Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Part #129 - Episode 5, Day 2, Trial Latter: Damon Gant

Part 129: Episode 5, Day 2, Trial Latter: Damon Gant

Part 129: Episode 5, Day 2, Trial Latter: Damon Gant

Music: Silence

And we're back, for part two of trial day one of episode five of game one.

Music: Courtroom Lobby ~ Beginning Overture

Um... Mr. Wright?

Huh? What?

Are trials... always like this with you?

But no matter how hard you paddle you never seem to get there...

Hey, we get there eventually. It's just... a long journey.

Pretty much.

Except today we're swimming in quicksand.

So what happened to your sister, anyway?

Hmm... Probably something to do with that piece of cloth.

So! This is where we turn this trial around, right?

I'm the one who's starting to feel tiny and insignificant to tell the truth.
^{Sound: Realization}

There were entire pages of script in this trial with no lines from Phoenix whatsoever, just the Starr v. Edgeworth show.

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

You know, after dealing with Angel Starr for so long, I'm actually looking forward to seeing this guy again.

Music: Jake Marshall ~ The Detective from the Wild West

^{Sound: Realization}

That's what they told me when I was a young'un, at least.

Officer Marshall!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

They've got the home ranch locked down tighter than a fort in enemy territory!

That hard to slip out, huh? What is going on over there, anyway?

All the police I've seen these last two days have been really on edge.

A detective was murdered two days ago; seems like a normal reaction to me.

You could be worrying about the chief prosecutor's taste in mufflers, for example.

Um... Officer Marshall?

She wasn't even wearing a scarf!

Music: Silence

...?

I've seen the red breeze blow at her slender neck many a time...

^{Sound: Realization}

The muffler's in the muffler!

Music: Jake Marshall ~ The Detective from the Wild West

What!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

(What does that mean!?)

^{Sound: Wipe}

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Lana clearly wasn't concerned about the blood on her coat. So why would she hide her scarf in the muffler?

So, Ms. Starr wasn't mistaken...

Well, it's about time.

Music: Silence

Remember, pardner, sometimes you gotta grab the bull by the horns...

(Ugh... I have a bad feeling about this.)

So... what are we swimming in now, Mr. Wright?

I'm not sure that, as a long-term strategy, making the audience hate one new character via over-exposure in order to make the other new characters more likeable is particularly viable. But it's worked for me here. Ema and Jake are far more cute than annoying now.

Well, break's over I guess.

^{Sound: Gallery}

At least Angel Starr is gone.

^{Sound: Gavel}

Music: Trial

I'd... like to... resume...?

(What's up? The judge keeps looking over at the prosecution...)

^{Sound: Realization}

Uh I guess Edgeworth didn't like whatever was found in his car's muffler?

Music: Silence

Is something wrong, Mr. Edgeworth?

Your face is blue, your lips are purple, you're sweating bullets...

What's more your eyes are unfocused, you're doubled over, your back is bent...

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

I wonder what happened to Mr. Edgeworth?

^{Sound: Gavel}

During our recess I had requested that the prosecution conduct an investigation...

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Damage 2}

Hmm...

It seems our prosecutor is quite beside himself.

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

...?

Who's there?

^{Sound: Realization}

I guess witness number two has arrived.

Music: Damon Gant ~ Swimming, Anyone?

(What's with this guy?)

Hey! The temperature rose 5.7 degrees when that man came in!

(Who on earth is he...?)

Ah, it's you...

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Music: Happy People

Well. This guy took an unexpected turn.

^{Sound: Clapping}

Ah! Hello, hello.
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

No, I've been so busy...

Y-yes, indeed.

At first I thought he was referring to Edgeworth, honestly.

I'm afraid you're right. Very afraid.

Um... sorry, but... who are you?

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

This guy has now supplanted Jake Marshall as most ridiculous character and is now my number one suspect.

Eh? Uh, th-thanks...?

You know, we should all go swimming together sometime! Jolly!

L...

Music: Silence

Little Worthy...?
^{Sound: Realization}

Mr. Wright!
^{Sound: Whack}

^{Sound: Damage 2}

This guy?

Ch...

Chief of Police...!?
^{Sound: Realization}

He's the top ranking police officer in the entire district!
^{Sound: Whack}

Music: Happy People

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Is "Damon" supposed to be a pun on "Demon"? Ema did say he raised the temperature of the room when he walked in....

So, uh, to what do we owe this honor today?

^{Sound: Realization}

Well there's the scarf.

Hey! Th-that's...!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

My sister's muffler!

(So Ms. Starr wasn't just seeing things!)

^{Sound: Wipe}

On little Worthy's car, no less!

Hang on a minute. Lana was wearing a red scarf when we met her at the detention center. Did she pick up a spare somehow after getting arrested? Did she tell Ema to bring one to the detention center during their brief phone call?

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Realization}

This guy is giving off real Yanni Yogi vibes to me. Like everything we've seen so far is just an affectation. Granted I never actually saw through Yogi's act.

Wh-what's this!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

A knife with an evidence tag. On a day where they were getting rid of evidence from old cases. Hmm.

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Chief!

M-Mr. Edgeworth!

How could they miss such a vital piece of evidence!?

Not finding a bright red scarf sticking out of the muffler of the car that held a dead body in its trunk does seem pretty lax. Last episode the claim was the police were so thorough in investigating the DL-6 Incident that there couldn't possibly have been a second shot because no one ever found a second bullet.

N-now wait a minute, Worthy!

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

I've no desire to hear your excuses!

