Baking up a New Adventure! (A Cookie Run: Kingdom Story)

Part 7: Things Get Spicy!

WARNING: These next few parts will play out more like an Ace Attorney style story. If you're not familiar with how those games play, that's alright. There are no spoilers for those games here outside of a few core mechanics. I hope you can still enjoy the antics that ensue in the following chapters of the story. It ends at chapter 17 if you want to skip it all.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" I woke up to the sounds of Custard III screaming.

I shot up and threw off my sleeping bag, rushing out of the tent to see what was wrong.

"What happened?" I asked Gingerbrave as he appeared beside me.

"All the treasure and supplies we had stored in the kingdom's royal treasury are gone!" Custard III explained.

"A-all of it?" I gasped.

"It was stolen last night," Knight Cookie explained. "I saw them. I was chasing them, but by the time I got to the royal treasury the culprit was long gone."

"Sounds like we've got a mystery on our hands," I pointed out. "Could you show us to the royal treasury? I'd like to look around for any clues."

"Certainly," Knight nodded. "Right this way."

He led us up the steps of the palace, following a trail of spicy footprints to the large room that once contained all the kingdom's treasures and supplies.

"Woah..." I gasped. "This place has been picked clean! Whoever went through here was pretty thorough."

"What's that over there?" Gingerbrave wondered, pointing to a piece of hair dangling from the windowsill.

"Long red hair...? Spicy footprints...?" I wondered aloud. "Oh no. This is not looking good for--"

"AHA! I've got you now! You can't escape this time!" Rye's voice rose up to the window.

"Chili Pepper," I finished. "Come on, we'd better hurry!" 

I doubled back the way we had come as fast as I could, sprinting down the stairs and onto the grass. Rye already had Chili Pepper tied up and pinned down, though she was attempting to break free. There was a clicking noise as Rye readied her pistols, pointing them at Chili Pepper's back.

"Hey! Ow! Watch it! I'm telling you; I didn't do it!" She tried to explain.

BANG! Rye fired, but Chili Pepper rolled out of the way before the shots could hit her.

"Hey! Git back here!" Rye shouted, but Chili Pepper continued to roll away.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, stepping between the two of them. "Both of you!"

Rye glared at me, pointing her pistols at my chest, and Chili stopped rolling and just stared.

Err... now where is it? I wondered to myself. It has a form in all the other dimensions... I know this is a new dimension I haven't registered yet but... aha! There it is!

"By the power vested in me through this choco district attorney's badge, I demand that Chili Pepper be given a proper trial before you proceed!" I declared.

"You..." Rye muttered as she glared at me. "I knew you would have tried to stop me. Aight, I'll play your little game, on one condition. If I win, you, Gingersnap, and Chili Pepper all crumble."

"Wh-what?!" Gingerbrave gasped. "You can't--"

"It's a deal," I agreed. "Wanna shake on it?"

"Aight, but if you do, there's no backing down," Rye warned.

"I don't intend to," I insisted as I took her hand and shook it.

"The trial will take place tomorrow, bright and early," Rye told us. "Don't be late. And in the meantime--"

"Hey! Where are you taking me?!" Chili Pepper demanded to know.

"Yer goin' in the dungeon," Rye told her. "So, you can't cause any more trouble until the trial."

"You can't do that!" Chili Pepper exclaimed. "Nothing's been proven yet!"

"Technically it's standard procedure to throw suspects in jail until their innocence is proven," I commented. "Sorry, but I can't help you there, Chili Pepper."

"Are you sure about this?" Gingerbrave asked me as soon as Rye was out of earshot. "You've put your life on the line for this. And mine, too."

"Which is exactly why I'd want you to be my co-counsel," I explained.

"What's that?" Gingerbrave wondered.

"The co-counsel is someone who stands with the defense and provides a second opinion, a different insight to the testimonies, and helps the defense poke holes in the prosecution's case," I explained. "So... will you do it?"

"Of course, I will!" Gingerbrave nodded. "Sounds fun!"

"Okay," I started to say. "Now we've got to gather as much evidence as we can today to prove Chili Pepper's innocence. Let's start by visiting her in the dungeon to get her alibi."

"Alibi?" Gingerbrave pressed. "What's that?"

"Yes," I nodded. "It means you were doing something else at the time of the crime, so it couldn't have been you."

"Okay, let's get her alibi, then!" Gingerbrave decided.

We entered the castle and followed the stairs down to the dungeon.