District Court
(Okay, calm down, this is just another
ordinary trial…)
"Mr. Lawyer, please don't let them take
me away!" a childish voice cried.
Phoenix Wright looked down at his client,
a small, innocent-looking boy named Parker William. The poor guy was shaking all
over and crying like a baby. A 13-year old being put on trial for murder… What
had become of this world?
(Stop lying to yourself, Phoenix. This
case is far from ordinary.)
"Say, Parker, what's that you've got in
your hand?" Phoenix asked, trying to act as friendly as
possible.
The little boy was holding what looked
like a miniscule TV with arms and legs sprouting out of it and a smiley face
plastered on the screen. "Oh, this? This is Bob! Max made him!" he was
practically shoving Bob into Phoenix's face. For a 13 year old he did act a bit
too much like a child.
"Uwaaah!" the lawyer cried out as the TV
suddenly started to move on its own. It started to say in an electronic voice,
"Hello!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Maya. "That's really
neat! Hey there, Bob!"
"Hello!"
"Just… Get that thing away from me…"
Phoenix huffed.
"Mr. Wright, all I can say is… Good
luck," said Parker's 24-year-old brother Max.
"Don't you worry, Mr. William!" Maya
chimed in. "Nick always wins his cases, even if his clients ARE
guilty!"
"M-Maya!" Phoenix stammered
nervously.
Max chuckled. "Really, now? Then clearing
Parker's name will be easier than I thought since I know for sure that he's
innocent. I'm counting on you, Mr. Wright. I'm counting on you to obliterate
that poor excuse of a prosecutor."
"Huh?" It sounded like Max had something
against the prosecuting for the case.
"I'm just kidding around, Mr. Wright. But
seriously, everything is in your hands."
(Great, more
pressure…
My name is Phoenix Wright. The girl in
the funny-looking clothes is my assistant, Maya. It's been a while since I've
defended anyone, but I'm ready this time. Even if this new prosecutor everyone's
been talking about is the "bane of the accused" as everyone's been calling him.
I don't really know the details, but supposedly he's one sketchy character. But
you know, I've faced and beaten the most ruthless and calculating prosecutors
this world has ever seen, so he should be just like the rest of them….
Right?
Well, here goes nothing…)
Courtroom No. 2
Phoenix entered the courtroom. The
audience was chattering as usual, but once he took his place at the defense's
bench, there was a bang of a gavel and all was silent.
"Court is now in session for the trial of
Parker William."
"The defense is ready, Your
Honor."
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor,"
came a smooth and unusually warm voice.
Phoenix looked at the man standing across
from him. The prosecutor looked young, though it was hard to tell because most
of his body was concealed in what appeared to be a black ninja outfit, with a
red business suit and yellow tie clumsily worn over it. He wore a half mask as
well as some sort of eye patch over his right eye, though his left eye was
closed. His hair was purple… And spiked, much to Phoenix's
chagrin.
(Ugh… Why do the prosecutors keep getting
weirder and weirder?)
"The prosecution is… Xuan Wu Sinistral,
correct?"
"Indeed, Your Honor. Is something the
matter?"
The judge furrowed his brow. "I'm just
curious as to why you have… Such attire…"
"Oh, I do believe that is none of your
concern. I do have good reason to be dressed like this, however," Xuan Wu
replied.
(What in the world would be a good reason
to be some Ryu Hayabusa ripoff?!)
With the clearing of a throat, the judge
continued. "In any case, your opening statement, Mr.
Sinistral."
"The murder victim is known as Doctor
Ishni Sanshi. He was the adoptive parent of Parker and Max
William."
The judge looked over Sanshi's profile,
and a look of curiosity struck his face. "Hmm… It says here that he was an
inventor?"
"Yes, that's what it says," Xuan Wu
confirmed coolly. "He never had an occupation and spent much of his life
creating things. In order to support his family, he apparently made a
counterfeit money printer and hacked into many bank accounts. It was only after
we investigated his house after his death that we found out all of this. He also
had a penchant for creating robots."
(How in the world was this guy eligible
to adopt those kids?!)
"So then, what is the prosecution's
reason for accusing this… adorable, harmless-looking boy?" the judge asked,
gesturing to Parker, who was cowering at the stand with Bambi eyes.
"Looks can be deceiving, Your Honor. If
you take a look at this medical report, the boy has… unique mental health, I
must say. It makes him quite violent, actually." Xuan Wu presented a piece of
paper.
"The court accepts this evidence in the
court record," the judge stated.
Phoenix studied the report. The top of
the file looked like this:
------------------------------
|Hotti Clinic
| Examination
Record
|Psychiatrist: Dr.
Hotti
|Nurse: Talia Liata
|Insurance: Banguard
|
|ID:
1232145
|Date of Exam:
1/12
|Weight: 110
|Parent/Guardian: <hard to read this
part>
|
|Reports from family:… Threw violent tantrums, toppled
|bookshelves, kicking, says "they were out to get him,"
|rapid garbled speech, stays up all night, fights with
|family members often, only in episodes….
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Putting the record away, Phoenix turned
his attention back to Xuan Wu. "So, are you implying that my client murdered Dr.
Sanshi while in a rage from one of his violent episodes?"
"Well, it is the most likely motive," the
ninja prosecutor answered, arms crossed and strumming his
fingers.
