Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Part #103 - Episode 4, Day 3, Trial: Make Your Shots Count

Part 103: Episode 4, Day 3, Trial: Make Your Shots Count

Part 103: Episode 4, Day 3, Trial: Make Your Shots Count

Bit of a spread here, but there is a clear contradiction between "almost Christmas" and "after midnight" with two of these options. I think some people were confused about the photos, despite my helpful presentation of the name and description of each piece of evidence in the court record. The "Lake Photo" is the one taken after midnight, that contradicts Larry's statement. The "Second Lake Photo" is the one taken before midnight, that actually supports Larry's statement.

You know what, I'll just assume all the photo votes were meant for the "Lake Photo" above and make it the winner.

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Huh? What's with the face? You look scary, dude.
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Is something the matter, Mr. Wright?

Your Honor!

Did you hear what the witness just said?

Indeed... And...?

"Almost Christmas" means it wasn't Christmas!

Do you realize what this means?

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

^{Sound: Drama Pound}

Music: Objection!

That would seem to be the case, yes...

This photograph is irrefutable proof of this fact!

quote:

As I hinted at earlier, there are actually two items that show an "after midnight" link. Lotta's Deposition explicitly says that she heard two shots after midnight, and it works equally well here. The first part of the objection is the same, and we pick up here right after the "Objection" music kicks in.

That would seem to be the case, yes...

But that contradicts the two testimonies we have heard so far, Your Honor!

Both Ms. Hart and the old man said it was after midnight when they heard the shots!

In other words...

When they heard the gunshots, it was already Christmas!!!

And from here, we continue on the same as with the photo.

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

^{Sound: Objection}

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel x 3}

Order! Order!

What does this mean?
^{Sound: Whack}

However, this witness says he heard a gunshot before midnight...

Ahhh shit goddammit this game got me again. One shot before midnight, two shots after midnight, totaling three shots fired by the murder weapon. Larry heard the first one, and Lotta's camera got it as well, with no boat on the lake. He either left or didn't hear the later gunshots. Lotta and the old caretaker didn't hear the first gunshot (either they were both asleep or it was located far enough away they didn't notice?) but both heard the second pair of gunshots, with the boat on the lake at the time. Lotta even said when she gave us the first photo way back at the beginning that there were two copies of it, which at the time I even thought might mean two gunshots, but then the extra photo of the blank lake 25 minutes earlier threw me off.

^{Sound: Fwa-Shing 2}

The current witness is plainly mistaken.

Just look at him! Suspicious!

Wh-whaaat!?
^{Sound: Damage 2}

Hmm...

Well, Mr. Wright?

Larry being wrong is surely a more reasonable explanation.

Well...

Hah!

Very well.

Music: Silence

W-w-waaaaait!
^{Sound: Objection}

I come up here, I give you a riveting testimony...

What about me!?
^{Sound: Damage 2}

How can you call yourself a friend, Nick? How!?
^{Sound: Whack x 2}

^{Sound: Guilty}

I feel like this line is a reference to something, but I'm not getting it.

Music: Objection!

...

Well, Mr. Wright?

We're brought back to the prompt like nothing ever happened. Maybe it was all in Phoenix's head?

Larry's not mistaken, Your Honor!

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Objection}

...

Intriguing.

^{Sound: Fwa-Shing 2}

Show me evidence there was a gunshot before midnight!

Music: Telling the Truth

Here's a photo that was clearly taken before midnight and taken by an automatic camera that gets triggered by loud noises like gunshots. Seems like a reasonable connection to me.

Look at this photograph!

The timestamp on the photo reads "December 24, 11:50 PM."

Oh?

Hmm?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Your Honor.

The real issue here is not why nothing is shown in this photograph.

What do you mean?

Your Honor...

This photograph was taken by an automatic camera.

^{Sound: Realization}

Ahah!
^{Sound: Shock 2}

Correct!

That is why this photograph was taken!

In other words...

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

quote:

Getting it wrong here allows Karma to rub it in our face.

I have a favorite saying. I'd like to share it with the court.

"Youth and stupidity go hand in hand."
^{Sound: Realization}

Music: Silence

Get rid of both, and I'll allow you to show me this rubbish you call "evidence"!!!
^{Sound: Stab 2}

(In other words, I picked the wrong evidence to show him...)

...

I can tell from your face you haven't learned your lesson.

Very well, try again. Show us your evidence!

^{Sound: Fwa-Shing 2}

Show me evidence there was a gunshot before midnight!

Music: Telling the Truth

We're taken back to the evidence screen, none the worse for wear this time. Only our pride is hurt.

quote:

We can also present one other piece of evidence here, but I'll go into those details a bit later.

Then... where does that leave us?

Did you see it yet?

Are you claiming she was mistaken?

Not at all, Your Honor.

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Your Honor!

^{Sound: Objection}

I picked up on the 25 minute gap, but got really hung up on the two photos being one gunshot each, and it just being really weird that Lotta and the old caretaker didn't seem it worth mentioning that there was so much time in between them. But the prior witnesses really heard two gunshots after midnight, while Larry heard one gunshot before midnight, possibly at a different location in the park entirely (and certainly not out on a boat on the lake). And I'm still betting that first gunshot is the one that really killed our victim.

...I still have no idea what happened on that boat.

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel x 3}

Why would this be...?

Don't be fooled, Judge!

Yes?

Karma's witnesses saying something means it's true until we prove it's false. Our witness saying something means it's false until it's proven true. Whatever.

...Okay Maya may have actually done that. But to be fair that sneeze wasn't until after Lotta turned up the sensitivity on the camera.

