down at this right...and saw a blonde bandicoot typing away on her laptop, not giving a single care in the world.
"What in the name of...?!" shrieked Akuma, startled to see Coco next to him, nearly falling out of the bench. Coco would look up at Akuma, the Street Fighter veteran clutching his chest and catching his breath. First time ever the bandicoot saw Akuma that scared.
"Ah, so you got the judge role over Ganondorf, nice!" exclaimed Coco, not at all concerned that she scared the living daylights out of Akuma. "In case you may be wondering, Master Hand designated me as the court reporter - basically I type every single thing that takes place in court. Every hearing, every proceeding...every single word. I've been typing for so long - my finger-typing muscles are ready for any challenge!"
"Don't appreciate you for scaring me like that..." Well maybe you should've have looked around Akuma, you did it to yourself. "When does this stupid court trial begin? I feel like an old granny wearing this stupid robe. My dyed hair isn't doing me any favors either..."
"First of all, what you're wearing is a court dress, NOT a robe." Same thing, as Akuma might be thinking right now. "Secondly, the trial should be starting very soon; when the courtroom starts filling up, then you'll know the court trial is about to start."
Walking into the courtroom was Ganondorf, who was for the most part thankful he wasn't named the judge. However, Master Hand, wanting to give the Demon Lord something to do, named him the bailiff. Basically all Ganondorf had to do was to stand at the courtroom wall and maintain order in the courtroom. Should a big fight break out of nowhere, or if the Inklings start a paint battle for no reason, Ganondorf would be the first person to stop the nonsense. A job so easy, even Pit could do it.
"Take it easy with your bailiff job Ganon, it could have been a whole lot worse..." Ganondorf would say to himself. "...at least you weren't named the judge." The Demon Lord would look up at Akuma, seeing the fighter in all his glory, with his white hair and all, and fell to the floor laughing his butt off.
"It's not that funny Ganondorf, please get off of the floor before I have to whack you with this gavel," threatened Akuma; he was gonna make sure the gavel struck hard, too, just like Amy's Piko Hammer.
"Where'd you get that stupid white wig from, Benjamin Franklin?" Ganondorf hopped back to his feet, still laughing while wiping away a tear from his eye, as he headed over to the wall. "Boy am I glad I got the bailiff duties!"
"I was deliberately forced to dye my own hair white...which, when you think about it, is just as bad as having to wear a wig. I just hope that this trial is short, sweet, and to the point, so I can get this stupid dye out..."
Phoenix would exit Master Hand's room, fastening his tie with a smile. The attorney, who was afraid that Master Hand could possibly kill him, actually enjoyed a wonderful conversation, which was mostly focused on the trial that was about to go down later in the day.
"Compared to the other cases you've done in the past, you'll have a LOT more control and freedom in the court proceedings," Master Hand explained to Phoenix as he exited his room. "Akuma and I will pretty much watch over the entire thing; Akuma is really just a placeholder. Every court needs a judge."
"True dat, Master Hand - can't wait to get this trial started!" exclaimed Phoenix, as Jakob would encounter the attorney and Master Hand. The butler, after seeing the sign earlier, was overwhelmed with worry, and was fearful about his fate.
Jakob: Can't believe it, I'm actually being sued...but by everyone! Who exactly could this everyone be? Everyone in the mansion? Everyone in the city of Seattle? Everyone from the kingdom of Nohr? This is an egregious witch hunt, I tell you...there'll be little to no evidence against me.
"Master Hand, why am I being sued, you must tell me!" Jakob begged to Master Hand, still in a need for answers. He then pointed at Phoenix, mostly out of anger. "You must also tell me why he is here! Is there some kind of conspiracy taking place, a conspiracy against me?!"
"I'm not inclined to tell you what's going on, for that would count as 'spoiling'," answered Master Hand, as Jakob had a minor fit, nearly pulling his hair out. "However, I want you in the courtroom in ten minutes, unless you want Donkey Kong to drag you over there."
"Oh, so you tell everyone else in the mansion, but you refuse to tell me, for some reason! Am I being blackballed, has my reputation been soured that much that I've been forbidden to learn any new information?"
"Like I just told, I can't tell you anything because then I'll be 'spoiling' you, feeding you spoilers and ruining the surprise. Now quit acting like a petulant child, and take your scrawny behind to the courtroom, or else!"
