BP: I've got some news. Due to coronavirus, I have decided to try my hand at designing 3D models. Hopefully, this would help readers see what appearance I have envisioned for my original characters. It wouldn't be easy using the app, but I have been trying to teach myself using videos, so it may not be the best because I never learned design.

I might start to work on my next Secret Files, where concepts of PAL Region would be featured and things not seen or only mentioned in the story would be featured. Those would be all posted on DeviantArt, so do look out for them in my profile, which is cutethings97.

I would also take sometime to polish up the pages for my PAL Series Wikia and add new information, so do look out for the changes. If you have any questions about the Elites, do drop them in PM, and I will answer them in DeviantArt page.

Pakura took a shower and scrubbed everything from her body. All that remained of Aquamarine's efforts were the designs on her nails. She decided to keep them as reminder of what she must do to keep up her image to the audience. Perhaps it would give her something to hold on to tomorrow.

She then climbed into bed and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. It took her about five seconds to realize she may not be able to fall asleep, and she needed all her mental faculties if she was to go through tomorrow smoothly. She couldn't afford to give in to her fatigue or trauma.

Pakura heard the door open and Ash come in. He didn't speak, just ran his fingers over her hair and planted a kiss on her cheek, and snuggled into bed with her. It's no good, however and she decided to make her trip to the rooftop.

"He's changed." A very familiar voice said. Ash saw someone huddled against the wall, a little girl perhaps. Ash tried to help her, but he found himself paralyzed.

"I love him. He saved me. That's not true, what I saw, what I heard?" Ash tried reaching out to her, but found himself to be unable to move. "This can't be a lie."

Ash tried to open his mouth to say something, but found no sound coming out of his mouth. What was the little girl on about?

"What if it was? What if he was-" She trailed off. "But there's no doubt about it."

"Something is wrong with Shiki." The girl's voice whispered.

Ash sat up from his bed. It was as if he could hear the last line over and over again. Something is wrong with Shiki. It seemed even in death, Shiki proved to be a mystery to crack, an obstacle between him and Pakura. It seemed like every time she seemed to have found closure, another problem crops up involving him.

Ash can't stop trying to imagine exactly what exactly was wrong with Shiki, and had a feeling this would be the key to shatter the practically perfect image Pakura had envisioned Shiki to be. In fact, he'd be hard-pressed to be seen in the same way everyone saw Shiki.

After all, Shiki was older than he was, earned his own position as Prince, established his own law firm, became Head of the Blacklist Department, won all the League Conferences and even started the PAL Elite Four. As he was also extremely kind, noble and selfless, the public also adored him as much as they do Pakura.

In Pakura's case, he practically raised her and was her only human companion, selflessly giving his life so she could live, and may have even used up all his luck just to save her. He had a feeling that in order for Pakura to really love him, he needed Pakura to realize that Shiki isn't as perfect as he seemed. If his dream was any indication, there was still mysteries about the Dragon Duo to unlock, and it had nothing to do with the person sleeping next to…

Wait, where was she?

Ash ran down the hall to the door to the roof. It was not only unlocked but ajar. Perhaps someone forgot to close it, but it didn't matter. As soon as his bare feet reached the tiled surface, he saw her silhouette, black against the lights that shone endlessly in the PAL Region. There was quite the commotion going downstairs, music and singing, which he would never be able to hear in his room.

Ash walked to a yard behind her, and said, "You should be getting some sleep."

Pakura started, but didn't turn, even as Ash walked up next to her to watch the party going on downstairs. She gave a slight shake of the head. "Nah, I just wanted to think about a few things. Besides, the party downstairs is probably for those in the Top 8. Couldn't sleep, either?"

"Couldn't turn my mind off," Ash replied.

"Ash, can I ask you something?" Pakura asked.

"What is it?" Ash held her hand.

"If you found out I was responsible for Cynthia's family dying, what would you do?" Pakura said.

"I would ask why." Ash answered and was surprised to find that this information did not make him adverse towards Pakura at all; in fact, he loved her more for it. Wanting Cynthia to love him back seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him in the present. "Was that why she was hellbent on convicting me for my mother's death?"

"Partly." Pakura admitted. "She thought it was you who did it. I don't know why either, I only found out when I read my diary that I wrote while I first attained Scarlet Anger in an attempt to regain my memories."

Ash hugged her, and said, "It was for me, wasn't it?"

Pakura nodded. "Something like that."

"Then that was just an excuse for her to do whatever she wanted here." Ash shook his head. "True, the path you led me to wasn't the morally best, but you believed in me and gave me what I need to live on. What you did was unethical, but then again, none of the PAL Elites are exactly moral. We suffered, we fought back the only way we could. I don't think any of us would change anything if we had the chance."

"I can't exactly apologize because I'm not sorry for what I did." Pakura turned her head away. "I don't regret killing those people, I don't regret making them suffer."

"Of course not." Ash buried his face in her hair. "For me, it doesn't matter what my former friends or Cynthia would think of me once they find out the truth tomorrow. As long as we have each other, we would be fine."

Ash wondered how Pakura would react if he mentioned something was wrong with Shiki. Would she blow up at him, since she made it clear no one is allowed to insult Shiki, or would she expect it, as Scarlet Anger took away her memories of him?

After all, no matter what was exactly wrong with Shiki, Shiki was the only family she ever had, caring about her, teaching her things and ultimately giving his life to protect her, just like how she did with him when he was forced to go on the run for allegedly killing his own mother.

Ash knew it wasn't going to be an easy path when it comes to a marriage with Pakura in this state. However, it was a path he was willing to take if it was with her.

Both of them spend the rest of the night slipping in and out of a doze, with Ash imagining what would await him after the Top 8. He would see how high and mighty the traitors would be when they are faced with the truth exposed, how Cynthia would react when she found out he wasn't the culprit and the friends she believed in was the true murderers.

The next day, while eating breakfast with the others, a package dropped onto their table. Ash blinked at how it seemed to be magicked onto their table, as he opened the package and read the letter.

"These items are called the Dynamax Band. Information of this had been going around the regions for some time now, and the only reason why we haven't given it out was because we needed to make sure it did not pose any danger like Mega Evolution was revealed to have done. Attached are instructions on the mechanics of Gigantamax/Dynamax." Ash read the note, and saw the initials on it: P.A.L

'Must have been the rulers wanting to reward us and talked Caldia City into gifting us these.' Ash thought, as everyone wore their specialized style Dynamax Bands that had their names sewn on them.

Apparently, when they restored the magic source in Caldia City, Caldia City was able to make use of their magic to convert it to a certain energy that would help trigger Dynamax transformations and even allow them to use it anywhere and anytime they wanted. However, the note also cautioned them to be careful where they use it, as they increased a Pokémon's size drastically in battle.

"Oooh! It's cute." Akeno gushed at her pink and white Dynamax Band.

"So, unless you want a crushed city, please be careful of where you use it." Jude read the note. "Good thing our stadium can contain it, right?"

Phillip nodded. "I got to see Professor Phlox and see if she was researching it and what else she found out."

"That can wait. Ash's trial comes first." Pakura replied.

At that moment, Ash cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, it is likely I would be taken into custody after my match with Lance."

Everyone frowned, except for Pakura. They knew that by calling the lawyer to defend Ash, he would have to be taken into custody while awaiting trial. While it was necessary, it didn't mean they had to like it.

"I would expect you all not to let your feelings of unfairness get in the way. It would be likely you would get backlash from the people who believe me guilty once knowledge that I was here the whole time gets out." Ash went on. "I will leave Paku in charge until then."

"Are you sure about that, Ash?" Jude was hesitant as Pakura literally took an emotional blow just last night.

Ash nodded resolutely. "She is the best person to lead all of you in this kind of situation."

Pakura was simply munching on a honey to her toast. Of course, she thought bitterly, as the Leader of the Elite, she'd have to take over in his absence. Especially she would need to oversee the lawyer she hired, Phoenix Wright, as he would need to investigate the crime scene she had preserved for all these years.

She knew that the outcome would make or break her public image, decide whether she kept or lost her titles and decide whether she was someone that believed in him even when everyone else was against him and deserved his heart or Ash's horrible accomplice who knowingly helped a criminal.

"Make sure to help her as much as possible." Ash told the others.

"Understood." Jude, Phillip and Akeno nodded, as they exchanged dark looks.

After breakfast, everyone made their way to the VIP Box, being careful not to give anything away. They sat at their usual seats, nodding curtly towards the other League members who greeted them.

At the Battle Arena, Kenneth announced, "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The Top 8! Obviously, the match-ups were already known, but what no one knows is what order they would be going in. From now, the order of the matches would be randomly determined before the match commences, so there would be less time to catch your breath before you have to be in the stadium. Now, let's see what the first match will be!"

Kenneth pointed to the screens above the stadium as the roulette started spinning for the first match, and revealed the first showdown to be Ash vs. Lance. Ash gave a strange smile, as he and Lance walked out of the VIP Box, and walked to the opposing Launch Rooms and was immediately brought up to the battlefield.

'I can't go down without a fight.' Lance inwardly gulped as he remembered how the other PAL Elites curb stomped even Champions like Alder, not to mention the battle yesterday showed that to the Champion, they were insignificant. Also, Champion Red wasn't exactly known for his mercy.

But remembering Charles' lecture prior to coming here, he knew he was the same age as Ash if Ash was alive today and how he attained the title of Champion a few years ago. No one at that age should be this merciless, or this distrustful. What happened that turned him into the person he was today?

"I expected Paku would love for a chance to crush you, but I guess I'll have to do it in her place." Ash said, a sneer curling on his face.

"Princess Pakura? Why would she want to crush me?" Lance was puzzled and fearful at the same time. He had never really interacted with her except with that one battle where he battled alongside Steven and Cynthia, but still lost horribly, forcing him to owe her one favour, which she hasn't cashed in yet, unlike for Steven.

"You're still seeing things through rose-colored glasses. How cute." Ash shook his head.

Lance didn't know what he meant, but Evan was telling them to send out their first Pokémon.

"Gyarados, battle time!" Lance said, calling out his shiny red Gyarados. Ash smiled with irony. He was now trying to crush the Magikarp he risked his safety saving all those years ago from Team Rocket.

"Incineroar, lend me your aura!" Ash surprisingly sent out the Fire-type Heel Pokémon.

"Without question, I'm going to pulverize him!" The Heel Pokémon crackled his knuckles.

"Let the battle begin!" Evan announced.

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" Gyarados opened its mouth and released a powerful stream of water with white rings of water around it from it at Incineroar.

'Block it with Brick Break.' Ash thought. Incineroar's hands glowed white and he held it up, deflecting Hydro Pump to the ground. At Ash's command, he walked closer to Gyarados, and prepared a chop towards Gyarados' neck.

"Gyarados, dodge it!" Gyarados stopped the water attack to move away from the Throat Chop.

'Too late. Thunder Punch.' Ash thought. Incineroar's fists glowed yellow and sparkled with electricity, and punched Gyarados, making a direct hit and electrocuting Gyarados. Subsequently, as Ash ordered a full-powered Thunder Punch and due to Gyarados' double weakness to it, Gyarados fainted instantly.

"Gyarados is unable to battle. Champion Lance, send out your next Pokémon!" Evan announced.

"And Champion Red is showing no mercy!" Kenneth announced. "Can Champion Lance hold his own, or is this all over for him?"

'Maybe I should hold back a little.' Ash thought, outwardly having a bored look. 'Otherwise they would start to forfeit, and there's not much entertainment in that. May as well give them a good show.'

However, he knew it wouldn't work much. Sure enough, Ash only had two Pokémon out counting Incineroar by the time Lance was down to his last Pokémon- Dragonite. Meanwhile, Ash had his

"I hope you're not done yet, Lance." Ash commented.

"Of course not. I'm not finished with this battle, and I would not let anyone finish it for me." Lance replied, returning Dragonite to his Pokéball, as it glowed and became bigger. "Dynamax!" Lance threw the giant glowing Pokéball and out came a giant Dragonite.

"And Champion Lance pulled out his trump card- A Dynamax!" Kenneth commented in the mic. "Who knew he had such a secret weapon in play?"

"I expected you to use this, Lance." Ash replied, as he returned his Aegislash. "But, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Gyarados, lend me your aura!" he threw his Pokéball to send out the Atrocious Pokémon.

"Dragonite, let's use Max Geyser!" Lance ordered. Dragonite opened his mouth, and launched a massive stream of water its mouth at Gyarados.

'Gyarados, use Protect!' Ash commanded internally. Gyarados formed a light green barrier around its body as the Max Geyser hit. The Max Geyser clashed with the barrier, before dissipating.

"What?" Lance was astonished. How did a single Protect manage to fend off a Max Move?

"There is a reason why PAL Elites are stronger than regional Champions." Ash remarked, as he struck a series of synchronized poses to build Z-Power "We're prepared for any trump card our opponents may pull on us."

Gyarados then created a platform of ice that rose from beneath it. Gyarados then fired a large blue and white beam of cold energy from its mouth, covering Dragonite and battlefield in ice. The ice around Dragonite grew outward before bursting apart.

The giant Dragonite staggered back, and before Lance could react, Ash got Gyarados to fire a yellow-orange beam from its mouth at Dragonite's head, finishing him off.

"Dragonite is unable to battle. The winner is Champion Red." Evan announced, as the Dynamax wore off.

When the match ended announcing his victory, Ash mused that it could have been worse for Lance. It could have been Pakura he was up against. She would have annihilated him without any shred of mercy, just to show that she ended up being much better than the best of the Blackthorn Clan. Not that they knew about it.

