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September 9, 2016, 2:30 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
Phoenix was still getting used to the whole ‘psychelock’ and magatama thing ever since Mia had died. The small tear-shaped jade stone wasn’t bigger than a credit card, and he could easily put it in his pocket, quick to reach.
He could still remember what Maya said when she gave it to him, when she finally let him be her attorney.
“My family, the Fey Family, has always been in tune with the spirits,” She had said. “Especially the women… and we have a special charm to help us, it’s called a Magatama…
“It helps us see the secrets that people lock away in their hearts…”
His mentor already went back to where spirits rest, and Maya left the courthouse not long after, explaining that she had something she needed to do, family that she needed to call.
After Maya’s trial, Phoenix was still sitting there, dumbfounded. Not only did he just win this trial, but his dead mentor came back and borrowed his client’s body, Redd White was on his way to jail, and he saw Edgeworth again for the first time in fifteen years.
He saw Edgeworth again.
After fifteen years.
At the second ever trial of his career.
This isn’t the Edgeworth I know… why is he a prosecutor of all things? Phoenix wondered. Didn’t he want to be just like his dad?
Sure, he was a little pompous… and tried to use a lot of fancy words… and that bowtie! Phoenix thought. But I know he’s not like this ! He never had a giant stick up his--
And that was when he heard loud footsteps out in the hall, and grumbling, “Wright… Wright… Wright…” over and over again.
Phoenix stood with a start and bounded down the hall, trying to catch up to the crimson clad prosecutor.
“Edgeworth! Edgeworth, wait!” Phoenix called.
The prosecutor stopped in the middle of his path, his shoulders tense, and he didn’t even turn to face the attorney.
“Wright,” Edgeworth replied, curtly.
“It’s… been a long time, huh?” Phoenix started, awkwardly clinging to the backs of his spikes.
“The trial is over,” Edgeworth said. “We don’t need to talk anymore…”
Phoenix winced at the cold response, but he stood his ground.
“How have you been?”
“I fail to see why that matters to you…”
“I was just asking… that’s what friends are supposed to do, isn’t it?” Phoenix huffed, crossing his arms.
“Friends…? Friends ?!” Edgeworth laughed.
It was nothing like the laugh he had when they were children; quiet, unassuming, a little snort every once in a while, causing Phoenix’s chest to feel warm every time he made it happen. This laugh was harsh and cold, strained, as if there was a knife to it. There was no warmth, there was only ire and seeping hatred in it.
Edgeworth jerked to face Phoenix, staring at him with intense grey eyes, cold and unfeeling. His thin lips drawn to a taut thin line.
“And be any more humiliated than I already am?!” Edgeworth’s quiet voice was slowly and dangerously getting louder and louder. “I am a prosecutor …” he spat out the last word with emphasis. “I have no time for fancy frivolities or nostalgia… I suggest you adopt the same in your practice… Wright .”
Never had Phoenix heard his name said with such vitriol, such poison. He felt a shooting pain in his chest, and an uncomfortable rolling in his stomach. Soon that cold feeling started to burn, burn, burn into anger and rage.
He clenched his jaw and his hands into fists. He stared as Edgeworth started off once more, satisfied to have the final word.
Like hell he was.
Phoenix marched over and gripped the prosecutor’s shoulder, forcing Edgeworth to turn around and face him once more. Phoenix didn’t stand down as he stared into Edgeworth’s eyes, unafraid and determined.
“What the hell happened, Edgeworth?!” He spat that same poison back at the other man. “Why the fuck are you acting like this?!”
Edgeworth’s whole body went stiff as he inhaled sharply, his eyes widened and pointed anger sharpening at the attorney.
If looks could kill, it would be a murder scene.
Suddenly, the world went black, Phoenix felt that cold rush down his spine as he heard the telltale dragging of the chains. They crossed over Edgeworth’s heart, creating a wall between the two men and a lock started to form.
It was unlike any other lock Phoenix had ever seen; it wasn’t red, but a deep chilling black. The air turned flat and cold, this lock made Phoenix sick to his stomach, every part of him wanting to scream out in horror, his heart drumming against his chest and his knees were weak. He wanted to run, and yet, he was powerless.
What is this?! Maya never told me about these?! Phoenix thought. Can I even break this one?!
Almost instantly, Edgeworth pushed Phoenix away, shattering the illusion. Life started to fade back into normalcy.
