Time for the first trial, let's see how it goes with Round 2 against Courtney.
Diclaimer: I own nothing in this.
DM77's Ace Attorney Justice for All Chapter 18
A Puppet Witness
December 29, 9:43 AM, District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 5
J and Jaden were in the defendant lobby waiting for the trial to be ready to begin. With them was Trixie who was sweating nervous of the day.
"Trixie?" Jaden said concerned.
"Mil…Milk…" Trixie said nervous.
"What?" Jaden said surprised.
"If I don't have a glass of milk before I go on stage…I just can't function dear." Trixie said gulping nervous.
"St-Stage?" Jaden asked confused a bit but smiles and said "Don't worry…There won't be a stage. All you have to do is sit down."
"I guess…" Trixie said nodding a bit.
"J. Trixie is really nervous." Jaden said to J who was looking over the files she has on the case.
"That's understandable." J said nodding.
"Hey! My sweeities!" Trixie said to the two of them.
"W-What?!" J said surprised.
"You don't think I should fly, do you?" Trixie asked posing dramatically.
"Huh?" J said confused.
"You know…You've got to make a good first impression!" Trixie said smiling. "When I enter the room, maybe I should fly in and warm up the crowd a little…"
"No, no, no, no, no…" J said seeing that as a bad idea. "We can't have you flying around the courtroom… It just wouldn't be right. Imagine if you hit someone!"
"Don't worry Trixie…Just do what J says and everything will be okay." Jaden tells her smiling
"Oh sweetie!" Trixie said sweating again.
"What is it this time, Trixie?" J asked her.
Trixie smiles and poses dramatically and said "Why don't you try flying into the courtroom?" J looks at her deadpan "I can see it now…The dashing and beautiful young lawyer drone flying fabulously in from above! One glimpse of that, and everyone in the room will be on your side!"
"Trixie…Really…No one needs to fly today." Jaden tells her. He then sees a look on J's face and said concerned "…J? What's with that look in your LED eyes?"
'I like the sound of that… 'Dashing and beautiful young lawyer drone flying fabulously…' J thinks wondering why she never thought to do that.
Soon it was time to head in.
December 29, 10:00 AM, District Court, Courtroom No. 2
Soon everyone was gathered in the room, J and Jaden stood together on the defence bench and across from them stood Courtney with her Camerupt.
Maccadam bangs his gavel to silence everyone and began saying "And now the case of one….." He stopped seeing J and Courtney giving intense stares at each other and is then whipped by Courtney "What?!"
"Your Honor! Get on with it!" Courtney told him.
"Oh….Sorry…I just trying to figure out how state for the defendant just Trixie Lulamoon or add the great and powerful as well?" Maccadam admits.
"So…." J said to him.
"Well should I use her full stage name or just Trixie Lulamoon?" Maccadam asked.
"I see, Your Honor, quite the conundrum." J said sweatdropping.
"You know, my grandchild is a huge fan of hers" Maccadam admits. "I think everyone here wouldn't mind if we just called the defendant Trixie Lulamoon…" He bangs his gavel "It sounds more…Friendly."
'Hmm…I wonder if that is to our advantage?' J thinks concerned.
"Miss. Wittebane. Your opening statement, if you please." Maccadam said nodding.
Courtney folds her arms and said "…I hope you didn't bother thinking you'd win this one Miss. Serial Designation J."
"Eh?" J said looking at her confused.
"That spirit channelling trial was a sham! I refuse to acknowledge its legitimacy!" Courtney said smirking and whips her bench and readies it "It did not count! Do you hear me?!"
'She must still be upset about what happened last time…' J thinks sweat dropping and winces she was still hurting after that intense whipping from that case.
"You have no chance. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I'm not losing this case!" Courtney tells her. "Why, you ask? Because it is not in the nature of a Wittebane to lose at anything!"
"I guess being born with the name Wittebane is a free pass to be arrogant and annoying." Jaden said sighing.
"Watch and learn, Miss. Serial Designation J!" Courtney said firmly "I'll show you the textbook procedure for proving how absolutely guilty you are!"
"M-M-M-ME?!...Guilty?!" J said sweating and confused she is then whipped "What are you talking about?!"
"…It will be my ultimate revenge…" Courtney told her whip at the ready.
"But it's not like it'll bring her dad back…" Jaden said thinking.
"There. Opening statement complete. Now, let's hurry and wrap up this waste of time." Courtney said arms folded.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Very well. You may call your first witness Miss. Wittebane."
"Detective Serial Designation N! Get up there! NOW!" Courtney said firmly.
N immediately takes the stand and Courtney said to him "Sorry to keep you from work, as I'm sure you need every penny you can earn, Detective."
"Don't mention it! It's no trouble at all! I've been looking forward to this." N said at attention.
"Very well." Courtney said nodding "I would like you to begin by shedding light on the events in question."
"At your service, sir." N said nodding
"Alright, Detective. You may proceed with your testimony." Maccadam said nodding.
N begin his testimony on the 'Details of the Events' saying "The night of the crime, snow was falling until 9:40 PM, making it extremely cold out." On the screens he shows the Circus map and points to the Big Top "All of the circus performers were gathered in the Big Top to practice their routines. The practice session broke up around 10 PM."
