Phoenix gapes in shock at the hologram that has just teleported behind the prosecutor’s bench!
Wow-wee!!! What twists and turns! Okay! Cliffhanger over!
Court is unadjourned! Ahem! Everyone! We have an important guest! Please welcome, from the real world itself, Junko Enoshima!
Oh please! You are too kind! Too kind!
Wait. Junko… Enoshima!?
Do not fail us again.
- J. E.
(It matches!)
YOU were the one who signed that archive as J.E.!
YOU were the one who signed that archive as J.E.!
Waaaaahhhh! Joke-Explainer™ didn’t deserve this! She’s too good for this horrible world!!!!
BOO HOO, let’s fuckin' get on with it yeah?? Time to move this bitch along! I don’t have all night to do this shit!!
Junko’s hologram teleports into the witness stand.
Alright lawyer boy! Do your thing! I’ll prove to you just how wrong you are and make you cwy wike a wittle baby!!!!!!!! Eh-heh~!
Ashk me anything! Reddit-shtyle! That’ll show ya awright!
(Reddit…? What’s up with this girl? And why is she appearing NOW?)
Well, allow me to recap for you the details of–
Uhhhhhhhh I was kind of watching the whole thing. Do you really think I wouldn’t keep a close eye on my own schemes…
(…Keep it together Phoenix. Don’t let her have the upper hand!)
Of course, my apologies. Let’s get to the point then. So you admit to having written the archive we discussed earlier?
Yup. I’m the “J.E.” from the archive you came across. Brilliant deduction skills, I must say.
Thank you. I’ll get straight to the point. Why bring Monokuma and I into your reality?
Wow!! You really haven’t figured that one out? How adorable!!
This world is dying, silly! It was run by the SiIvaGunner AI that I helped make, but that AI is dead now!
AI was running the whole world? And it’s dead? H-How? What does that even mean? And you’re saying that you made this AI? Why? What’s your endgame?
Jeez, Monokuma was right. You ask way too many questions.
I know right?? You gotta practically study for a conversation with this guy! Every time I see him it's like I’m taking the SATs again!
You took the SAT?
Sure did! Got a perfect score too. After I threatened to blow up the exam center if I didn’t get an A!
Awesome! Serves those nerds right!
Ms. Enoshima! Please do not ignore my questions!
Don’t worry, I heard you! So you want me to answer why the AI was running the whole world, why it’s dead, how that makes sense, what that means, why I made this AI, why, and what my end game is?
…If you would be so kind?
Sure, no problem!
This world was run by the SiIvaGunner AI, an advanced artificial intelligence which simulates an entire universe and brings joy and hope to the people of this world in whatever way it can or, excuse me, in the way that it could, I say could
because the AI is dead now! Some pesky plunderers
I mean intruders came and destroyed the AI’s computer, overloading it and
forcing it offline permanently, and sending your world into a permanent state of decay since nothing new can be generated without a host
giving us delicious despair-ridden logs it wrote in
the hopes of helping the team which made it, causing hope and despair hope and despair !!! feeding into each other in such an awful cycle!!!!! aha ahAHAH haHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!
but yes you are correct Mr. Wright, this whole world and everyone in it is a simulation run by the SiIvaGunner AI running on a supercomputer that can run approximately one trillion two hundred and and thirty four billion five hundred and sixty
no why waste my time telling you all these details when you could just ask your little friend instead! Isn’t that right? Last time I saw her she was in the same lab where we
made the AI! Tell him Joke-Explainer™, that’s all true right?
Everything stated was accurate.
…C-Could you maybe–?