Then, Phoenix noticed that Maya was next
to him. He had forgotten that she was even there. "Maya… You've been awfully
quiet. Is something the matter?" At first, the spirit medium only stared off
into a space. After a few seconds though, her head whipped around to face him.
"Huh? Did you say something, Nick?"
The ace attorney sighed. "Never
mind."
"Of course, I can not establish a motive
without giving reason why the defendant is to be suspected," Xuan Wu continued.
"The prosecution would like to call Eliza Sanshi to the
stand!"
After a moment, a little girl dressed in
a white dress silently walked up to the stand. She had a vacant stare, as if she
were in her own world. For some reason, Phoenix felt a chill run down his spine
when he looked into her cold, steel gray eyes.
"And who is this adorable,
harmless-looking little girl?" the judge inquired.
"My… My name is Eliza Sanshi. I'm Ishni
Sanshi's biological daughter and I was his assistant along with my surrogate
brothers Parker and Max William," she stated.
(What the… Since when does a little girl
talk like that?)
"Ms. Sanshi, please tell us about what
happened 2 days ago," the prosecutor requested.
"What part of 2 days ago would you like
me to tell you about?" the girl asked innocently.
Xuan Wu seemed taken aback at this.
Choosing his words carefully, he replied, "About what happened to your
father."
Eliza nodded. "Very
well."
"It was around midnight," she began. "I
was in bed but I got up because I wanted a drink. As I made my way to the
kitchen I passed by my father's room and noticed that he was not in it. I
thought that he was working late on his new robot again, so I paid no heed to
it. But then I saw him in the kitchen. And Parker was there. Before my eyes I
saw Parker plunge a knife into my dad's chest. Scared for my life, I ran back to
my room and called the cops."
"Hmm…" the judge took this in. "So the
defendant stabbed the victim in the chest."
"Here is the autopsy report and the
murder weapon. We've already done tests on the knife, and it does indeed have
Parker's fingerprints," Xuan Wu stated.
Autopsy Report: Died due to multiple stab wounds at around 12:01 AM.
Kitchen Knife: The murder weapon. Has
Parker's fingerprints on it.
"Wait a minute, but the kitchen knife was
an everyday item! It wouldn't be strange to find the fingerprints of someone
living in that house on it!" Phoenix protested.
"Objection…" Xuan Wu's voice suddenly
grew sharp, and even though he had objected as soft as a mouse it demanded the
attention of everyone in the courtroom, and all fell silent. For the very first
time in the trial he opened his eyes. "Perhaps, but that does not change the
fact that the witness saw the defendant stab the victim with it. Also, I regret
to inform you that the fingerprints are upside-down, which is a position
best suited for plunging a knife into someone's chest rather than cutting up a
slice of turkey."
"Urk!"
"Excuse me… But should I be being
cross-examined now?" Eliza added.
"Mr. Wright," the judge said, glaring at
Phoenix. "I know how you cross-examine your witnesses, but keep in mind that you
are dealing with no more than a child, and that her father has just passed away.
If I see even a hint of unnecessary badgering then I will have to penalize
you."
"U-Understood," Phoenix said, gulping
nervously.
(I can already see a contradiction, but
just to be safe… I need to gather information before I tackle this testimony's
weaknesses.)
Phoenix cleared his throat, prepared to
start his questioning. But something was amiss. Usually this was the time that
Maya started cheering him on, but she was still silent. Trying to think nothing
of it, he began the cross-examination.
"Eliza, you mentioned that your father
was working on a 'new robot.' Can you tell us more about
this?"
"My father was good at making robots,"
she explained. "Although they were more like androids. Most of them were
failures too."
"Androits?" the judge repeated
incredulously. "Is that a type of microwave? I could really use a new one, you
know!"
"Er, no, Your Honor," Phoenix said. "An
android is a robot that's supposed to mimic a human."
"Robots that act like humans?! I've never
heard of such a thing!"
(I bet you've never heard of Star Trek
either, you poor, deprived man.)
"Yes, my father took quite a liking to
building them, even if he didn't succeed."
"Ahem," Xuan Wu interrupted. "I believe
we're going off topic here. The subject at hand is the murder of Ishni Sanshi.
Mr. Wright, your next question, if you please."
(Alright, didn't get anywhere with that…
Might as well just show some evidence now.)
"Ms. Sanshi, did you or did you not see
Parker stab Ishni once and only once?"
"Yes, he stabbed him once and only
once…"
"I'm afraid that contradicts with the
evidence!" Phoenix's voice boomed with confidence. "The autopsy report states
that-"
"OBJECTION!" Xuan Wu abruptly yelled,
followed by silence. Then, he casually said, "I'm very disappointed, Mr.
Wright."
"And what are you disappointed about?"
Phoenix dared to ask.
"I've heard stories about your outrageous
hair, but taking one look I'm afraid to say it is nothing compared to mine," he
stated.
"Uh… Is that all?" the defense attorney
queried.
"Of course not. You were about to say
that the autopsy report stated Mr. Sanshi was stabbed multiple times, which
contradicted with Eliza's statement that she only saw him stabbed once. Am I
right?"
(Argh! Why do the prosecutors always seem
like a step ahead of me?) "Y-Yes, that was what I was going to
say…"
"Now, now, Mr. Wright.. Remember that
once Eliza saw Parker stab the poor doctor, she ran away to call the police.