^{Sound: Realization}

Music: Suspense

Is the suspense music for us or for Edgeworth?

...!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

There's no mistaking that signature, is there...

Miles Edgeworth?

...Why was Edgeworth the one in charge of investigating the murder that took place in his own car trunk, with his own knife? Just screams conflict of interest at best.

^{Sound: Whack}

But you're the person in charge.

I'll expect a written apology.

What? Are you serious!?

I think Edgeworth just got out-Edgeworth'ed.

...!

^{Sound: Gavel}

Music: Silence

This kind of major blunder is unlike you Mr. Edgeworth.

Gah...!

The court accepts this new evidence.

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Y-yes?

Just to be sure...

Why are you telling me? Knock yourself out.

The b-blade, Your Honor?

Well, I don't see why not...

Could you open it up for me, I wonder?
^{Sound: Realization}

(Yeah. But if I cut my finger, I wouldn't be able to point it at people anymore...)

Come on! Just hurry up and open it!
^{Sound: Whack}

Music: Logic and Trick

We are once again forced into the court record to examine this evidence we don't officially have yet.

I'm pretty sure the game just wants me to press the button, but I'm going to look at this evidence tag first.

There's a small tag on this knife.

It seems to say "SL-9 2"...

What does that mean?

("DL-6"... of "DL-6 Inicdent" fame...)

But... it's strange.

Huh? What is?

^{Sound: Realization}

Now why would Ema have seen this knife from a murder case two years ago? How involved was Lana with that incident back then, that Ema would have seen this evidence?

Never mind, she's just hinting at us about Goodman's note.

Nothing else to do but press the button!

^{Sound: Stab 2}
^{Sound: Whack}

I'm the one who's scared!
^{Sound: Whack}

(And this dark red stain... Blood?)

^{Sound: Select Jingle}

Music: Silence

Quick break from Edgeworth's outrage to go look at this tag again.

There's a small tag on the knife.
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

It says, "SL-9 2."

What's that supposed to mean?

("DL-6." Maybe it's a case number?)
^{Sound: Realization}

That's weird.

What?

I don't remember where,

but I think I've seen something like this before.
^{Sound: Realization}

(Maybe I should check the Court Record again.)

It's weird that the game would repeat the exact meaning of that conversation but with completely different words.

While we're in the Court Record, I take a peek at the chief's profile.

Now, back to Edgeworth's tantrum.

^{Sound: Gavel}

I'm terribly sorry, but could I ask you to testify for us?

^{Sound: Clapping}

^{Sound: Testimony 2}

Music: Questioning - Moderato

This knife is special... but I can't say how here.

That was a bad day for the Department. We weren't in any shape to do an investigation.

^{Sound: Realization}

Aha, the second stabbing is revealed! And it's another detective!

The time of the crime? 5:15.

Scary coincidence, eh?

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Stab 2}

Yeah he kind of buried the lede on that one, didn't he?

Music: Suspense

W-wait a second!

You said "5:15"...

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

^{Sound: Drama Pound}
^{Sound: Objection}

So, just like the prologue intimated, we have two murders at the same time, in different locations. But given Goodman's rather vague time of death in that autopsy report, I'm more inclined to think we have two murders at the same location, at different times. The exact time on Edgeworth's parking slip seems like an attempt to form an alibi, too.

^{Sound: Gallery}

^{Sound: Gavel x 3}

Order! Order! Order!

We're in the middle of a top-secret investigation.

Don't tell anyone, okay?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Well, Mr. Wright?

(Two detectives killed at the same time in two different places...)
^{Sound: Realization}

Very well... however!

Music: Silence

Keep your questions focused on the case at hand!

Looks like our first task will be proving that the knife in the muffler in the muffler is related to Goodman's murder somehow.

^{Sound: Testimony 2}

Music: Questioning - Moderato

(And one at the Police Department... that can't be a coincidence!)

^{Sound: Wipe}

(I'd better check this knife out...)

More hints to examine the knife, in particular the evidence tag on it.

This knife is special... but I can't say how here.

Excuse me... "special"?

^{Sound: Realization}

^{Sound: Clapping x 2}

^{Sound: Realization}

Now why was there another knife at the scene of the crime?

That's quite a mystery!

I have a wild theory. What if Goodman and this other detective killed each other? Wait, that part doesn't make sense; who would've stuffed Goodman in the trunk in that case? Maybe there was a confrontation of some kind at the police department over this knife. Did Goodman not want to dispose of it? Or did he notice something while going through the other evidence for the case? It does seem like maybe Goodman was killed because he knew too much about something, but we don't know anything about this other murder yet to figure out how it ties in.

Unless there's evidence to prove a connection between this knife and Goodman...

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

This knife was found on the scene of our crime!

See, there's a lot of things that go on at the Department I can't explain...

It's... delicate, okay? Sorry, Wrighto!
^{Sound: Clapping}

Let's examine that knife while we can, Wrighto!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

(I think perhaps the pieces are falling into place...)

^{Sound: Realization}

I don't need your hints!

So, how were things down at the Department...?

That was a bad day for the Department. We weren't in any shape to do an investigation.

Something happened at the Police Department too, huh...

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

So... something did happen.

And why wasn't I informed?

^{Sound: Realization}

quote:

The previous three lines were a little more awkward in the original release, and were clearly revised to flow and fit the characters better.

Edgeworth: "Chief... did something happen? And why haven't I heard?"

Gant: "Why haven't you heard? Or why didn't you ask?"

...!