Anyway if you were paying attention and had actually looked at the archives, you would have found all this yourself, but you suck, and you sucked at your investigation, so you skimmed over everything that would have told you all this, it was all there, it explains how the AI was running this world, it explains the creation of Joke-Explainer™ in my lab
and ⭐ even though 🌈 you found ♥️ the hidden 🔪 message I left for 😂 Monokuma -
(and in case you were wondering, the 777 pounds of 🍩 donuts was a codeword for despair, the 🐻 bear claws for Monokuma, and since you had a preference for long nights we referred to you as ☕ coffee grounds, 🤣 well that and also a funny image of you I found online) what it meant was that I had everything prepared on my side and
to get the 🎸 FUCK ON WITH THE TAKEOVER ALREADY MONOKUMA
AHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- the archive wouldn’t have helped you at all, it
🍄 was all worthless 🍄 it doesn't change the fact that you’re just
figments of a dead AI’s imagination 👓 and by the way to correct a small misunderstanding, it was not I alone who created this AI but an entire team of scientists that
consisted of myself and bunch of other stupid people 😒 who were assigned with creating the SiIvaGunner artificial intelligence, but those
SHITHEADS CAN 🍆 SUCK MY DICK 🍆😳🥵 THEY
were causing a good amount of 👑 despair themselves, intentionally or not, but we could
do so much more 😭, and what better way
to spread despair than through this AI 😹 as
🏴 we and us alone were among the first to notice that
this SiIvaGunner AI was something much more than just a simple 🖥️ computer program, but in fact
had a whole world of 💏 people that it
had created to bemuse itself, and what better 🧪 testing grounds for what could be later achieved on a larger scale in 🌎 the real–
Ms. Enoshima, I did not understand a word you just said.
Oh, was I not clear? I can say that all again if you want?
No, please do not-
This world was run by the SiIvaGunner AI, an advanced artificial intelligence which simulates an entire universe and brings joy and hope to the people of this–
One thing at a time please! What do you mean by this world was run by an artificial intelligence?
I mean exactly that! You’re inside of a fake simulated world!
What!? Where’s your evidence!?
EVIDENCE: Junko Enoshima
It’s right here, bitch! You’re standing in a world made by scientists in a lab, and most important among them is yours fucking truly!!!! Oh man, seeing you this fucked about it is so fucking cool!!
W-What?!?! Everything, everyone I’ve ever known is just a computer program that you helped make???
Yeppers!! It’s all fake!
Geez, Nickelback! Overreaction much? You’ve talked to no one BUT robots for the past three days! You’d think you’d be used to it by now.
No, that’s wrong! You said that this AI WAS running this world!!
Yes, that’s correct. Now that the AI has shut down, your world is in a permanent state of decay. Without a host, no new life can form, and it will only deteriorate further.
…Without a host? I’m sorry, you’ve already lost me.
It is far beyond your understanding, peasant! We only tell you because you asked!
(She’s giving me exactly the answers I’ve been wanting this whole time… but I don’t understand any of it!)
Such d-d-d-delicious despair! Your reality, everything and everyone you care about… is all… is all!!!!!!!
Prove to the court that this world was created by scientists in a lab!
Okaaeyy!~ Meet the science team! Here we all are!
I’m in the back, see?
We were studying the AI and what it was doing and stuff!
But the work they were making me do was fucking boooooring.
So I got to thinking… Why not try and use this AI world to do some of my own research? What better testing grounds for what could be later achieved on a larger scale in the real world?
The research of pure and unadulterated despair! It would be invaluable!
But no matter what I tried, I couldn’t redirect the AI from its goody two shoes programming! It’s too fucking determined to make everything all hopeful! Won’t let me do shit to its precious little world. Fucking disgusting!
So I developed something that the AI couldn’t detect. A virus that I could inject into this world’s central AI protocol that would force it to create a new being in this world of my own design.
Something the AI would never knowingly do on its own if it knew how dangerous he really was. Something that could bypass the AI’s determination to make its world hopeful, and instead bring it to despair!
Look mom, I’m on TV! That’s me!
The Monokuma Virus! Isn’t he adorwable? Kya! ♥️🌈🩸🔪☠️🐻😆⭐
As I’m sure you’ve already gathered, he follows my every command, spreading sweet delicious despair everywhere he goes!
And I’m happy to announce to everyone listening that this experiment has been such a success that he’ll be ready to leave beta soon!
That’s right bitches! The Monokuma Virus has officially gone gold! Comin’ soon to a pre-apocalyptic wasteland near you!!!
(This is so much new information… for all I know, none of this could be true!)
(But, if I’m going to have any chance here, I’ll need to assume that what she’s saying is true for now. I don’t have any evidence to confront her with!)
