A/N: So, does everyone remember how the trial of Great Ace Attorney 1-5 dragged on and on at the end? Well, having the post-breakdown confession being 5.5K words has now given me an idea of what it's like to write that. But I can say for a fact that the verdict gets passed down by the end of this. Enjoy, my readers!

A bailiff searched Edgeworth, finding a letter in one of his coat pockets. The envelope was stained in chocolate and blood, bearing the seal of the prosecutor's office.

That envelope was delivered to the Judge, who opened in and took out the pages inside. "I shall now read this letter out loud to the court."

Clearing his throat, the Judge began: "To Detective Tony Smokes. You are suspected of various crimes, which include obstruction of justice, concealment of evidence, and even incitement of murder. And it is believed that you committed all these crimes in order to protect Diana Newman, and her own crimes. Crimes which include fleeing from prosecution, concealment of evidence, and falsifying evidence."

"Let me make this situation clear: all of your actions are futile. You will be arrested for your crimes, as well Mrs. Newman. I will take the case file you're so desperate to hide. There is nothing you can do to stop this."

"What you can do is face justice. Turn yourself in, return the case file, and confess to all your crimes. That way, you will still be remembered as a detective that values the legal system over a criminal, even if said criminal is a friend. You must understand that no matter how much you try to hide the truth, it will come to light."

"I will be visiting your manor soon, to hear your decision. If even after being made aware of these facts you continue to resist, I will begin to clear away your lies one by one. Beginning with the lie that you're using to cover for that maid of yours. May you see reason, and do the right thing."

"Signed, Miles Edgeworth."

The Judge finished the letter, and seemed to be deep in thought, a sentiment shared by the rest of the people in the court.

"I knew that the Chief Prosecutor is infamous for his ruthlessness, but it's another thing to hear it for yourself," Hugh said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I would not want to be a defense attorney facing him."

"I can see why Detective Smokes would feel cornered, receiving a letter like this. But I only wish we could have heard what he was feeling in his own words," Juniper said softly. "I suppose that's impossible now…"

"Pardon the interruption, defense, but there is something I'm confused about," The Judge said. "There is a second page to this letter, but it has entirely different handwriting to the first page. It is also signed by the victim. Why was it in the same envelope?"

"I believe that is the victim's suicide note," Ema said, still looking guilty. "As for why it was in the same envelope, I can only theorize it was so it could be found at the same time as the letter from Mr. Edgeworth."

"Then I will read it out loud as well." The Judge cleared his throat as well, and resumed reading: "Dear Miles Edgeworth. You claim that there is nothing I can do to escape. You are one of the most skilled prosecutors our legal system has ever had, but in matters outside of that, you are astoundingly narrow-minded."

"You think that I will stop protecting Diana because you're threatening me with the law? You think that I will let you hold Bailey's career hostage? You truly don't understand people. By the time you read this letter, Diana and her family will be halfway back to Khura'in. And the leverage you're hoping to use against Bailey will also be gone."

"If you hope to bring me in to interrogate me for information, that will also be a pointless course of action. Even as a failure, there is still something I can do- make sure that your aims will be forever out of your reach. I will take my information with me to the grave, and there is nothing you can do about that."

"I wish I could have solved that case, all those years ago. Then you wouldn't have been in a position to threaten us like you have. However, this should bring an end to everything."

"Signed, Detective Tony Smokes."

Another silence followed when the Judge finished speaking, but one that seemed significantly more frigid, all eyes on Miles Edgeworth.

"Mrs. Newman was correct, then. The reason you hid this letter is because it's conclusive proof that you are responsible for Detective Smokes' death," Juniper said, feeling sick to her stomach. "What do you have to say for yourself, Miles Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth crossed his arms, his expression defiant. "Let me ask you something, Miss Woods. By sending that letter, what law did I break?"

"I beg your pardon?" Juniper asked, unsure of where Edgeworth was going.

"As a lawyer, you should know what the laws are. 'Driving someone to suicide' is not a crime," Edgeworth explained, as if it were self-evident. "Because ultimately, a person chooses to commit such an act on their own. So Mrs. Newman dragging this out in a public venue is nothing but sensationalism."

