In the Defendant's Lobby...
Max: I can't believe it! ACRO?! ACRO?!
(Y/N): I know.
Max: It definitely is! And to think he was always the most straight-forward of the group. Geebus... Unbelievable...
Maya: Acro tried to pin this onto you on purpose!
???: AHEM!
Max: He did?!
(Y/N): I know.
Max: He's just a little twerp, isn't he?
Phoenix: It's one way of looking at it.
???: HEY! PALS!
Gumshoe showed up.
(Y/N): Detective Gumshoe. What's the occasion?
Gumshoe: I brought evidence.
(Y/N): YOU DID?! Man, you are a lifesaver, I swear!
He showed it.
(Y/N): Huh? This is the scarf!
Gumshoe: You can look at the results later.
Maya: Wouldn't Franziska be mad at you for doing this?
Gumshoe: That's why it's a secret. Everything that's happened has gone according to our plan. By the way, Pal.
(Y/N): Me?
Gumshoe: A message from a friend. "Judgement comes at the very last instant."
He then takes off.
But he also left behind a lot of milk.
Max: AH! An entire dairy's worth of milk. That's more like it.
Phoenix: What did Gumshoe say to you?
(Y/N): Judgement comes at the very last instant. From a friend, apparently. Could it be ... Edgeworth?
Back in the Courtroom...
Judge: Court will now reconvene. Ms. von Karma. Please continue from where you left off.
Franziska: I'd like to continue with Acro's testimony, starting with his relationship to the victim. I'd also like to get proof from the defense... Proof of what kind of motive Acro would have to commit this crime.
Judge: Understood. Now Mr. Dingling.
Acro: Yes, Your Honor?
Judge: Please proceed with your testimony.
(Y/N): Like I said, buckle up.
Maya: Oh boy. Here we go.
Witness Testimony: About the Ringmaster...
Acro: When we were little, we were abandoned by our parents.
That's when the Ringmaster of the Berry Big Circus, Russell Berry, took us in. I became an acrobat at around nine years old. I wanted to find a way to repay the Ringmaster. That was my sole purpose in life...
Judge: Hmm... You're such a thoughtful young man.
Franziska: As you heard, the witness deeply respected the victim. I wonder how anyone could think that Acro could kill the man he held in such esteem.
Judge: You are absolutely right... How could anyone think that, Defense? Which is why there's no real need for a cross-examination is there?
(Y/N): You're right. We don't need to cross-examine him.
Judge: HUH?!
Phoenix: "Why was the Ringmaster murdered?" There is no need to delve into that bit of testimony when I know the answer already!
Judge: What was Acro's motive then?
(Y/N) and Phoenix: He didn't want to kill Russell!
Franziska: WHAT?!
Judge: WHAT?!
(Y/N): Acro, it's true, right? He wasn't your target!
Judge: ORDER! Bailiff, I don't care who it is; smack anyone who's loud in the face! Twice if you must! OW!
Franziska then whipped the Judge in said face.
Franziska: FOOLISH FOOLS! What in the world are you trying to do this his court!? Are you attempting to imply that Acro was trying to kill someone else!?
(Y/N): Yes! It was Regina!
Judge: THE RINGMASTER'S CUTE DAUGHTER?!
(Y/N): Yep!
Franziska: WHAT?! Where's the evidence, then?! Why would Acro want to kill her?!
Judge: Yes, we need proof! Why would Acro want to kill such a sweet girl?!
Phoenix: Look at this note.
Phoenix presented it.
Acro: T-That's ...
Phoenix: It was found inside the Ringmaster's tailcoat.
Judge: In the tailcoat, you say?
(Y/N): Acro wrote this note. It's ironically entitled "To the Murderer!"... Its purpose was to call someone to the plaza at 10:00 PM.
Phoenix: He put it into the pocket of Regina.
Judge: My God!
(Y/N): Regina didn't think the note was meant for her. Which is why, the morning of the crime, she placed it on the cafeteria bulletin board.
Franziska: That's when the Ringmaster read it?
Phoenix: That's correct. The ringmaster ended up in that plaza instead of Regina! And he was killed because of that mistake... Instead of Regina!!
Judge: That's... That's... That's incredible!
(Y/N): Acro didn't know who arrived. Because he couldn't look down out of his window.
Judge: AHA! So when he killed the Ringmaster, he believed it was Regina!
(Y/N): Yep! Then Moe saw the bust flying.
Regina was listening, and she was getting uncomfortable.
Regina: I-
But Team RWBY was there to comfort her, and tell her everything is fine.
Ruby: There there, Regina. It'll be fine.
Weiss: Just don't look away.
Yang: (Sigh) I can't believe we're doing this.
Blake: It's for her own good.