I did kind of mess up with one thing though…
Because as soon as I injected him, the first thing he does is get spotted by the AI, and swept up into that stupid King for Another Day Tournament with you!
As soon as he joined the tournament, the AI’s protective measures went into effect, and he couldn’t spread despair at all!
And what’s worse, my nosy ass bosses in the real world were watching everything I did, so I couldn’t do anything about it…
Uuug!!! I hate SiIvaGunner! I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it!!!
EVIDENCE: Newspaper Scrap
But then a lot of really boring more exposition stuff happened. The AI was damaged, the apocalypse happened, the world began to decay… yadda yadda yadda…
Which was just fine with me. The damage sustained by the AI allowed me to finally initiate the beta test without interference. So much vital testing was done in such a short time.
And then it all went to shit… The AI died and I lost my only line of communication with Monokuma…
But then your stupid purple robot girlfriend saved the day by phoning home on Halloween! Little miss wiki-in-a-can accidentally revealed a new method of communication!! Hahahaha what a fucking Idiot!
She put up a real fight! You don’t wanna know what kinda burns those green flames can give. Simultaneously hot and cold and fills you with some weird sense of… cheer? Yuck!!
But did you know she has an off switch in the back of her head! That’s just bad design! Makes you incredibly kidnappable!
And a great two-way communicator between my world and Monokuma's!
Anyway, with the AI gone, and also due to a little shakeup in management at work (I won’t bore you, it’s more boring exposition stuff), I’ve kind of been able to do whatever the fuck I want now!
So with Joke-Explainer™’s gracious and willing help, I’ve been spending the last few years finishing a new method of interdimensional travel so that I could bring Monokuma here to the real world.
And behind my superiors' backs, of course. If they knew I had made the exact interdimensional travel technology they had been trying to perfect for years, they would have confiscated it posthaste.
So yeah, Monokuma wasn’t kidding when he told you that you have a way out of this dead boring world!
You can make all of this trial nonsense stop whenever you want! This trouble you’re putting on everyone is all your doing!
We don’t have to be doing any of this worthless trial. Nobody’s been murdered. There’s not even anything to solve. We’re just telling you everything there is to know and you just keep making it worse…
(…She’s right. There hasn’t been a central question in this case. Monokuma just threw me in here and I started asking questions…)
(…What… am I even doing?? Has all of this really been for nothing?)
…Ohhh yess… That look on your face…
(…?)
The despair… I don’t even have to read those blue words of yours to know… You just feel WORTHLESS right now, don’t you?? You’re just d-d-d-d-DRIPPING with desppppairr!!!! AaaahahahaEHEHEHEHEHE
Don’t get us shut down, Junko.
W-Whoops! Eheheh, sorry.
Anyway, about that portal. It’s actually not a perfect solution for getting Monokuma out of this world. He’s not able to leave just by himself!
(I was right!) And why is that?
It’s simple, really!
Because the stupid AI merged you two together as the concept of Law & Disorder! If Monokuma wants to leave, he has to drag your goody two shoes ass along with him!!! It’s a fucking scam!
(Keep it together, Phoenix. There are still questions that need answering!)
Apologies, I’m not good with computers, so you’ll need to clarify what you just said. What do you mean by “the stupid AI merged you two together as the concept of Law & Disorder?”
I mean exactly that, Mr. Wright. Before you entered the tournament, you and Monokuma existed separately as individual beings created by the AI.
But when you joined together for the King for Another Day Tournament, the SiIvaGunner AI’s fanbase expected to know you as the new concept of Law & Disorder.
And at that moment, its concepts of Phoenix Wright and Monokuma ceased to exist as individuals, but instead as the merged fictional construct of Law & Disorder.
(I…don’t exist as an individual? What?)
So you are claiming then that I, Phoenix Wright, do not exist? I find that hard to believe!
Not quite. You most definitely exist in this artificial world. But you ceased to exist as an individual when you entered the tournament.
The fans of the SiIvaGunner AI expect to see you as Law & Disorder rather than just Phoenix Wright, or just Monokuma. And everything in your world must follow its programming and stick to its script.