The courtroom started to fill up, as pretty much everyone in the mansion - and Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Daisy - took their seats. (Lara Croft, wishing to keep a low profile, opted to remain at Mario's house.) The Fire Emblem twelve were in the jury box, finally realizing the reason why they had to come to the mansion.
"Looks like we all have to do jury duty," observed Caeda, who was sitting next to Xander, the foreperson of the jury. "First time I've ever had to do anything like this, same could be said about the rest of you guys...so who do you think is the accuser and the accused?"
"Chrom informed me that there will be one accused and many accusers," explained Raven, before looking at Chrom, seated in-between Robin and Lucina. The prince goofily waved at Raven; Raven would wave right back. "I see Phoenix Wright making his way to the attorney desk, but other than that, I don't see anyone else..."
Jakob would arrive at the courtroom, under Master Hand's orders, but before he entered therein, he looked up at the sign above the doorway one more time. The sign, which you're so curious about what it said, had the following...
Jakob v. Pretty Much Everyone
October 19, 2017
Knowing what was coming to him, Jakob would enter the courtroom, heaving a heavy sigh. In the courtroom, the butler saw Akuma at the bench, Coco at his side, Ganondorf standing near the wall with his arms folded, and Master Hand, the apparent court clerk, hovering close to Akuma. The giant hand would point to the accused dock, and Jakob would reluctantly head over to said dock, many eyes looking directly at him, as he saw Phoenix to his right once he arrived at the dock and took his seat.
Larry: One thing I've always wondered about criminal trials...how could a lawyer defend a criminal who has killed another person? What would the lawyer even say? "Oh, this person, who I'm defending, was ticked off about this guy, and so he had to kill the guy because he was getting on his nerves, couldn't take it no more." What exactly is the lawyer supposed to say?!
King Dedede: Question: does attending court count as civic duty?...Even if it's a makeshift court, like the one we now have in the mansion?...Okay then, thanks. I thought attending court cases would look good on a resume, but now I think not...
"ALL RISE!" Ganondorf sounded off, as everyone in the courtroom rose. Lloyd, who was stuck in his "Dumb Lloyd" phase, realized that he remained sitting, and stood up very late. "Just wanted to see if everyone was listening properly...Master Hand said that part was optional. The Court of Smash is now in..."
"Um, excuse me, Ganondorf, sir, but may I be excused, I gotta go!" Pit, the only person left standing, raised his hand, holding his crotch as he was doing the famous pee-pee dance. A longstanding dance move that has gone on long without receiving a single patent.
"Yes, Pit, you may be excused...acting like you're in school..." Receiving the word of confirmation from Ganondorf, Pit blazed out of the courtroom, nearly knocking people down along the way. "The Court of Smash is now in session. Our judge, Akuma, isn't supposed to be here this early, so he must exit the courtroom, and walk back to his bench so everyone can be seated."
"Aw, do I really have to?" groaned Akuma, as Ganondorf nodded his head. Akuma, growling and grumbling at the same time, walked down from his bench and exited the courtroom. Seconds later, the fighter would return to the courtroom, walking to his bench and taking his seat, as everyone else in the courtroom took their seat as well. "Anything else I'm supposed to do?" Akuma asked Ganondorf.
"You're supposed to ask me to call the day's calendar, and then you ask the attorney if he's ready to begin the trial." Akuma, groaning yet again, had no other choice but to follow the basic court rules.
"Ganondorf, what is today's date?" This wasn't the correct way to do this, but Akuma at this point didn't care.
"Wasn't even the right thing to say, but...Your Honor, today's case is Jakob V. Pretty Much Everyone. Not sure who picked out the name of the case, but the trial must be completed today."
"Mr. Phoenix Wright, are you ready to begin the trial?" Akuma would ask a smiling Phoenix. With the loads of experience he had under his belt, Phoenix was ready for pretty much anything in court.
"Readier than a flower ready to bloom, Your Honor - let's get this started!" exclaimed Phoenix, as he directed his attention to Jakob, making his way to the accused dock and threw his hands on said dock. "So, Jakob...I heard that you're the butler from the kingdom of Nohr, wanting to be the butler of the Smash Mansion...is that so? Why the Smash Mansion, why this places, of all the other places in the world?"