Franziska: HOLD IT! Foolishly foolish fools with foolishly foolish fool ideas of foolish tomfoolery... ... You're so foolish, you've even made me sound like a foolhardy fool... Then where's your evidence?! This note is declaring that Regina Berry is a murderer!
(Y/N): Russell knew what it meant. that's why he went for Regina.
Phoenix: It all happened six months ago.
Judge: Does it really relate to the case?
(Y/N): YEP!
Franziska: Well then if that's the case, hurry up and tell us about it. What is this "conclusive evidence" mentioned in the note? I know I'd certainly like to know what it is!
(Y/N): TA DA! THIS!
You took out the seasoning bottle.
Judge: What i-
You then threw some pepper in his face.
Judge: ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOOO!
(Y/N): See? That's the evidence.
Judge: PEPPER?!
(Y/N): The victim would arrive and try to take away the wooden box. That's when they'd discover the decisive evidence found inside!
Judge: Regina killed someone with pepper?!
Franziska: FOOLISH FOOLS WHO NEVER TIRE OF THEIR FOOLISH WAYS! WHO WAS HER VICTIM?!
Phoenix: HIM!
Phoenix showed Bat.
Phoenix: This is Bat, Acro's younger brother.
Franziska: HOLD IT! But he's not dead!
(Y/N): True. But he's been in a coma for six months. Acro believes him to be dead!
Judge: Regina ... she ... did this to him?
Franziska: Do you spend your entire life dreaming up new ways to be a fool!? Naturally, the prosecution has looked into Acro's brother, Sean Dingling. Six months ago, he was bit by a lion and fell into his current comatose state!
Judge: LION?!
Franziska: Regina is an animal tamer by trade! However, no tamed animal in that position is ever trained to attack another human! They wouldn't understand the command! Moreover, Ms. Regina could never do something like that! It's just not in her. It was just an accident.
(Y/N): No it wasn't.
Franziska: WHAT?!
Phoenix: She may not have incited the lion to attack another human being, but Regina is responsible for making the lion bite Acro's brother, Bat!
You guys showed the scarf.
Phoenix: Acro, this scar is what Bat used to wear, right?
Acro: Yeah.
(Y/N): And Regina gave it to him, right?
Acro: Y-Yes.
Judge: Regina.
(Y/N): There's not just blood on here. But pepper, too. Regina gave this scarf to Bat right before the accident! And she covered it with as much pepper as she could!
Everyone was silent again.
Judge: Uh ... what was the crime? Regina gave a pepper covered scarf to Bat as a present. Where's the crime in that?
Franziska soon began to figure it out.
Franziska: (Y/N) (L/N).
(Y/N): Yeah?
Franziska: Wasn't the lion supposedly smiling?
Judge: Smiling?
Franziska: Right before Bat was bit by the lion. For a moment, the lion's mouth changed and it looked like he was... Smiling.
Judge: I didn't know that lion smile.
Phoenix: Oh, he wasn't smiling.
(Y/N): He was sneezing.
Judge: WHAT?!
(Y/N): YEP! Leon didn't plan on biting Bat! He was just sneezing! He sneezed because of the pepper-covered scarf!
Judge: NO WAY!
Franziska: I ... I ... I ... I can't believe it! Are you saying this actually happened?!
(Y/N): YEP! The lion sneezed due to the pepper, and that's when Bat... Lost consciousness. Acro nearly lost his brother due to this accident! Or this "joke" as you put it. Which is why he tried to get his revenge... Against Regina.
Franziska: FOOLISH IDIOT!
Acro: So it's a "joke of an accident" to you huh? ... Once again, I'm impressed by your imagination. To think that there's someone who treats this accident with the respect it deserves...
(Y/N): HOLY CRAP! ACRO!
Franziska: Witness?
Judge: Are you confirming what the Defense says?
Acro: though, it doesn't find me guilty. The pepper... The scarf... The lion... ...I see where you're going, but it's a bit hard to swallow... Not to mention the fact that there's an even bigger problem with your theory.
Judge: And what's that?
Acro: The same problem it's always been... Evidence. If I dropped Max's bust on top of the Ringmaster... Where is the evidence that proves that claim?
(Y/N): OH CRAP! THE BUST!
Phoenix: The defense requests to search Acro's room!
Franziska: HMPH! .It looks like you still haven't figured things out, have you? By now you must know the meaning of "Von Karma Total Justice"...
(Y/N): You already searched his room?
Franziska: There's no reason to even say it. If we found what you think we found in that room, Acro would not be here as a witness. But to put a point on it, Max's bust was not in the room! The murder weapon is still unaccounted for.
Acro: See? It looks like the coup d'grace in this case was ever so sweet...