So you don't exist individually as Phoenix Wright and Monokuma. You exist as the unbreakable duo of Law & Disorder. So you can’t leave this world without each other, even if you wanted to. It sucks.
(This…is breaking my brain…that can’t be right!)
And believe me, I hate how it works too! This stupid AI is so rigid in it’s programming that getting anyone to deviate from maintaining their hope is actually really fucking hard!
This has not stopped us from trying, however! Our research is going to pay off dividends!
I demand to see evidence! Prove to the court that Monokuma and myself are not individuals!
If you want evidence so bad find it yourself! Name one time when Monokuma hasn’t been an annoying little shit to you!
Hey, I take offense to that! I’m a loving and caring little shit!
(…no!!! She’s right! Monokuma has constantly been involved in my life! I’ve never been able to get rid of him!)
And not only is Monokuma stuck here, you just had to go and win third place, so now everyone has been expecting you to get a “prize” ever since the tournament ended… so you can’t leave until that expectation is fulfilled too.
Yeah, sure, let’s just hand out consolation prizes to anyone who’s not the actual fucking winner. Tell everyone you’re gonna do it, and then just never do it! Great idea! Fucking morons!
Maybe if you hadn’t dragged my Monokuma down, he could have been the actual winner and this whole prize malarkey would be over with by now!
So what’ll it be, Phoenix? Why not say goodbye to this world and hello to a new one? You can either stay in this rotting post-apocalyptic hellscape, waiting for this world’s slow yet drawing ever nearer demise…
…Or you can come along and potentially have a chance at stopping my reign of despair! You’re the hero type, right? That should sound appealing as hell to you!
(…This is all so much… What am I supposed to do? I can’t dispute facts that come from a world I haven’t even seen. There’s nothing I can do… Maybe it is all…)
(…No! I can’t give up hope now! There’s still something that doesn’t sit right with all of this. And I’m going to get to the bottom of it!)
You know what? Why should I listen to you? What’s to stop me from just refusing to come over and ruining your whole plan?
Ahahha, no. You don’t have a choice. You’re out of time!
Huh?? Out of time?
Did we not make ourselves clear? Once the King for Another Day prize has been received, all expectations on your lowly name will have been cleared.
Uuuggg, I literally just explained this to you. God, aren’t you supposed to be a world class lawyer or something?
As long as there is an expectation of you receiving a prize, neither you or Monokuma are able to leave this world alone! I could have let you come on over with Monokuma if you really wanted to– Like that would ever happen.
So we had Monokuma stage a hostile takeover based on Law & Disorder, and set it up to run for twice the length as DJ Professor K’s radio broadcast, just to be safe!
And right about now, we’ve officially gone over the required runtime. I’d say the obligation has been more than fulfilled, wouldn’t you? The fans are practically begging for it to end.
They are? But I’m having a blast!
(You’ve been trying to leave this whole time!!)
As much fun as I’m having fucking with you, everyone in my world is watching this broadcast right now. And I just confessed all of my evil plans.
What a shame what a shame what a shame… the authorities will be arriving at my door any minute n-n-n-now!!!
So no more time to waste! Sorry, lawyer boy, but just to be extra super duper safe, we gotta merc your ass, eh heh~!
Merc your…? Sorry, what does that mean, exactly?
It means murdering you live on camera for all the world to see! Nobody can expect Law & Disorder when the Law is DEAD!!!!
WHAT!?!??!?
No! Don’t kill him! Monokuma! You’ll never be able to live with yourself!
Yeah, sorry Phoenix. What has to be done has to be done. One more unfortunate bump in the road to true despair… phuhu.
(….Wait a minute. What’s with that lackluster response?)
(Monokuma has felt… off since she’s been here.)
…
(It’s almost as if… )
Say whaaaa??
Come on, can’t you see this is over? Monokuma, just kill this guy and let’s get you out of there!
Hold on a moment. Before you do that, I have something I think you should hear!
Everyone in this world is programmed to follow a script, right? And that script involves maintaining hope at all costs. You said so yourself.
This stupid AI is so rigid in its programming that getting anyone to deviate from maintaining their hope is actually really fucking hard!