"I chose the Smash Mansion because I believed that I could best utilize my talents here," explained Jakob, sounding clear and focused, not wanting to give off a nervous vibe. "A while later, I figured that with Mario moving out with Peach, I could take his role as man of the mansion, or at least work my way up to that role. Also, I had a support system already in place at the mansion - Corrin, Kamui, and the two maids, Felicia and Flora."
"So you say, Jakob, so you say...but do you have an explanation for the things that you have been accused of doing? Got an explanation for that? I think that in order to retrieve as much information as possible from this trial, we'll just have to start off asking a few witnesses..."
"Hmph, there's not a single witness that would even paint me as being guilty. This is not only a waste of my time, but a waste of everyone else's time." Snake, however, begged to differ...
"Au contraire, Jakob, I know what you're up to, I know what you did...YOU were the one behind the hotel explosion on Mario's wedding!"
Phoenix accusingly pointed at Jakob, who remained silent as everyone in the courtroom gasped. Was it true, was Jakob the main culprit all along?
Snake: Kiria's in the courtroom during the trial, which means that I can finally walk around the mansion, without needing a cardboard box or some stupid costume to hide my identity. Kiria hasn't been flirty with me as of late, I've noticed...
"But, if you want to play your little game, then I'll just have to play along..." said Phoenix, as he looked towards the witness stand. "I call to the witness stand...Ayaha Oribe!" The financial assistant from Star Records looked around, as she pointed at herself, like she just learned her name or something.
"Miss Oribe, you heard the man, go to the witness stand at once!" commanded Akuma, and Ayaha would do just that, making her way from her seat to the witness stand, standing next to Akuma in front of all the residents.
"I have this piece of paper, in my pocket...this piece of paper being a bank statement from Star Records!' Phoenix dug into his pocket, and pulled the bank statement that was of central focus from episode 82. "According to this bank statement, it was printed...in June 2017!"
"June 24, 2017, to be exact," confirmed Ayaha, as Lloyd gasped. No one was sure why the gasp was even necessary. "Itsuki wanted me to look over the bank statement since Little Mac was using the money to purchase Gatorade chews..." Ayaha glared at Little Mac, who whistled innocently as he sneakily popped a Gatorade chew into his mouth. "When I saw the bank statement, what caught my attention were the propane tanks listed on the purchase list...the tanks were ordered on the 22nd, coincidentally a day before Mario's wedding."
"Okay Ayaha, we've heard enough - clearly everyone in Star Records plotted against Mario and Peach," said Jakob, feeling confident that the trial was over and the true culprits were sitting with the other residents. "Master Hand, shall we have all of them arrested?"
"Bruh I can't be arrested...I haven't even asked out Katt Monroe yet!" Falco angrily stood up, grabbing the attention of everyone. "Yeah, that's right, I love cats, ain't nothing wrong with that...if a fox like Tails can love a rabbit, then why not a bird and a cat?" So many things wrong with what Falco said...
"Um, who told you that you can run this trial?" Phoenix questioned Jakob, as Fox sat Falco back in his seat. "Since you want to be a jerk, I shall call another person to the witness stand...a person who Master Hand 'received' today..."
Phoenix grabbed a garbage bag from underneath the attorney desk, walked over to the witness stand, and opened the bag...releasing an Omochao. The robotic Chao would assume its position at the witness stand, as Sora felt something was familiar about this Omochao...
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Omochao, who according to Master Hand, was sent to this mansion, since it had Samus' name written on its backside," explained Phoenix, conforming that this Omochao was the very Omachao from episodes 83 and 85. "It was unresponsive, and it had to be turned back on. Now I must ask you, Omochao...what happened to you?"
"Glad you asked, Phoenix Wright!" replied Omochao, having scanned Phoenix's face to ensure that he was speaking with the real deal. "One day I was with Sora, in Mario's home, when Jakob answered the door. He answered the door, I asked him why he came...and then he threw me in a sack and threw me far, far away. A lot of grey area between what happened between then and now...though I do remember loud music and dancing ladies. And lots of smoke. Strange times..."
"That Omochao is obviously delusional, must be shut down immediately," said Jakob, feeling somewhat uneasy. "I'm pretty sure someone loved Metroid so much that they scribbled Samus' name on that dumb robot."
"Starting to look very weary Jakob, but this next witness will make you feel even more weary, I'm sure..." said Phoenix, letting the suspense and drama build up in the courtroom just a little. "I call next to the witness stand...Princess Peach!"