After all, none of them would realistically lose to regional Champions, and wondered how much they would have to hold back just for regional Champions to win against them. Ash also knew it was time for him to be taken into custody to await his trial, as Pakura had told him what she had arranged. Sure enough, a group of Hunters surrounded him after he won.

"Champion Red, you are to come with us to await your trial." A Hunter said, as Lance stopped to watch the events unfolding before him.

"What? Trial?" Lance was puzzled as everyone murmured in confusion. "But the trial commencing today is…" It dawned on him as to who the person in front of him really was. In the VIP Box, most of them also put the puzzle pieces together.

"Ash, it's you, isn't it?" Lance asked. If what he concluded was true, Lance could see why Ash was merciless in Pokémon Battle, especially in the early stages against who were his former friends. If Pakura knew where Ash was and even took him in, it would also explain why he distrusted the rest of the Pokémon League members.

As answer, Ash simply gave a smile that Lance knew belonged to him and walked off with the Hunters. A smile that clearly conveyed the message, "Yep, it's me."

Meanwhile, Cynthia was frozen with shock at the revelation.

"We never knew," said Lorelei, who was just as stunned.

"Nor did we," said Karen, gulping.

"Nor we,' Phoebe shook her head.

"We didn't know." Aaron stated.

"Neither did we." Caitlin placed a hand on her heart.

They all looked at the Kalos League members.

"I knew." Diantha admitted. "Jude told me but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. Elesa knows too."

The Unova League members turned to Elesa, who simply shrugged.

"You knew?" Wallace pointed to the PAL Elites.

"We did." Phillip shrugged. "Knew it from the start but it wasn't our secret to tell."

"If you told us, we could have-" Cynthia started.

"Could have what? Arrested him? Made him admit his non-existent guilt?" Jude was disgusted. "Like Phillip said, it wasn't our place to tell and we certainly weren't going to question our Leader."

"You Princess-" Cynthia spat the words out with venom. "-has been making some questionable decisions lately."

"She has others' best interests at heart with her decision, which is more than I can say for you!" Jude shot back. "Between those six years until even recently, you could have easily slipped into his life and made him yours. But you didn't. You believed what others say like some sheep and now he's Paku's. Had you believed in him, Paku would never have stood a chance with him."

Akeno said, "You know, of all of the people Ash had met, I think you're the one that surprised me the most. I can easily discount the group of travelling companions, since they are still naïve, a novice. But you? You're a Champion, you could have easily you're your connections to investigate to see if Ash actually did the deed during those years. But you chose to take the easy way out and accuse him without any evidence other than seeing him with the knife."

"Akeno, not you too." Cynthia turned to Akeno.

"Why not? It's the truth." Akeno shrugged.

Everyone turned to Pakura, who have yet spoken a word. However, she simply levelled an icy glare at all of them, clearly telling them she did not owe them any answers, before turning to leave the VIP Box.

Cynthia got up, and went after her. She was going to have a few words with her before the battle. As she left, she heard Phillip threaten to use them as his latest invention's target practice if they kept asking them questions. While she did not know what invention Phillip would use, everyone knew Phillip's inventions used offensively would pack a punch enough to kill someone.

"Pakura!" Cynthia said sharply.

Pakura turned and looked at her with an impassive face. "What?"

"You kept a known killer and made him your Champion. How could you obstruct justice like this?" Cynthia asked. Did Pakura have no morals? "Did you really think you can get away with this?"

"I'm not even trying to get away with anything." Pakura scoffed. "You aren't a saint either. You wanted to give Ash a chance to escape his so-called justice by marrying one of the girls. In other words, a political marriage."

"I just wanted the best for everyone, unlike you." Cynthia shot back.

"See, there's the difference between you and me. I do not try to justify my actions by hiding behind a moral or ethical façade." Pakura pointed out.

"If Ash loses this trial, you would be seen as an accomplice." Cynthia warned. "It would be difficult to keep your position as ruler."

"And if Ash wins the trial, you would be seen as someone who obstructed the justice by helping murderers with their Pokémon careers and hounding an innocent guy." Pakura shrugged. "You might even be stripped of Champion status."

Cynthia hesitated. She had seen the disgrace and humiliation Iris had went through losing the Champion status in a bet during the Pokémon World Tournament prior to this competition. Furthermore, the last thing she wanted was to face the Pokémon League Council in regards to her actions.

If anything, Pakura had the upper hand here, and Cynthia knew it.

The problem was because the Council was formed by PAL and how they only deal with Pokémon-based issues, Pakura could only be stripped of her Elite status, not her Princess status. After all, it wasn't actually necessary for the Princess/Prince to be part of the Pokémon League to become a ruler. Apparently, being a ruler mainly required skills outside of Pokémon battling.

Pakura must have known what Cynthia was thinking, for she said, "We shall discuss this once the outcome of the trial is known. For now, we battle."

With that, she made her way to the Launch Room. Cynthia clenched her fists, and headed to the other Launch Room.

"Ah, well, Johto fans are sure to be hurting after that one, but this next one will have everyone on the edge of their seats!" Kenneth announced in his booth, as he displayed a picture of Cynthia. "Champion Cynthia is certainly one of the crowd favorites, but this lovely lady is going against the most beautiful, talented and toughest female trainer we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about...Elite Pakura! Let's welcome the two challengers to the arena!"

On cue, the platform rose up, and both of them were sent up to the battlefield. "These two amazing ladies are going head-to-head to decide who would secure their place in the Top 4. This would be the last chance for Sinnoh to move on in the Pokémon World Championships!" Kenneth commented, as everyone cheered.

'Icicle Crash.' Pakura thought. Arctozolt shot out a blast of cold air from its mouth that quickly froze into a road of ice. Then, icicles shot out from the ice onto Miltoic. It was the decisive blow, for Milotic collapsed with swirls in her eyes.

The battlefield had turned into an ice field, thanks to Pakura's usage of ice moves, and it did not look like the ice would melt any time soon.

"Milotic is unable to battle! Champion Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon!"

Pakura looked at the scoreboard, where Cynthia had already lost her Spiritomb and Milotic, and Pakura only had her Arctozolt out so far.

'Two down, four to go.' Pakura thought, bored with the battle.

"Gastrodon, battle dance!" Cynthia said calling out the Sea Slug Pokémon as her third Pokémon.

"Battle, begin!" Evan announced, making a gesture similar to a karate chop.

"Gastrodon, use Muddy Water!" Cynthia ordered. Gastrodon released multiple streams of brown water from its body at Arctozolt.

'Cut it in half with Icicle Spear.' Instead of firing the spears like one would expect, it fired a single sharp, thick, spear-shaped ice shard from its mouth to its yellow hand, and cut the Muddy Water in half, making it rain brown water all over the battlefield.

While the wave of brown water didn't completely go away, the spear redirected the damage somewhere else. Arctozolt threw the spear hard at Gastrodon, which was so fast they could only see white streaks before it hit its target, sending it skidding back quite a lot thanks to the ice on the battlefield.

"Gastrodon, use Hydro Pump. Follow it up with Mud Shot!" Cynthia commanded. Gastrodon formed a blue ball in front of its mouth and fired a powerful stream of water from it at Arctozolt, who leapt and ran across the Hydro Pump, surprising many. It opened its mouth and fired sparkling blue snow, blowing Gastrodon back.

Gastrodon wasn't about to give up, however, as it opened its mouth so shoot out several balls of mud at Arctozolt. Arctozolt responded by multiplying itself, and letting the Mud Shot hit the illusionary copies instead.

'She really thinks she could trick me with a basic move like this.' Cynthia thought, looking at the copies. Cynthia knew from watching battles that Double Team copies usually have a little static to it.

After all, they were basically afterimages with no substance although they still could damage opponents. Hence, it's usually used for confusion while other attacks were and can be identified through careful observation.

However, this was all the time Pakura needed, as the body of Arctozolt glowed light blue, and a dark cloud appeared above Gastrodon Chunks of clear ice started to rain down from the cloud.

"Quickly, use Whirlpool!" Cynthia ordered.

Gastrodon's body glowed a blueish-white color and opened its mouth, facing the air. From its mouth, a huge blue whirlpool came out of it and formed above Gastrodon, absorbing all the chunks of clear ice raining down on it.

'Gotcha. Arctozolt, use Freeze-Dry.' Pakura inwardly commanded. charges an orb of light blue energy in between the horns on its head. It then fired a beam of light blue energy from the orb at Gastrodon, effectively freezing it.

Arctozolt conjured up another ice spear, and shot at the frozen Gastrodon with it, shattering the ice and effectively taking it out.

"Gastrdon is unable to battle! Champion Cynthia, send out your next Pokémon!" The referee said.

Meanwhile, everyone was wondering just how powerful are the PAL Elites, as they watched Pakura decimate Cynthia with relative ease so far after watching Ash stomp Lance. Lance looked like he hadn't recovered from the loss, although the fact that Champion Red was Ash may have contributed.

"Lucario, battle dance!" Cynthia sent out the Aura Pokémon.

"And Champion Cynthia has chosen to send out Lucario! Can Cynthia turn this battle to her favour?" Kenneth commented.

At this point, Pakura returned her Arctozolt as well, inwardly thinking it for a good performance. She then sent out Ninetales, except it looked completely different from what most people remember.

This Ninetales' coat was pale blue, and its fur was more flowing and wispier. This tips of its tails and crest, as well as the lower halves of its legs, were white. The nine tails were less distinct from each other. Finally, it had blue eyes.

A hush fell over the crowd at the sight of this magical wisp of a Pokémon. Everyone was admiring the beauty of this Pokémon.

Cynthia frowned, having never seen a Ninetales like that before. It was obvious that the typing is different as well. She wondered if it was the opposite of its usual typing, which was Fire.

"Elite Pakura has chosen to return her Arctozolt, and sent out her Ninetales. For those who don't know, this Ninetales is of Fairy/Ice typing and is revered as a sacred messenger or deity! I wouldn't mess with this Pokémon, especially since Elite Pakura owns it!" Kenneth said in the mic excitedly.

'As I suspected. It's Ice-type, or at least part Ice.' Cynthia thought.

"Battle begin!" Evan announced.

Even with the battle going on the ones in the VIP Box couldn't help but sneak glances at the other three Elites who were sitting in the front row watching the battle. The three were ignoring them, though. As was Elesa, Diantha and Falkner.

After all, between them being bombarded with the questions regarding Ash and being asked why Pakura wanted to keep this secret from them, Jude had finally snapped and said, "You asking so many questions like this is exactly why we kept quiet about it! Now shut up, or all the regions except ours won't exist anymore!"

That definitely shut them up for a while due to the fact that they knew every member of the PAL Elite had myths floating around about them. If these rumours among PAL were true, Jude could probably drown all the regions if he put his mind to it.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop them from having questions in regards to Pakura's actions, as they watched her knock out Lucario relatively easily.

"And Lucario is unable to battle!" Evan announced, as Lucario's picture went dark. "Champion Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon."

'Four down, two to go.' Pakura thought, as Cynthia returned her fallen Lucario.

"Togekiss, battle dance!" Cynthia called as she flung another Pokéball. It opened to reveal the Jubilee Pokémon, who flew gracefully and hovered just above the icy ground.

"Battle, begin!" Evan commanded.

"Air Slash!" Cynthia called out. Togekiss lifted up one wing and started waving it around. Light blue energy streaks then appeared and swirled around, forming into a ball above the tip of Togekiss's wing. It then tossed the ball at Ninetales.

'Counter with Moonblast.' Ninetales gathered energy that formed into an orb of pink energy in front of its mouth, and fired it at towards the Air Slash.

The pink sphere and blue swirling ball met in the middle and fought for domination before exploding into pink and blue bits of energy that floated down all over the battlefield.

Cynthia wasn't about to let up on this chance, as she commanded, "Sky Attack! Follow it up with Steel Wing!" Togekiss' body became surrounded by a white aura flew towards Ninetales. A white trail of energy was left behind it as it flew at top speed.

At the same time, its wings turned silver. What resulted was an alternating white trail of energy mixed with silver.

'Ice Beam. Use the Counter Shield tactic.' Pakura thought. Ninetales got all its feet but one off the ground, and started spinning like how figure skaters do. As it did, it fired a light blue beam from its mouth, which slowly froze around Ninetales, forming what looked like dome made of ice.

As Togekiss hit the dome, it slowly cracked and shattered, but Pakura was prepared. When the dome cracked, Ninetales' body becames surrounded by a blue aura and the inside of its mouth shone white. The ground around Ninatales began to freeze and when it hit Togekiss, it was instantly knocked out.

"Sheer Cold…." Cynthia whispered, recognizing this OHKO move.

"Champion Cynthia, please send out your last Pokémon!" Evan instructed.

'Garchomp is my ace. I am sure not even her would beat her easily.' Cynthia nodded, as she sent out her trump card.

Meanwhile, Pakura was thinking, as she returned her Ninetales. She had sensed the unrest of everyone around her, ever since Champion Red was revealed to be Ash. Pakura knew that this revelation about PAL's Champion and Prince was bound to bring him attention from everyone, and it wasn't exactly the pleasant kind either.

The attention was evident with those Pokémon League members, whom she knew were bombarding the others with questions judging by the anger, exasperation and helplessness felt by her Elites. Between this and the need to conduct an investigation without being questioned by nosy idiots, she knew only one way to distract the public on the fact that Champion Red and Ash are one and the same.

Pakura just knew what fact she could use, but should she really reveal it? She wasn't exactly ready to face that part of her life that once made her whole. Now that Cynthia was down to her last Pokémon, the reality hit her. She knew it better than most. They were going to give Ash a hard time.