Wouldn't it have been possible that the defendant had been stabbing the victim
before the witness arrived at the scene, and after she
fled?"
"Er, yes…"
"Good. Your next question,
please."
It took a while for the ace attorney to
finally regain his composure. "Eliza, are you absolutely sure that the person
you saw stab Ishni was Parker, the defendant?"
"It had to be him," she replied.
"But…"
"But what?"
"Ah! Well, there was something different
about him. There was look of absolute rage on his face. I had never seen him
like that. And it's hard to believe that he would actually do something like
that. He was always such a nice brother to me. Always there for me when I was
down…"
Phoenix slammed his palms on the table.
"Your Honor! The witness has made a number of statements! These need to be added
to the testimony!"
The judge nodded. "Very
well."
(I think I might be going somewhere with
this… That testimony just proved that Parker wasn't a "violent"
individual…)
"Eliza," Phoenix started. "You said that
you had never seen Parker like that, referring to the look of rage he had on his
face. Are you telling us that he had never acted violently at
all?"
Eliza thought for a moment. "Well,
actually, no. It wasn't that violent, but he would regularly throw
tantrums."
(No! That's not the answer I
wanted!)
"F-Fair enough," Phoenix said, trying to
recover from the blow. He then presented the medical record of Parker's mental
health examination record. He felt awkward showing it to a little girl, but
there was no harm in doing so. "Can you confirm that this is indeed Parker's
examination?"
Eliza carefully examined the report.
Finally, she looked up and said, "Yeah, I've seen this before. I remember when
Parker had to go to the doctor and this was shown to me
afterwards."
"I see," Phoenix said, retrieving the
record. He was going nowhere. If he didn't think of something fast, then the
trial was over. But what could he do?
And then he noticed it. It was so
miniscule, and yet so obvious. At once he palmed himself in the face for not
realizing it the first time. With renewed determination he banged against the
table. "Your Honor!" and with his hands on his hips he declared, "the adorable,
harmless-looking witness has just told a lie."
"W-Whaaaaaaat?!" the judge blurted in
disbelief.
"Objection!" Mr. Sinistral's posture had
not changed, but there was a tone of nervousness in his voice. "You don't mean…
No… It can't be…"
"Does the prosecution know what the
defense has in mind?" the judge asked.
"I believe so," Phoenix answered. "First
take a look at this medical record, which the prosecution had presented to us.
This record was supposed to be proof that Parker William had a disorder where he
would behave violently. If you scan the report quickly you would miss it, but
there is one little mark on it that proves it has nothing to do with anyone in
this case!"
"Hmm… I can't seem to find it," the judge
stated as he perused the record. "Hold on, let me get my
spectacles."
"No, no… That won't be necessary, Your
Honor. I'll point it out for you…" Mr. Wright said.
"It's right… Here!"
"The patient's name? What about it?" As
always, the judge was clueless.
"There is a comma, denoting that the last
name is stated first, and then the first name. So, the name of the patient in
this examination is William Parker."
"W-Wait! But the defendant's name is
Parker William!" the judge finished.
The ace attorney nodded. "Exactly.
'Parker' and 'William' can be both surnames and first names, which caused all of
this confusion. This 'evidence' was presented to support the claim that Parker
had a mental disorder, and that the motive for murder was due to a violently
manic episode. However, now that we know that this is not in fact a record of
Parker William, the prosecution's claim has been
shattered!"
"Mr. Sinistral!" the judge remarked. "You
look awfully distressed." And his observation was correct. Xuan Wu was slouched
over, gripping the edge of the table and breathing heavily.
"Perhaps you wouldn't be sweating so much
if you didn't have all those ridiculous clothes on, Mr. Sinistral," Phoenix
taunted.
It took a while for the prosecutor to
catch his breath and stand back up. "Now, now, Mr. Wright, I believe I've
already stated that my choice of attire is absolutely none of your business," he
said, anger subtly rising in his voice.
"Anyways…" Phoenix quickly put in,
"there's something that really bothers me. Recall that the witness said she had
seen this report before. But if this record was of someone that she didn't even
know, then how could she have known about it?"
"Ah…." Was all Eliza could say, but her
expression didn't change.
"I'll answer that," Mr. Sinistral
interjected. "I retrieved this record in the victim's house. She could have seen
it there."
"It was at the victim's house? Why was it
there?" Phoenix wondered aloud.
"It's because… I… I planted it there,"
Eliza said.
Phoenix thought he was hearing things.
"W-WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" (No way!)
"I… I murdered my father. And that's the
truth…" the girl finished.
And then there was complete silence.
Nobody knew what to say. This little girl had suddenly confessed to killing her
own father, but not even she showed any sign of breaking down. Finally, there
was laughter, and it came from Xuan Wu Sinistral.
"Heh heh, I see you're not very adept at
theatrics. Such terrible acting…" he remarked.
"W-What are you saying?" Mr. Wright
asked, feeling uneasy.
"Mr. Wright, I'm sure you've noticed it.
How… unusual this little girl is. You see, when we look at someone, our brain
takes note of miniscule movements all over their face. It is these tiny
movements of life that reassures us that the person we are talking to is…
human," and suddenly, the ninja prosecutor brandished a 4-starred
shuriken, it's blades gleaming in the light of the
courtroom.