The words clearly made Mrs. Newman furious, as she clenched her fists. Yet it was with a quiet voice that she said, "Then pray tell, why do you think that Tony took his own life, if you're claiming that you have nothing to do with it?"

"It seems that Detective Smokes was a coward. That day, I arrived at the manor with Prosecutor Gavin to try to take the case file. It seems that by pure coincidence, the letter I sent to him arrived that same day," Edgeworth said. "But the effect was the same- to show Detective Smokes that facing justice was the correct course of action. When we spoke face to face that day…"

"I don't imagine the Chief Prosecutor visits a detective's house often," Tony Smokes said. "Do I get Bailey to bring food for us?"

"That will not be necessary," Edgeworth said in a flat tone. "You have likely received my letter by now. I am here to process your arrest when you decide to turn yourself in, with Prosecutor Gavin here as my witness."

"Greetings, Herr Smokes. I wish we could have met under happier circumstances," Klavier said lightly. "But this doesn't have to be difficult. Come along quietly and we can chat leisurely for as long as we need, ja?"

"I do not believe I've received any such letter yet, but I can always check the mail," Tony said. "But will you stick around? I don't wish to be rude and let my guests leave without treating them."

"Go through whatever motions you want. We definitely don't plan on leaving," Edgeworth said impatiently. "Because I cannot allow you to slip away after all the months I spent investigating you."

"You're determined to do what you believe is right. Well, so am I." Tony said. He patted his belly. "I have many regrets in the course of my career, with the chief among them being my inability to solve the case of what happened to Diana. But in the name of protecting all that I hold dear, I don't regret anything."

"After that, Detective Smokes left to check the mail. I was hoping the letter would finally convince him to see sense." Edgeworth smacked his right palm on the witness bench. "But instead, the detective chose to run away! He couldn't face his crimes, and instead threw away his life to delay the inevitable. His crimes and Mrs. Newman's crimes were exposed, and this fantasy of me being 'the true killer' is only that."

"Then that's your argument. That there's 'no law' that can convict you," Mrs. Newman said, still trying to restrain her anger. "Tony was right. You are truly narrow minded. You do not comprehend that there is more than one kind of court."

"I don't know what sort of court you are imagining, but it's not one that can enforce the laws," Edgeworth said, crossing his arms.

Juniper felt the air around her grow progressively more cold, and she saw that it was from the audience, all glaring down at Edgeworth. This is the other kind of court that Mrs. Newman meant. The court of public opinion.

The Judge smacked his gavel on the bench. "I still have several questions about the victim's suicide letter. Since Tony Smokes cannot testify, I will have to ask you to clear this up, Mrs. Newman."

"If you want the full story of how this happened, I will have to begin with the case that's been the center of this trial: about my fall from the prosecutor's office," Mrs. Newman said. "I've known the whole time who sabotaged me. But I could never prove it."

"If you knew the whole time, then when did you learn this?" Juniper asked.

"It was after the newspaper article seen in the case file was published. I went to Edgeworth's office to ask about his statement…"

"As told you, my fine prosecutator, the witness recanted their testimony after talking with you. Now they are withdrawing their slandeferous account against me."

"So they are, Redd White. It appears that Mrs. Newman's case had no basis to it after all."

"I am sure that a prestitagious man such as yourself will be able to solve this case properly. Now, I wish to chatify more, but I am a busy man, so I will be taking my departure."

Mrs. Newman hid behind the door, which opened and let Redd White exit. After making sure he was out of sight, she entered the office to confront Edgeworth.

"So it was you. You tampered with my witness!"

"You know, it's rude to eavesdrop on another person's conversation," Edgeworth said with an annoyed tone.

"Don't dodge the question! Why did you interfere with my prosecution of that business man?" Mrs. Newman asked aggressively.

"It seems that the head of the P.I.C did not have faith in your abilities," Edgeworth said, shrugging his shoulders with a smug smile on his face. "I interrogated the witness, and they corrected the erroneous parts of their account."

"But the witness didn't change their tune until the last day of the trial…" The pieces fell into place for Diana. "You did this behind my back. This must have been a deal you struck with the P.I.C. ahead of time."

"Listen to yourself. You're speaking nonsense," Edgeworth said in a condescending tone. "But then, I suppose a hysterical woman like you could never amount to much in the first place."