Ash was stuck in detention center, and there was no way he could escape. If he did, he'd be seen as trying to run away from his trial and that would not look good for him. Cynthia and the traitors would pounce on that in an instant.

But what about everything she worked so hard to hide? She finally got people to let the Dragon Duo fade to a myth, a legend that people accepted they would never meet but was still revered as the best and now she had to basically undo all the work she put in in order to divert attention away from this?

If anything, she'd rather not visit that part of her life again. A part that she desperately longed for, but would never get back. Shiki was gone, after all. Gone forever.

She found this hard to accept, even now. She thought the best way to keep herself from getting upset was to not trigger something from her past anymore and try to move on. If she revealed this fact now…

Shiki…What would he have done?

Pakura frowned, knowing the answer. He would have done the right thing. But what was the right thing to do? People do what they think is right, but that doesn't mean it was actually right. The thing about doing the wrong thing was, you never live it down. People in general nature, loved to bring up others' mistakes and rub it in their faces but do not check on themselves.

She knew that if she brought this fact to light, people would be after her for a battle, clinging to her past title. She never liked battling outside of tournaments or Pokémon Contests. It was a waste of time for her.

This is why the moment the match is over, she probably would have to get out as quickly as possible. It wouldn't be difficult, as she could teleport. Even without teleportation, she was the fastest Elite member. She had once run fast enough to search the whole universe in a brief period of time for a certain herb that could help Shiki make a cure for someone who was on death's door. She couldn't have been gone for more than a minute, or that person would've been done for, or so Shiki had told her.

If she chose to make this incredible yet unknown (to Ash) sacrifice, her Elites would be affected too. She should advise them to get out of the VIP Box for now and wait somewhere safe while waiting for their match to commence. Well, Jude's match would follow after hers so he would have some respite for now, but the VIP Box is not a safe place to stay and watch the matches.

But then, after the matches, she would have to bring them with her to the investigation she would conduct with Phoenix Wright, who was safely ensconced in her penthouse at Plaza Hotel. Or so she was informed anyway.

Pakura closed her eyes, tallying the cost of revealing that, against the possible worth it would bring. 'Hey, Ash…what do you really think of me? What was I to you, before everything went wrong for us…?'

Somewhat bothered, Pakura tautened her jaw and directed her attention to the ground, noticing how it was so blue and shiny that it looked like it was made out of ice. Oh wait…she steeled herself into what she was about to do, the announcer's voice rang throughout the arena, the words nonsensical as they made their way to her ears.

Pakura rolled her eyes, but before she finished the gesture, every head in the crowd turned in her direction, as if she had developed some sort of magnetic pull. She crinkled her eyebrows in confusion, she spotted Cynthia giving her a glare of disbelief, like she was being insulted. In front of her was Garchomp. On her side was…

Oh. She forgot to send out another Pokémon in place of Ninetales. She must have been thinking for longer than she thought. Her ears buzzed as Evan's voice reached her. "Elite Pakura? Why are you just standing there? Can you send out your next Pokémon?"

Pakura nodded in apology, and chose to send out Latios, who was clearly wearing a Mega Stone.

"Latios?" Cynthia was surprised, as was everyone. Pakura was a Fairy/Ice Specialist, so why did she send out a Dragon-type? After all, Pakura never once used a Dragon-type Pokémon, with exceptions being those that are part Dragon along with being a Fairy/Ice type.

"Battle, begin!" Evan said, giving Pakura an uneasy look.

"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia commanded. Garchomp took off at Latios, the two appendages on her head glowing light blue. Then, her body became enveloped in a light blue aura with the same colored streaks.

'Latios, wait for it. Closer. Little More. Now, use Telekinesis.' As Garchomp closed in, Latios' eyes glowed light green. Garchomp then became surrounded in a light green aura, outright stopping Garchomp.

"Use Flamethrower!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp opened her mouth and released a stream of red-orange fire from it towards Latios, who responded by opening his mouth and white sparkles formed and gathered in front of him, forming together into a pink ball of energy. He then fired the massive pink beam from the ball at the oncoming Flamethrower.

As the two attacks clashed, what no one but the PAL Elites saw was Pakura making a few hand signs. Phillip looked closely at the hand signs, recognizing them as sign language and said in his head, 'She's telling us to leave the VIP Box, and hide somewhere until our match begins.'

'Any reason why?' Jude asked, worried.

'She is going to divert attention from the fact that Champion Red is Ash. That means…' Phillip gave them a meaningful look.

'No way! She would reveal that?' Jude gasped in his head, and looked down at Pakura, whose expression was unreadable. She wasn't even stable in terms of her mental health and after yesterday, she's just going to reveal that?'

'I think Pakura did what she knew was best. She never really cared for her mental health ever since he was gone. Perhaps she did it so Ash wouldn't get so much backlash. Or maybe she did it because she was seriously in love with Ash and never stopped loving him even after she was being corrupted.' Akeno interrupted.

'Think of it this way. Even if she reveals the fact, one thing PAL needs is proof. They'd be scrambling to find out if it's true and Ash would be left alone.' Phillip rationalized.

'Won't last very long, but it's all the time we need to escape or hide.' Jude agreed. 'After all, Kenneth knows and Lance would probably put two and two together considering Shiki was his childhood friend and a fellow clan member.'

'How do we sneak out without being obvious?' Akeno wondered.

'Leave it to me.' Jude smirked, and groaned and clutched his stomach.

"Jude, what's wrong?" Akeno asked, concerned.

"My stomach hurts." Jude whimpered. "Really hurts."

"Told you not to eat that banana cream pie." Phillip chided. "Come on, let's get you medicine for your stomach."

"Is he alright?" Elesa asked, worried for him.

"He'll be fine with the both of us." Phillip assured, as they half-supported Jude.

"Do you both have to go with him?" Clair frowned at them.

"One to treat Jude's stomachache and another to track down which company sent the banana cream pie." Phillip answered promptly. "I left my laptop back at the Tower. If we hurry, we can make it back in time for Jude to start his match."

"You don't really have long before her match ends, though." Grimsley nodded towards the ongoing match.

"It's Cynthia's ace. I'm sure she would last a little longer." Akeno said sweetly. With that, they hauled Jude off to the Tower.

Meanwhile, Cynthia made the battlefield shine with sunlight thanks to Sunny Day. Due to the bright rays of the sun reflecting off the ice, it sent some explosion of little rainbows off Latio's face, making him close his eyes.

"Now, Draco Meteor!" Cynthia took her chance. Garchomp's body glowed orange and an orange ball of light appears inside her chest. The glow fadeed and a ball of orange energy appeared in front of Garchomp's mouth. Garchomp fired the ball into the air and it exploded, releasing many orbs down towards Latios.

Pakura wondered if Cynthia had studied up on the Dragon Duo or something to better her training with Garchomp. 'The strategy of using Sunny Day and an attack from above was developed by me years ago in order to make sure neither trainer nor Pokémon can see my next attack coming. Even if they did sense it, they wouldn't see the next attack coming as it gave me time to prepare the next attack.'

'Latios, Psyshock.' Latios formed a purple orb of energy in its hands and fired dark purple beams from the orb at the Draco Meteor, letting explode in a rain of shower.

'If this was my strategy, Garchomp should have an attack prepared right now. I'll have Latios use Double Team to let the illusionary copy take the hit.' Pakura analysed.

During that time, Cynthia's Garchomp appeared right in front of Latios as a light-green aura formed around her fins and then it attacked Latios with her claws. Only for the Double Team copy to fade away.

Garchomp and Cynthia looked around for Latios, only for Latios to fire a multicolored dragon-shaped beam of energy from his mouth at the opponent from above Garchomp. It scored a direct hit, sending Garchomp crashing to the ground.

'As I thought. It was indeed my strategy.' Pakura frowned.

"Garchomp is unable to battle. The winner is Elite Pakura!" The ref yelled.

"After a hard-fought battle, Elite Pakura will move on to the semi-finals!" Kenneth announced, as everyone cheered.

"How?" Cynthia was genuinely surprised. She was sure she had perfected this strategy.

Pakura sighed. "Did you really think I wouldn't have a counter against my own strategy?"

"Wait…your strategy?" Cynthia was horrified, as the Hunters came to take her back to her cell. "But that strategy was developed by the Dragon Duo."

"That's right. I developed it when I was still the Dragon Princess." Pakura said calmly.

Everyone was dead silent as Pakura left the Battle Arena. They were taking their time to let this sink in.

Meanwhile, in the VIP Box, pandemonium ensured.

"WHAT?" Drake, Drayden, Lance and Clair shouted. Drasna was taking this more calmly, although she had a furrowed expression on her face as well.

"Well, this was certainly a turn." Lucian commented. "The Dragon Slayer being the true Dragon Master."

"She'd be the last person in anyone's minds for possible candidates of the Dragon Princess." Caitlin agreed. "Who would have thought she became her own worst enemy?"

"I don't believe this!" Will threw up his hands, confused. "Why would she even change her type specialty when she was already so renowned as one of the Dragon Duo members?"

"I am pretty sure she has a reason." Gardenia rationalized.

It was a sentiment everyone agreed. After all, in addition to being extremely famous Dragon specialists, they were also great lawyers and even had a music career, launching albums that sold worldwide and even won diamond awards.

Meanwhile, Steven and Wallace were in thought. After all, they were witnesses to yesterday's debacle, and knew Pakura's trigger button was someone named Shiki. If she was of the infamous Dragon Duo, could Shiki have been the Dragon Prince and the reason why she left was because Shiki died?

They wondered if they should mention it, but looking at the chaos that ensued, especially Clair wanting to dash out to look for her for a battle only to be held back by Lance, they privately agreed not mentioning it would be better.

Down at the stadium, Kenneth was trying to quiet the audience so that he can speak and introduce the next match, and finally shouted, "QUIET!" in an angry voice.

Everyone started at the tone Kenneth was using, as they had never seen him use it before.

When they tried to protest, Kenneth said, "I don't want to hear anymore." His tone made it clear as to why he was the previous Chairman of the Hunter's Association. He would not tolerate any disrespect. "If we are now quiet, we can start our next match."

True to Pakura's prediction, no one was talking about or even thinking of anything relating to Ash anymore. Many wondered where she went off to, though.

"PAL is now assured the trophy, for the Top 4 participants are all from the PAL Region." A newscaster for PAL's most popular news network explained on television. "On another note, it has come to the attention of the region regarding Princess Pakura's reveal that she was the female half of the Dragon Duo. As to why this was so, sources are trying to track her down and get the answers themselves."

Pakura wanted to say "crap" even through princesses in general aren't supposed to swear. But then again, she wasn't exactly a typical royal, so she'll say whatever she wanted. She didn't give a shit who heard her.

Half the building was taken over by blue wooden barricades which the Hunters (working together with Officer Jennies) had erected to keep back all news vans and photojournalists crowded outside the consulate doors. Apparently, they've been trying to interview all those who had participated in the Pokémon World Championships so far, asking them if they knew about the latest tidbit and their opinions on it.

It wasn't even about the fact that all the Top 4 competitors were all from PAL. Apparently, they would prefer to cover things such as the fact that Pakura was once the Dragon Princess. She did expect it though, considering she had said it on national television.

At first, they hadn't resorted to these measures, until one of the male reporters was caught in the women's restroom by Akeno, standing on one of the toilets, trying to hide a lipstick camera and microphone into the vent. Of course, the reporter had another story. He claimed he found them in there, having spied them while siting on the restroom, and that he'd be trying to save the residents from suffering humiliation by them.

But it's obvious he was the one planting them so he could record Pakura's private conversations, as she was a frequent visitor of the Plaza Hotel. After all, why else would he have been in the women's restroom in the first place?

That wasn't even the first incident, but the last straw. In response, Akeno disposed of him…permanently.

She had heard that even the Battle Tower was surrounded by paparazzi, although Diantha had mentioned that the paparazzi would give up staking out the Battle Tower since they formed a new game trying to water-balloon bomb them from above. By the time they get back, the reporters probably wouldn't be there anymore, since according to Diantha, Falkner had expert aim.

"Some of the hotel residents are really mad about this." Phillip noted.

"Of course. After all, the Plaza Hotel is the fanciest hideout they ever had." Jude rolled his eyes. It was true, as even the lobby was fancy. The ceilings were probably about a hundred feet high, and the chandeliers are made out of real crystals and gold. What was more, there were staff whose job was to just play the harp in the lobby.

Akeno must have noticed Pakura wasn't too happy, for she asked, looking all concerned, "Pakura? Are you all right?"

"Let's just go." Pakura muttered, entering the elevator with the others, where an elevator man was operating it.

"Hello, Princess Pakura," the elevator man said. "The usual?"

Pakura nodded curtly, as he pushed the button that said "PW." Jude and Phillip knew that PW stood for Penthouse West, as Pakura had mentioned she owned one of the suites as payment. Exactly how she got it and payment for what, they didn't know but with Pakura, sometimes it's better not to.

Either way, it was clear blood was spilled.

"Hope you have a nice visit," the elevator man said to her Elites.

"Thanks," Akeno said politely. "I hope we will, too."

The elevator ride to PW took a long time, since it was on the top floor of the building. When the doors opened, there was a red carpeted hallway with white walls trimmed in gold. A sign on the wall said in elegant gold script PENTHOUSE WEST.