N then points to the Lodging House area and said "The murder itself took place in the plaza in front of the lodging house at 10:15 PM." He then shows the image of how the victim was found "The victim was found bent over a wooden box dead as a doornail. The cause of death was blunt force trauma that snapped a vertebrae in his neck."
When he was done Maccadam thinks and said "I see…He was beaten to death."
"Here is the autopsy report for the victim." N said showing the envelope with the report in it.
"The court accepts this into evidence." Maccadam said nodding and Harvey's Autopsy Report was added to everyone's Court Record. He reads it and says "A blunt object…Hmm…Very well…Miss. J, you may begin your cross-examination."
"Yes, Your Honor." J said with a nod. She presses the first statement about the weather conditions saying "Hold it! Let me ask you about the snow…"
"It was nearly a blizzard up until the time of the crime." N tells her.
"Did it pile up?" J asks.
"It wasn't such a big deal…Maybe about an inch and a half was on the ground." N said thinking on it smiling "The snow froze in place and stayed on the ground until the next day."
'Hmm…The snow…Let me see…There's got to be more to this…' J thinks about it.
"Eh? What's the matter? J?" Jaden asked looking at her.
"I need to take a look at the Court Record…" J admits and continues with pressing the second statement about the performers were at the Big Top saying "Hold it! When you say 'all of the circus performers'…Who do you mean?"
"Everyone but the dancers and staff were there." N tells her. "Fubuki the animal tamer, Krusty the clown, Whisk the ventriloquist…And of course the defendant, Trixie Lulamoon, and her victim, the Ringmaster. Oh, I almost forgot….Raja the tiger was there as well."
"Out of curiosity, what about the circus monkey?" J asked him.
"When I was investigating yesterday, he happened to snatch my wristwatch." N said looking down.
"Detective, you are welcome to file a police report AFTER these proceedings!" Maccadam tells N.
J nods and presses the third statement about when practice ended saying "Hold it! After the practice was over, where did everyone head off to…?"
"Fubuki was playing with Raja, while Krusty went back to his room tired from work…" N said recalling his notes "Whisk the ventriloquist went to the front gate absorbed in her own world…The Ringmaster and Trixie went off to the Ringmaster's room to talk privately."
"Talk privately, huh? That's awfully suspicious…" Maccadam points out. "You wouldn't happen to know what they were talking about would you?"
"It seems they were negotiating Trixie's salary…." N said thinking.
'Actually, Trixie was asking for Fubuki's hand in marriage!' J thinks sweat dropping. She then presses the fourth statement about when the murder took place saying "Hold it! I'd like you to be a bit more specific about the events at 10:15 PM."
"Uh….Umm…Okay….Not a problem, buddy." N said smiling. "We've got a witness that told us how the whole thing went down." He is then instantly whipped "OWWW!"
"This is totally meaningless. Time to move on!" Courtney states.
"Hmmm…Alright…We'll just have to revisit that testimony later." Maccadam said to that.
J then presses the fifth statement about the victim found bent over a box saying "Hold it! A 'wooden box'?"
"That's right." N said smiling and added "The victim must have been carrying the wooden box when he was killed."
"Carrying the box, huh?" Maccadam asked.
"It was a rather strange wooden boxy, Your Honor." N said thinking.
"What do you mean?" Maccadam asked.
"Well…It was much heavier than it looked…Not to mention it was locked." N said looking down.
"Locked you say?" Maccadam said surprised as Wooden Box was added to the Court Record
'This may be my only chance, so I might as well ask some questions…' J thinks and curious on the contents asked "Do you mind telling us what was inside that box?"
"Well, when we found the box, it was locked tighter than Fort Knox." N explains "So we took it back to the station and cracked it open. All that was inside was this little bottle…" He holds up a bottle with a red top.
"Bottle? What is that, Detective?" Maccadam asked surprised.
"Exactly what it looks like Your Honor. It's a condiment bottle." N said chuckling.
"What's inside the bottle?" J asked.
"It's filled with…pepper." N tells her and the court
"Pepper…? Why in the world was it locked in that big box?" Maccadam asked confused.
'There was only one little bottle in that huge box…?' J thinks to herself.
"I wonder if that has some sort of special meaning?" Jaden said thinking. Small Seasoning Bottle was added to the Court Record.
J presses the last statement about the cause of death saying "Hold it! According to the Autopsy Report, the murder weapon was a blunt object, correct?"
"You've done your homework, buddy." N said to that.
"And you haven't found this murder weapon, have you?" J asked.
"The police troopers are searching for it as we speak." Courtney tells J and the court.
"My theory is that it is something the perpetrator ran off with." N said thinking.
"You would think so…Especially since you didn't find it on the scene." Maccadam said agreeing that theory is the most likely one for the Murder Weapon.
"No, no, no…I bet she made it disappear with magice…Ha, ha, ha!" N laughs smiling.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Well, I think we have a good feel for the details of the event now."
'I guess that's all we're going to get out of N in this case…' J whispers to herself and Jaden.
"You mean all we're gonna get out of him is that little bottle of pepper?" Jaden asked in shock.
"Now that we have wrapped up with the Detective, I'd like to call my next witness." Courtney said arms folded.
