Date a live - spirit child

CH.19 Pressing Pursuit PT.2

Shido decides to dump any evidence that most likely won't help at this time, so ditches the hairs and the program. He also receives the photos that Saori used to defend Axel earlier in the trial. He even receives the laptop that the email was on. Plus security footage of Hibiki before the murder holding the laptop, but it is actually footage of everyone at the studio. Mana then comes back to help her brother regain control of this trial.
He also shares an exchange of words with Ellen, who has the proof needed to get Shiori a not guilty verdict. Ellen, proudly, tells Shido.
"You're doing great. I'm very proud of you, Shido."
Shido, while certainly appreciating the sentiment, can't help but say.
"I dunno about that. I nearly wet my pants back there. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."
Shiori is still sobbing since now it is apparent that Axel has betrayed her trust, but she doesn't want to believe it. Mana is currently comforting her. She (Mana) is a shoulder to cry on for the pop star. Hiro, looking at the crying girl, can't help but feel envy towards her.
" Definitely someone...innocent. I wish I could be more like her."
Tohka walks into the room, and Hiro begins to panic as soon as he sees her. He starts to hyperventilate and his eyes widen as if he has seen a phantom. He takes out his medicine bottle, which he has in his pocket, and takes his medication again. Shido and Ellen worry for him, but need to focus on the trial. Tohka is carrying a box with her. She approaches Shiori and says, calmly.
"You need to something better than prison food, so I made you this."
Tohka presents Shiori a boxed lunch filled with tasty looking food. Shiori thanks Tohka and happily eats the lunch before the trial reconvenes. Tohka also hands Shiori a small bottle of milk which she drinks with her food. As Shiori chomps on her lunch, she notices Hiro and sees him sweating. She walks over to him, and hands him her milk, and says.
"Here, have some milk."
Hiro looks at her with confusion, and asks.
"Why? I'm prosecuting you."
Shiori happily replies.
"Because you helped my mother back there. Besides, I simply can't stand seeing people sad or upset. When I feel down, I drink a glass of milk."
Hiro politely accepts the kind gesture and drinks down the milk which actually does help a little. He also asks her.
"So, she must really care about you a lot, your bodyguard I mean."
Shiori looks over at Tohka and smiles.
"She sure does. Tohka's been like a big sister to me for as long as I can remember. She also makes the best lunches."
(Tohka acts as Shiori's personal chef when she tours, so she's more used to eating Tohka's cooking over Shido's.)
Shiori goes on about Tohka which helps Hiro calm down even more. Shido and Ellen are discussing the new evidence they has obtained. Shido is getting the picture since Ellen thinks that it is better to see it on his own because if he does, he'll have an easier time pointing in out in the trial.
The other members of the group are aboard the Bifrost and are now eating snacks while waiting for trial to restart. For effect, Akane and Kotori have mp3s ready to play. In the sleeping quarters, Akihiko is doing something he feels he should have tried for a while now. He enters his spirit form, and summons his guardian. As usual, she holds the second sword, sheathed, in her arms and attempts to hand it to him, but he declines which causes her to put on a sad look. Akihiko then begins to talk with her.
"Can you understand me?"
The guardian nods her head, and then he asks further questions in a very calming tone.
"Can you talk?"
The guardian shakes her head.
"Do you know who I am? Do you know about my mom?"
The guardian happily nods. He smiles at her, and asks.
"Do you have a name?"
The guardian thinks for a second, and then floats to a nearby wall, and begins using her finger to carve a word into it. She carves the word Valor. Aki then smiles and resonds.
"Your name is Valor?"
The guardian returns to her master and happily nods. He then begins to talk to her more.
The break has ended, the trial is back on, and everyone has taken their place. Shido and Mana are back on their side, Hiro on his, and now, Axel Gibson has taken the stand once more. The Judge pounds his gavel and makes his statement.
"Court is now back in session. It has been brought to my attention that a new possible culprit has been discovered."
Axel gets defensive as he asserts.
"Dude, I, like, had nothing to do with that."
Hiro then declares.
"Of course he didn't do it. So, he should repeat his testimony from earlier."
Shido knows that Hiro is working towards helping Shiori, and he has to take the opportunities when they come up. The Judge nods, and says.
"Very well, Axel, will gives your testimony once more?"
Axel agrees, but adds.
"Okay, but, like, I can't say it word for word again."
Shido says, calmly.
"That is fine, just get on with it."
Objection!
Hiro has a serious look as he tells Shido.