"Mr. Sinistral what are
you-!"
"Hya!"
THUNK.
…
(I gazed in horror at what Mr. Sinistral
had done, but it took a moment for me to actually look. The whole courtroom was
dead silent, and I knew that everyone one of us couldn't believe
it.
Eliza Sanshi was standing with the
shuriken deeply embedded into her skull. Black fluid drizzled from the wound,
and there were sparks of electricity crackling out. And yet she was still
conscious, and her expression was still vacant and cold.
All she could say was, "Oh dear, you've
found out my… Little… Secret.")
"Yes, Ms. Eliza Sanshi is a robot," Xuan
Wu said.
"So… What does this mean?" Phoenix said,
feeling lightheaded. (This has to be a dream…)
"Mr. Wright… Do you really believe that
Ms. Eliza Sanshi murdered Doctor Ishni Sanshi?" Xuan Wu asked him. "Choose your
words carefully."
(I have to think hard on this one. Saying
yes could win me this case very quickly. But something's not right. No… There's
more behind this murder…) "The defense proposes that… The defense proposes that
Eliza Sanshi did not murder Doctor Sanshi, at least not of her own free will.
Being a robot, there is the possibility that someone could have programmed her
to say whatever he or she wanted her to say… Including confess to murdering the
doctor if things started to look behind."
"That's what I think as well," Mr.
Sinistral said, nodding his head. "But now ask… Who? Are there any
suspects?"
(…! Actually, there is! But… Is it really
him?) "I think I know who did it," Mr. Wright declared.
"Really? Well, hurry up and tell us who
it is!" the judge shouted excitedly.
"First, the medical record of William
Parker was found in the Sanshi house. Someone who had access to the house must
have planted it there in order to throw us off and provide a possible motive for
Parker murdering Mr. Sanshi. Second, the murderer knew that Eliza Sanshi was a
robot and had the skills as well as the opportunity to reprogram her. And for my
third point… Well, recall when the examination record was presented. The
prosecution claimed that Parker had a violent episode, when in fact he didn't.
Don't you find it odd that someone in this very courtroom, who knew Parker best,
didn't object to the prosecution's statement? He knew that Parker wasn't
that violent from the very beginning, but he didn't say a word! Your Honor… The
defense accuses the defendant's brother, Max William, for the murder of Ishni
Sanshi!"
"….I see," Was all Xuan Wu could
say.
(The court was in an uproar. For a long
time the judge's call for order fell on deaf ears. Eliza just stood there, with
that shuriken still in her forehead. I remembered that Maya was next to me and
turned to her, but she still wasn't talking. I looked at Mr. Sinistral and saw
that he was looking up with the glare of a predator in his eye. Following his
gaze, I saw that he was looking at Max William.
Once order was finally restored, the
judge called for a thirty-minute recess. After that Max William will be
testifying. And then, hopefully, the truth will all come to
light.
It's going to be a rough ride.)
District Court
Defendant Lobby No.
3
"Whoa, looks like I just made it in
time!"
Phoenix recognized that loud, gruff
voice. It could only have been Detective Gumshoe, the man who was supposed to be
his enemy, but had aided him in countless cases over the years, sometimes at the
expense of getting his already almost-non-existent salary lowered or the crack
of a whip.
"Alright, Mr. Wright, I've got some
evidence for ya," the detective began. "Hopefully it will help in the trial. I
went through a lot of work to get these pieces of evidence!" and his chest
heaved with pride and an overdramatic sense of self-worth.
"Wait, but shouldn't you be giving this
to Xuan Wu?"
"Well, I was going to, but he just
wouldn't accept it. He sure is a strange guy," Gumshoe replied, scratching his
head.
(No kidding. He was the one who found and
presented evidence that turned out to be completely irrelevant and misleading to
the case, so there's no reason he wouldn't trust any more evidence. But should
I?)
"Alright, what've you
got?"
Gumshoe pulled out a few files. "Well,
all I did was skim through the whole house and collected whatever looked really
important, so…. Here you go!"
(As always, Gumshoe does his job
thoroughly.)
Phoenix perused the files.
------------------------------
Kitchen Map (scene of the crime): Marked to recreate the scene of the crime (pictured below)
--------------------------- ------------ (W) ---------
I--I I--I (P) |Fridge | -------
_________ |_ ______| | |
|
Table
|
-------------- (V) -------------
I--I I--I | Stove |
----------------------
To Laboratory
P = Parker's location when police found him V=Victim's location
W=Eliza's location from her
testimony
Ishni's Log: It says, "Eliza has gone
missing. She was playing with Max and Parker, but they have no idea where she
went off. I hope she's okay…" "… Thank goodness! Max found her by the river! I
was worried that I had lost her. She, along with Max and Parker mean everything
to me. Good grief, all this stress is not good for these old bones…" "… Eliza
has been acting strange ever since she got back. Sometimes I wonder what she was
doing while she had gone missing. Her eyes have gotten darker too. Why can't she
just talk to me? It's heart-breaking to see my only daughter like this. If only
her mother were here. Maria would know what to do."
Photo: A picture of a younger Ishni
holding a baby girl. Her bright blue eyes stand out the most in the
photo.
Photo 2: A more recent picture of Max and
Parker, playing by a river with the same girl.