Then, as they walked down the long, quite hallway, which was filled with tall Ming vases of real live dark blue roses, a door opened at the end of the hallway, and standing in the doorway was a guy in spiky hair, and had a cheap-looking (at least compared to what the Elites wear) blue suit. He also looked pretty scared when his dark blue eyes landed on Pakura. He was standing up straighter and trying to rearrange his tie.

"So, this is the famous Phoenix Wright." Phillip said, looking him up and down appraisingly. It wasn't a question, either.

Pakura nodded.

"Er…H-Hi. Good afternoon?" Phoenix stuttered, stunned as he stared at Pakura. Who could blame him? Pakura's a goddess when it came toher beauty.

"Good afternoon, Attorney Phoenix." Pakura replied. "I trust you received my message?"

"Oh! So you're my client?" Phoenix exclaimed, before slapping himself inwardly.

"In a way, yes." Pakura answered. "You're going to defend my husband."

With that, she pushed past him, and entered the room. She blinked when she saw three others in the room with him.

One was a teenage girl with a black topknot and wore a purple and white kimono with a magenta sash, dark-colored wooden sandals, and a necklace with four orbs and a magatama. Another was a little girl around eight with similar-style kimono except it was pink and the magatama necklace with four orbs. Her hair was light brown and looked like a pretzel. The third was a guy with grey hair, red suit and a cravat, along with black dress shoes. The guy happened to be sipping his tea casually.

"Well, Maya wanted to come along and Pearls too, and you did say I could bring friends so…" Phoenix had a hand behind his head.

"You hired him too?" Phillip pointed to Miles Edgeworth.

"She must have hired him to make sure they are found guilty." Jude answered.

"Nick! Are those the people that hired you?" Maya asked eagerly.

"Yes, Maya." Phoenix sounded exasperated. Perhaps it was because he had watched them eat tons of burgers, as evident by the burger wrappings and plates. Soda cans were also seen on the table.

The PAL Elites introduced themselves briefly, while Pakura nodded to them. Miles gave Pakura a look when she was introduced.

Phoenix noticed. "Edgeworth? You know her?"

"Something like that…" Miles thought Pakura's appearance and demeanour was completely different from when he first met her like only almost six years ago. It was almost as if she went through an extreme bout of puberty.

Phoenix poked Maya as Maya was awed at Pakura, and Maya said, "Oh, uh, it's so nice to meet you, Princess Paku—is that a kitten?"

Maya hadn't meant to say that last part, but she couldn't help it. After all, while Maya was trying to curtsy, she saw Skitty peeking out from around Pakura's feet.

"It's so cute!" Maya cried, as Pearl stared in awe at Pakura's Sylveon. Her Sylveon kindly let Pearl touch her ribbons, and as it wound around Pearl, she felt a calming sensation. "May I pet it?"

Judging by the look on Miles' face, it was clear he hadn't coached her on saying that.

The frown on Pakura's face softened and curled ever so slightly into a smile.

"You can pet her," she stated, trying to sound cold but was only half successful. It's very difficult to speak coldly to a child expounding on the virtues of your Pokémon.

As Maya cuddled Skitty, Phillip turned to Miles. "I believe the library is to your liking, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth nodded. "Yes, I believe I would be sufficiently entertained." He decided to ask Pakura the questions in his mind later.

Akeno replied with, "Good to hear. Unfortunately, if you do not already know, the building has been surrounded by paparazzi. It's best if one of you stays to hold the fort, while we gather evidence for our court trials tomorrow."

"I'll do it." Miles volunteered. "After all, Wright is the Defense, is he not?"

"But how are we going to leave?" Phoenix asked.

"Like this." Pakura teleported everyone away, to the Detention Center, where Ash was.

December 14, 12: 06 PM

PAL Region

Detention Center

Visitor's Room

Phoenix decided to meet Ash with Maya, in order to avoid any bias, especially with paparazzi probably watching their every move. Hence, the others waited somewhere while Phoenix and Maya decided to go on to have a chat with Ash, who was their actual client.

"So, why did they arrest him?" Maya wondered, having seen a picture of Ash before, and thought him to be very handsome.

"You're asking the wrong man on that one, Maya. Maybe he used his skills to kill someone, and that would be out of my hands." Phoenix sighed.

"He'll never do such a thing!" Maya exclaimed.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." A voice said. Both turned to see Ash sitting at the other side, smiling at them wearily.

"Let's be honest here... You came to this visitor's room to talk to me, didn't you?

"Y-Yes!" Maya nodded.

Phoenix presented his lawyer's badge to Ash, who smiled and looked at it. "Oh, so you're the person to defend me. Nice badge, by the way."

Phoenix blinked. He was used to others ridiculing him for showing it off, and yet here Ash was, showing interest in something he was proud about.

"Oh, thanks." Phoenix smiled, feeling awkward. 'Is he being nice or he only said it because he's supposed to be a prince and take everything well?'

"You got to help me! I didn't kill my mother, I swear!" Ash pleaded.

"Your mother?" Maya jumped, but Phoenix kept her at her chair.

"I know, I am a Hunter and all, and killing people is a job, but I swear I never killed my mother. That was before I was a Hunter, and killing my own mum who loved me? That's insane... I...I...I could never..." Ash looked downcast, as his Pikachu petted him on his back comfortingly.

"Alright, alright... I'll take your case." Phoenix agreed. "After all, your wife did pay me to help you."

"Did she?" Ash looked relieved.

"She paid millions." Phoenix admitted sheepishly.

"At least you're a nice one." Ash smiled, making Phoenix wonder how he ended up with someone like Pakura.

"Umm...Prince Red." Maya said.

"Yes?" Ash turned to her.

"What's your real name?" Maya asked. There was no way Red was his first name.

"It's Ashura Red Satoshi Ketchum. Or short form, Ash Ketchum." Ash answered. "Ash would do."

"Ugh..." Maya muttered.

"What's the matter, Maya?" Phoenix turned to her.

"His name is a mouthful!" Maya complained.

"…" Both Phoenix and Ash had that reaction. Ash had an awkward smile, while Phoenix just gave her an unimpressed look.

"Ahem. I must apologize for troubling you." Ash interrupted.

"H-Huh?" Maya turned to Ash. "Oh, no, not at all, Ash."

"It must be hard for you guys to come over to a whole other place to do your job." Ash said, smiling. "It's just that Paku was determined to get the best lawyer she knew to get the job done and to acquit me. She had always admired the way you manage to turn things around in court, you know."

"R-Really?" Phoenix was astonished. For someone of her calibre to actually respect him…that's something. They both had to take a hard look at his face to double-check if he's joking.

"Our Dragon Duo members used to be Defense Attorneys too, you know." Ash went on. "However, things happened and they retired altogether. They founded a firm actually. The Legends & Co. Office, if I'm not wrong."

"Amazing! That's one of the biggest firms in the world!" Phoenix was in awe.

"That's right. They never lost a single case." Ash smiled proudly.

"Like you, Nick!" Maya squealed, as Phoenix was stunned.

"But for her to choose you over the other lawyers in her firm, means she must trust in your abilities a lot. If that is the case, I think I can put my utmost faith in you, Phoenix Wright." Ash nodded approvingly.

"Alright! Let's make this a case no one would ever forget! C'mon Nick!" Maya exclaimed, dragging Phoenix out of the Detention Center.

"Good luck, Phoenix Wright." Ash waved, as Phoenix tried to wave back but was stumbling after Maya.

"Alright...We've got lots of things we have to look into. No time for slacking. Let's get going." Phoenix said, with determination. After all, this was one of the few clients who truly believed in him.

"Yahoo!" Maya pumped up a fist. "Although his name was a mouthful."

When they exited, Pearl was happily guzzling soda and eating chips and cookies.

"She wanted it." Akeno explained, giving a sweet smile. "I don't see why not."

'At least they seem to be an alright bunch compared to the weirdos I met.' Phoenix thought, as Pakura non-verbally teleported them away to Pallet Town.

December 14, 12: 40 PM

Kanto Region

Pallet Town

Outside Ash's Childhood House

'Wow, we're in another region already.' Phoenix thought. 'I'd love to explore this town, but we are here for work.

He then spotted them heading towards a frozen house. "Uh…"

"I did Absolute Freezing, so even time is stopped there. It's to preserve the crime scene." Pakura explained curtly. She snapped her fingers, and undid the ice. Even so, everyone was shivering a little as they stepped into the house, which was burnt.

"Oh right, Mr. Wright. You have something special with you, right?" Akeno asked.

"You mean this?" Phoenix was surprised, taking out a sacred charm in the shape of a magatama. It seemed to be uncharged, judging by how it's not glowing.

Akeno took it, and suddenly, the magatama was glowing brightly. "Here you go."

"You have spiritual powers?" Maya gasped.

Akeno nodded. "Yep. I can also use it to fight."

Then the two of them stood there going on about spiritual powers and spirit channelling. Phoenix wasn't even kidding. It was like watching a couple of announcers at a competition, only one was a sweet but creepy veteran spirit medium and the other was a childish teenage novice.

December 14, 12: 41 PM

Kanto Region

Pallet Town

Living Room of Ash's Childhood House

Phoenix looked around, and down at the corpse that was preserved. He steeled himself, as Pakura handed him the case file. He supposed he should look through the Case File we got before anything else. Maya and Pearl were careful not to touch anything, which was a good thing.

Phoenix opened the case file, which read, "The victim was Delia Ketchum. The time of death was estimated to be around 1:30 p.m. The body was discovered in the living room of her house. The cause of death was a stab wound to the chest. The victim appeared to have died instantly after the stab to the wound. Bruises on her arms and stomach were seen as well. A wound on the back of the head was also discovered."

[Case File added to the Court Record]

Phoenix decided to examine the state of the living room a little closer, as it was quite messy and were even burnt at some places. After all, a messy crime scene meant that there were a lot of things to examine. Phoenix first took a look at the blackened cups of tea and the teapot, which had since long evaporated. The tea bag had also been burnt, and Phoenix could not tell which tea was being made.

'Nine cups of tea.' Phoenix noted, taking a picture with the camera Jude lent him. 'Was the victim serving tea to nine guests or something?'

[Tea Set added to the Court Record]

As he walked around the table, he also saw a smudged area at the coffee table at the edge. It was almost as if it was hastily wiped. Phoenix wondered what it was, as he took a look.

"Something wrong, Nick?" Maya asked.

"I found some mysterious stain at this coffee table, but can't discern what." Phoenix replied, pointing to the smudge.

"I'd be careful, Nick." Maya shuddered. "The edge is sharp enough to leave an open wound."

'Wonder where Delia has an open wound?' Phoenix thought, taking a picture of it.

[Smudge on the Coffee Table added to the Court Record]

"Actually, what happened?" Phoenix turned to Phillip. "Why does everyone think Ash did it?"

"Something with having eight eyewitnesses walking in on him with the knife over his mother's body." Phillip answered. "The knife itself has his fingerprints on it." He gave Phoenix a plastic bag containing the bloodied knife.

"I see…" Phoenix examined the knife. The label said that Ash's fingerprints were on it. No other fingerprints were detected. 'Eight eyewitnesses? Wonder if it had something to do with the nine tea cups…'

[Knife added to the Court Record]

Phoenix looked around at the burns all over the house. He couldn't seem to find a source of fire outbreak. There wasn't a leaking gas, or a stray match burning the curtains or even an electrical shortage that he could find.

"It wasn't natural." Akeno said, giggling from behind him.

"Huh?" Phoenix started, turning around. "What do you mean, not natural?"

"You forget we have Fire Pokémon. A single move like Flamethrower and voila! Fire." Akeno gave a serene smile.

"They say it was a Quilava that caused the fire. Ash owned one, so…" Jude gave a "You get what I mean, right" look. "I mean, the killer would destroy evidence, this way. Just dump whatever incriminates you and set it on fire."

'In other words, it was arson. But the fire wouldn't make sense. Ash would have left the house before setting the fire, otherwise he'd get burnt. If he was already found with the knife, why would he have the need to set the house or the town on fire if he's already caught?' Phoenix wondered, as he went down on his knees to the floor to examine for any more evidence, making sure to inspect every inch of the room.

[Mysterious Fire added to the Court Record]

"Does the victim happen to be a clean freak?" Phoenix asked the group.

"Huh? N-No, I don't think so. Why?" Phillip frowned.

'There's something unusual about the living room. Although it was partly scorched, it's still very clean. Since dust wouldn't gather thanks to whatever powers Pakura used, it's likely it had been clean from the start.' Phoenix thought, looking around.

'I've searched the floor from one corner to another and I didn't find one single strand of hair, not even on the unburnt parts. Not counting the hair on the victim, of course. I wonder if I can find something that would explain why.'

[Lack of Hair added to the Court Record]

Phoenix couldn't understand any of this, but he'd already given the living room a good once-over. Maybe he should look around somewhere else, such as where the murder weapon might have come from and look into the possible motives the killer had. On top of that, he was sure that there were some other areas worth checking out, too. But first…

Phoenix pulled out the Case File to verify what it said about her body, as he examined the corpse.

'Some sort of sharp object has been thrust into her chest. That must've been the killing blow. But whatever they used to kill her, where'd they get it? That's definitely something I should look into later.' Phoenix thought. 'Also, according to the Case File, the victim had a wound at the back of the head.'

He lifted her head up, being careful not to tamper with the crime scene. He verified the wound at the back of the head, and felt that the shape of the wound looked sort of familiar. 'Now what could cause that sort of wound?'

"Found anything?" Phillip walked over to him.

"The stab wound in her chest is what killed her, so when she acquired that wound…that must have happened earlier on. I mean, how would her head get cracked open after she'd already been killed? So, it's very possible that she struggled with the killer before her death." Phoenix said to Phillip.