"Refrain from getting snippy with my witness, brother."
Shido calms down because it is clear that his anxiety will get the better of him if he lets it.
Testimony
-Why I didn't do it, seriously-
"Just like before, I was napping from 4:50 to 7:00."
"I walked around to stretch my arms before I got on stage."
"I saw She-bore-me before in the hall at about 7:08."
"I, like, said I saw a ruby, but it was actually and emerald on her outfit."
"And, like, that prosecutor babe showed that photo to us. That proves I didn't do it"
End
"So, like, does that settle it?"
Shido wonders about that, but decides.
"Not until I cross examine you."
Hiro, of course, has no objections, and the Judge approves.
Cross Examination
-Why I didn't do it, seriously-
"Just like before, I was napping from 4:50 to 7:00."
"I walked around to stretch my arms before I got on stage."
"I saw She-bore-me before in the hall at about 7:08."
"I, like, said I saw a ruby, but it was actually and emerald on her outfit."
Hold it!
While Shido rubs his chin.
"Why did you say you saw a ruby earlier?"
Axel, now annoyed, responds.
"Because, like, I was drowsy, I was asleep for nearly three hours."
Shido lets it go since it isn't going anywhere, and Axel continues.
"And, like, that prosecutor babe showed that photo to us. That proves I didn't do it"
Objection!
Shido now reopens that photo issue again.
"Yeah, about that, the photo was tampered with."
Earlier, Ellen had pointed out that the timestamp on the picture is red, but the actual color of the timestamp should be yellow. I have, here, another non-tampered photo that was taken at 7:00."
Shido shows another photo of Axel walking into the green room at 7:00. He then presses on the issue further.
"I'd say the photo we saw earlier, was actually taken closer to 6:20."
The Judge's eyes widen as he responds.
"But how do we know that this new photo isn't tampered with?"
Shido answers.
"Because, this photo was taken directly from the surveillance room, and the other was taken from a laptop. I'd say this proves that the photo was actually tampered with after the murder...by the true culprit, Axel Gibson!"
The Judge then looks at Axel intensely.
"Mr. Gibson, is this true? Did you tamper with the photo?"
Axel is looking down at the floor as he answers.
"No...don't be stupid. I didn't do anything...you idiotic old fart..."
The Judge looks insulted, Hiro is smiling, and Shido now is getting a better view of this man's real personality. Axel continues.
"That prosecutor hit Miku, so why couldn't she have tampered with the photo? Or Shiori for that matter?"
Shido then retorts.
"Shiori wasn't near the surveillance room at that time, and the green room is much closer than her dressing room."
Axel growls a little under his breath as he utters.
"So...it's come to this."
Axel pulls out his comb, combs back his hair making it slicked back, pulls out his guitar from the case, pulls out an amp, and lifts his face up which has a nasty smile. He then plays a loud guitar rift that dazzles the gallery and audience causing them to throw roses at him. He then gives a new introduction.
"How do you do, , I'm Axel Gibson."
Shido notices that Axel has also begun speaking more properly and is even getting names right. He then thinks.
" Now it's to finish this guy off."
Hiro remains silent as Axel continues.
"So, you say that say that I tampered with the photo? Show me some proof, tough guy. If not, then this is nothing but conjecture."
Shido can't actually prove that Axel tampered with the photo. Axel then brings up another point.
"Another thing, you say that whoever took those scandalous photos of Mirai, killed Hibiki. But where's the proof that it was me? Miku said that she saw that email on Hibiki's laptop."
The Judge, while still insulted, can't help but agree with Axel.
"He's right, you haven't shown us decisive proof."
Hiro then steps in with a suggestion.
"I say that we have a new testimony about the victim's laptop."
Everyone, including Axel, agrees. Shido is preparing for the toughest part.
Testimony
-The laptop- (Axel has a completely smug smile on for this.)
"As you all know, Hibiki's laptop had the email, not mine."
"We've done international tours, so using foreign money isn't unusual."
"I do, in fact, have a laptop, but I never brought it to the studio."
"Besides, why would I want to hurt "my precious friend" by taking photos of her?"
End
Shido immediately calls for the cross examination. Hiro nods to him, and then he prepares. Shido has been on a roll, so Mana hasn't done much yet. But Shido has already set up an argument for this, and he thinks.
" I'm ready for you, Gibson. You're not getting away from me."
Cross examination
-The laptop-
"As you all know, Hibiki's laptop had the email, not mine."
Objection!
Shido, with his hands to sides, confidently says.