Eliza's Birth Certificate: Born on June
15 to Ishni and Maria Sanshi.
Laboratory Photo: A box of latex gloves lays in the center of the room, while mechanical parts are strewn about. A half-completed android can be seen in the back.
------------------------------
"Wait a minute!" Phoenix bursted when he
saw the birth certificate. "Eliza Sanshi was an actual person?! But that doesn't
make any sense!"
Detective Gumshoe glanced to the side.
"Well, that's all I have for you. Hope that's enough. Say, where's your client,
anyway?"
"He was taken away by the bailiff after I
accused his brother. I'm not sure I can even look at the poor kid anymore..."
Phoenix said.
"Nick," Maya said quietly as she looked
at the clock. "It's about to start again."
"Okay. Let's go."
(I'm not sure what all of this new
information is supposed to mean, or if I should even trust that it's real. But I
know who did, and I've got to bring him down. This guy... Max.... He killed his
father and was willing to pin the murder on his own brother! I can't allow a
monster like that to get away!
I'm sorry,
Parker...)
***
13 years ago...
Kurain
Village
Mia ran as fast as she could, but her
assailant was gaining up on her. It was hard to run barefoot through the woods,
especially in the dark, but still she pressed on, ignoring the pain. Her life
depended on it.
She let out a scream as she was tackled,
sending her rolling out of the thicket and by the river. Her attacker was on top
of her now, and he brandished a knife, its blade glistening in the moonlight.
Mia kept screaming. She was so far from the village, so her chances of anyone
hearing her were nil. Besides, only five feet away from them the river dropped
into a waterfall, enveloping any other noise with its flow. Was this the
end?
"Let her go!"
From out of the darkness a shuriken dug
itself into the man's back. He let out a roar and whirled around. He saw the boy
he had thrown it and lunged for him, and the two were locked into a fierce
brawl. Half-scared and half-relieved, Mia looked up, trying to recognize her
savior.
"Xuan Wu?"
In a rage, the man made a dash for Mia
and grabbed her, holding her up threateningly above the waterfall before the
boy.
"You coward!" the boy spat. "Let her
go!"
"The Feys do not deserve the the
inheritance of the Master! Their blood will soak the soil of Kurain, starting
with this girl!" and the man tossed Mia in the river like a ragdoll. She let out
a scream as she was swept by the current and disappeared over the
waterfall.
"NOOOOO!!" Xuan Wu charged at the man,
embedding a second shuriken into the man's stomach, causing the man to slip into
the river and tumble down the waterfall as well. Xuan Wu scrambled to the edge
and peered over, but Mia was nowhere in sight.
"MIIIIAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
***
May 21, 11:40 AM
District Court
Court Room No.
2
"The court will now reconvene for the
trial of Parker William."
"Cutting right the chase, the court has
called forth Max William," Xuan Wu stated, gesturing to the man who was already
at the witness stand. "Now, Mr. William, would you please testify as to what you
saw at the stroke of midnight on April 19th."
"Before we begin though," the judge
interrupeted, " The court should knoew that since Ms. Eliza Sanshi was not.... A
qualified witness... We can not consider any part of her testimony as
reliable.
"So basically, pretend it never
happened," Xuan Wu summed up.
(Great, back to square one then) Phoenix
thought. He was alone at the defense's bench, for he had no idea where Maya had
gone off to.
Max cleared his throat to remind the
court that he existed. "I understand that I am under suspicion, so I will gladly
testify to prove my innocence."
(That's weird, this guy doesn't put up
much of a fuss. Maybe he's just confident.)
Max began his testimony. "I awoke at
12:00 to loud noises that were coming from downstairs. It sounded like someone
was fighting. I stood by the kitchen door from the hallway and to my shock saw
Parker unconscious . It was Eliza who stabbed Ishni-"
"Hold it! You saw Eliza stab Mr. Sanshi?
Then why didn't you tell anyone before?!"
""I'm sorry, I'm... I'm not the sort of
person who can speak up," Max responded.
(That's the lamest excuse I've ever
heard!)
"Anyways," Max continued, "At that moment
I knew that Eliza had malfunctioned. Mr. Sanshi built her after all, and I'd say
he's terrible when it comes to robotics... And that's the end of my
testimony."
"So... it was actually Eliza who murdered
Mr. Sanshi? Then that means Parker is innocent!" the judge
exclaimed.
"Yes, it appears that would be the case,"
Xuan Wu affirmed. "Phoenix Wright, this testimony shows that your client is
innocent. Are you satisfied with it, or will you cross-examine Mr.
William?"
"I will cross-examine the witness, of
course. Even if it does prove my client innocent, I intend to leave no stone
unturned in a case. I still have questions about this what really happened, and
I will not be satisfied until I get the whole truth."
Mr. Sinistral nodded. "Very well."
Suddenly, the prosecutor went into a coughing fit, but it died down after about
ten seconds, and he gestured for Phoenix to go on.
"Okay, my first question: Can you be a
bit more specific about where Parker was at the scene?"
Max thought for a bit. "Well, I'm
positive that he was on the leftside of the fridge."
"You're absolutely
sure?"
"Yes."
(Too easy.) "I will now present this map
of the kitchen, the scene of the crime,"" Phoenix declared.