"Eh? I'm not even off the stand yet!" N asked surprised.
"Obviously…But that's due to being slow and unable to take a hint!" Courtney said showing her whip.
"I don't know, but 'wrapped up' has such a mean sound to it…I'm a sensitive drone…" N said sadly.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Thank you very much, Detective N. You may step down. Miss. Wittebane. Call your next witness."
"I would like to call Miss. Whisk to the stand." Courtney said.
'She must be talking about Whisk the ventriloquist…' J thinks.
"I wonder if Pup-Mon will show up on the stand as well…?" Jaden said smiling.
Indeed they see when Whisk takes the stand, her mask on and she was holding Pup-Mon who was already punching Whisk in annoyance.
"Please state you name and occupation for the record." Courtney said to them.
"My name is Puppetmon, Pup-Mon for short. I am employed as an operatic tenor." Pup-Mon said smiling.
"Ex-Excuse me!" Maccadam said surprised. "The witness called to the stand was one Miss. Whisk, Ventriloquist."
"Your brain must be overloading from age. I said that I was a singer!" Pup-Mon said in anger. "Maybe you don't believe me. Fine. I'll grave you with a song." Pup-Mon 'clears' his throat. "Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi!"
Pup-Mon: The world of the law…
Exciting and daring…
Guilt or innocene…
Decided by a judge usually dressed up like a woman
"…Well, what do you think?" Pup-Mon asked smiling.
Mostly everyone remained silent but Jaden said smiling "It had a good rhythm…"
"It's just the lyrics…They leave something to be desired, so to speak." J said shrugging.
"P-Pup-mon! You know better than to insult a judge!" Whisk said and gets punched.
"Shut up! Just look at your nose. You would think you'd have the sense to fix it!" Pup-Mon tells her. "It's so ugly I want to punch you in the face on the off-chance swelling would help. You know that your nose is the reason you'll never be an A-List star."
"Celebrities must really enjoy saying everything that flashes into their minds." Jaden said thinking.
"What's going on here?!" Maccadam said confused "Order! Order! I demand to know who the witness is!"
"Don't…Don't worry about me, sir. I'll let Pup-Mon handle this." Whisk said nervous.
"I'm not worried about you one bit…I'm worried about getting testimony in my court." Maccadam said and is immediately whipped "YEOWCH!"
"You won't get anywhere trying to figure out this witness!" Courtney said annoyed "Now, let's proceed!"
Whisk or rather Pup-Mon gives the testimony on 'What They Witnessed' saying "Once practice was over, I left the tent with the stooge…I mean clown. Once we got to the lodging house, I ditched him and went back to the plaza's entrance."
We then see a flashback image of Whisk and Pupmon at the entrance watching what appears to be Trixie in her hat and cloak and a rose walking by. Pup-Mon continued saying "That's when I saw Trixie, heading towards the scene of the crime. She was the only one heading that way…How could that punk not be the killer?! Then the police troopers showed up, and took magic girl away"
"You saw Trixie Lulamoon heading towards the scene? You're sure of that?" Courtney asked smiling.
"Without a doubt. She had on her silk hat, cloak, and the dumb blue roses on her chest." Pup-Mon said smiling and nodding "How can you mistake someone with that crazy get-up and her nose stuck up so high…"
"Th-That's enough…I think we all get the picture." Maccadam tells the puppet "Just one thing…You said you 'ditched' the clown."
"That's right, bot-boy." Pup-Mon said nodding.
"Well, since you weren't with him, couldn't that mean the clown committed the crime?" Maccadam asked.
'Hmm…He's got a point.' J thinks about that possibility for Krusty to have killed the Ringmaster.
"What a shame…It was a night theory, but the clown can't be the culprit." Courtney said with a sigh.
"Why's that?" Maccadam asked.
Courtney smiles and shows on the screen Trixie's signature hat "Here's absolute proof."
"A…silk hat?" Maccadam said confused.
"This was found at the scene of the crime. It belongs to the defendant." Courtney tells him.
"Ah…" J said nodding to that.
"Without question, she was wearing her signature hat during practice." Courtney said nodding. "If the clown was the murderer, there would be no reason for this hat to be at the scene."
"Hmm…" Maccadam said thinking "Well done, Miss. Wittebane. Your prosecutorial skills are unrivalled. Well done."
Courtney smiles and does a curtsey bow as she said "Thank you for stating the obvious….Miss. Serial Designation J, what do you have to say?"
"O-Okay…" J said sweatdropping and thinks 'I guess she's the boss again today…' Through she'd be lying if she didn't admit that deduction wasn't impressive. She begins her cross examination. She presses the third statement about them seeing Trixie saying "Hold it! Are you sure it was really Trixie Lulamoon?"
"Of course, I'm sure." Pup-Mon states "How could you mistake someone wearing such a snobby 3-piece get-up!"
"Snobby 3-piece get-up?" J asked to that.
"Unclog what you use for ears! Lawyers nowadays…You'relike talking to a brick wall!" Pup-Mon said rolling his eyes "Trixie's 3-piece get-up! Jeez! Could you be any more dense! All together now!"
"SILK HAT! CLOAK! BLUE ROSES!" Everyone in the court room watching called out/
"Thank you!" Pup-Mon said nodding.