“Good day, Wright,” He said, “I only wish to see you in court, and nowhere else…”
Without any chance for a response, Miles started off, faster than ever, and never even looking back as Phoenix stared at him, dumbfounded. Phoenix stood, in complete shock, as he clung to the magatama.
All Phoenix knew was he could never forget the sight of that black psychelock.
October 20, 2016, 1:12 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No.3
“Congratulations, WP!” Maya grinned as she clasped her hands together. “You’re a free man now!”
The surprisingly meek actor clung to his handkerchief, still shrinking himself down. “I… I don’t know what to say, thank you so much…!” Powers said. “I owe you guys so much…!”
“Oh, it’s nothing… just part of the job, really…” Phoenix chuckled.
“I’m just glad it’s all over now,” Powers added.
So am I… so am I… Phoenix thought, his mind wandering back to Edgeworth’s sudden turnabout.
The sudden moment when Edgeworth had turned on Vasquez, stopping the trial from a premature end.
It’s one thing to lose the trial… but it seemed like Edgeworth threw it on purpose… Phoenix wondered. Maybe the real Edgeworth’s coming out… I know he’s not the ‘demon’ everyone thinks he is!
Maya was staring at something behind Phoenix, her face pale and her eyes wide. Her shoulders tensed up and she was uncharacteristically quiet, the wind knocked out of her sails.
“Thanks to you, I’ll be able to don the Steel Samurai outfit once more! I can’t wait to get back into that sweaty costume and…” Powers drawled on until he looked over at the teenage spirit medium. “Is… something wrong…?”
“N-Nick…! Edgeworth!” Maya squeaked.
Phoenix turned with a start and was face to face with the prosecutor, who stood glaring at him, his eyes narrow and his lips drawn in a thin line. Phoenix ignored how fast his heart raced given how close they suddenly were, the closest they had been since Phoenix’s previous confrontation just a month earlier.
Phoenix was too dumbfounded to speak, the air was thick with tension as the silence built between the two attorneys, causing Edgeworth to squint and glare even harder.
“Say something, Wright…” Edgeworth said. “I’m not good at small talk…”
Phoenix stammered for a moment, trying to get his bearings before awkwardly muttering, “That was too bad, huh, Edgeworth?”
The prosecutor crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, “You clearly don’t waste any time gloating do you, Wright?” He huffed.
“Wait! That came out wrong!” Phoenix replied. “I wanted to thank you… Vasquez would have gotten away if you hadn’t stepped in…”
Edgeworth’s shoulders tightened and he looked to the floor, desperate to look at anything that wasn’t the blue clad attorney.
Powers cleared his throat and offered Edgeworth his hand, “U-Uh… pleased to meet you… I’m Will Powers,”
Edgeworth awkwardly took the actor’s hand and took it, “Ah… Edgeworth…” he replied. “I’m a big fan of your work, Mr. Powers…”
That is a big fat lie if I’ve ever heard one! Phoenix thought.
Edgeworth turned back to face Phoenix, his glare still icy and his jaw clenching tighter than ever before.
“I must say… I hadn’t expected to meet you again after all these years,” Edgeworth said, his voice flat and gaze unwavering. "Even after our last trial, I would never have thought to see your face in court once more…"
“Meet ‘again’?” Maya mused.
“However, in retrospect, it would have been better had we not met,” Edgeworth continued. “Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings …”
The world turned black, and Phoenix got that rush of a cold feeling rushing down his spine. He could hear chains being dragged out once more, one set crossing over Edgeworth’s heart and two branching out from that. The black psychelock locked itself tightly, still giving Phoenix that sick cold feeling, but was now accompanied with two familiar red psychelocks.
What is he hiding now?! Phoenix wondered. Why did that trigger this set?!
“Unnecessary feelings?”
Edgeworth turned and gripped his right arm, wrinkling the crimson sleeve. “Yes…” He replied. “Unease… and uncertainty…”
“But aren’t those kind of necessary?” Phoenix asked. “It’s part of what makes us human…”
Edgeworth shook his head, gritting his teeth, “They only serve to get in my way!” Edgeworth snapped. “You listen to me, and listen to me well, Phoenix Wright…
“Don’t ever show your face in front of me again!” Edgeworth said. “That’s what I came here to tell you…”
Almost instantaneously two more red psychelocks appeared, walling Phoenix off even more than he already was from Edgeworth. Before Phoenix could think to reply, Edgeworth turned and stormed off, breaking the illusion, and dragging his chains along with him.