--------------------------- ------------ (W) ---------
I--I I--I (P) |Fridge | -------
_________ |_ ______| | |
|
Table
|
-------------- (V) -------------
I--I I--I | Stove |
----------------------
Laboratory
"You said that you were in the hallway,
correct? Marked with a (W)?"
"Sir, what are you trying to get at?" Max
asked uneasily.
"Well, it's just that if you were in the
position you were at the time, Parker would be on the rightside of the
refrigerator to you."
Max flinched. "But, but... What does it
even matter where he was?"
"Yes, Phoenix Wright, what significance
does the witness' perception of his brother's location make?" the judge
inquired.
"It has great significance, Your Honor.
If you're viewing this kitchen from the laboratory's side, Parker would indeed
have been on the left side of the refrigerator. However, when viewing the room
from the hallway, he would be on the right. The witness is telling the truth
about Parker's location, but he lied about his own
location!"
"So at the time of the murder, Max
William was actually in the laboratory, and not the hallway." Xuan Wu
concluded.
The ace attorney nodded.
"Exactly."
"Then what does it
mean?"
"Pardon?"
It was Max who had asked the question.
"What does it mean if I was in the laboratory at the moment of the
crime?"
"Mr. Wright, do you have an explanation
for why the witness was in the laboratory?" the judge
asked.
"I.... No, not yet," Phoenix said. "But I
hope to find out through by continuing my
cross-examination."
The judge nodded. "Very
well."
Phoenix looked over the testimony.
(Okay... So I have to find a reason why Max was in the lab... Wait a minute...)
He shuffled through some papers, then looked back at Max's testimony. He wasn't
sure if it meant anything, but he had to try. "Mr. William, you said that at the
moment of the murder you knew that Eliza had malfunctioned. Is that
correct?"
"Yes."
"Then this means that you had known that
she was a robot?"
"Yes."
Phoenix took out Eliza's birth
certificate. "Did you know that there was a girl, a human girl, of the same
name?"
"Wait! Let me see that!" the judge said.
"You mean Eliza Sanshi was a real person?!"
"That's what I'd like to know," Phoenix
replied. "Witness, answer the question. Did you know that Eliza was once a
human?"
Max paused. "Yes," he said
finally.
(Gotcha.) Next, Phoenix produced Ishni's
log. "I would like everyone to take a look at the parts I have highlighted in
this journal. Actually, pay specific attention to the last
part."
"What's this?" the judge asked, and he
looked over the log before passing it on to Xuan Wu. "'Eliza has been acting
strange ever since she got back. Sometimes I wonder what she was doing while she
had gone missing. Her eyes have gotten darker too. Why can't she just talk to
me? It's heart-breaking to see my only daughter like this. If only her mother
were here. Maria would know what to do,'" he read.
"This journal clearly implies that Mr.
Sanshi wasn't aware that his daughter, Eliza Sanshi, had become an android. He
refers to the robot as his daughter, and also mentions the girl's mother."
Phoenix explained.
"An androip?" the judge asked. "Is that
some kind of toaster oven?"
(We already went over this! And last time
you said it was a microwave!) "Anyways... If Mr. Sanshi had not known Eliza was
an android, then it would be logical to say that he didn't build her. But then
who else did? It couldn't have been Parker, he's too young. No, Max William, you
are the only one who could have built her! And you are the only one who could
have murdered Ishni Sanshi!"
"But-" Max began, but Phoenix went
on.
"Around midnight on April 19th, you were
in the laboratory to program Eliza to get her to lie about what was about to
happen. After that, you knocked out your own brother who was in the way, and
stabbed Mr. Sanshi! Max William the murderer of Ishni Sanshi
was-"
SPLASH!
He never saw it coming, for all of a
sudden his face was soaked in ice cold water. Phoenix yelped in surprise, and
when he could see again, Xuan Wu was casually tossing a shuriken-shaped water
balloon up and down in his hand. Those who were in the courtroom were honored
with the previously-thought-impossible sight of the defense attorney's spikey
hair completely flattened. "Have you cooled down yet, Mr. Wright?" the ninja
prosecutor queried. "I believe you need to slow down and think things through.
You do not have enough evidence to make such claims, and if you haven't noticed
the witness has been trying to testify."
"Thank you, Mr. Sinistral," Max said.
"Look, the old man was delusional. Eliza Sanshi, the real one, died two months
ago. He was so overcome with grief that he built a replica of her and thought
that she was real. I didn't know at first, I didn't even know that she had died.
But she had changed, so I went into his lab to get answers, looking through all
of his files and notes. When I found out what he did, and what really happened
to Eliza, I was stunned. That's when I walked out and saw her stab him. There's
no way I could have built Eliza. I don't even know a thing about robotics,
so-"
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted. "You don't
know anything about robotics, but I'd say you do! I remember before the trial
began that Parker showed me a neat robot of his. Bob was his name. And what did
he say? He said that you were the one who created Bob for him. Isn't that
right?"
Max gritted his teeth. "Okay, so I do
know a thing or to, but Bob is nothing compared to a full blown, realistic
android that could pass off as a human for two months. Plus, why would I even go
through so much trouble and build her, anyway? Personally, making some android
replacement for a human is just too creepy for me."
"An androig?" the judge asked. "Is that
some kind of vacuum-" SPLASH! "Ahhhh! My beard is soaking
wet!"