^{Sound: Whack}

Quiet, Larry, the adults are talking.

Hmm...

Well, Mr. Wright?

There's no turning back now.

Please show the court evidence if you have any.

This choice is easy now, given the setup. The penalty isn't even a threat here.

This gun was fired three times. Once before midnight, and twice after midnight.

The... murder weapon?
^{Sound: Realization}

Something about this pistol was bothering me, Your Honor.

However, the murder weapon was fired three times.

When, then, was the last shot fired?

Only now have I realized the truth.

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

quote:

Any other evidence, and we take a penalty before being allowed to try again:

Mr. Wright...

Is that a smirk I see?
^{Sound: Realization}

Er, Your Honor... sorry, I wasn't really sure about the evidence.

Don't show us evidence you aren't confident in Mr. Wright!
^{Sound: Damage 2}

The health bar takes a hit...

I'll ask you again.

Can you prove that the "loud noise" at 11:50 PM was indeed a gunshot?

Please show the court evidence if you have any.

We do get to try again, if we have anything left in our health bar.

quote:

This next piece is a bit of a long one. As you might have guessed, we can actually present the gun first, and the empty lake photo second. A lot of the dialogue is re-used (just in the opposite order), but enough of the connecting pieces are different that I'll just present the entire sequence here. We're starting from Karma's first prompt, asking for evidence of a shot before midnight, and starting with the gun this time.

This is my evidence.

The... murder weapon?
^{Sound: Realization}

Something about this pistol was bothering me, Your Honor.

Both of the witnesses who testified yesterday heard two gunshots.

However, the murder weapon was fired three times.

When, then, was the last shot fired?

Only now have I realized the truth.

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

That third shot was the shot Larry heard just before midnight!
^{Sound: Objection}

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel}

Order! Order!

Hmm...

I guess that would make sense out of yesterday's testimonies.

Bah! You waste our time again with your empty statements!

Yes, the pistol was fired three times.

^{Sound: Fwa-Shing 2}

But do you have any proof that it was fired before midnight!?

Do you have proof that the witness didn't just "think" he heard something?
^{Sound: Whack}

Indeed...

Well, Mr. Wright?

There's no turning back now.

Do you have evidence that proves there was a gunshot before midnight?

Do you have evidence that proves Mr. Butz wasn't just hearing things?

We're given another evidence prompt here. This time we need to present the empty lake photo, with the timestamp showing it was taken before midnight. The dialogue for a wrong choice here is the same as on the second prompt in the main timeline, and like in that case, there is also a penalty attached to this decision here.

Look at this photograph!

This was taken by our witness yesterday, Ms. Lotta Hart, with her automatic camera.

The timestamp on the photo reads "December 24, 11:50 PM."

Oh yeah?

Hmm?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

But, there's nothing on the lake in this picture.

Your Honor.

The real issue here is not why nothing is shown in this photograph.

It is why this photograph exists at all!

What do you mean?

Your Honor...

This photograph was taken by an automatic camera.

That camera was set to go off in response to loud noises!
^{Sound: Realization}

Ahah!
^{Sound: Shock 2}

Phoenix nods here; he doesn't in the other timeline.

Correct!

There was a loud noise on the lake at 11:50 PM.

That is why this photograph was taken!

In other words...

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Music: Silence

There was a gunshot at the time that Larry claims!

Personally, I think doing the photo and then the gun makes more narrative sense, but it's nice that the game allows multiple solutions here.

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel}

Order! Order!

Hmm...

That would make sense of the evidence we've seen so far.

...

However...

^{Sound: Realization}

Exactly!

One at 11:50, another at 15 minutes after midnight!

^{Sound: Fwa-Shing 2}

Why, I ask you! Why!?

(Uh oh, I'd better think of something quick!)

(...)

^{Sound: Guilty}

(Gunshots separated by 25 minutes...?)
^{Sound: Realization}

^{Sound: Drama Pound}

Looks like Phoenix has had a breakthrough. I've poked at it before, but I think here's where we find out that the first gunshot (that Larry heard) is the one that killed the victim, and it didn't take place on the lake. So the other two were some kind of obfuscation to throw us off, and frame Edgeworth?

Music: Investigation - Core

Wh-what's wrong, Nick!?

I have it! I have it!

Huh?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Remember the case with the Steel Samurai?

Huh? Yeah, of course I remember...

^{Sound: Realization}

What do you mean?

Maya!

Yes!?

I've got a hunch, and I'm going to run with it...

Right! I mean... is this safe?
^{Sound: Stab}

...

Right, Nick!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Your Honor!

Y-yes, Mr. Wright?

Phoenix may have leapt further than I did. But we are still only on the second day of trial, right?

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel x 3}

What do you mean, Mr. Wright!?
^{Sound: Whack}

Tsk tsk tsk...

So, you've finally realized the truth?

Karma is light-years behind us but still smug as ever.

Wrong, von Karma!

Listen, rookie.

Take a deep breath, and consider the facts.

At the time of the murder, one boat was on that lake.

False. The shooting was before midnight, with no boat on the lake.

Also false. Someone else was on that boat with Edgeworth. Probably the killer, by process of elimination.

^{Sound: Weak Gunshot}

^{Sound: Dump}

Here's the weakest part of our theory. Lotta's enlarged photo showed the shooter on the right. This scene - which we saw in the prologue, and is I guess re-enacted here - shows the man on the left falling into the water. But for our theory to work, the shooter has to be the man falling into the water (leaving Edgeworth behind). So I'm assuming some kind of perspective trick here.