"Interesting theory." Phillip nodded, as Phoenix's eyes wandered to Delia's hands.

[Wound at the Back of the Head added to the Court Record]

'Huh? There's some blood underneath her fingernails, but that's it. It's definitely not hers by the looks of it, since she didn't have any prior wound.'Why would Delia have blood underneath her fingernails? After all, the palms of both her hands are totally spotless, so how come only her fingernails…?'

"It looks like you found it, right Phoenix? The bloody fingernails. "Delia might have put up a fight before she died. However, we aren't sure who got the scratch wounds." Phillip said to Phoenix.

"Do you think it might be the killer?" Phoenix turned to Phillip.

"Think about it." Phillip simply shrugged.

"You're not going to tell me?" Phoenix was incredulous.

"If you're the lawyer you say you are, you don't need me to hand you the answers." Phillip replied. "After all, you got to give your money's worth, right?"

'I have no idea what you're trying to say, but it's obvious you're not going to tell me.' Phoenix thought, exasperated.

[Bloody Fingernails added to the Court Record]

Phoenix concluded he should move somewhere else to get more clues, and decided to go to the nearest place- the dining room.

When he moved to the adjacent dining room, he saw Jude resting on the dining table.

"Are you investigating the dining room?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh, no. I'm just taking a break. Actually, I've been taking a break since you started." Jude yawned.

'So much of being a pro-active actor.' Phoenix thought, sweatdropping.

"Investigating isn't my forte. I don't have the first clue what I should be doing." Jude shrugged.

"Right…" Phoenix wondered why she even brought her team as he walked around the kitchen counter.

At the counter, he found a half-chopped and burnt lettuce, and a pot that was supposedly going to cook soup. However, the knife used to chop the actual vegetables were nowhere to be seen. He also saw all kinds of kitchen knives at the wall, from big to small.

One of them seemed to be missing, however. 'If the victim was chopping up vegetables, where's the knife that she was using?' Phoenix wondered.

[Kitchen Knife Set added to the Court Record]

Phoenix checked the gas stove, and it did not seem to have a leak or anything to start the fire in question. If anything, the fire seemed to have started from outside, if the burns were any indication.

[Mysterious Fire updated in Court Record]

'The killer might set the fire in order to prevent Ash from leaving.' Phoenix speculated.

'Or to get rid of evidence." Jude yawned, pointing to the burnt pile of trash. The top indicated they used to be in a bag. "I mean, it's pretty near, so I'd say the trash was burnt significantly already."

"Time to search, then." Phoenix headed over to the trash.

"Surely you aren't planning to actually search through the trash, are you?" Jude was surprised. "I mean, it would dirty your suit and all."

"Uh, well…" Phoenix grimaced, as Jude was right.

"Just kidding! I can pay for the dry-cleaning or even buy you a new suit!" Jude winked. "It shows you're willing to do anything to get to the truth. I like that."

'Just how much do they even have in their disposal?' Phoenix screamed in his mind, as he examined the piles of trash. It was nothing significant, barring what looked like a burnt light green cloth that fell out from the bottom and a half-burnt lint roller that showed evidence of being used. The cloth had distinct blood on it.

'A bloodied cloth?' Phoenix wondered, taking out the burnt piece of cloth. 'What's it doing here?'

"It looks like it's wiped, rather than soaking up blood." Jude said knowingly.

"You know?" Phoenix was astonished.

"That's what people usually do to get away with crimes." Jude told him. "If you're wealthy, sometimes you can pay your way out."

'Are you talking about yourself?' Phoenix inwardly snarked.

"By the look on your face, you're probably thinking "I'm talking about myself," weren't you?" Jude shot him a look.

'Damn...he's good!' Phoenix gulped.

"Believe it or not, I wasn't born in a rich family." Jude grinned. "I actually had a low point where I had nowhere to go, you know, until I was offered a place by the Dragon Duo. They were a practical godsend to me."

'Dragon Duo…I've been hearing this term a lot from people since I arrived.' Phoenix thought. He decided to leave the kitchen, and go upstairs to see what he could find.

[Bloodied Cloth Scrap added to the Court Record]

[Lack of Hair updated in Court Record]

December 14, 2:09 PM

Kanto Region

Pallet Town

Upstairs Hallway of Ash's Childhood House

"Was this the defendant's room?" Phoenix asked Phillip.

"Yes. This room belonged to Ash. Although I fail to see anything to do with the case, feel free to explore." Phoenix entered what looked like a simple bedroom. Along the shelves were what looked like knick-knacks and some awards.

"He seemed to have won a lot of things." Phoenix noted. "Look at all these trophies."

"Unfortunately, they aren't very impressive, standards wise." Phillip admitted. "There's the Pokémon League Badge, Orange League trophy, Battle Frontier plaque, Badges from Hoenn to Unova…certificates with the Battle Frontier Symbols, Squallville PokéRinger competition winners' certificate. Think of them as minor competitions."

"I see…" Phoenix did not know what to say.

[Collection of Trophies added to the Court Record]

Phoenix then went on to examine the items such as the soothe bells, a Focus Band, rubber gloves, a broken Pokéball, some special lure, a wooden model of a Teddiursa, and what looked like a cap.

"Ash left a lot of items behind when he had to leave on the day of his mother's murder." Phillip admitted quietly. "Never got to take them with him."

"I'm not surprised…" Phoenix replied.

"Ash said himself he wasn't coming back here, so they aren't likely to miss anything, are they?" Phillip was thoughtful

"Phillip...We're supposed to be the honest ones around here." Phoenix tried to rationalize.

However, Pakura had already slipped into the room with a satchel bag, and swiped things such as the cap, soothe bells, the a broken Pokéball, the Focus Band, and the rubber gloves. All without being noticed by Phoenix or Phillip.

Pakura also slipped to the victim's bedroom to pick up other remembrances such as: a photo of Delia on her wedding day, a scarf that she knew Delia had knitted and the photo album of Ash growing up.

"Hey, what?" Phoenix realized that some items were missing.

"Don't worry about it." Phillip waved him off, having a good guess as to who did it. "The items would turn up soon enough."

"How did the person even sneak in without us noticing?" Phoenix muttered, puzzled.

'The beauty of being an assassin, Phoenix.' Phillip thought. "Want to take a look at the victim's room?"

December 14, 2:40 PM

Kanto Region

Pallet Town

Upstairs Hallway of Ash's Childhood House

When the two entered, they already saw Pakura searching through drawers and stuffing things into her satchel bag. Although Phoenix knew she didn't even come with a bag.

Pakura didn't show any reaction to them coming in, other than to nod in acknowledgement.

"It's not as if anyone is coming back to this place." Phillip shrugged. "Although it seemed like they were some notes scatted all over that desk."

"Look at this!" Phoenix found a notebook detailing schedules, flipped on the latest entry written. "She planned to have guests over as a surprise to her son."

"W-Wait, for real?" Phillip ran over to him, as Pakura peeked over as well.

"Over here. It says that she was expecting her son's friends over." Phoenix pointed to the page.

"Incredible, Phoenix." Phillip nodded. "No one would ever think of searching places that seemed irrelevant."

"You can say that again." Pakura agreed, as Phoenix frowned.

"What's the matter, Phoenix?" Phillip asked.

"She expected the guests to come over on the same day her son is coming home…but the timing she expected each was at least half an hour to forty-five minutes apart."

[Delia's Planner added to the Court Record.]

Before Pakura walked away Phoenix decided to ask her about her former career as a lawyer. "So…Pakura, the Dragon Duo members were lawyers too, right?"

"That's right." Pakura replied.

"Why didn't you hire them to defend your husband, then?" Phoenix asked. "Surely someone like them could do so as well without wasting all the money."

"Well, they might have suffered from one or two setbacks." Pakura said carefully.

"Oh? Like what?" Phoenix prodded.

"It's relatively minor. That's the best way I would describe it." Pakura frowned.

Suddenly, for Phoenix, the background turned black, and in front of Pakura was five blue Psyche-Locks. Unlike the normal ones, her Psyche-Locks seemed to be frozen in ice.

'Psyche-Locks?' Phoenix gasped. 'I've got to find out why she didn't hire them. I might have to make a visit to the various places around the region to see if I can gather more information on evidence…'

December 14, 3:02 PM

PAL Region

Detention Center

Visitor's Room

Phoenix sighed, bouncing the satchel bag along the floor, as he decided to see Ash alone this time. Maya and Pearl were sufficiently being taken care of by Akeno.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ash said, sitting on the chair. "What brings you here again?"

"I was told to bring you this." Phoenix replied, giving the bag to the security to pass to Ash. When Ash emptied the bag, his eyes filled with emotion.

"I…thank you." Ash gave a watery smile, as he hugged the picture of his mother tightly against his chest.

"Actually, thank your wife. She was the one who nicked all those." Phoenix shrugged.

"Oh, er…speaking of my wife, can you give her this?" Ash got the guard to pass Phoenix a crumpled letter. "It was written by someone dear to her, and I think she would appreciate it. Although it wasn't exactly mine."

Phoenix took a look at the letter addressed to someone named Lance, and gulped at its contents although the last part was torn off. What did the writer mean by a weapon? What imprisonment? Cursed Child? What was it?

"Alright, I'll bring this to her." Phoenix promised.

"Thanks. He was kind of her last line, even if there was something off about him." Ash nodded.

"Something off?" Phoenix latched onto the unusual term.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Ash waved it off. "But he was someone very important to her. If you want to know what the Dragon Duo were like as a lawyer, I suggest you go to the library if you want more information. You'd be surprised at what you find."

[Letter added to the Court Record]

December 14, 3:50 PM

PAL Region

Luonto City

Outside PAL Library

Phoenix really felt weird, seeing Pakura disguised as his mentor, Mia Fey. However, she said it was necessary due to the fact that the paparazzi were out in full force, trying to get into the library to look for her.

He heard a girl with tan skin, brown eyes, and knee-length, puffy purple hair kept in a huge loose ponytail yelling, "We're here because of this incident, and Princess Pakura has them! We just want to get in to look for her! I want my battle!" She was waving some sort of old newspaper. Phoenix Wright asked, "Excuse me. May I take a look?"

"You can have it!" The girl shoved the paper. Phoenix looked down and read the article, "Disappearance of the Dragon Duo: Are they Disbanded for Good?"

"Oh. They actually disappeared?" Phoenix blinked.

"It's really quite upsetting. Did you hear me!? UPSETTING!" A paparazzi yelled.

"Yeah!" The girl who gave him the newspaper yelled.

"Yes, yes, I heard you. I agree, it's quite upsetting." Phoenix replied, as Pakura gestured for them to follow her to the back entrance, as the librarian had agreed to let them in.

Without any of the paparazzi noticing, they had slipped away and entered the library through the back door.

[Newspaper Article 1 added to the Court Record]

December 14, 3:52 PM

PAL Region

Luonto City

Inside PAL Library (First Floor)

When inside, Pakura finally dropped her disguise. She handed her Hunter's License and said, "If you need to access exclusive information on the computers, use this."

Phoenix was half-listening, as he was looking around the library, which was really big. There were rows upon rows of magazines and piles of newspapers, along with rows of computers just next to it. There were also check-out machines and Phoenix noticed there were even a café selling food and drinks.

In front of the café were tables and couches, where you can charge your devices if wanted. There were even rows of IPads available, waiting to be used by patrons. At the receptionist desk, there were a row of elevators. Phoenix had never seen a library that big, let alone with so many services.

'Whoa! This library is one cozy hideout.' Phoenix admired.

"So... what are we looking for here?" Phoenix asked her.

Pakura simply gave him a look.

'Does that mean I have to figure it out for myself?' Phoenix sweatdropped. Of course. Pakura wanted him to showcase his true skills that she heard about. Although he did not know where to start. He could take a look at the pile of old newspapers. Or look at the magazine racks. Or access the computers with the Hunter's License she lent him.

He decided to take a look at the magazines first. He realized they were all in different languages, possibly to cater to the foreign speaking citizens. There were also magazines catering to different genre, from fashion to home design to even cooking. Phoenix noted that most of the covers featured Pakura and the ones that had male models featured Jude.

"We have all sorts of magazines here, dated from at least years ago." Pakura explained. "Ever considered using the advice in there to wear something a bit chicer?"

"Yeah. I guess I could. I'm always in my suit, aren't I? It'd be fun to wear something else every now and then…if I could afford it." Phoenix muttered.

"You can, once I pay you for your services." Pakura replied. 'I would say there's enough value in the check to endure this.' She knew Phoenix hated reading, having heard that he never read the law books his old mentor left behind but still…

Phoenix noticed a magazine that didn't have Jude's or Pakura's face. It had the cover of a brown-haired girl in an Arabic-themed pearl-pink veil which had a green gem at the top, pink top with saffron borders and heart on the chest area, lilac-purple skirt, saffron-colored necklace with a red heart-shaped gem, pink fabric in her waist, and brown flip-flop shoes with toe rings.

'Hm? This magazine stuffed behind the rack…' Phoenix picked up the magazine, which was titled Coordinator Monthly. He saw the words, "Princess of Hoenn's Trauma: A Friend Betrayed!" emblazoned at the front of the magazine.

"It's usually a magazine featuring out best Coordinators." Pakura explained, seeing the magazine he held. "It originated from Hoenn region. Sometimes, they give biographies and latest happenings of that Coordinator."

'So, in other words, a gossip magazine.' Phoenix rolled his eyes, flicking to the page that featured the Coordinator at the front page. He found that her name was May Maple, and the article in question stated a recent murder of a friend's mother by the friend himself, who apparently got into a disagreement with her.