“How in the…?!” Phoenix gasped.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Powers cleared his throat, still fiddling with his handkerchief.
“Uh… Mr. Wright…?” He asked. “Is… that guy your friend?”
“What?! Friend? They’re rivals!” Maya shook her head. “Right, Nick?”
“For now we are…” Phoenix sighed. “Oh, Mr. Powers… you’re free to go if that’s all…”
The actor nodded and started off, telling Phoenix and Maya that he was going to check with the clerk if there was anything else for him to go. Maya shook Phoenix’s shoulder, bringing him back to the present.
“Nick? You okay?” She asked.
“Huh… oh, right… I forgot to ask you about this…” Phoenix chuckled awkwardly, running his hand through his spikes. “Have you ever seen a black psychelock?”
Maya gasped and covered her mouth. She looked around the lobby, making sure no one else was around when she leaned in, her face grave and her voice low.
“You saw a black psychelock? Where?” she asked.
“Edgeworth has a black psychelock,” Phoenix answered. “He also had two red ones, and when he said he never wanted to see me again, two more came up…”
“Mr. Edgeworth has a black psychelock?!” Maya gasped.
“What’s so serious about black psychelocks?”
“They’re secrets that are buried so far down, that the person themselves doesn’t realize it…” Maya explained. “They’re very serious and they’re very rare… not to mention dangerous…”
“Dangerous?!”
She nodded, “Yeah… if you try to remove them forcefully… you could cause a lot of permanent damage…” Maya said. “Whatever it is… it seems like Mr. Edgeworth doesn’t want to face that secret…”
Phoenix looked to where the prosecutor had departed from the group, his stomach sinking and that cold rush of despair rushing through him.
Edgeworth… what happened to you…? Phoenix wondered.
December 28, 2016, 5:05 PM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
Phoenix’s heart raced, his mouth was dry, and his legs were weak. It was the final day of the trial, and they had already gone through a guilty and not guilty verdict, this was truly the last leg of the trial. Phoenix ignored how terrified he felt, he ignored how his stomach turned, and he ignored that snide glare of Prosecutor von Karma.
Dammit! I can’t lose now…! Phoenix thought. I can’t lose now… not when I just found him again!
Edgeworth looked small in the defendant’s seat, he clutched to his arm and clamped his eyes shut, willing himself to be anywhere but in that courtroom. His face was contorted in pain and anguish, the face of a man who truly believed himself to be guilty.
Guilty of one of the worst crimes of all.
“Hey… Nick…” Maya said flatly, breaking Nick out of his trance, “I just thought of something really crazy…”
She had been staring at von Karma, unblinking and focused, as if she were peering into the aged prosecutor’s very soul, her hand gripped on her magatama charm.
“Remember what Mr. Grossberg said yesterday?” she asked. “What if von Karma didn’t take that vacation because of shock…?”
Phoenix’s stomach turned, a wave of sickness rushing through him.
No… no he couldn’t be that cruel…! Phoenix wanted to scream. That… that’s just inhuman!
Maya turned to face Phoenix, her face grim and her eyes dark, “When he was demanding that there was no murderer at the scene, there were five psychelocks…” she said. “I saw them… he’s hiding something!”
“Then it could mean only one thing…” Phoenix replied, ignoring how much he wanted to scream.
The Judge slammed his gavel and faced the defense. “Mr. Wright… you have indicated the possibility that the murderer came from outside,” He said. “Can you give us the name of your suspect…?”
Phoenix stared at von Karma, the older prosecutor stood proudly, sure of his victory. There was a gleam in his eyes, and the etchings of a snide grin creeped at the corners of his mouth. The prosecutor smirked at Edgeworth, who was still sitting condemned and drowning in his own guilt, sure that he had already won.
Phoenix grit his teeth and slammed the bench, “Your Honor! There is only one lone suspect!” He shouted, glaring as he pointed at von Karma. “Manfred von Karma!”
The gallery burst into a raucous uproar, shouts and gasps filling the courtroom. A new invigorated energy surged through everyone present, seeming to bring Edgeworth back to life as he jerked up in shock. The Judge slammed his gavel, trying to quell the crowd and bring back order.