"J, I think you should put a little bit more effort into preparing your questions…" Jaden tells her smiling.
J sighs and presses the fourth statement about how Trixie was the only one going to the Lodgeing House saying "Hold it! You saw Trixie and only Trixie, right Pup-Mon?"
"That's right. And that makes her the killer!" Pup-Mon said smiling. "There was only one person headed that way that night."
"Hmm…That makes quite a bit of sense and makes Trixie one suspicious character…" Maccadam said nodding.
'There's more to this story then meets the eye…' J thinks knowing the problem is Whisk only saw Trixie and said "That's a bit strange, don't you think?"
"What's strange?!" Pup-Mon asked about that.
"That you only saw Trixie…" J tells him and slams her hands down before adding "Doesn't it seem like you should have seen someone else as well?"
"What? Where are you going with this, Miss. J?" Maccadam asked surprised. "Who else do you suppose this witness could have seen?"
"Take that!" J said presenting Harvey's profile on the screens.
"That's the…victim…" Maccadam said in shock.
"That's correct." J said with a smile. "If Pup-Mon was at the entrance to the plaza…" She slams her hands down again "He should have seen the Ringmaster as well!" She was then whipped "Ah-hah!"
"Obviously the Ringmaster arrived at the scene of the crime before the witness could have seen him!" Courtney told J "Anyone with sense could have figured that one out!"
"What are you talking about?!" J asked her and explained "The Ringmaster and Trixie went together to the Ringmaster's room!"
Courtney smirks and stroked her Camerupt saying "Is that according to the defendant? A likely story! If Trixie Lulamoon was supposed to be in the Ringmaster's room, why was she, just as the witness stated…at the scene of the crime?!"
"Ahh!" J lets out sweating at that.
"I see…" Maccadam said thinking. "It seems that at this stage I have no reason to doubt this witness's testimony." He shakes his head "And there are clearly no conclusive contradictions."
"He's right…" J said to that sweating.
"A brilliant judgement, Your Honor." Courtney said nodding "Now, let's move along with the testimony!"
J presses the last statement about the police troopers showing up saying "Hold it! Around what time did the police troopers arrive at the scene?"
"Hmmmm…I suppose that would have been around…" Pup-Mon thinks then punches Whisk and asked "Hey, what time was it?!"
"Huh?! Umm…I think it was around…I'd say a bit after 10:30 PM…I think…" Whisk said nervous.
"Practice ended at 10 PM so you hung around the lodging house the entire time?" J asked.
"I…I…I…I guess that sounds about right…" Whisk said to that.
J slams her hands down and said "Wasn't it awfully cold? I can't believe you'd just stand outside in that weather!"
"Well…Uh…The truth is…" Whisk tries to say something.
"Will you shut up, you big nosed cat! Why are you telling her anything extra?!" Pup-Mon yells out angry. "Why can't you believe that we'd just stand outside in that weather?"
"Well, maybe you were waiting for someone?" J points out.
"W-W-W-W-WHAT?! WHO SAID WE WERE WAITING FOR SOMEONE?!" Pup-Mon yells out angrily.
"Objection!" Courtney calls out and said "Miss. Serial Designation J! We can all do without your off-handed theories!"
"Objection!" J calls out and retorted saying "But! This witness! They're cracking under the pressure already! I'm on to something!"
"Hmmmm…Miss. J!" Maccadam said looking at her. "Who do you suppose the witness was wating for out in the cold that night?"
"Take that!" J said as she gets it ready and said "Well, if they were waiting outside in the cold, it was for one person…" She slams her hands down and shows Fubuki's profile on the screens "And one person only! They was waiting for the animal tamer, Fubuki!"
"WAAAAAAHHHH!" Pup-Mon yells out and explodes into pieces/
"You were waiting outside for Fubuki to come back to the lodging house." J tells the girl and her puppet. She points asking "Am I mistaken?" Pup-Mon remains silent.
"Is this true?" Maccadam asked the two.
"Well…I…Umm…You can't really ask me that question…" Whisk said nervously.
"Who cares who I was waiting for that night!" Pup-Mon yells out. "What's important is what I saw! Don't you forget it!"
"Well, well, well…The puppet may be a bit stiff, but he's right." Maccadam said nodding.
"Eh…" J said sweating and slams her hands down "Alright! There is obviously a reason why this witness was there that night! They spent all that time waiting for Fubuki to arrive! Moreover…Even if someone else would've walked right in front of him, I doubt they would have paid them a second thought!"
"AHHHH!" Pup-Mon yells out and explodes again and this causes a commotion in the people watching.
Maccadam bangs his gavel to quiet them and said "That makes perfect sense."
"Objection!" Courtney calls out and said whip at the ready "What did you just say?! The witness saw the defendant at the scene of the crime!"
"Objection!" J called out and said "However, he did not see the victim on the way to his eventual demise! If you accept that, then you must accept that there is a high likelihood that…They could have missed someone else other than Trixie heading to the scene!" She was then whipped "OWWW!"
"There is absolutely no proof that the witness was waiting for the animal tamer!" Courtney said smiling.
"Umm…Umm…" Pup-Mon speaks up a bit and then said "I guess you got me…Alright! Alright! I'll spill the beans for real this time! It's true. I was waiting for Fubuki."