According to the article, she stated her little brother was traumatized witnessing the murder, and called him brave for being able to use his Gallade to teleport them out before the friend tried to kill them. Although she said was saddened by how her friend turned out, she would not give up on her dream.

Phoenix wondered if Pakura was featured in it. Sure enough, he found a page with her, although nothing much was said aside from Pakura deciding to take a trip around to clear her head. Exactly why she needed that journey was unknown as she refused to disclose the reason.

'Hey, this magazine was from a few days after the murder.' Phoenix thought, as he checked the date of the article.

[Coordinator's Monthly added to the Court Record.]

'A magazine very close to the day of the murder...This has got to be a clue! I should see if I can find out some more details.' Phoenix nodded to himself.

'You have a sharp eye indeed to select that magazine.' Pakura thought, inwardly nodding approvingly. 'You never know when gossip magazines would actually help you.'

"You must have done a lot of interviews before." Phoenix nodded to all the covers featuring her.

"Nah, they just deem me as pretty enough to be on the covers." Pakura shrugged. "One of them featured me although the highlight was my husband's interview." She tossed him one dated around the time Ash was crowned Champion, and Phoenix read it. It was relatively simple interview asking Ash about his favourites.

Ash had stated in that magazine that he was actually deathly allergic to Hibiscus Tea, so more often than not, that's why he drinks coffee instead. He stated he felt lucky that the chefs of his travelling team never once made Hibiscus Tea, so he had no need to state it. However, he usually had an Epi Pen with him in case none of his team are with him.

When asked how he knew about it, Ash mentioned an incident regarding the tea when he was a child. It ended up with him being in the hospital for a week.

'Allergic to Hibiscus Tea, huh…poor Ash. Imagine if Edgeworth was allergic to tea, and he's the tea addict.' Phoenix snickered at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Pakura heard his laughter, although Phoenix didn't know how, considering she was quite a distance away.

"Nothing, nothing." Phoenix waved it off, as he stuffed the evidence into his briefcase.

[Ash's Interview added to the Court Record.]

'There's so many newspapers. What's in all these things...?' Phoenix wondered, searching through the piles of newspapers from all over the regions.

"Articles, what else?" Pakura yawned. "If you have the brain, I am sure you know which dates to look for. They are all sorted according to dates."

"You mean, like...the date of Delia's murder?" Phoenix chose carefully.

'Well, at least you can think.' Pakura thought, but nodded at Phoenix.

'Why do I have the feeling she just insulted me?' Phoenix was sweating nervously.

"Now you've decided, go ahead and take a look. There might be some very...interesting news in there." Pakura gave a small smirk. "Or news that you are better off not knowing."

"Y-You're just kidding...right?" Phoenix looked a little squeaked out. Pakura simply raised a brow in response.

'I-I'll just let it go for now...' Phoenix thought, searching for the corresponding papers.

Sure enough, when he looked, he found articles of the rise to stardom for eight people, with May included as one of them. Phoenix recognized another one as the girl he saw earlier. Sure, she looked older, but there was no mistake it was her. As he read the article, he learnt that her name was Iris.

Seemed like they were milking the trauma for all it was worth with their vow to become stronger after they had witnessed and each giving statements on their next moves regarding their Pokémon career goals.

All supported by Champion Cynthia, who also swore to bring Ash, the killer, to justice.

"Who buys this kind of garbage?" Phoenix asked out loud.

"Everybody, especially when you're backed up by a Champion." Pakura answered calmly. "Just because you have a good public reputation doesn't mean you're good by nature. You could simply be skilled at making yourself look good. Let's just say most people are easily fooled, so they can get away with it."

"Makes sense." Phoenix nodded.

[Newspaper Article 2 added to the Court Record]

Phoenix finally moved to the table with a computer. Swiping the Hunter's License Pakura loaned him, he decided to access the profiles of the eight people that Cynthia had supported in terms of their careers. Not only do they show basic information like their names, birth place and known relatives, they show the Pokémon team they had at a certain point of time and achievements.

Better yet, they also compiled every article including them in the profile. Phoenix clicked the point of six years ago, to take a look at their Pokémon teams then.

It reloaded, and it showed all the Pokémon they had then, and the evolution they were in at that time. Phoenix was looking out for one Pokémon, though, as he remembered what Jude said about the fire, it being some Pokémon named Quilava. He spotted something that might help him when he reached Dawn's profile and scanned her list of Pokémon that she had owned.

He turned to Pakura to ask, "Is it possible to screenshot this?"

"Sure. Let me go look for the librarian to help you." With that, Pakura walked away to find the librarian.

When Pakura was away, Phoenix decided to look up Legend & Co. Law Office. Apparently, the Legend & Co. Law Office were founded by the Dragon Duo members thirteen years ago and they earned the nickname "The Defense Duo" thanks to their reputation as people who never lost a single case.

According to the information, the two believed in the clients being innocent until guilty, and are willing to defend them to the very end, even as backed into the corner. However, six years ago, both of them disappeared, leaving the firm to someone else for the time being until they come back.

'Disappeared, huh?' Phoenix thought, looking at the picture of the Dragon Duo wearing professional suits and standing in court. However, he couldn't see their faces like in the poster because of the hair covering their eyes. 'If what the girl said earlier was true, why did Pakura fake her disappearance?'

Pakura returned with the librarian, who helped him print the profiles of the traitors, including the information on their Pokémon team as of six years ago.

Luckily for Phoenix, Pakura seemed immersed in something else to even check what he was looking at, or didn't care what he looked at. After all, technically it was public information to the Hunters out there. Whatever Hunters do, Phoenix did not want to know when he saw Pakura's License and saw she was a Three-Star Blacklist Hunter. He definitely would NOT want to be blacklisted if she was the Hunter.

'I can check this out when I get back to the hotel.' Phoenix thought, arranging the papers neatly and stuffing it into his briefcase.

[Pokémon Team Roster added to Court Record]

[Dragon Duo's Career added to Court Record]

Phoenix noted that he never really knew what was the drink the victim served to her guests, and thought he should take a look at the hospital, since perhaps there was some poison he did not know about.

Pakura shrugged when he asked her to take him, and teleported them there in an instant.

December 14, 5:06 PM

PAL Region

Luonto City

PAL General Hospital (Lobby)

'So... this is the general hospital...looks fancier than any hospital I've seen.' Phoenix thought. Unlike most hospitals, this one was full of magazines, newspapers and even posters decorating the walls. At the corner, there were free posters available as freebies.

"There's a lot of posters here." Phoenix noted.

"Oh, it's a little gift for those visitors to thank them for waiting." Pakura replied. "They print so many of them."

"They aren't likely to miss one, are they?" Phoenix wondered.

"It's free." Pakura deadpanned.

"Maybe Maya would like them." Phoenix took one, which was a poster on the Dragon Duo with a Latias and Latios behind them, as the Dragon Prince played guitar while the Dragon Princess was singing. 'I think she rubbed off on me…'

[Dragon Duo Poster added to the Court Record.]

"Look at how pretty this poster is...this must have been just one of the posters they used to promote their public appearances." Phoenix admired the tasteful design of the poster.

"Ever tried using posters to advertise your firm?" Pakura asked.

"What do you mean?" Phoenix was dreading her answer.

"Like posting an advertisement in the newspaper, or an ad in the magazine…it goes places, you know." Pakura suggested. "Although you might need to take a little extra out of your own pocket."

"So in other words, I'll have to live off cup noodles for a month…" Phoenix muttered.

"You can live off vegetables." Pakura proposed. "I mean, they are healthier."

'Gah! What do I look like, a rabbit?' Phoenix screamed in his head.

"We weren't expecting any visitors." A voice said. Pakura and Phoenix looked up to see Akira Dentsuin.

"Oh, we're just looking for the Head Doctor. Are you one?" Phoenix stammered.

"Yup. Akira Dentsuin's the name. You must be the lawyer Princess Pakura hired." The doctor smiled.

"Yes, I did hire him." Pakura answered shortly.

"Oh, hello there. What do you need of me?" Akira asked.

"I was wondering...if there are any check on the tea that was made at the time of the murder." Phoenix explained. "I figured maybe they actually checked it for poison or whatever."

"I see. Follow me." He led them to the Archives Room, where records were being kept.

'There's so many files stuffed onto the shelf. What's in all these things...' Phoenix thought.

"Those documents are...dangerous." Akira said carefully.

"...Dangerous?" Phoenix asked. At this point, Pakura left the room, saying something about getting a drink.

"Well, if you're thinking of looking through any of them, let me give you a little warning. Those things are filled with graphic, disturbing photos from all kinds of crime scenes. It's the kind of thing any normal person wouldn't ever want to look at. Which is why only Hunters, hospital staff, coroners or police can access. After all, they are the ones used to these sorts of things." Akira explained. "They're not the kind of things you'd expect to leak."

'That's true." Phoenix muttered, as Akira opened the file and handed it to Phoenix, who flipped through it with tense, nervous fingers. Suddenly his hand stopped...he had reached the page where photos from the scene of the crime had all been collected.

"The crimes took place during the afternoon on the weekend, where everyone else would be resting, which was common for Pallet Town residents. The tea found to be poured for the killer was Hibiscus Tea and the teapot was noted to be empty. Nine cups were seen on the scene, indicating the victim may have guests over. Based on these facts, it could be suggested that the suspect likes Hibiscus Tea. Evidence suggested that the suspect lingered at the scene, but when they did leave, they were in a panic." Phoenix read it out loud.

"I'm not sure why the Hibiscus Tea is important, but still…" Akira had an "oh well" gesture.

'Hibiscus Tea...? Now, where have I heard this term from?' Phoenix thought.

[Tea Set updated in Court Record]

Akira grabbed a specific file from the shelf. "Well, if you want more details on the aftermath, I suggest you ask the Champion yourself."

"Another Champion?" Phoenix tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. She's…in custody right now." Akira replied. "Allow me to quickly summarize the main points. To begin, after they witnessed the murder, the eight of them quickly went to Cynthia, who was in Sinnoh. Allegedly, the reason was because Cynthia knew half the people in the group, which is more than the other Champions. After this traumatizing event, Cynthia helped their rise to stardom in a way to make up for Ash's actions." Akira explained. "This is what we know so far."

'But the murder was in Kanto, shouldn't they go to the Kanto Champion instead?' Phoenix thought, as Akira checked his watch.

"Anyway, I got a surgery to go to, but before you go…" Akira handed him a psyche profile. "Also, could you tell Princess Pakura I can't keep pretending to treat her forever. She has to stop skipping on her therapy sessions."

"Therapy?" Phoenix was shocked.

"Yes. She has been suffering them for around six years, if I'm not wrong. You can see for yourself. But take good care of it. Who knows what would happen if it was in the wrong hands?" Akira nodded.

"I-I will..." Phoenix stammered. 'I'd better hold onto this real tight...'

[Pakura's Psych Profile added to the Court Record.]

When Akira left, Pakura returned. She noticed the profile in Phoenix's hands.

"Um, Dr. Dentsuin handed this over to me before he left, and..." Phoenix started.

"Hey…it's my psyche profile." Pakura saw her name on it. "Phoenix, hand it over."

"Not yet." Phoenix took out the Magatama. "Take That!"

When he did, the five ice-looking Psyche-Locks appeared in front of Pakura, though Pakura herself can't see it.

5 PSYCHE-LOCKS

- Reason Why Pakura didn't hire the Dragon Duo -

"So, how about you tell me why didn't you choose to defend your husband?" Phoenix started.

"I'm sorry, but it's a personal choice." Pakura replied. "Isn't this why I hired you, instead?"

'What's she talking about!? I guess I'd better just take a shot and see where it gets me...' Phoenix thought. "Pakura. Let me ask you something. You were one of the best Defense Attorneys of your time, weren't you? You were considered a genius."

Present Evidence → Dragon Duo's Lawyer Career

"What is that?" Pakura questioned. She seemed extremely composed for someone that was being interrogated.

"The Dragon Duo's Lawyer Career. They were hundreds of case records, and yet they did not lose a single one of them." Phoenix explained.

"And what is the relevance of that?" Pakura asked.

"You could have your own people that are the best, but you didn't." Phoenix pointed to her.

"I don't think that's a logical conclusion based on the facts. You can't say for sure they are the best based on assumption alone." Pakura pointed out. "Besides, so what if the Dragon Duo was the best lawyers? Even the best sometimes retires."

'She's right. That is a bit weak on its own.' Phoenix inwardly grumbled, but said, "But the Dragon Duo's skills weren't restricted to being Defense Attorneys, was it?"

Present Dragon Duo Poster

"Being a lawyer, musician, the best Dragon/Psychic users and excellent Blacklist Hunters...they were the prime example of talent. They have a lot going, don't you think? So, why would they choose to throw away everything like that?"

"…" Pakura did not know what to say.

1 LOCK BROKEN

Phoenix saw the Psyche-Lock melt rather than shatter like normal.

"You are right. They indeed did have a lot going. It would be foolish to throw away something like that. But they did." Pakura said calmly.

"Trust me. If I had that career, I'd be working hard to keep them, not throw that away." Phoenix replied.

"But...sometimes people switch careers, don't they? I mean, the Dragon Duo might have found a new interest then." Pakura pointed out.

"Yeah, but..." Phoenix started.

"Is it so hard to imagine a career change? I mean you switched majors." Pakura went on.

"It's true that a career change is a plausible reason...for anyone else that is. But for the Dragon Duo, it's unusual. After all, it's how they retired." Phoenix said, determined.