“Mr. Wright!” He gasped. “You mean the von Karma, as in the prosecutor present?!”
“Bah… how completely and utterly ridiculous ,” von Karma huffed, crossing his arms, completely unbothered. “The defense cannot prove his case so he seeks to slander my good name… how pitiful…”
“You took a long vacation lasting several months the day after the incident, despite your pride on a ‘Perfect Record’!” Phoenix argued. “Why would you take such a long vacation without any reason?!”
“Oh! So you are claiming that I took a vacation to recover from my alleged ‘injury’ I had sustained from the incident? Fascinating!” von Karma scoffed. “And I suppose you have proof of this?! I would have had surgery, no?
“Bring the doctor who operated on me then!” He laughed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Have him testify!”
Phoenix watched as Edgeworth mindlessly approached the witness stand, his jaw agape and his eyes wide. His knuckles were bone white as he gripped the stand, supporting himself as he stood.
Phoenix kept a tight grip on the magatama he kept in his pocket. The world was swathed in darkness as the chains surrounded Edgeworth, the sound of the rattling felt like nails on a chalkboard, and the black psychelock returned, fastening itself tightly over Edgeworth’s heart.
“Nick! This is crazy!” Maya gasped. “How can he expect us to find his doctor?!”
“It… it’s no use…” Edgeworth breathed, his voice weak and shaky.
“Edgeworth?!”
“Wright… I know von Karma…” Edgeworth replied quietly. “He’s perfect, he wouldn’t leave clues… the doctor would be a witness that could be traced back to him …”
“So… so what?! Did von Karma just pull out the bullet himself ?!” Maya asked, positively turning into a sickly green shade. “That… that’s insane !”
“There’s no way… I don’t think he’s
that
crazy!” Phoenix shook his head. "No one is…!"
Bullets just don’t disappear though! He thought. How did he do it?!
“Well, Mr. Wright…?!” von Karma tutted, shaking his finger as if Phoenix were some petulant child. “Can you produce the so-called evidence that I was even shot in the first place?!”
Phoenix started to sweat, his palms shook and his eyes darted from corner to corner. Then, a gleam caught his eye, the metal detector that Maya was still carrying had caught some of the light from the overhead lights. Without thinking, Phoenix took the instrument and held it out for everyone to see.
“Alright, von Karma, I’ll prove it!” Phoenix smirked. “And I’ll even use evidence… I know how you like it so much…!”
“Nick?!” Maya gasped. “Wh-What are you doing with that ?!”
“Like Mr. Edgeworth stated, Mr. von Karma is perfect, he wouldn’t risk surgery,” Phoenix explained. “Which begs the question, ‘Where is the bullet now?’, and I seriously doubt that von Karma would perform surgery on himself !”
“You’re insane !” Edgeworth balked.
“I might seem that way,” Phoenix continued. “But there is still the possibility that the bullet is still inside Mr. von Karma!”
“So we can use the metal detector!” Maya added. “That’s how we can prove there’s a bullet in his shoulder!”
“This… this is ridiculous! Foolish! Idiotic!” von Karma sputtered. “I refuse to go through this circus!”
“But if you refuse, you are acknowledging that there is a bullet inside of you,” The Judge said before he slammed his gavel. “Mr. Wright, the court grants the defense permission to perform this… unorthodox… test.”
Phoenix slowly approached the prosecutor’s bench, and turned on the metal detector. Low beeps filled the air, not picking up on anything until Phoenix raised it to the prosecutor’s right shoulder, causing it to beep violently and rapidly, much to von Karma’s dismay.
Out of the corner of Phoenix’s eye, he could see Edgeworth’s black psychelock shake, causing the chains to rattle.
“You…! It… It was you ?!” Edgeworth gasped, his face turning white.
von Karma huffed and batted the metal detector away, regaining his cool and calm composure.
“Hmph… I will concede that there is a bullet in my shoulder…” von Karma replied. “But it has nothing to do with this incident!”
“You can’t be serious!” Phoenix groaned.
“I was shot before the DL-6 incident!” von Karma added. “Therefore, it has no relation to this court…!”
“But Mr. von Karma, can you prove that?” The Judge asked.
“I have no obligation to divulge that information!” von Karma barked. “The burden of proof lies with that pitiful defense attorney!”
That’s why he was in the records room! He anticipated something like this! Phoenix realized. He took everything regarding the DL-6 incident! We were so close!