"Sorry, but that laptop is not Hibiki's."
Shido pulls out the laptop and points to the serial number on the bottom, and then pulls out the surveillance clip of Hibiki at the studio, who is holding her laptop, and points to its serial number; showing that the numbers are different. Axel, shocked, plays a cord by accident and it screeches loud. Shido further points out that the clip that was shown was from earlier in the day that the murder occurred so there wasn't much opportunity to switch the laptops.
Objection!
Axel objects and retorts.
"Oh yeah, well how do you know that the laptop was mine? It could have belonged to anyone in the studio, and besides, I don't ever take mine to the studio in the first place."
Shido points out.
"Can you prove that you didn't?"
Axel sarcastically replies.
"Can you prove that I DID."
Shido thinks for a moment, and then Mana whispers in his ear.
"Shido, if that laptop wasn't Hibiki's, then there should be something on it that shouldn't be."
Shido thinks about it, and understands. He then declares.
"Actually, I can prove that you did."
Axel appears to start sweating, and Shido begins to explain.
"If the laptop that the email was on, the one in our possession isn't the victims, but the killers. then this laptop shouldn't contain a certain someone's fingerprints."
Axel begins to sweat further since he realizes that this could mean trouble for him.
"This laptop wasn't the victim's, but she did handle at some point. The same is for Shiori's mother. These two handled the laptop to see the email in question. But if this laptop actually belongs to Axel, then his fingerprints should be all over it!"
Axel then gets more nervous as he looks at Hiro and says.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to help me here?"
Hiro puts on a confused look as he responds.
"Me? I only care about the truth."
Shido now gets more confident since he believes it to be over, but Axel begins laughing as he hasn't given up yet. He then confesses.
"Fine, I admit that I took the photos. The little tramp sure takes a pretty picture, doesn't she?"
Shido begins gripping his desk and very tempted to get violent. Mana calms him down, despite being angry. Axel then further adds.
"So I took some photos, big deal. But here's some more truth; Shiori and Hibiki have been arguing for three weeks now."
The Judge looks at Axel with disgust as he tells him.
"Regardless, you will be facing charges for this."
Axel, smugly, retorts.
"Better than a murder charge."
The Judge shakes his head as he proclaims.
"Your motive is very clear, but no proof exists that you are the shooter. And now, it comes to my attention that the defendant has a clear motive again."
Axel, smugly, retorts.
"Better than a murder charge."
Shido is frustrated and is furious.
" This guy is really making me mad. There has to be something, something that he missed."
Shido then thinks something very closely about everything that he has. Mana doesn't have anything to say since she doesn't know what to do either. Hiro looks at Shido and thinks.
" Come on, think Shido, think."
Shido re-looks at the photos taken from the stadium. He notices a contradiction. He points to two pictures of Axel exiting and returning to the green room.
"Between these two pictures, Axel is wearing different gloves when he leaves and when he comes back."
The gloves in the photos change from black to red between the two time periods. He then makes a statement about this.
"Axel must have changed his gloves between the time he left, and the time he came back. He must have gotten them dirtied or something."
Axel now looks annoyed as he simply utters.
"And, what's your point? I went to the bathroom and I got a little of bit IT on them, so I changed with a spare in my pocket."
Mana then adds her opinion on the situation.
"I think that maybe he didn't have his gloves on him when he came back, the dirty ones I mean."
Shido looks at Mana and thinks to himself.
" Didn't have the gloves when he came back..."
(While an odd choice, this next moment is a new feature in Phoenix Wright Duel Destinies. Specifically, the thought route. I also recommend the song "Thought Route; Resonance of The Synapses")
Shido goes into in mind and thinks very carefully.
" When Axel left the green room, his gloves were black. Why did he change them...( They got covered with something)... They must have gotten stained with something he couldn't let anyone see, something like...(The victim's blood) ....Yeah, if her blood stained his gloves, then he couldn't have cleaned them, so he must have hidden them before he came back, but where... (Somewhere in the dressing room)...It had to be the dressing room, but we never found them despite our looking. Unless...we've already got them, but this means....( The gloves are hidden within the evidence) ...But the only way is...( The Bed sheets) (Axel hid the bloodstained gloves in the bed sheets).. We never completely checked the bed sheets. He must have tried to burn them before the show."
Shido takes the bed sheets and goes through them thoroughly, and just he figured out, the gloves are there and have dried blood on them. Shido, confidently thinks.
" You've dug your own grave, Gibson"
He then proclaims.
"I have decisive proof. Specifically, these gloves!"