Peach, having her named called, would walk up to the witness stand, as Jakob looked on. What kind of testimony would Peach give?
Bowser: Lara Croft was a no-show during the trial...missed opportunity. But everyone knows playing hard to get only proves your love to someone.
"Princess Peach, you and Mario received a very threatening message on your home computer, from this very disc," said Phoenix, holding up the disc in question, provided to him by Master Hand. "Would you like to paraphrase what the message entailed?"
"Yes, I would love too - basically the message said that our time - me and Mario's time - was coming to an end soon, that our days were numbered, and that we had but a few days remaining until our deaths," explained Peach, recollecting what the message said.
"The disc also added a secret program to your computer, according to Master Hand - who supplied me with this flash drive." Phoenix held up the flash drive in question, the one Futaba used. "Do you know who the owner of the program was?"
"Yes I do, I found out the owner of the program through the programming prodigy named Futaba Sakura. And the owner of the program, which had the message...the name was Jakob."
For the previous two testimonies, Jakob would have something to say. But for Peach's testimony...the butler remained silent. And Xander took notice of this, too. He was the foreperson, after all.
"Ahaha...things are getting spicy up in here!" exclaimed Phoenix, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Next up to the witness stand...Dr. Neo Cortex!" Upon hearing his name called, Cortex would head over to the witness stand, standing proudly. "Dr. Cortex, when you were selected by Jakob to officiate that backyard football game a couple of weeks ago...did he tell you to manipulate the players and have them hurt themselves?"
"Jakob indeed told me that, and in retrospect, I kind of...regret it," answered Cortex, displaying some signs of "villain decay", as he would call it. "Though it was worth it seeing Crash hurt, not gonna lie." Some things will never change... "Sometime before the game, Jakob mentioned something to me about 'keeping the astute ones away'...whatever that meant." Astute ones like Link and the Flying Man, perhaps?
"Did Jakob ever tell you that after the game, he would throw you inside a garbage bin and leave you there indefinitely?" This brought back some bad memories for Cortex; Jakob remained at the accuser dock, still silent as ever.
"No he certainly didn't - he even called me 'expendable'! Only Uka is allowed to call me that!" Uka, in attendance, would confirm with a nod.
"Thank you for your testimony, Dr. Cortex, you may be seated." Cortex, like the other witnesses before him (save for Omochao) returned to his seat. "Got one more witness in mind, and this one folks, might break this entire case open...Nowi!"
Phoenix pointed at Nowi, in the jury box, and the half-Manekete was left wondering why she had to be a witness. But she had no other choice but to come down from the jury box and make her way over to the witness stand, to give her testimony.
"Just one question I have to ask you Nowi, and then you can return to the jury...who told you about Captain Falcon dancing at the club with Malva?" asked Phoenix, as Nowi started to tear up. Just thinking about Falcon made her all sad.
"The person...who told me...about Captain Falcon...at the club...with Malva..." sniffed Nowi, wiping away the tears from her face. "...was...was...it was..."
"STOP THE PRESSES RIGHT NOW, THIS TRIAL IS OVER!"
Zero said this, as he barged inside the courtroom, with X's laptop. The robot and Maya finally showed up, and Zero looked poised to end the trial for good.
Zero: Watched the rest of the security footage, and I've seen enough. I was shocked as ever...Maya herself wasn't shocked, but she felt shocked later on as we watched more footage. The answer was there, it was there all along...
"Does anyone have a projector screen, please tell me someone has a projector screen!" said Zero. Maya found a projector screen in the near corner of the courtroom, and wheeled it over to the judge bench, where everyone could see.
"Zero and I watched some footage from the Four Seasons hotel, and we feel that this footage might break this entire case wide open," said Maya, as Zero handed her the laptop. "Put the clips together and edited it for everyone to see." The assistant plugged up the laptop to the projector screen, and the security footage would appear on the screen. "Now watch, and learn..."
Maya would press the play button, playing the footage. It showed the hooded fellow and the Team Flare grunts assemble the propane tanks, and the group heading to the foyer where Kamek was, and the group exiting, and the hooded creature revealing his identity, and the unnamed person from earlier walking towards the group. Maya would pause the video when the person was in full focus, their face and entire body seen, and everyone was in shock as they saw who this person was.