Phoenix: But... But... What about the scarf!? What about the note!?
Acro: What about them? Mr. Wright, no offense, but the important evidence here is about the death of the Ringmaster. I think you should remember that.
Maya: HOLD IT! Where is Max's bust...? The defense needs time to prepare to present its case!
(Y/N): Thanks, Maya!
Maya: Good luck!
(Y/N): AHEM! Acrobats always have their lives on the lines, don't they? That's how Acro's lived his life up until now. Now it's time for us to walk across our own tightrope! If we don't, we're certain to lose!
Phoenix: But where could it be?
You then looked and-
(Y/N): Acro.
Acro: Yes Mr. (L/N)?
(Y/N): You are a big guy. And you have a pretty big wheelchair because of it... I just wanted to make sure you weren't hiding anything under that blanket. Because it seems to me that it'd be really easy to say... Hide a bust under there...
Acro: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Once again your penchant for humor hits me where it hurts.
(Y/N): I think it's pretty amazing that you could laugh in your position... However, your lightheartedness doesn't change the fact that the bust is under there.
Phoenix: (Y/N) IS RIGHT! Acro must have hid it under there when Franziska went to search his room! We all know that you couldn't leave the lodging house by yourself in your condition. That proved inconvenient when Ms. von Karma happened to search your room yesterday. If she had found the murder weapon in your room, it would have been all over. Which is why you had to hide it. In the only place that you could hide it... Under your wheelchair.
(Y/N): Yeah, Acro, remove the blanket.
Acro: I ... No. No more. Well done Mr. (L/N) and Mr. Wright. You're both very smart pros.
Franziska: Wh-What?!
Acro: Actually, I've been caught by three pros.
(Y/N): You mean-
Acro: Yes, Ms. von Karma.
Franziska: WHAT?!
Acro: There's just one think I'd like to know... How did you know to launch the surprise search on my room last night? There were two decisive pieces of evidence... The cloak and the bust... I burned the cloak in my room and threw the ashes away with the trash. ...Regina always took my trash out every morning, you know. But the bust... Obviously I couldn't throw that away. When you executed your search, all I could do was try and hide the bust. And the only place that I could hide it quickly was under this wheelchair... Ms. von Karma, you had things all figured out, didn't you? I was completely sucked in by your calculated strategy... And now to be caught in the middle of court hiding the murder weapon... ...There's no way I can escape that. So you've got me. Well done, Mr. Wright. Well done, Mr. (L/N). Well done, Ms. von Karma.
Judge: It all makes sense.
Maya: I can't believe that Franziska thought that far ahead!
(Y/N): Wow. Franziska. Maybe there's hope for her after all.
Franziska: I... Failed! Why did I order a surprise search of your room...? If only I hadn't done that...
Judge: It doesn't matter now though. It seems as if we've arrived at the truth. Acro.
Acro: Yes, Your Honor.
Judge: Did you kill the Ringmaster of the Berry Big Circus, Mr. Russell Berry?
Acro: Yes, Your Honor. I'm responsible for that crime.
Acro: All my brother did... was want Regina to like him. That's why he'd tease her. One day, my brother sprinkled some pepper on Regina. She started sneezing so hard... You couldn't help yourself from laughing. That's why Regina thought it'd be funny to get him back in the same way...
(Y/N): That's why she covered the scarf in pepper.
Acro: I know she didn't want anything bad to happen... I know this... She just wanted to make my brother sneeze a few times too... But... I just couldn't forgive her! No matter what. What am I truly guilty of? ...I'm guilty of never, ever being able to understand her. "Your brother became a star." Regina believed in that so purely, that she would laugh innocently when saying it... Too innocently... I just couldn't stand it... No matter how hard I tried.
Phoenix: That's when you decided to do something about Regina.
Judge: So, you're a victim in all of this too?
Acro: No, Your Honor. I ... I ...
Acro began to cry.
Acro: I'm nothing but a killer. That's just what I am. At first, I wanted to kill myself. Then I pondered on giving myself up. But ...I couldn't just up and leave ... I couldn't ... I ... That's why I tried to pin this on Max. Max, listen ... I am so sorry.
Acro was then taken away.
Judge: This has been such a strange case... It's almost a reflection of the circus itself.
Franziska: I ... can't believe this. I'm ... such an idiot. I lost ... again ... to these Foolish Fools.
Judge: I believe that it's time for a verdict. The court finds the defendant, Maximillion Galactica. NOT GULITY!
He slammed his gavel one more time.
Judge: Court is adjourned.
Back in the Defendant Lobby...
Max: FABULOUS! But ... to be honest, I'm not really happy about how this turned out.
Ruby: (Sigh) Poor Acro. Poor Bat. And even the Ringmaster.