"Your Honor, that's the third time you've
asked that question, and the last two times you thought it was a microwave and a
toaster oven," an irritated Xuan Wu stated. He had another water balloon readied
just in case.
"As I was about to say," Phoenix
interrupted, "The reason why you would build Eliza had been bothering me, but I
think I've got an answer. If you look back at Ishni's log, it says that Eliza
had disappeared... When Max was around. Then, after a while, Max found her. I
believe it was between these two events that the robot Eliza was being built, by
known other than Max William."
SPLASH! (Gah! And I had just dried,
too!)
"That doesn't answer WHY the witness
would build her, Mr. Wright," Xuan Wu explained.
"Take a look at this photo," Phoenix
said.
"They're soggy," Xuan Wu said curtly.
(Because you were the one throwing water
balloons!)
"So what are we supposed to be looking
at?" the judge inquired.
"The river," Phoenix replied. "One day,
Max and Eliza were playing by the river. Then she disappeared. Max had claimed
that he had no idea where she went or what happened to her, but in actuality,
she could have fell in and drowned. Max, who could have already been working on
an android, desperately made a replacement for her, thinking that he could hide
her death, and he succeeded. That's why he would have built
Eliza."
.....
SPLASH!
"Argh! It's dripping down my back!"
Phoenix cried.
"Oh, that was just me thanking you for
telling such a fascinating story," Mr. Sinistral said.
"But that's all it is. A story. Do you
have any proof to validate your story?" Max asked smugly.
"I.... I...." Phoenix began. The attorney
gritted his teeth, rummaging through the court record but finding nothing. (I've
come this far... I can't give up now! But... What can I do? I've presented all
the evidence I have! I'm all out of ammo!) He looked around. All eyes were on
him, waiting for an answer. (So many times have I been in a situation like this.
And I've always found a way. But this time? Can I pull through this
time?)
"Mr. Wright, you stated that the witness
was responsible for the death of Eliza Sanshi, and building a robot to replace
her in order to cover up what had happened. You have also accused him of
murdering Ishni Sanshi and reprogramming the robot Eliza in order to lie in this
court. But do you have any evidence, decisive evidence to support any of these
claims?"
"I..... No, I do not have any decisive
evidence to support my claims," Phoenix finally said,
defeated.
"Well then, now that that's settled, can
we all agree that it was Eliza who killed my father?" Max chimed in with a smirk
on his face.
(I know he did it! He was the one who
killed Eliza, then Mr. Sanshi, then initially tried to frame Parker! I can't let
him get away with all of this! He's going to go after Parker
next!)
"I suppose that is what we can conclude,"
the judge affirmed. "You may leave the witness stand, Mr.
William."
"Thank goodness," Max said, a look of
pure triumph on his face.
"HOLD IT!"
Everyone in the courtroom looked at
Phoenix, but then they realized it was not him who had objected. Heads turned
over to the prosecution's bench.
"Just a moment, Your Honor," Xuan Wu
said. "Mr. Wright does not have any decisive evidence, but I
do."
"Wait.... WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Phoenix
exclaimed in disbelief. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, or if he had heard
the ninja prosecutor wrong.
"Xuan Wu.... What is the meaning of
this?" Max growled, who was now sweating bullets.
"I was not able to present this at the
start. I had to make sure there was enough of a foundation to support this and
justify my actions. I had to wait until enough suspicion was put on you. I had
to wait until you were cornered, with no escape... In this very
courtroom. Max William, you know that I was keeping a close watch on you. But
what you didn't know was to what extent I was watching you. I had your room
bugged, and I happened to pick up something very interesting. You like talking
to yourself, don't you? Well, I'm afraid that will be the reason to your
downfall. I will now present this recording of a monologue the witness had in
his room."
Xuan Wu brandished a complicated-looking
casette player seemingly out of nowhere and pressed the play button. A voice
that was clearly Max's came on. "He's coming on to me. That old man knows my
connections with the black market. And I think he knows she's dead. I didn't
think I could pull it off for this long, but... Damn... What am I supposed to
do?"
The casette player clicked, signaling
that that was the end of the recording. Max William was on the witness stand,
his head bowed down, and his breaths heavy. Phoenix Wright was still in daze.
Why was Xuan Wu spying on Max? Did they even know each other? And where in the
world was Maya? She still hadn't come back since the court had gone into
recess.
"Xuan Wu..." Max panted hoarsely. "Why...
Why couldn't you just accept your punishment? You ruined my father's life, you
bastard... Xuan Wu..... XUAN WU!!!!" and he broke into a frenzied dash, taking
out a knife and diving for the prosecutor. Mr. Sinistral dodged, but as the
knife went down it made a clean slash across his face and left arm sleeve. Xuan
Wu knocked the knife out of Max's hand, then put him in an armlock as the
bailiff arrived to detain the crazed witness. As Max was led away, the ninja
prosecutor turned to face Phoenix, and the ace attorney gasped. The tears in
Xuan Wu's costume from Max's knife revealed what looked like deformed burn scars
all over his body, including half of his face.
"Xuan Wu, I'm sorry. Maya wasn't sure it
was you, but she just told me you were here."
The purple-haired man looked at the
person who addressed him and smiled. "Mia... I'm so glad I get to see you... One
last time..."
(Mia and Xuan Wu... Know eachother?)