"JAKOB?!" exclaimed Master Hand. Yes, it was indeed Jakob - black attire, white hair, ponytail, everything. Jakob, sitting in his seat, couldn't go anywhere - he could only remain in his seat, and take his L with dignity.
"Yes, that's him, he was the one who told me about Captain Falcon and Malva!" said Nowi, as she started sobbing. Caeda came down from the jury box, went over to console the sobbing Nowi, and brought her back to her seat. Was Captain Falcon an "astute" one?
"But wait, there's more!" said Zero the faux infomercial salesman, as he zoomed in on Jakob's hand, showing an item he had in his possession. "Does this card happen to belong to someone, anyone in particular?"
"Hey, that's my credit card - which is under Star Record's name!" Itsuki angrily stood up, pointing at the projector screen, as there was mumbling in the courtroom. "Jakob, you stole my credit card, didn't you?" The pressure was definitely on Jakob now.
"ORDER IN THE COURT!" ordered Akuma, hammering with his gavel as Pit raised his hand. "Pit, you're not in a restaurant, so you better put your hand back down. Jury, have you come to a decision yet, on the accused?"
The Fire Emblem jury, after soaking in everything they heard during the trial, privately discussed among themselves about their decision on Jakob, with Xander writing on a piece of paper. Once the jury was finished discussing, Xander, the foreperson, would address Akuma.
"Yes we have, Your Honor, we have come to a decision," said Xander, as he exited the jury box and handed the slip of paper. Akuma read the decision, nodding his head very thoughtfully.
"The jury has come to a decision," announced Akuma, as Jakob and everyone else looked on. "Jakob, by the jury, you have been found...GUILTY! Guilty of conspiring against Mario and Peach on their wedding day, and committing an act of terrorism at a hotel in Seattle, Washington!"
Jakob couldn't say anything...he just sank in his seat, discouraged by the decision. His bad dream was coming true, and there was no escape in sight.
Pit: Hahaha, take that Jakob! In your face!
Aku: Jakob will likely be gone from the mansion for good..sometimes you reap what you sow.
Diddy Kong: So Jakob was affiliated with Team Flare all along...can't wait for Team Flare to get their just desserts soon.
Wolf: With Jakob working with Team Flare, I wonder if he knew about Fawful's...revival.
Sonic: Who was that guy wearing the hood in the security footage? Think I'm supposed to know him...or her...or it.
Itsuki: Lesson learned: never leave your credit card on the Star Records desk. Bad enough Falco used my card as a butt scratcher...
Flora: Jakob got punished...I feel...happy, for some reason.
Kamui: I don't know how I should feel about Jakob...could you tell me how I'm supposed to feel?
Mewtwo: Did I know Jakob was guilty this whole time, as a psychic? I'm not telling you...
Layton: I should probably ask Knuckles to write a diss track, about Jakob...would be beneficial for my Soundcloud persona.
"Master Hand, would you like to decide Jakob's punishment?" Akuma asked the giant hand, who was a pro at dealing out punishments. The one he'll give to Jakob will be no different from the others he dished out. "Jakob will be banned indefinitely from the mansion for his actions, is that correct?"
"Yes, he will indeed be banned, forever...and then some," snarled Master Hand, as Jakob gulped in fear...
With the trial over, and Jakob dealt justice, everyone continued with the rest of their day. Zelda rushed to Link's room, where she saw the Hylian asleep in his bed, with Midna keeping him company.
"Link's been sleeping away like a baby, nothing I do can wake him up," said Midna, holding the Master Sword - makes you wonder what methods the imp used. "So where'd you go off to?"
"Had to attend some trial at the mansion - Jakob was convicted of that hotel attack, and isn't allowed to be in the mansion ever again," explained Zelda, taking a seat on Link's bed. "Master Hand informed us that today would be Jakob's last day at the mansion...and he wasn't lying!"
"It was Jakob all along, eh? Yeah, I personally never understood what Mario and Master Hand saw in him - always had this vibe about him that meant he was nothing but trouble. Good decision to boot him out for good."
Suddenly, Link woke up, grabbing Midna and Zelda's attention as he yawned. The Hylian was still dealing with his head injuries, but they were progressively getting better, as the days went on. Link was close to feeling great again.