Courtney whips them and Whisk said "PAIN!"
"Don't volunteer things!" Courtney yelled at them.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Miss Whisk, tell us the truth this time…And I mean the whole truth! Were you or were you not waiting for Fubuki at the entrance to the lodging house?"
"I was!" Pup-Mon said to that. "I was waiting to propose to her!"
"You were what?! Waiting to…propose?!" Maccadam said surprised. This caused the people watching to speak out in surprise.
"What's the matter?! You think that non-puppet people have a monopoly on marriage?!" Pup-Mon yells out.
"That…The matter of puppet marriage is not under review in this case!" Maccadam states.
"You're the judge! I mean, look at your horrible judge stuff!" Pup-Mon states firmly
They were whipped again and Whisk says "MORE PAIN!"
"Hmph. Thanks to your bumbling, my perfect plan is not so perfect anymore!" Courtney said annoyed. "Now we have to waste time getting to the bottome of some silly proposal by a puppet!"
Pup-Mon then gives his testimony on 'About the Proposal' saying "Don't be so surprised that I was going to propose to Fubuki! I even had something to give to her…I kept it in my pocket, waiting for the chance to propose and give it to her. Of course, I also had it in my pocket that night. It was a present for her. In the end, I wasn't able to give it to her, so I've still got it in my pocket!"
"You were going to propose…You…A puppet…" Maccadam said in shock.
"Don't be so obtuse! Just because I'm a puppet doesn't mean I can't love!" Pup-Mon yells out.
"I guess you're right…Just because I'm an old bot doesn't mean I couldn't propose to her too!" Maccadam said shrugging.
"Exactly!" Pup-Mon said smiling.
'His Honor is looking a little less than honourable right now…' J thinks sweatdropping.
"Okay, Miss. J…Please continue with your cross-examination…" Maccadam said sighing.
"What was with that sigh at the end…" Jaden asked deadpanned.
J presses the fourth statement about having this present that night saying "Hold it! So you went to the lodging house to give it to her?"
"That's right!" Pup-Mon said nodding "I tried to give it to her during practice so many times that I lost count, but…That uppity snob kept getting in the way!"
"Uppity snob?!" Trixie yells out offended in her defendants chair "He couldn't possibly be talking about me…the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon! When I get a hold of him, I'm going to saw his wood block in half…and not with magic!"
Everyone was stunned by this and J rubs her head saying "Well…They always say that love creates rivalries" She moves on pressing the second statement having something to give Fubuki and said "Hold it! What was it exactly that you planned on giving her?"
"You know exactly what I was going to give her, dumbbot!" Pup-Mon told her. "The only thing I could that could match Fubuki's beauty!"
"Answer her question! What was it?!" Courtney said firmly.
"You're going to die when you hear this…It's an engagement ring!" Pup-Mon states.
"E-Engagement ring?!" Both Courtney and Maccadam said in shock.
'Wow…Those two nearly fell out of their chairs!' J thinks sweat dropping though she understands why, she could hardly believe it either.
"Miss. Serial Designation J's joke has gone too far!" Courtney yells out and readies her whip "Time for this to end right here!"
'Courtney's whip looks like it's about to lash out at almost anything….One hit from that thing will probably shut someone up for a long time…' J thinks but decides to push on saying "It may be something of a joke, but this is a historic moment! The first time that a puppet has proposed to a human being…" She was then whipped "OWWW!"
"I advise you to cut this argument short…" Courtney said firmly.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and shakes his head saying "I'm going to have to agree with the defence here. "Will the witness please revise their testimony…Specifically about the engagement ring…I'd like to stick to the facts, not sociology."
"You sure do enjoy sweating the details, especially for a bot with in built spectacles…" Pup-Mon said but replaces his second statement with "I planned on giving an engagement ring to Fubuki…"
J knowing now it was a ring recalls the one she found in Ukiki's stash mainly it had 'From P to F' on it, she gets it ready and presents it on the last statement about still having the ring and said "Objection! Pup-Mo, do you mind if I show you something?"
"What is it?" Whisk asked curious.
"What are you talking about?!" Pup-Mon asked.
'Uh oh…Looks like they're going to double team me now…' J thinks sweat dropping but recovers and holds up the Ring in her possession and asked "Do you recognize this ring?"
"Ah! That's…That's…" Pup-Mon said in surprise "That's mine! Give it back! Thief! Thief!"
"Didnd't you just testify about this very object?" J said thinking "I believe you said…'In the end, I wasn't able to give it to her, so I've still got it in my pocket!'" She slams her hands down and points to Pup-Mon and asked "Why then, do I have it right here…?"
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH!" Pup-Mon screams and explodes and the audience chatter in shock as this.
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "What is going on here?!"
"That's….That's…" Pup-Mon said not sure what to say and then punches Whisk telling her "Whisk! Say something!"
"Eh? Don't put me on the spot like that Pup-Mon!" Whisk said nervous.
"I found this in Ukiki's room…" J tells everyone.
"Ukiki's room? You mean a room that is full of different keys and such?" Maccadam asked.
"Hah! That filthy monkey is going to get what's coming to him!" Pup-Mon said annoyed
Maccadam shakes his head and said "Miss Whisk, I would prefer if you avoided slandering innocent fiats in my court."