"How they retired? What do you mean?" Pakura blinked.

"The real problem here was they did not just retire and do a career change!" Phoenix replied.

Present → Newspaper Article 1

"Take That!" Phoenix announced. "According to this article, the Dragon Duo disappeared on the day without any indication at all prior. There was even a note that was left behind."

"What is the relevance of that? I mean, if they left a note behind, it's fine, right?" Pakura reasoned.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking. Until you realize that during all this time, notes are usually written by the male, not the female." Phoenix answered.

"Maybe the Dragon Prince told the Princes to write the note." Pakura suggested. "I wasn't close to the Dragon Duo, so I don't know much either."

'I'm not very well-versed in the political system, but does she really expect me to buy this excuse?' To Pakura, he said, "In that case, I think I'll prove to you that you indeed know the Dragon Duo."

Present → Pakura's Hunter License

"It's been established that the Dragon Duo members were Blacklist Hunters. You're working the same department as them, there is no way you never met." Phoenix shot back.

Pakura kept quiet.

1 LOCK BROKEN

When she finally replied, she said, "I simply joined after they disappeared, that's all."

"You know you're lying Pakura." Phoenix was serious.

"Phoenix...You think I'm hiding information?" Pakura was surprised. "But it has nothing to do with the trial."

"Yes. But all truths need to be out before I solve this puzzle." Phoenix insisted.

"Alright, then. How would me telling you that joining after they disappeared is a lie?" Pakura asked.

"According to you Hunter's License, you have three stars. That is the maximum number of stars. Logically it would be difficult to attain, especially for someone who 'just joined'." Phoenix narrowed his eyes. "Also, the Dragon Duo had an advantage to disappear easily."

"What do you mean?" Pakura asked.

"No one ever saw their faces." Phoenix replied. "So, all the person needed to do is to remove the hair from their faces and voila! Different person. I think I know who the female is."

"Alright, then. Tell me who you think she is." Pakura's tone remained unwavering.

Present → Pakura Ameyuri profile

"You, of course. There is no one else it can be, Pakura." Phoenix answered.

"You would have to show some evidence or state a reason that would cast suspicion onto me, Phoenix." Pakura replied.

"I do." Phoenix gave a single nod. "My reason was the remark Iris made."

"Remark?" Pakura was confused, though she didn't show it.

"Iris specifically said you had the answer to the Dragon Duo's disappearance. Judging by the paparazzi involved, it's likely they agree with her as well." Phoenix countered.

"..." Pakura was quiet.

"At first glance, it may have been a remark out of spite. However, by the crowd, something had made big news. Journalists usually don't follow false leads that is said by one little girl. Which meant someone else must have said it. Someone as important as…you."

'...You're right.' Pakura thought.

"There is only one person who could have pulled this off. The most popular person in the region- you." Phoenix concluded.

"..." Pakura shot him a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"What's that look mean?" Phoenix was frustrated that she was staying calm despite all the accusations.

"Your argument is too flimsy." Pakura said, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Phoenix was astonished.

"After all, I reappeared six months after the disappearance, have I not?" Pakura replied. "Why would be the point of disappearing if I am going to come back anyway?"

"Reappeared?" Phoenix was sweating.

"That's right. Like you said, if you were the Dragon Duo, you wouldn't throw away your career like that. Why would I need to waste my time to do so?"

"But that's..." Phoenix started, but Pakura cut him off with, "Any prosecutor would use something this small to shred your case in seconds. Do you have something other than that to cast suspicion on me?"

"Of course I do." Phoenix said. "Something must have happened for you to want to throw your life away, and possibly start a new one."

"Really? Prove it, then." Pakura narrowed her eyes slightly.

Present → Pakura's Psyche profile

"Take That!" Phoenix presented her Psyche profile. "This is the other piece of evidence that points to you as being the Dragon Duo."

"...How?" Pakura didn't understand.

"Simple really. You chose to disappear because something happened. This something left you with an everlasting impact, with can be proven since you have not just one, but three mental illnesses."

"But this illness may not even be from that incident." Pakura protested.

"True. However, this is what Dr. Dentsuin told me. 'She has been suffering them for around six years, if I'm not wrong.' and what happened six years ago? The Dragon Duo disappeared. Meaning whatever happened has caused trauma to you, enough to make you ill! What is more, I have proof that would also coincide with you being the Dragon Duo."

Present → Coordinator's Monthly.

"The focus may be on May about her brother's trauma. However, a small article stated that you would be going on a trip to clear your head and you did not give any reason why. You did it because Shiki died, didn't you? The time period coincided with the Dragon Duo's disappearance."

"…" Pakura kept quiet.

1 LOCK BROKEN

"Not bad, Phoenix." Pakura complimented.

"Thank you." Phoenix said.

"You're right. While you figured out I was the female member of the Dragon Duo, you are missing one crucial thing."

"W-What is it?" Phoenix stuttered.

"Like you said, something indeed did happen." Pakura admitted.

"Yeah...apparently something bad, because of your Psyche Report." Phoenix said carefully. He wondered how she was feeling right now, although she never expressed it.

"Here's my question then: Why did I retire as a lawyer?" Pakura asked. "You did say so yourself from the beginning that I could have taken the case. So, why didn't I?"

"Why you retired, huh...?" Phoenix echoed. "Because…" He searched his mind as to remember what he read about them. "You lost your way. You depended on the male for your morals, he was the 'leader' of your two-man team."

"Uh huh…" Pakura nodded. "What's your point?"

"Once he was gone, you didn't know what to do, and so you up and left. He was extremely important to you and was the very reason you became part of the Dragon Duo." Phoenix concluded.

"You got to have more proof than that." Pakura replied.

Present → Letter

"Take that!" Phoenix brandished the letter. "This letter was written to someone named Lance by someone that you treasure dearly. If I am not wrong, the Dragon Prince wrote this, and by the sound of it, he raised you since you were a kid."

For the first time, Pakura showed surprise as she saw the handwriting, immediately recognizing it. "Where did you get that letter?"

"From Ash." Phoenix replied. "He told me to give it to you."

"I see…" Pakura hung her head.

1 LOCK BROKEN

"Here's my final question. You don't have to present solid proof of this for me. But I want to know. What do you think was my relationship with him?" Pakura asked.

"Relationship with him, you say...?" Phoenix was thoughtful.

"I want to hear your thoughts. If I am that willing to go that far, who was he to me?"

"He was your first love, fiancé most likely." Phoenix said with conviction. "He was the one who gave you the ring, wasn't he?"

"But I could have gotten the ring from Ash." Pakura shrugged.

Phoenix shook his head. "It's impossible."

"Why not?" Pakura asked. "We married, so it's natural."

"Except there is a lack of evidence for that." Phoenix said, looking Pakura in the eye.

"Lack of evidence?" Pakura did not like where this was going.

"The lack of any articles detailing your wedding or proposal. That's the answer to the final question." Phoenix said with conviction.

"Which means…" Pakura started.

"It's not that you didn't want to defend Ash, it's because you can't. The mental illnesses combined with trauma of the loss of your fiancé…you couldn't believe in your clients anymore, could you?" Phoenix finished. "It was all too much to bear, which was why you went as far as to throw away what you and your fiancé had worked for."

1 LOCK BROKEN

Unlock Successful

"Looks like I've been caught." Pakura sighed, resigned. "That's right, I admit it. I depended on Shiki to do all those things when we were still the Dragon Duo. He was the one that spewed the things about believing in clients, and I went along with it."

"Did you ever believe in them?" Phoenix questioned.

"Yes, once upon a time. Until Shiki died, and well, I saw how cruel people could be." Pakura answered. "I lost everything when Shiki died. He gave me name, a life, practically everything that shaped my life was thanks to him."

'So Shiki named her…' Phoenix thought, saddened by her words.

"I realized that no one knew who we were. This was my last chance...my last chance to throw away that part of me and try to start a new life. As 'me'." Pakura explained. "Then, of course, Ash came along, but he just had his mum murdered and he was framed."

Phoenix felt pity for her, as she went on with the story. Being abused with no one to turn to, losing the only person she would call a friend, family and lover and now struggling with mental illnesses.

"...Anyway, then he came to challenge us, he won, and I got punished because I was the strongest Elite, I wasn't supposed to lose." Pakura was going on.

"How were you punished?" Phoenix asked.

"I got my favourite music box destroyed. It was made by my late fiancé, and I was no good with repairing things." Pakura looked slightly saddened.

'Ouch…' Phoenix wondered just how much shit she had to go through. 'So it's not a matter of choosing not to defend Ash, but it's a matter of can't. Someone may use the Psyche Profile against her to prove her mentally unfit to be in court.'

"Pakura, can I ask you something?" Phoenix asked, remembering what Ash said.

"Yeah?" Pakura turned to him.

"Something's been bothering me all this time. When I saw your husband in the Detention Center, he said something was off about your fiancé. Do you know anything about that?"

"I can't remember..." Pakura trailed off. Suddenly…5 black Psyche-Locks appeared.

'Wh-Whoa! These Psyche-Locks…they are dark, cold…can I even unlock these things?' Phoenix wondered what those black Psyche-Locks mean.

"Is something wrong, Phoenix?" Pakura blinked.

"Nothing, Pakura. Never mind what I asked." Phoenix waved her off. "More importantly, are you alright?"

"My mental health doesn't matter. We should move on with the investigation. We should get dinner first, though." Pakura waved, and walked away.

Phoenix checked his watch, and decided to get dinner at the Plaza. Hopefully the press had left by then.

December 14, 9: 34 PM

PAL Region

Detention Center

Visitor's Room

After a large dinner, Phoenix headed to the Detention Center, wearing casual clothes. He decided to disguise himself, as Pakura suggested to talk to Cynthia in the guise of an interview. After all, not a lot of people are fans of her after the drunk incident and what she did to Pakura last night.

"Just try to bluff." Pakura had told him.

(Not) Surprisingly, Cynthia had agreed to talk to him when the guard told her a visitor was here to interview her, to let her speak her side of the story. He found himself facing a beautiful blonde woman with some sort of graceful air about her. It's hard to believe that this woman was the cause of the problems the PAL Elites faced.

However, he noticed that prison wasn't doing so well for her, as while she was still groomed, the paint couldn't cover the stress in her eyes and the fine clothes could not conceal her nervousness. He then placed a Dictaphone at the counter in front of him.

"Evening, Champion Cynthia." Phoenix greeted the Sinnoh Champion. "Is it alright if I record this?"

Cynthia laughed. "Of course."

"I know, but I needed to make sure, you know." Phoenix had a hand behind his head. "Sorry if it sounds stupid."

"I've haven't done an interview in quite a while." Cynthia remarked. "And no one wanted to after…"

"Regardless, thank you so much for doing this." Phoenix said, being sincere. "I know how upset you are and you probably want to rest, but I really appreciate you taking the time and agreeing to see me."

"Of course…may I have your name?"

Phoenix hesitated. He wondered if he should give her his real name, or a fake name. He decided a fake name would be better. "It's Ryūichi Naruhodō." He fibbed. He could almost hear the facepalm Pakura would make when she hears that alias.

"Alright, so first question: What happened on the day of the murder?" Phoenix asked.

"On that day, Trip and the others came to me, really panicked." Cynthia told him. "I asked them what happened and Trip told me that Ash had just killed his mother in cold blood. Since that news was shocking, I went to check it out, and sure enough, Ash was over his mother's body with a knife in his hands."

"Anything unusual about Ash, other than the blood?" Phoenix pressed. "Like his appearance, or his condition, anything?"

Cynthia shook her head. "No, he seemed normal, other than the blood. Poor Max. He was so traumatized Trip actually lent him his jacket so he'd stop shivering."

"I see." Phoenix nodded.

"Did you see the moment that Ash stabbed his mother's chest?"

Cynthia frowned. "No, but we had eight people collaborating that they saw Ash kill his mother, so I believe that was all we needed."

Truthfully, it saddened her to think that someone that promising went down the wrong pathway and even denied any wrongdoing. After all, she didn't have anything against Ash, and even loved him at one point. It's Pakura she wanted to see go down, and will see go down tomorrow if there's any justice in the world.

"What did they tell you happened?" Phoenix asked.

"They told me that his mother suggested to make him stay with her for a while since he was tired and all from his journey. He disagreed, and the argument got heated. Out of rage, Ash took the knife his mother was using to cook lunch to stab her. It was so shocking, none of them could move. He tried to erase evidence by setting everything on fire." Cynthia recounted.

Phoenix nodded knowingly. "Why were the friends there? I believe most don't live in Kanto."

Cynthia replied, "They wanted to surprise Ash. It was an impromptu visit. Wasn't it nice of them?"

"Very nice of them." Phoenix agreed, while thinking, 'Yeah, but it ended nastily.'

"You don't have to put it in the article if it's uncomfortable for you." Cynthia smiled demurely. "I can't imagine the readers wanting to read that."

"The readers? No…no, I am pretty sure I can find a way to rephrase this." Phoenix replied. "Are you kidding? I mean, I am sure the readers would love to read what someone like you has to say."

"Thank you." Cynthia gave a beatific grin.

"No problem. So, where was I? Oh, right. How did the friends fare after this traumatizing event?" Phoenix asked.

"Not so well. Max wore long sleeves ever since that day." Cynthia said sadly. "He felt he had to use the long sleeves to 'protect' himself after seeing Ash like that. I don't blame him; he was a little kid at that time."

"Really?" Phoenix was intrigued. "So, you helped them with their careers, right?"