"Sorry if I startled you ladies with my yawning - had a dream I beat up the biggest Bokoblin in existence," apologized Link, no doubt feeling proud of himself about some lousy fictional feat. "Anything interesting happened today?"
"Jakob was accused of the Four Seasons Hotel attack and has been banned from the mansion, just like Dr. Eggman," Zelda informed her boyfriend, whose eyes were as wide as the sun. Never did he suspect Jakob to be the culprit.
"Wow, so it was Jakob, all along...well I'd be. Anything else happen to him, anything at all?" Let's find out for ourselves...
"Wh-Where am I, why is it so dark in here?" asked a blindfolded Jakob, lying on the floor, sensing his hands tied behind his back. "Someone tell me where I am!"
"How about I show you, Jakob..." said a female voice, as a delicate hand untied the blindfold around Jakob's eyes. The butler would let out a sigh of relief, finally able to see again...
...as he was looking up at Caeda and the rest of the Fire Emblem twelve, with their weapons and all. Jakob found himself in the basement, with nowhere to go, as he was practically cornered. He might be banned, but for now, Jakob seriously had to pay the price.
"Jakob, if my father Garon was here, he would be greatly displeased with you..." said Xander, standing in front of Caeda and company. "I did not want to do this, but considering what you've put Mario, Nowi, Link, Cortex, and many others through...you deserve this." Xander and the others would near Jakob, who scooted away to the best of his ability.
"C'mon you guys, let's talk things out, I mean I can't be the ONLY person behind the hotel attack, there could be another person involved, you're acting like I deserve all the blame, and...CORRIN, KAMUI, HELP ME, PLEASE!"
Watching the senseless beating on Jakob from the basement door was Mario, Layton, and Luke. Mario had a smile on his face, glad that Jakob was receiving his comeuppance.
"Welp, all's well that ends well..." remarked Luke, watching the beating for a few more seconds before Mario closed the basement door. "The answer we were looking for was walking among us this whole time, who would've thought?"
"Yeah I should-a have never considered-a Jakob for the butler job, especially given-a his interactions with-a the others," said Mario, making note of how Jakob acted when he wasn't with Corrin and Kamui. "Might name-a Cilan as the mansion butler. So, Professor Layton and-a Luke, are-a you staying a bit-a longer?"
"While Jakob has been convicted, we still have yet to find out what he was working with Team Flare, and why the villainous group played a role in the hotel attack," replied Layton, wanting to find this out before he called off the investigation. "Also, that black creature in the security footage...need some information on him."
"Feel-a free to stay as long-a as you need-a to. Take your-a time and don't-a rush one bit!"
Today was a very noteworthy day, with Jakob accused of plotting the hotel attack and gone from the mansion forever. But there were still more answers out there...
Layton: Jakob has been accused, and now he's paid his price and is out of the mansion for good. Now Luke and I just have to focus on Team Flare and Fawful, find out what they're up to and find out their motivations...
A Team Flare grunt huffed and puffed, as they ran a short distance from the mansion. He would soon come across a very tall man, with orange hair and black attire.
"Sir, our ally, Jakob, has been exposed, and has been beat up pretty badly," the grunt would explain to the tall man, huncheG over as he caught his breath. "Don't think he'll be any useful for us with his injuries..."
"Well, he had a good run at the mansion, wish his stay could've lasted a bit longer," said the tall man, stroking his orange beard. "His 'negotiations' were able to extend his longevity at the mansion, and he put them to good use. But Jakob has proven his usefulness to us, and now we must move on. I'll inform all the members tomorrow what's next on our game plan. Now do me a favor and get me a drink, my mouth's feeling dry. And don't even bother getting me lemonade...unless it's strawberry lemonade. Or pink lemonade. Whichever one will do. Just don't get me the regular kind, it's too bland for me."
"Pink lemonade or strawberry lemonade, got it. Promise you I won't let you down, Lysandre!"
Yes, the tall man the grunt was speaking with was Lysandre, the leader of Team Flare, in Seattle for the first time. As the Team Flare grunt went to go purchase a drink for Lysandre, the Team Flare boss stoically stood by himself, looking straight at the Smash Mansion.
"Jakob may be out of the equation, but the plan still stay on course," said Lysandre, as an evil grin formed on his face. "I'm sure our evil genius and his right-hand man won't mind the loss..."
An "evil genius and his right-hand man"...just who could it be?