"Well, Your Honor…Ukiki really is a monkey…In every sense of the word." J said sweatdropping.
"Ah, I see…Well then…" Maccadam said to that.
"Ukiki likes to go after the shiniest things that he can find and gather them up." J explained to everyone.
"Shiny…Things?" Maccadam said.
J slams her hands down and said "Pup-Mon! When was this ring stolen from you?"
"Well…I suppose it was…" Whisk said nervous "That time…You know…That night…The night of the crime…"
"What did you just say?!" Courtney asked in shock.
"Details…I need more details…" J asked the two.
"Well…It was stolen right after Trixie showed up in the plaza…" Whisk explained.
We flashback to when Whisk and Pup-Mon saw Trixie walk past
"Right about when you saw the defendant walk past, correct?" J asked.
"Well…Umm…I guess you…Might…Umm…Be able to say that…" Whisk said nervously "The right might have…Well…It could have been…Taken around that time…"
"Ooooo-Oooooh!" Ukiki lets out as he attacks Whisk and Pup-Mon.
"AHHHHHHHH! YEEEOOOOOWW! AHHHHHHHH!" Whisk screams out as Ukiki steals the ring.
Back in the present and annoyed Pup-Mon yells out "Whisk! What's with you?!...Oh, whatever…It has nothing to do with anything! Especially not who committed the murder!"
"It's not for you to decide what has to do with what!" J said grinning "Now, Pup-Mon! Back to the topic at hand!"
"I haven't admitted a thing! Not I…Mr. Pup-Mon the Puppetman!" Pup-Mon said in denial.
"What did you do when the ring was taken, Pup-Mon?" J asked him.
"You know exactly what I did! I chased after ring snatching monkey Ukiki!" Pup-Mon tells her.
"But you weren't able to catch up with him, were you?" J asked.
"It's all this slow loafy fool called Whisk's fault!" Pup-Mon said annoyed and punches Whisk's face. "While she was fumbling her way though the snow, that dumb monkey was able to get away!"
"That is indeed an incredible shame." Maccadam said nodding.
J slams her hands down smiling and said "Well…This does indeed prove one very important point."
"Prove an important point?! What point could that possibly be?" Courtney asked concerned.
"There is a huge contradiction in this witness's testimony!" J states seeing there was a flaw in the testimony.
"Co-Contradiction?!" Courtney asked nervous as Camerupt comforts her.
"The witness just testified to the following effect." J said holding up a transcript of the trial so far. "Up until the police arrived, she didn't move from the entrance to the plaza. HOWEVER! The witness just stated that she chased after Ukiki the monkey. When the witness was off chasing Ukiki, there was no one watching the plaza!"
Courtney winces and hold herself as Camerupt nuzzles her "What is the meaning of all this, Miss. Serial Designation J?! Where are you going with this little theory of yours?"
"I'm saying that there is no possible way that this witness saw the plaze the entire time!" J tells her and slams his hands on the bench "That's where I'm going with this little theory! Which leads me to my next point. It is entirely possible that someone other than the defendant was at the scene!"
This makes people chatter and Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Interesting Miss. J…"
"Objection!" Courtney calls out and said "Well, then, tell me this, Miss. Serial Designation J! Do you have any proof that something slipped past this vigilant ventriloquist?"
"Objection!" J called out and siad "Well, he obviously didn't see the victim, the Ringmaster, arrive on the scene!"
"However, that doesn't change the fact that he saw the defendant arrive!" Courtney points out.
"The witness is lying! He is blinded by his rivalry with Trixie!" J states back.
Maccadam bangs his gavel to stop them and then said "Well…The defence's argument does hold water. The witness does have a history of animosity towards the defendant."
"What?! How dare you?!" Pup-Mon said offended "I wouldn't lie just to get that dorkface in trouble! She's not even worth it! I saw her! No doubt about it! I saw that worthless liar!"
"Well…Just for clarity's sake, let's flesh out exactly who you saw on that night." Maccadam said to that.
"Hah! I've told you so many times, you'd think you'd know my story's not changing!" Pup-Mon states.
'You've already changed your story, stick boy! And I'm sure it will change some more.' J thinks about it.
"Where there is one lie, there are usually many more behind it." Jaden said thinking the same as J.
"Exactly, Jaden. That's why we have to keep after him!" J said with a nod.
"Yeah!" Jaden said smiling.
Pup-Mon then testifies about 'Witnessing Trixie' saying "I'll give you that I was waiting that night for Fubuki. But that doesn't change the face that I saw Trixie in the plaza that night! She showed up after I had been waiting there for about five minutes. I said 'good evening' to her, but she didn't even acknowledge my presence! I'm absolutely sure it was her! I saw the Great and Powerful Trixie at the scene! There's no way I could mistake someone wearing those three ridiculous symbols!"
"Hmmm…" Maccadam lets out thinking.
"So that means that Ukiki didn't show up until after you saw Trixie?" Courtney asked.
"That's right. Ukiki ran up less that a minute after I saw Trixie." Pup-Mon said nodding.
"Then Ukiki snatched the ring, and you went chasing after him?" J said nodding.