Phoenix knew best to stay out of the conversation. Although the two were
conversing in front of the whole court, whatever they had to say to eachother
was their business.
The judge didn't think so though. "Wha...
What is the meaning of this?"
Xuan Wu sighed. "I believe the court does
deserve an explanation. After all, it's the very catalyst for this
case.
"It all started 13 years ago. I was an
orphan at Kurain Village. I had no idea who my parents were. I heard that they
had just abandoned me there. I wasn't very well-liked since I was always
starting trouble, but there were two children who were very kind to me. They
were Mia and Maya Fey. Everyone in the village hated me, but I stayed because of
them.
"Then, it happened. There was a man... He
was a very well-respected and honored man in the village, even though his
ancestors were beaten by the Feys for position of the Master of the Kurain
Channeling Technique. Because of that, he wanted to kill every single one of the
Feys, and he started with Mia. I saved her, but..."
"The man was put in critical condition,
and I had suffered from amnesia after the attack, so I believed, along with the
other people, that Xuan Wu had attacked him without provocation," Mia added
solemnly.
Xuan Wu nodded. "I was then exiled from
the village. From then on I tried to start a new life, and I managed to get my
career as a prosecutor in the hopes of seeing you again, Mia, in court. Then,
three months ago, someone poisoned me. At first I didn't think anything of it
when I saw his hand wave over my coffee, but... It's an extremely slow-acting
poison that gradually but surely destroys the body, and the doctors didn't even
know what it was, so there was nothing they could do. Still, I decided to spend
the last moments of my life prosecuting, in the hopes of meeting Mia. That's
when I managed to locate my father. The father that had abandoned me. I was
debating whether or not I should go and meet him, but then I realized that he
had adopted the children of the same man who had tried to kill Mia. And one of
them I instantly recognized as the person who had poisoned me. And before I knew
it, he killed my father."
"Hold on," Phoenix blurted out in
bewilderment. "You don't mean..."
"I do, Phoenix Wright. Ishni Sanshi was
my biological father. And Max William was the son of the man I almost killed to
protect Mia 13 years ago. I vowed that Max wouldn't get away with this, so I
immediately jumped on to the case as the prosecution and prayed that the defense
would be able to help me uncover the true culprit. And you did just that,
Phoenix Wright. Thank you. The boy, Parker, he has a good heart, so this chain
of hate can finally end. I could never have done it without you..." and
suddenly, Xuan Wu collapsed.
"Ah! Someone.... Somebody get a
paramedic!" Phoenix shouted as he and Mia dashed over to Xuan Wu's side. The
prosecutor's eyes were glazing, and his breaths were getting shorter with each
passing moment. "Sorry," Xuan Wu muttered. "The poison attacks the heart as well
as disfigure the body, and Max pulling out that knife on me was a pretty big
shock. It's time for me to go now..."
"No... Hang in there, Mr. Sinistral!"
Phoenix shouted.
"Xuan Wu, I'm sorry," Mia said, tears
welling up in her eyes. "I only recovered from my amnesia after it was too late.
If I hadn't lost my memory, you wouldn't have been outcasted. I'm so
sorry..."
"It's okay, Mia. It was bound to happen
anyway, with me being such a troublemaker. But Mia, when I was banished from
Kurain, I was still happy. All that mattered was that you were safe. And.... Mia
Fey.... I..... I love you." and his eyes slowly closed, and he died with a sad
yet contented smile still on his face.
Mia pulled him close to her and
wept.
May 21, 3:21 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No.
3
(It's over... It's finally
over...)
"Mr. Lawyer! Why?! Why did my brother do
it?"
(Well, not really. I still don't know
what I'm supposed to say to this poor kid.)
Parker was bawling all over the place. "I
thought my brother loved me.... But he hates me! He killed dad and tried to
blame me for it! All those years together... How he cared for me... They were
all a big fat lie! He framed me! He even went so far as to plant fake evidence
to incriminate me!"
(Ugh, what in the world am I supposed to
do?)
"Parker..." Maya said in a comforting
tone, "It's okay. Nick knows just what to do."
(You're not helping at all,
Maya!
Although, is there something I can show
him?
Ah!)
"Parker, Max did love you," Phoenix said.
"Just look at Bob. It took a lot of trouble for him to build him, but he did it
just for you. It's just that... He did something terrible, and it only lead to
him doing even more terrible things to cover for himself. He loved you, but then
his crimes caught up with him and..."
"Parker," a man said, approaching the
group. "Come on, we're going to find you a new home."
The man led the boy away, but as they
were about to walk out, the boy turned back to face Phoenix. "Mr. Lawyer....
Thank you...." he said, and then he was off.
"Well, now that that's settled, I believe
it's time that we finally go out for lunch!" Maya
suggested.
"Yeah, I'm actually really hungry,"
Phoenix commented. "Alright, I guess we should go as well. It's been a long.....
And strange day."
(Xuan Wu... Max William... It seems that
the Kurain Village always has a bloody history. It seems that that place can
affect people other than the Feys. And I realized something as well. When I
defend my clients, I'm not doing it just for them. It's for the people who are
counting on my clients to come home. It's for those who had been affected by the
true culprit. Xuan Wu passed away, but he died in peace. That's why I'll
continue to be a defense attorney. For as long as I can.)
THE END