"You think you can get away with this? All this will take is for me to report this to-!" It was only then that Diana realized the true nature of this trap she was in.

"You could report this to the prosecutorial investigation committee. But would they really believe a mediocre prosecutor like you, who bungled such a high profile case?" Edgeworth shook his head again. "No, you have to face your own failings, Prosecutor Newman. Contemplate on how this reflects badly on your career, if you have a career left."

"I would like to say something at this point," Edgeworth spoke up. "I truly did not strike a deal with the chairman of the P.I.C. During my investigations into his corrupt dealings, I discovered that Blaise Debeste had connections with Redd White. It seemed they arranged to have you removed from the case, because you were getting too close to their dealings."

"And they needed a more obedient prosecutor to take my place. This seems to happen a lot in your earlier career," Mrs. Newman said. "Damon Gant put you on the SL-9 incident to convict the defendant of a murder he didn't commit. Red White had you intimidate my witness so he could get a Not Guilty verdict for his crimes."

"If I remember correctly, Redd White would continue to manipulate the police and the legal system until Phoenix Wright put a stop to him a few years later," Hugh said thoughtfully. "That is also the first trial that Prosecutor Edgeworth ever lost."

For the first time, Edgeworth looked troubled, gripping his arm. "There is a lot about my early career that I am not proud of."

"So that is the truth behind the case that is described in the file," The Judge said. "But how did this lead to Tony Smokes taking his own life to keep the case file away from Prosecutor Edgeworth?"

"It's a long story, so I'll do my best to give a summarized version. In the aftermath of Redd White being found Not Guilty, I truly believed I would be stripped of my badge," Mrs. Newman explained. "Yet the Chief Prosecutor at the time had empathy for me, and allowed me to keep my job."

This seemed to spark a realization in Ema, because she gasped. "But the Chief Prosecutor at the time was my sister!"

"Yes, Lana Skye. She knew that I used my job to support my husband and daughter," Mrs. Newman said, a bittersweet smile on her face. "So she vouched for me, told me to keep my head down and she would keep paying me. It was a policy that stayed place even after Lana was forced to resign her position, even if it meant I got paid less because I wasn't being given many cases."

At the witness stand, Mr. Newman grimaced. "I did my best to take on more jobs to support my family during these lean times. But Diana told me not to overwork myself."

"So that's how you kept your position. But I still don't see the connection to how this incident came to be," Juniper said. "There's no need to hide anything, Mrs. Newman."

"Believe me, I'm not hiding anything. As I told you, it's a long story." Mrs. Newman put her hands to her chest. "For many years after that, life continued on as normal. However, there was one thing that had me worried more than anything- how my daughter wanted to follow in my footsteps, and become a prosecutor."

At the witness stand, Robin's eyes grew wide with shock. "I truly did want to be a prosecutor, a long time ago! But that was before you changed. Before you started to force me to live as a boy!"

"I still remembered those words that Edgeworth told me. That no one would believe 'a hysterical woman'. I was afraid that you would fall to the same fate, Robin- having your career destroyed because the powers that be cannot abide by female prosecutors," Mrs. Newman said, looking stricken. "I could not think of any other way of handling it besides shaping you into the kind of prosecutor they would accept, for the sake of your dream."

"Yet, you never realized that your actions were poisoning my dream!" Robin cried out, shaking her fists. "The more you forced me to be the prosecutor you wanted me to be, the more I wanted to escape it all!"

"Did you ever get any proof that Robin being a girl had a negative effect on her career?" Juniper asked, wanting to learn all the details of how it all happened.

"As much as you might want to believe I don't, sadly I do. Let me ask you a question: how do you think that Conan Ratters learn about Robin?"

Juniper stopped to consider that question. That had been the beginning of all of this, Conan Ratters contacting Myriam with information about Robin. Yet the man had died before he could say anything. "I don't know how he learned about it, but I see that you clearly do."

Mrs. Newman opened a manila folder in front of herself, reading the paper inside. "I learned that shortly after Robin got her badge, Conan Ratters began to keep an eye on her, and he refused to divulge his client. That is when I decided to take my entire family and relocate to Khura'in, where no one would be able to find us."