"How long was it until you came back to where you were waiting?" Maccadam asked the two.
"Well. Let's see…I'd say about…" Pup-Mon said and punches Whisk to say it.
"I suppose five minutes. I think…" Whisk said to that.
"So, the victim could have arrived on the scene in that five-minute stretch." Courtney said smiling.
"Miss J, please proceed with your cross-examination." Maccadam said nodding.
Thinking on it J presses the first statement saying "Hold it! So you were only concerned with waiting for Fubuki that night? That means you probably wouldn't have noticed if someone else showed up."
"You should think about how many eyes I actually have." Pup-Mon states "I've got four, you know! Four. F-O-U-R. Counting Whisk of course…With that many eyes, do you really think something would have slipped by me?"
Maccadam nods and said "Four eyes is an awful lot of attention directed at one area, I suppose…"
'Yikes! The judge is even more dangerous to our case than Pup-Mon!' J thinks sweatdropping and presses the third statement saying "Hold it! About what time would you say these events took place?"
"You're one of the dumbest robots on the planet if you can't figure it out yourself!" Pup-Mon said annoyed "You already know that practice finished promptly at 10PM! And you already know that I went to the lodging house right after practice! You don't need to be a brain surgeon to know around what time it was when I saw her…Just add ten more minutes! I'm sure you can do that! Now what time was it?"
"Indeed, what time was it?" Maccadam asked.
"Hmmm…What time was it? Let me think about that for a second…" J thinks then is whipped "YEOW! Math is one thing I struggle with!"
Courtney sighs annoyed and said "It was 10:10 PM!"
"Ahh, yes. That sounds about right!" Maccadam said nodding.
"It sounds about right because that's the time that I saw Trixie on the scene!"
That whip however finally got J to realize the obvious contradiction, why would Pup-Mon or even Whisk say good evening to Trixie after what happened earlier in the cafeteria, so she get the Brocken bottle ready and said on the fourth statement about that saying "Objection! Pup-Mon, is it not true that you had a fight with Trixie on the day of the murder?"
"A fight?" Courtney asked curious.
"A fight over Fubuki to be exact." J said smiling.
"It wasn't that bit of a deal! It was just an argument…A disagreement at most!" Pup-Mon said firmly.
J smirks and holds up the broken bottle and said "A disagreement usually doesn't end with someone getting clonked over the head…"
"AHHHH!" Pup-Mon yells out exploding.
"That morning Whisk got clobbered over the head by Trixie, didn't she?" J asked.
"Wh-What?" Maccadam said surprised. "Is that an admission of assault and battery?" He is then whipped "OUCH!"
"Before we handle that, we should wrap up the defendant's murder charge first!" Courtney states.
"The trust is that on the day of the crime, the defendant and witness had a huge fight!" J explained. "There is absolutely no way they would have suddenly become cordial that evening! Moreover, just consider the personality of the witness on the stand! There is no way a puppet this lewd would just up and say, 'good evening' to his rival!"
"GWAHHH!" Pup-Mon lets out and explodes.
"Objection!" Courtney lets out concerned and asked "Are you saying this witness is lying?! That he is trying to frame the defendant by claiming to have seen him at the crime scene?!"
"I-I-I…I didn't tell a single lie! Honestly! I just…" Pup-Mon said flustered
Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "That's enough from you Miss. Whisk!" He looks to J "Miss J…"
"Yes, Your Honor." J said at attention.
"Let's clarify this testimony for the court…" Maccadam states and asked "Could you explain your theory about who the witness actually saw that night?"
J knew and said "It is my belief that the witness did indeed see someone that night…It was just someone else! That's who he said 'good evening' to."
"What kind of theory is that?!" Courtney asked doubting that.
"The correct one." J tells her smiling "Furthermore, I don't believe the person the witness saw was Trixie at all."
"Wh-What?!" Courtney said shocked.
"If they had truly met Trixie that night, there would have been no greeting at all." J said thinking. "Which means there is only one proper answer. The person the witness saw that night was not the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon. That is why Pup-Mon made the effort to greet whoever it was that he saw that evening. Or 'good evening' as he put it."
"Uhh…" Pup-Mon said to that
"What in the world…You…" Courtney said glaring at the two on the stand.
"Would the defence kindly explain who is was Pup-Mon saw that evening then?" Maccadam asked.
"Take that!" J said getting the profile ready and said "Considering the ill temper of this witness, there is only one person he would greet!"
"It must be Fubuki!" Maccadam said nodding "It's Fubuki right?! She's so cute!"
"No, Your Honor, it is not Fubuki." J said sweat dropping and explained "If it was Fubuki, Pup-Mon would have given her the engagement ring as a present."
"Oh…Yeah…I suppose you've got a point there." Maccadam said understanding.
"It was Harvey Clockford." Courtney said bringing up his profile on the screens "The victim himself, was it not?"
J smiles and nods to Courtney, she may be scary but she was sharp to know things "You are correct. It was Indeed Harvey Clockford." She said nodding. Whisk and Pup-Mon stayed silent so J added "The person you saw that evening was the victim, the Ringmaster, Harvey Clockford. That's why you greeted him, Pup-Mon. Isn't that correct?" Pup-Mon remained quiet but made an audible gulping sound. J slams her hands down and said "Answer the question, Mr. Puppetmon!