Axel looks speechless, and the Judge asks.
"How are these gloves proof?"
Shido confidently explains.
"These gloves, the one clearly shown in this picture, have dried blood stains on them, blood from the victim to be precise."
Hiro is almost tempted to laugh at seeing Shido catch on so swimmingly. The Judge, now surprised, announces.
"Then this proves beyond doubt that the witness definitely did it."
Axel is giving off a weak laugh as he then sets his last defense.
"Haha...prove those gloves are mine? Because those look pretty charred to me."
Shido looks at the gloves, and see that they are burned. The Judge doesn't seem very happy about it either, but has to see decisive evidence. Shido doesn't have anything else; Hiro notices this and says.
"Indeed, Souka, my witness may have poor taste in his fashion. I mean RED gloves with a black jacket, it doesn't seem very fluent to me. But it doesn't lead to a murder."
Shido catches it now, and says.
"Axel, I get it. It's not that you didn't need to change your gloves to hide the blood on THEM, but because you needed to clean the blood on your JACKET!"
The Judge is confused, Axel is sweating and shocked, and Mana is excited to see her brother give the decisive blow. The Judge asks Shido to explain himself, which he does.
"Easy, Axel not only got blood on his gloves, but also on other parts of his clothes. He probably figured that a tissue or cloth would stand out, so he instead used red gloves to wipe the blood off his clothes knowing that they wouldn't stand out too much. The same gloves that he's wearing on the moment.
Axel is now afraid since Shido is about to deliver the final line.
"All we need to do is test the gloves for blood, and we all know that we'll find it. Admit it! Axel Gibson, (Epic Fingerpoint) you murdered Hibiki Keieisha!"
Axel, now nervous, attempts to play another rift to appease the crowd, but he plays a bundle of sour notes, causing the audience to throw tomatoes at him while booing. He attempts it again, but he receives more tomatoes with more boos. He then tries a third time, plays a totally sour cord, and this time, someone throws a glass of water at him, the water hits the amp and electrocutes him. His body gets turned charred, his hair stands up spikey, and he coughs up some smoke before collapsing on the ground.
Moments later, Shiori takes the stand as the Judge makes his statements.
"Finally, we are at the end of this trial. I'm must say that I am impressed with Mr. Naruhodou."
Shido bashfully scratches the back of his head and thanks the Judge.
"Thanks, Your Honor."
The Judge continues.
"Not only did you prove this young lady's innocence, but also found the true killer. Miss Shiori...or Miss Mirai?"
Shiori politely tells the Judge.
"I'm happy with either one, Mr. Your Honor."
The Judge is clearly pleased as he announces.
"It is a great pleasure, that this court finds the defendant, Shiori Itsuka..."
NOT GUILTY
Confetti rains from the sky for some reason. The Judge bangs his gavel as he announces.
"Court is adjourned."
Outside in the lobby, the gang all gathers together as Shiori expresses her gratitude.
"Thank you all so much."
Shido is drinking a tall glass of water since he got very nervous back there, but is happy that he did it. Mana, Ellen, and Hiro are expressing their pride towards Shido's hard work back in that courtroom. Then Tohka shows up (due Hiro's medication still being in effect, he doesn't have a panic attack) to properly thank the group as well. She walks up to Shido to give him a special thank you.
"I'm very sorry that I caused you trouble in there. And I'm glad you saved Shiori."
Shido blushes a little at seeing the sincerity in Tohka's eyes. Shido then asks Shiori about something that he'd been wondering about since it came up in the trial.
"Shiori, is it true that you were arguing with your manager?"
Shiori puts on a shamed look as she answers.
"....I was...about Axel's payments."
Shido is a little curious and asks her to continue on about what she's talking about.
"I...knew that he took the pictures of me. I figured that it had to do with him being unhappy with his paychecks. But Hibiki wanted me to fire Tohka to make it happen. I...just....wanted everyone to be happy."
Shiori starts crying and Tohka holds Shiori closer to her chest and starts rubbing the back of her head. After a minute, Shiori calms down. Tohka then tells everyone.
"Miku wanted me to invite you all to a feast at the manor to celebrate Shiori's release. She also said to invite that prosecutor as well."
Shido then thinks.
" Miku is still Miku, even as an adult."
Everyone agrees, so they all follow Tohka and Shiori back to the manor to celebrate a tough court battle.
Elsewhere, a portal opens up in an alleyway, and five figures emerge from it. Shinra has sent them here to fulfill their mission as DEM agents.