"But even that only worked for so long. Mr. Ratters continued to cooperate with the police to find Robin Newman," Edgeworth said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "He learned that you left with the case file to Khura'in. That is why you had him silenced, isn't it?"

Mrs. Newman's expression grew guilty. "I was telling the truth earlier- he wasn't meant to die. Tony let me know that Conan Ratters was getting too close, and asked me what should be done about him. I told Tony to have him arrested and jailed, but it looks like Tony's way of doing this resulted in a murder instead."

Mrs. Newman slammed her hands on her bench. "But that wouldn't have happened if you had just left me and my family alone, Edgeworth! I had taken the case file as a security measure, in case you really did chase me all the way to Khura'in. But you should have just left us alone!"

"I could not afford to do that, not while I did not know your intentions for the case file. Only recently did the public begin to gain faith in the legal system again," Edgeworth said, glaring at Mrs. Newman. "I could not afford for you to wreck all that I've built up in my time as Chief Prosecutor."

"Pardon me for speaking up! But I have something to say about that!" Robin shouted. "During two of the cases that I've handled as a prosecutor, I saw serious problems with the Prosecutor's Office!"

"Yes, and those problems are further proof of why I had to do everything that I did," Mrs. Newman said. "Take the case of Andres Artisan. You refused to convict an innocent person of murder because they were grieving the death of their best friend, and the Chief Prosecutor responded to this by planting a mole in your midst to direct the case the way he wanted it done."

Ema scratched her neck with a guilty look on her face, but Edgeworth stood his ground. "Miss Robin Newman could not provide proof of the defendant's innocence. Emotions are not valid proof, which she seemed to believe."

"But how could Robin have found proof when you forbade her from investigating the contest happening in the nearby conventional hall?" Juniper asked. "Especially given that you issued this mandate after being misled by one of the judges of the contest?"

"As the prosecutor of the case, it was Miss Newman's responsibility to find the evidence, and preserve it for trial." Edgeworth slammed his hand on the witness bench. "And yet, Detective Smokes tampered with the crime scene to get the defendant found guilty. That is a true crime."

"Tony only did that because he saw that you were rigging the case," Mrs. Newman countered. "He did that so that Robin wouldn't get in trouble for failing to prosecute the defendant."

"That's why he did that?" For a moment, several conflicted feelings crossed Robin's face. Then she continued talking: "The second case was the trial of Carnila Winters. She was found guilty of the murder she committed. But a big reason she committed murder is because she felt that the prosecutor's office had failed her! No one answered her pleas for the longest time!"

"Unfortunately, there remains a lack of capable prosecutors at the office. It has created no end of backlogged cases," Edgeworth said, looking deeply tired. "Besides which, I sent you, Miss Newman. But you allowed the defendant to smear the honor of the prosecutor's office!"

"But have you considered why there continues to be a lack of prosecutors? Because I have heard more than a few explanations," Mrs. Newman said. "Such as the fact that not many people want to apply, and those that do are put through such rigorous inspection that no one passes."

"With the legal system in such a fragile state, I cannot afford to hire anyone that cannot bear the title of prosecutor," Edgeworth said, his eyes narrowing. "Robin Newman proved that she was incapable, so I fired her. That is all there is to it."

"It's not that my daughter isn't a capable prosecutor!" Mrs. Newman snapped. "It's that she didn't fit your narrow definition of what one should be!"

The Judge smacked his gavel on his bench. "Settle down, both of you."

"My apologies, Your Honor. My explanation is almost done," Mrs. Newman said, consulting her paperwork again. "After Robin got fired, I also learned that Edgeworth was closing in on both me and Tony. The Chief Prosecutor was truly pulling out all the stops. Do you see the part of the letter that refers to Bailey?"

"It says something about there being a lie that is covering for her," Juniper said, trying to think what that could mean. "What part of her life as a maid does it refer to?"

"It doesn't refer to Bailey's role as a maid, even if the letter misdirects you in that regard. It refers to her jobs as a bailiff," Mrs. Newman said. "Because Tony forged the paperwork to make sure Bailey got a job there."

Bailey gasped in surprise. "What?! But that was before I met Mr. Smokes. Why would he do that for me?"

