Professor Layton and the Angel's Prophecy

The Turnabout Demon - Part Nine

Phoenix could feel the tension in the room, as thick as fog, and flicking his eyes over towards Brand, he could see individual beads of sweat forming. Fantastic, he though snugly. This is it then!

"Your Honour...." A long pause, just to dig the knife in a little further. What, I can't have my fun? "Upon searching Aurilous HQ, the missing crates were indeed found in the lower levels, loading bay c to be precise. And when searching the crates, the stolen equipment was found inside."

The crowd erupted into a cacophony of noise. Phoenix grinned, loving being on the winning side, but he was just waiting for...

"Silence!" the judge roared. "I will have order in this court!" As the shouting lessened into hushed whispers, the judge brought his gavel down, the sudden clack of wood cutting off all further noise. The judge eyed the fidgeting court, acting very much the stern father, and then he sat back in his seat, inwardly sighing. "Very good. Now-"

"Objection!"

Eyes now turned to the shouting prosecutor, Edgeworth, grinning like he was sitting on some great realisation no one else had discovered just yet.

"So the crates were found in the Auriolus loading bay, were they not?" Edgeworth sneered. Phoenix nodded, starting to catch on to what Edgeworth was getting at. "And your whole case on Mr Brand rests on the claim that the man was storing these crates?"

"That's... right?" Phoenix murmured, not liking where this was going one bit at all.

"I think you see the conundrum here, Wright," Edgeworth grinned, his teeth like those of a shark. "You cannot prove that these crates were removed from Mr Brand's hangar, only that they were being held in Auriolus. That is a can of worms for a bit later, but right now, we are cross-examining Elrand Brand, and the presence of these crates does not prove that the man was in possession of them."

Phoenix swallowed, looking for a new angle. He was about to look to Hershel for help, but he shook his head. He never relied on the Professor before. So why now?

He could do this. Just...

As a few murmurs shot through the crowd, he felt himself growing faint. What could he say? What could he do?

He went through the remaining evidence in his head, flicking through files in his mind, dismissing them one by one. He went over them twice, thrice and then a cough brought him back into the real world.

"What's the matter, Wright?" Edgeworth smirked. "You look rather unwell. Would you like to sit down? Are you able to continue this trial?"

Phoenix glared at Edgeworth, but then he caught sight of Brand in the corner of his vision. The man was looking back to his old, arrogant self. He felt his confidence returning. Phoenix needed something to condemn the man, but what...?

The judge cleared his throat, drawing Phoenix's attention his way.

"Mr Wright, the prosecution has raised a fine point. As for yourself, do you need to take a rest?"

Phoenix shook his head vigorously. He couldn't sit out. He knew that frighteningly well. To sit out would be to admit defeat. He just had to clear his head, breathe, and go over the evidence again. Stress came when flustered, but what did all these trials teach him but the act of mastering stress? Of facing your inner demons and keeping composed despite the fear you felt. To seek the truth, and place that above anything else. Even when the odds stacked against you, there was always a way out, a ladder straight back to the top.

Maya called it magic, but he knew better. It was less fanciful than that. More amazing than magic itself. It was intuition. It was guts. It was doing the right thing, and looking at all the angles. It was confidence and determination, and good feelings all rolled in one. In short, it was...