Maya jerked up and tugged Phoenix back to the defense’s bench. She had a grin on her face as she fished something out from her sleeves and handed it to Phoenix.
“Maya? What are you doing?” Phoenix asked.
“von Karma only thinks he took everything from the case…!” Maya whispered. “Nick, we still have an outs to this!”
She had placed the bullet extracted from Gregory Edgeworth’s heart into Phoenix’s hand. It was perfectly intact, not even a scratch had marred it. It was the perfect evidence to take down the perfect prosecutor.
Phoenix looked back at Edgeworth, the psychelock didn’t seem so foreboding with the bullet in hand, the chains seemed less secure and it shook with uncertainty.
I hope you can forgive me for this… Phoenix thought.
“To think… you were so close to finally walking away from this forever…” Phoenix said. “But I do have evidence linking that bullet to the crime… I present the bullet extracted from the victim’s heart to the court!”
Edgeworth looked away, nearly retching at the sight of the newest piece of evidence presented to the court.
“This bullet is preserved perfectly, with all the ballistic markings intact !” Phoenix continued. “We have two bullets in possession now! We can analyze both of the bullets, then, if the markings match, we will finally have an answer to a fifteen year old mystery!
“It proves that they were fired from the same gun!” Phoenix shouted. “The same pistol… the very murder weapon itself!”
von Karma gripped his shoulder and nearly collapsed on the bench itself. His face was a sickly green and a cold sweat had broken out on his brow. He shook violently and threw his head back, screaming like a wounded beast.
Edgeworth stared at his former mentor, his face contorted in sheer horor. His black psychelock shook violently before shattering into millions of pieces, the sound of broken glass piercing through the air, and the chains dissipated at his feet before the world started to fade back to normal.
“It’s that scream I heard in the elevator!” Edgeworth screamed. “You! It was you !”
“Edgeworth!” von Karma bellowed. “Only you would dare defy me…! You are my curse!”
“You killed my father!” Miles shook, a wash of anger, shock, and mourning covered his face all at once, his stormy grey eyes glistened with tears as he managed to stand up straighter on the stand. “You bastard !”
Eventually the bailiffs surrounded the elderly prosecutor, who was still screaming. They tried their best to restrain him as he started bashing his head against the wall in a fit of madness. It took five bailiffs to take him down and carry him off to holding, his screams and curses still echoing down the halls.
Phoenix and Maya simply looked at the other and nodded. It was evident that every single psychelock was destroyed.
We did it… oh my god we did it… Phoenix realized. The black psychelock… it just shattered…!
Eventually The Judge cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to reality.
“It appears we have finally reached the end of this treacherous maze…” he started. “Mr. Miles Edgeworth…?”
Edgeworth’s demeanor had changed, his shoulders sagged forward and his eyes were dark and heavy, fifteen years worth of nightmares and exhaustion evident. His breathing was less strained and his eyes were clearer. Despite the mysterious psychelock shattering, he still had his calm and cool composure, much to Phoenix’s relief.
You can finally breathe easy… Phoenix thought.
“Yes, Your Honor?” Edgeworth asked.
His Honor looked at him and smiled kindly, his eyes full of sympathy and care.
“You were innocent,” he answered comfortingly. “You are innocent…”
Edgeworth was silent, still taking The Judge’s words into heart. He unclenched his jaws and finally relaxed for the first time since Phoenix had finally reunited with him.
The Judge slammed his gavel, proclaiming Edgeworth ‘Not Guilty’ as confetti fell everywhere in celebration. Edgeworth looked up, gasping in surprise as he took a deep breath, the weight of the world finally off of his shoulders.
We did it… it’s finally over… Phoenix thought. You don’t have to shoulder these secrets anymore…
Phoenix approached the prosecutor and smiled, gently patting his shoulder, accidentally surprising Edgeworth in the attempt to share a friendly gesture.
“Congratulations, Edgeworth…” Phoenix smiled. “Truly…”
Edgeworth was silent for just a moment, still shaking slightly, when he suddenly wrapped Phoenix into a tight hug, much to the defense attorney’s surprise. His shoulders shook as Phoenix rubbed circles into his back, easing the prosecutor to relax into the embrace before he spoke up, soft and shaky, a whisper.
“Thank you… Phoenix…”
“Always… Miles…”