"WAHHHHHHH! AH!" Pup-Mon lets out as he explodes again and everyone in the courtroom loudly chatters in surprise
Maccadam bangs his gavel to silence them and said "ORDER! ORDER! How do you respond to this?!"
"Wa-Wait a second!" Pup-Mon said annoyed "Well, at first I thought it was the old man! But! But! Once I got a better look at him, it was obviously Trixie Lulamoon!" People chatter at this.
After people calmed down Maccadam said "I think it is high time that we clear the air about this question! Mr. Puppetmon obviously witnessed a single person in the area of the plaza that evening. The problem is identifying exactly who that person was…" On the screens he shows profiles of Trixie and Harvey and said "Was it Trixie Lulamoon? Or was it the Ringmaster, one Mr. Harvey Clockford?"
"The prosecution argues that it was the defendant that the witness saw that night" Courtney states smiling "The witness has clearly stated that he saw the defendant's three symbols!"
"Three symbols?" J said thinking.
"Alright…This is getting old. Come on drone! You've got to remember them by now!" Pup-mon said annoyed. "Here we go again! Everyone…All together now!" He was then whipped and explode "WHAA! OWWWW!"
"Yes, yes…We know…The silk hat, cloak, and blue roses…" Courtney said annoyed.
"Objection!" J calls out and said "A silk hat and a cloak! Anyone could wear them! They'd even look good on me!"
"What was that?!" Courtney asked glaring.
"Well, the witness has endlessly repeated that he saw Trixie's three symbols…" J points out. "However, how do we really know it was Trixie Lulamoon? It could have been someone else, dressed up as her." She slams her hands on the bench "Possibly even Harvey Clockford!"
"WHAT?!" Courtney said holding herself and Camerupt comforts her.
Maccadam bangs his gavel "Miss. Wittebane. Do you have clear evidence that the person the witness saw was the defendant?"
"Well…I…" Courtney said thinking but coming up empty
Maccadam shakes his head and said, "If that's the case, then it is impossible for me to make a judgement at this point."
'Yes! I think we've finally won a point in this one!' J thinks smiling.
Courtney smiles and strokes her Camerupt and said "…That is very…Unfortunate."
"Huh?" J said to that.
"You're just a little too excited for your own good, Miss. Serial Designation J." Courtney told her.
"What do you mean by that?" J asked her.
"You merely established one thing from the witness." Courtney states "You established that this witness saw one person in the plaza that night. I applaud you on your effort, but…"
"But…?" Maccadam asked.
"Who that person was can only be answered by the next witness!" Courtney said.
"HUH?!" J said shocked.
Courtney whips her bench and readies the whip and said "Your Honor, the prosecution will provide, beyond a shadow of a doubt, an answer to that question, and evidence that clearly establishes one thing. That there is no one other than Trixie Lulamoon responsible for this crime!"
The audience murmurs at this, Maccadam bangs his gavel and said "Very well. The court will take a 10-minute recess. During that time, I request the prosecution prepare their next witness. Court is now in recess!" He bangs his gavel to end this part of the day in court.
December 29, 11:54 AM, District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 5
J and Jaden met up with Trixie in the lobby. The magician was sweating and said nervous "Sw-Sweetie! You have to believe me! I didn't go anywhere near that crime scene!"
"So then, where were you when the murder took place?" Jaden asked her.
"We talked about it yesterday remember? I was in the Ringmaster's room!" Trixie tells the two.
"And while you were there, it was the Ringmaster who left the room, right?" J asked.
"Exactly." Trixie said nodding "He told me to wait in the room because he would 'be right back'."
"That's when the Ringmaster headed to the scene of the crime...Right?" Jaden asked.
"That's what it seems like." J said nodding.
"But…The Ringmaster must've been wearing Trixie's costume. Right?" Jaden said to that.
Trixie poses dramatically and said "Oh! Sweetie! I just remembered! I went straight to the Ringmaster's room still dressed in my stage clothes. But when I got there, I went ahead and took the costume off."
"Which means?" Jaden said realizing.
J nods and said, "It means that the Ringmaster could have taken her costume and went out looking like Trixie!"
"FABULOUS!" Trixie said smiling at J and posing dramatically "That's a fabulously possible possibility!"
"Heh, heh…Well done, J." Jaden said smiling.
"However, sweetie…" Trixie said thinking "Why would the Ringmaster want to dress up like me? Isn't that a bit strange?"
"Hmmm…" J thinks on that, Trixie brings up a good point.
"If you think about it, all they found at the crime scene was my silk hat." Trixie added to that "What about my cloak? Where did that go?"
"Double hmm…" J added another good point.
"Wow, Trixie, I never thought of that." Jaden said smiling "You should be a detective or something!"
Trixie smile sand said "Well, I was never quite sure what to be when I grew up…Magician or President?" She poses dramatically "You have no idea how hard it was to make a decision!"
"That's really cool…" Jaden said smiling.
'Fabulous…This mystery just keeps getting deeper…' J thinks mentally sighing and sips her oil
Well they survive the ventriloquist but now Courtney will be sending in the clown, get ready for one where random presses will not be best.
Please Read, Review and Suggest. Thank you.