"That's right. They were doing very well, until they came here. It was just one humiliation after another…and it was all her fault!" Cynthia's pretty features contorted slightly in anger.

"Who's her?" Phoenix pretended not to know.

"Pakura. She literally took Ash under her wing after the news of the murder spread and made him the Champion of this region, basically making him virtually untouchable." Cynthia grimaced. "I can't believe someone like her would condone a murderer being a Champion."

"He is in custody right now." Phoenix pointed out.

"Yeah, but not for long." Cynthia was bitter. "I can't exactly help out with the trial since I am stuck here, no thanks to her."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Phoenix sympathized, thought inwardly he wondered if Pakura did the right thing.

"Speaking of which, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?" Phoenix asked.

"I don't want the kids to worry about a lawyer, and I was going to have a lawyer to prosecute the case, to let them know it'll be okay." Cynthia told him, getting the guard to pass him the card key.

"Alright, I'll do it." Phoenix said, but noted to talk to Pakura about it. "Any lawyer you prefer in particular?"

Cynthia smiled, and whispered the name, making Phoenix's eyes widen in shock.

When the interview ended, Phoenix questioned, "Before I go: Did you attempt to hear his side of the story?"

Cynthia admitted, "No, because like I said, there were witnesses. The knife had his fingerprints on it, and the Pallet Town residents actually vanished sometime later."

Phoenix nodded in understanding, and left the Visitor's Room.

[Cynthia's Testimony added to the Court Record]

"I expected it. After all, Cynthia would do whatever it took to get him found guilty." Pakura said, when they were back at the Plaza after getting their hands on the cheque book. She was looking at Cynthia's private bank-account book, noting that Champions do get paid a lot.

"She probably figured out by now you'd hire a foreign lawyer, and decided to do the same to even the playing field." Jude deduced. "Although if they are found guilty, they would still pay those fees. What do we do?"

Pakura shrugged, which meant, "Just give her what she wants."

"So, who was the prosecutor she wanted to hire?" Miles asked, bored.

Phoenix gulped, and said, "Franziska von Karma."

It looked like Phoenix had to face off against the prosecutor with the whip once more.

BP: Next chapter, is where Phoenix gets his last bits of evidence (the ones Phillip had collected) and the trial. Court Records and Profiles will be shown next chapter.

I am going to carefully analyse the evidence to be submitted by the Prosecutor during the court session, and try to incorporate it during the trial. I want to make it as intense as it is in the game itself, but due to length limits, I may have to do it like in the anime.

Also, don't forget to check out my new Naruto x Pokémon crossover and don't forget to vote in the poll for Psychic Prodigy.

For now, please enjoy the character short and trailer.

TGF: Akeno Character Short

"Making your own legacy is better than being born in it. After all, when you carve out your own path, it would never lead to a dead end."

The scene opened up on a terrain littered with trees. The camera slowly pans to a rift as someone jumped from tree to tree, followed by a group of figures as the footsteps shook the branches in their pursuit. Akeno swiftly jumped from tree to tree in a graceful manner; pursued by unknown forces. She came to a halt on a waterfall, overseeing the frozen water below.

Her pursuers had successfully cornered her.

Akeno's emerald green eyes studied her pursuers, looking thoughtful before her expression changed to resolute.

"Mystic Akeno. It would be best if you surrender and come peacefully." One said to her.

She knew who her pursuers were; after all, spiritual powers were rare even among the Pokémon World. She was almost sure that the people after her were from an evil organization seeking to harness that power for themselves. After all, an experienced fighter with spiritual powers could even defeat psychics.

'And I'm not even set to be the next Master of the clan.' Akeno mused, knowing she was from a lowly branch family. 'Twenty people…must have been from the skilled tracking unit I've heard of.'

Akeno gave a sweet smile, as she stepped back and let herself fall backward, closing her eyes as she fell into the mist below her. The group seemed shocked as they glanced at each other and made a mad dash towards the cliff. They saw Akeno descend downwards, with her parasol slowing her fall and impact.

They jumped after her, using their Pokémon as a platform and launched themselves towards Akeno. The young woman sensed them coming and swiftly cut off an arm that was reaching out to her. She then landed on a rock at three-point and fired bullets from the edge of her parasol, sending others flying back as a few dived past the bullets.

Akeno fired several explosive rounds at another male only to have them blocked as he raised his shield and rushed in to bash her, only Akeno had her umbrella block the hit. The guy with the shield swung it again, as Akeno sent a few ghosts after him. The moment it went through the guy, he felt his confidence sap away, allowing Akeno to kill him and send his body to the frozen water.

Akeno turned her attention to the remaining group and blocked a fire attack with her parasol. She waved a hand, and a tree branch nearby her expanded and wrapped around the woman. She had no time to watch the woman get absorbed in the tree trunks as she parried a thrusted sword that was aiming for her neck. In retaliation, Akeno twisted her body and gave the male attacker a fierce kick; sending it into the side of the mountain.

'The others are gone?' Akeno thought. 'No, wait…'

She saw another running towards her, guns firing green shots, each of which are deflected by Akeno's parasol. Akeno twirled the parasol around her body, kicking up the winds and blasting it towards her next opponent, forcing the gun-wielder to slide back. She then blasted a concentrated spiritual energy at the attacker, instantly vaporizing her.

Just as she does this, another came up from the side and jumped, landing on Akeno's staff as she forced him back with a concentrated purple sphere, instantly killing him as well.

A third one tried to attack her from behind, but the spirits had warned her, and she turned around, unleashing a stream of fire from her parasol on him. However, her attacker merely curled up and let his legs take the brunt of the damage, revealing prosthetic legs.

With his artificial limbs, he continues to come forward through the fire and kicked Akeno on her back, and another pounced to land on her, only for Akeno to grab hold of her leg, and rip out her soul, instantly killing her. Akeno fired off a spiritual wave at the prosthetic guy, and charged with her parasol. However, it was a fake, and Akeno blasted his stomach with a nature energy blast, making him explode into ludicrous gibs.

The remaining group seemed hesitant to fight her. Oh, well she'll change it. Her smile turned creepy as she said, "Come out." In a sweet tone. "I won't harm you." However, the winds erupting from her Aura proved otherwise. Lightning rumbled in the clouds for her to aim at those hiding, frying them instantly. Her Aura took on a dark form, as her eyes turned menacing. What was scary was her smile remained.

"Oh, you won't come out?" Akeno softly gasped. "Then I'll just have to lure you out."

The remaining ones continue to dodge each bolt Akeno sent from the sky at them. It didn't matter, however, as the trees, the river, would grab hold of them and drag them in, sealing them or drowning them. The remaining ambushers tried to fire on Akeno, but she blocked each shot without even looking with her parasol.

One of them sighed with relief as Akeno walked past, only to see Akeno behind him. "What are you relieved about?" It turned out the Akeno he saw was simply a ghostly projection, and Akeno impaled the ambusher with the blade hidden in her parasol. Wiping the blood with a handkerchief, she saw the remaining ones run, with Pokémon on tow.

Akeno took a deep breath, and expelled spiritual energy, making the people escaping creeped out. Akeno knew they were frozen by fear…literally, as she walked to them and said, "I regret to inform you…even though I may not be the next head of my clan, I am still a more powerful spirit medium. Want to know why I didn't take up the mantle?"

When the pursuers whimpered, Akeno said, "It's because I prefer to not be seen for my spiritual powers…so, I became one of the PAL Elite."

The last thing her pursuers saw was the parasol's hidden blade coming down on them. She used her Aura to sense if there were anymore stragglers that she missed. When she felt nothing, she breathed a sigh of pity and went to loot all of the bodies for their stuff including Pokéballs, before walking off into the distance.

She wondered if she should send her gains to her clan or donate to charity. Decisions, decisions…

TGF: Scarlet Trailer

"Do not fear the thorns littering the path you choose, for while they draw blood, they would not drain your spirit."

The screen cut to a secret area full of shipping containers slowly panning to the left until it stopped in front of a warehouse. The camera zoomed in slowly before changing its angle to the side and panned upwards towards the roof. The screen then showed a full moon in the clear dark blue skies, unshattered.

A hand was seen reaching out towards the moon as if the person was trying to grasp it. A young woman with short platinum blonde bob-cut, red eyes laid flat on the warehouse rooftop. She wore a simple black top, tattered brown pants and black boots too big for her. It was almost as if she got them from the bin or something.

A shadow passed over her as an airplane flew over the warehouse and started to descend. The woman stood up and observed the descending bullhead, her face hidden from view. The warehouse shutter opened revealing several individuals in black hoods. From their assent, it was clear they weren't from here.

'Of course not. We're in the middle of war, fighting for our independence.' The girl thought. The goons walked into the warehouse, revealing that there were more of them already taking up residence in the warehouse. It was clear they did not care what the locals thought of them making it their base, as men lifted up wooden crates, while a few were lounging around.

One of them sat on top of a crate, dozing off, until a crate suddenly moved; gaining his attention. It continued to shake and slide, accompanied by audible thuds. The man slowly walked over, pulling out his pistol as he slowly reached out towards the crate. He ripped open the lid and pointed the gun, only to see it empty. The man looked puzzled as he lowered his gun, scratching his head.

Unknown to him, the white-haired woman was behind the crate instead of inside it. She blasted the crate, burning the man as the white-haired woman stomped on his burning corpse, not fazed by the heat.

The woman surveyed her surroundings and opponents before smirking, showing fangs in her teeth. Every single grunt in the warehouse now had their attention on her.

The men immediately pulled out their guns followed by another as they formed a firing line, aiming their pistols at the white-haired woman. The woman did not seem perturbed, as each of the shots were deflected against the woman's hand. She summoned what looked like bees to attack one of the men, as energy poured from her eyes. An unknown type of energy erupted from the woman, swirling around and making her enemies cover their faces from the force.

She lifted off the ground and spread her arms, cloud forming and raining down fire on them. She was careful not to aim at the crates. After all, she needed them. As the fire rained, a guy with a saber charged and met her straight on with an overhead swing, but she deflected the attack with her arm, and punched him with an uppercut, causing the grunt to stumble back.

A second attack from the woman followed as she swiped her hand, infused with energy, causing the soldier to fall flat on his face.

Continuing her assault with the help of raining fire, the woman lunged forth; kneeing a grunt in the face and using that same leg to plant a kick into another. The two grunts promptly collapsed, knocked out of the fight as fire rained down on them.

The team's reinforcement arrived as two grunts with scoped assault rifles opened fire on the charging platinum-haired woman. However, some invisible shield now covered her whole body, taking each shot as she pushed forward, causing an infestation to rain down on one of them. She blew the other back and used a wave of fire to knock away the surrounding grunts.

Another grunt tried to attack her rear, lashing out with two swords only to have her parry the attack and slam her fist, which was on fire on his chest, spraying her with blood and taking the grunt out.

She quickly turned around to block an axe strike and pushed her attacker back with another gale before slashing the grunt across the head and bashing him with an elbow strike followed by a jump kick. Three more grunts charged at her, only to be met with swift and decisive blows, ending the fight in seconds. Seeing that their attempts aren't working, the men decided to coordinate their attacks, attacking in groups and trying to outflank their opponent.

In response, the woman clenched a fist, conjuring Japanese giant hornets and froze their stings in ice. She rained the newly sharpened projectiles down on her foes, who were unable to avoid the attack. Even if they survived, the woman doubted that they would survive the hornet's poison. She finished off her final opponent and took out a wine glass. She collected the blood of her fallen opponents into the wine glass, being careful not to take the ones that were poisoned, and took a sip.

As she was drinking, she turned her attention to the sound of mechanical buzzing as the shutter door slowly slid opened to reveal the Sergeant. The one she was told to assassinate.

"Liliana Makoto, stand down. You cannot withstand the might of the regions." The man said.

'I prefer Lily.' Lily grumbled inwardly, but said, "But what are people living in the other regions? Only a miserable pile of cretins." No matter, with the new powers she just received, she could win this.

The Sergeant hoisted his weapon and powered on the drill as he rushed towards Lily, slamming his weapon onto Lily's invisible shield, forcing her back. Lily stepped back, giving him time to slam the butt of his weapon onto the invisible shield, knocking Lily to the floor.

Lily jumped up, not losing her momentum as she charged to meet the Sergeant head-on. He ducked her kick, as Lily dodged the drill aiming for her abdomen. The two fiercely duelled on the floor, blue arcs gleamed underneath the lights as Lily's fire lashed against the Sergeant's drill-gun.

Their weapons clashed against one another, temporarily locking them in place until Lily found an opening and kicked the man on the leg forcing him to stumble back. Taking this opportunity, Lily continued her relentless assault, grabbing the man's wrist to stop it from drilling, and using another hand to melt the drill itself.

Taking this opportunity, Lily swung her hand launching the Sergeant into the air. Four orange arcs streaked across the chief causing him to start losing strength he staggered back. Lily gave him a punch, sending him flying at the wall. She picked up a sword from the fallen grunt, charging it with explosive energy.

The sword embedded itself near the electric panel causing it to explode, and as the Sergeant flew towards Lily, she simply fired an arrow into his heart, disintegrating him.

"Don't mess with Genesis." Lily said coldly, turning on her StratsComm after putting out the fire. "Anna? The place is secured."

Genesis Elite Four League

Former Genesis Champion- Stratos Ramirez (Specialty: Unknown)

Elite Four Member- Ariella Zhao (Specialty: Poison/Unknown)

Elite Four Member: Anna Guth (Specialty: Fighting)

Elite Four Member: Liliana "Lily" Makoto (Specialty: Fire/Bug)

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