(Y/N): They didn't do a single thing wrong to deserve that kind of treatment.
Blake: And still all of this happened.
Moe then popped up!
Moe: Congratulations Max!
Max: Th-Thank you Moe.
Moe: What's wrong guys?
(Y/N): Acro's ... going to jail. Poor guy. He lost his father figure, he lost his brother, and now ... he's living with all the guilt.
Moe: Chin up! If you guys keep acting sad, you'll be like that forever!
Yang: Hey, you're right Moe!
(Y/N): Yeah! Let's-
Regina: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Regina was seen crying her eyes out.
Ruby: R-Regina.
Maya: Poor thing.
Regina: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! POOR ACRO! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!!
Max: S-Sweetie. Sweetie Pie.
(Y/N): Regina-
Regina: BAT AND ACRO ARE NEVER COMING BACK BECAUSE OF ME! NOW WE'RE GOING TO SPLIT UP!
(Y/N): (Sigh) Regina. Look.
Regina: (Y/N)! Mr. Wright!
Phoenix: Huh?
Regina: Before Acro left he said, "I just couldn't up and leave." What does that even mean? Does he hate me? Does he want revenge on me?
Phoenix: No, Regina. Of course not.
Regina: Really?
(Y/N): Yeah, I don't think Acro hates you anymore.
Regina: Then where's the proof?
(Y/N): When he said, "I just couldn't up and leave," it's because he couldn't get caught. Bat's still alive. He's in a coma, but there's a chance he'll open his eyes.
Ruby: Yeah! He'll make it somehow!
Regina: Y-You're right. But now Acro won't be able to see him anymore.
Weiss: It sucks, but ... that's how life is.
Regina: Then it's settled! I'll stay by Bat as long as it takes until the day he opens his eyes! Then, I'll take him to see Acro!
(Y/N): AWWW! REGINA!
Blake: Heh, she really is a sweet girl.
Moe: Hey, Max.
Moe: Yes?
Moe: We really put you through a lot, didn't we? I'm really sorry you had to get dragged through this mess. So, whenever you want to leave, I'll pay your fee and destroy the contract.
Max: I understand Moe. That's such a fabulous thing that you'd do. But, when I leave, what will you do?
Moe: That's a tough thing. Russell was such a great guy! Even though he's not here anymore, everyone else is sticking together. So, I'll take over! I'll be the new Ringmaster! I'll turn the Berry Big Circus into the greatest circus of all time!
Max: You don't say.
Moe: I mean it too!
(Y/N): I'll gladly watch.
Ruby: Me too!
Weiss: If you can lead a circus better than how you tell your jokes, I'll gladly watch it.
Yang: You said it, Moe! You brave unfunny clown!
Blake: I'll gladly go too.
Phoenix and Maya: You said it.
Max: In that case-
Moe: What?
Max: If you're going to create the greatest circus the world's ever seen, then let's do it together. After all, what's the greatest circus without the best magician the world has ever seen? What do you say, Moe? Let's make the Berry Big Circus SUPER FABULOUS!
Moe: YOU SAID IT BUDDY!
The two shook hands on it.
(Y/N): Looks like they finally became buddies!
Ruby: How about you Regina?
Regina: I don't know.
Moe: Come on, Regina, why do you think I had you come? You're important too. I'm sure your Dad would agree with us too.
Max: That's right, Sweetie Pie. The Berry Big Circus wouldn't be the same without Regina Berry.
Regina: Moe ... Max. ALRIGHT! LET'S DO IT TOGETHER!
(Y/N): Guess everything turned out alright.
Max: And to you my sweeties. You'll all get the VIP seats!
Moe: It'll take us a while to get ready, but I'm going to order special whoopee cushion seats! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha! Aha!
And with that, the case came to a close, even with all the hardship sand the tears, the Berry Big Circus stood strong!
Meanwhile ...
An Atlesian airship landed as a certain prosecutor walked out. It was Edgeworth!
Edgeworth: Did everything work out Detective Gumshoe?
Gumshoe: Just like you said Sir! It really paid off. You figured it out.
Edgeworth: I suppose my theory of Acro being the killer was right too. This was the only way it could end. Especially when Wright and (Y/N) are on the Defense Stand.
Gumshoe: Those two make a good team.
Edgeworth: I couldn't agree more. After all, only one thing matters in the end of a trial. The truth. By the way, make sure that Acro is treated well. I'll be back at my desk soon enough.
Gumshoe: You got it Mr. Edgeworth!
He ran off.
Edgeworth: Oh, and Detective.
Gumshoe: Yeah, Sir?
Edgeworth: It's good to be back.
Gumshoe: HEH! Glad to have you back, Sir!