"It was at my request. It seemed enormously unfair that your application was previously rejected because of some bureaucratic red tape," Mrs. Newman explained. "So I arranged to have that red tape cut."

"Ah, so that explains all the oddities that I found when investigating Bailey!" Myriam exclaimed. "It all makes sense!"

Juniper recalled all the Myriam had told her over the past few months. That there was no one at the police department named Bailey. That the gender on her paperwork was wrong. It's the contradictions left behind by Detective Smokes tampering.

"Lies like that would have never stood up to scrutiny. If you truly wanted Bailey to have a career, you would have done it the correct, legal way," Edgeworth said, tutting under his breath. "Instead of finding ways to subvert the law."

"Yet that didn't stop you from holding Bailey's career over our head as a guillotine," Mrs. Newman said, giving Edgeworth a nasty glare. "With so many threats to deal with, I discussed with Tony the next course of action. We decided to flee back to Khura'in. And on the day that it was supposed to happen, you showed up, Junie."

Juniper focused her full attention on Mrs. Newman. "And yet what ended up happening instead is that Tony Smokes took his own life. What I want to know is why you chose to turn it into a fake murder and brought it to trial."

"Shortly after Tony got the mail, he texted me to come to his room. I used the secret tunnel to avoid anyone seeing me. Once I was there, he told me…"

"Looks like we've run out of options, Diana. All except one," Tony said in a serious tone. "And that's for you to take your family and return to Khura'in. As long as you have the former queen on your side, you should be untouchable there. And since Bailey never did anything wrong herself, Edgeworth can't use the forged paperwork against her."

"But it's clear that the Chief Prosecutor does not plan on giving up. Why don't you come with us?" Mrs. Newman asked in a worried tone. "We can all be safe that way."

"If we all vanished at once, it would be far too suspicious. We'd get caught before we got anywhere," Tony said, nervously adjusting his red tie. "No, I will stay in this manor and keep the Chief Prosecutor busy, so you have time to get away."

"I don't like it, but I suppose there is no other choice," Mrs. Newman admitted. "But make sure that you follow us soon!"

Tony didn't respond to this right away, deep in thought. "I regret that I could never solve the case of what happened to you. However, with this I can finally atone."

"Initially, I did intend to leave. However, I heard a bell in Bailey's room ring. Then I remembered the last words that Tony spoke to me, and I felt a pit in my stomach." Mrs. Newman clenched her fists. "I went back to his room, but it was already too late."

Hearing this, Juniper realized something else, and she gasped out loud. "Does that mean that you put together this whole elaborate plan on the spot?"

"Right away, I knew that if Tony's body was discovered as is, the truth would be buried. The official story would have been that Tony killed himself out of guilt for his crimes. You heard the Chief Prosecutor earlier- he doesn't consider driving Tony to suicide a crime. He would have walked away without a shred of guilt." Mrs. Newman slammed her fists onto her bench. "Tell me, does that seem like justice to you?!"

"...No, that is not justice. It's enormously unfair." Juniper pointed at Mrs. Newman. "But it's still wrong that you filed false charges against Bailey to do this!"

"It had to be done for this plan to work. It was the best way for me to get access to things that only Bailey could have accessed," Mrs. Newman said, looking regretful about this. "Like the manor keys, and therefore access to the trash room."

"You believed that the ends justify the means. Yet you know full well that my mother would never abide by that," Bailey pointed out. "She would have wanted you to do things right."

"And how do you suggest I could have done this right? The legal system as it currently is would not have been able to do anything," Mrs. Newman countered. "This was all I could do."

"Yet your plan almost failed. Mr. Edgeworth helped expose you as the one that stabbed the victim's body," Hugh said. "If not for Juniper intervening, then the trial would have ended then and there."

"That is the one thing that I could not have predicted. I did not expect for Junie to turn down a Not Guilty verdict," Mrs. Newman admitted. "Why did you do that, Juniper?"

What was I thinking at the time? I think what made me begin down that path was… "It was this." Juniper took out the torn photo that showed Mrs. Newman as a Themis student. "I found this is your office, which used to belong to Professor Courte."

"Yes, I knew that picture was there. I could never bring myself to remove it from the wall. But what does that have to do with anything?" Mrs. Newman asked.

"When Professor Courte was being channeled, she gave me a mission- to close this case with my own two hands, and show you that the ends don't justify the means," Juniper said. "Because Constance never stopped believing in you.'"

Mrs. Newman's expression filled with shock. "What do you mean by that?"

"She told me that there was a true killer in this case. I hadn't believed it until she told me," Juniper said. "I think she knew that exposing the true killer would be the best chance to save you, so you wouldn't commit more crimes."

With a trembling hand, Mrs. Newman dug around her suit jacket, taking out a torn photo. The photo showed what appeared to be a younger Constance Courte, dressed in the Judge student uniform. "You mean Constance was looking into my case, even up until the day of her death?"

"Yes, Professor Courte never stopped trying to find the truth, through fair and honest means. Which is why… I knew I couldn't stop until I found the truth in her stead," Juniper said. "And show you that justice can still be delivered, the right way."

As Mrs. Newman looked at the picture of Constance Courte, tears welled in her eyes and she smiled. "Constance must be so proud of you, Juniper."

"I do not believe I will ever see the likes of this trial again," The Judge said solemnly. "Mrs. Newman, you have many crimes to answer for, such as filing a false charge against the defendant and stabbing the victim's body. Mr. Newman, you will have to be arrested for being an accomplice."

"I understand, Your Honor. I knew that once I took this path, there was only one way it could end," Mrs. Newman said. "I choose to walk down it regardless."

"It pains us that we'll have to leave you now, Robin," Mr. Newman said. "But you've grown so much. I'm sure that you'll be able to stand on your own."

"Mom! Dad! I'm… I'm going to stick to who I am, no matter what!" Robin declared at the top of her lungs.

The Judge turned his attention to Edgeworth and Ema next. "It pains me to say this, Edgeworth. But withholding the letter from the court is a crime. You and Detective Skye will have to be brought in for questioning for that, as a formality."

"After Miss Woods turned away an easy Not Guilty verdict, I had a feeling it would turn out like this," Ema said softly. "Defense attorneys can be so annoyingly persistent… but that's also why they can save people. Just like how a defense attorney once saved my sister… and me."

Edgeworth's face was stony as he turned towards Juniper. "You've just undone all my hard work in redeeming the legal system in the eyes of the public. I hope you are happy with yourself, Miss Woods."

"I only did what I thought was right," Juniper said, meeting Edgeworth's cold gaze. "I'm sorry that our views on that seem to differ."

"Seeing one of our most veteran prosecutors trading arguments with an attorney on their third case… the legal system is made up of many opposing viewpoints, and there is no singular correct way of doing things." The Judge said. "Even for as long as I have been on the bench, I have not seen this ever be resolved. I suppose because the legal system is made up of every person that works in it."

Laws are how we keep order. But if there aren't people to uphold the laws, and make sure they are fair, then the legal system means nothing. Juniper considered the Judge's words. It's too large for a single person to address. Maybe that's why… this case turned out like it did.

"However, what I can do now is bring an end to this trial. I would like all witnesses to leave the stand, so that I may pass my verdict." On the Judge's command, everyone cleared out from the witness stand, leaving only Bailey.

"At the beginning of this trial, I did not imagine that you were so closely tied in with such a complicated series of events," The Judge said. "And yet you bore them all graciously."

"I am but a supporting player in the grand scheme of things. It is Juniper that has earned her place as the lead." Bailey said. "I look forward to seeing where her path takes her."

"As am I. The day when Miss Woods ascends to the bench as a Judge cannot come soon enough. Until then, however, I will watch over her as she gains experience in the courts," The Judge continued. "And I will bring a close to her most remarkable case yet. This court finds the defendant, Bailey Courte…"

NOT GUILTY

Juniper felt herself relax as she was awash in the cheers of the audience, and the usual rain of confetti fell from the sky. Bailey had a small, genuine smile on her face, and at the prosecutor's bench Mrs. Newman looked as if she was finally at peace.

The Judge raised his gavel high. "Court is adjourned." Then he brought the gavel down, the sound of the resulting impact echoing across the courtroom.

A/N: The last chapter of the main narrative is next. The aftermath of this trial will be discussed, and where all the characters will go from here. Everyone, warm your voices for the closing Objection of this long running narrative. See you next time! Please review.