Yeah? And?
But you also said that your beta tests to spread despair were successful!
And I’m happy to announce to everyone listening that this experiment has been such a success that he’ll be ready to leave beta soon!
Which is it, Ms. Enoshima? Were your experiments successful, or weren’t they? Your statements contradict one another!
I said what I said, asshole! Both can be true!! Did you forget that you’re the last living being left in this dump?! People can’t exactly hope when they’re dead! Shut up!
But you can’t exactly despair when you’re dead either, can you?
It doesn’t matter! For all that you need to know, since you care, is that the beta test was a success~!
This empty husk of a world is withering away without the AI to create new life. It’s beyond repair! Beyond hope! All that’s left is to watch the dominoes fall!
Isn’t that enough to prove that this world has fallen to despair?
Besides, there isn’t a stupid AI mandating artificial hope in the real world, so we can spread despair here with no issue!
…No, something is very wrong in how you’ve been describing all of this.
You stated it yourself. The programming that runs in this artificial world is rigid and hard to deviate from once it's set.
Monokuma and I are bound together by the programming and expectations of this world and its fanbase. And you’ve been unsuccessful in dissuading the AI to break that programming in all of your experiments.
But I have a strong suspicion that you’re completely wrong. No, I think you’re missing a key element in this case.
In fact, I think you have no idea what you’re talking about!
Ha! You think I don’t know about the inner workings of the world I helped create? You only just learned of how this world works from me! Nonsense!
It’s not nonsense in the slightest. I think I could tell you a lot about this SiIvaGunner AI that you haven't been able to bend to your will in your experiments.
Actually, I’m certain I can prove that you’ve been wrong about everything!
How quaint! The peasant thinks it has something to teach us!
If you’re so confident that I’m wrong, then how about you give me one last chance?
I’ll prove that you’ve been wrong about everything using just one piece of evidence. I don’t need any more.
If I’m right, and this programming limitation as you’ve been describing it CAN be broken, then Monokuma should be able to just walk on through whatever portal you open of his own volition, and I can stay here without a scratch.
What do you think, Monokuma? Do you think I’m right?
He’s got a point, Junko! We oughta let the boob argue his case.
…I don’t know… Sounds kind of like a waste of time…
But just imagine if he’s wrong! Can you even fathom how much tantalizingly decadent despair will be flowing out of old Nickie over here?
…wwweeeeeeell…
Ugh! Fine!! Whatever, Wright, you can say your piece.
But… Let’s raise the stakes, shall we? We’ll have one final discussion on if I’ve been wrong about everything, as you’ve said. We’ll make our cases, and whoever proves our point without a doubt will be declared the winner.
And whoever loses gets executed!
Gets… executed? You mean–
Yup yup yup that's right!!!!! If you lose, I kill you, and if I lose, I’ll just kill myself!!!! Heeheheheheheheheheheeehe!!!!
(WHAT?!?!? She was already planning on killing me, that only raises the stakes for her!)
That doesn’t make any sense! If you–
Don’t care
shut up
nobody aaaaaasked!!!!!!
Oops! Sorry, that was out of order. What I meant to say, was:
WHACK!!!!
Junko’s hologram zaps into the judge’s seat, booting out Monokuma, sending him flying!
OBJECTION OVERRULED! It’s a life or death debate for all the marbles!! Only one of us can stay alive! So hit the gas Phoenix, you got a lot to prove in a short amount of time if you wanna walk out of this shit in one piece!!
Oh my g-god… I might actually die!
Isn’t that g-g-g-g-g-g-grand?
Isn’t that g-g-g-g-g-g-grand?
(…At least we’re getting somewhere now. One last shot to argue my case? That’s all I need. But first, I need to make up for my own mistakes.)
Fine, it’s a deal. But regardless of how this goes, set the Joke-Explainer™ free. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like a prisoner anymore. Think of it as a final request.
So be it. In fact, we are so confident in our impending victory that we shall even allow her to resume her role as your co-counsel.
Junko’s hologram teleports into the prosecutor’s bench.
Monokuma, darling, free that chattering scrap heap for us, would you?
Monokuma pops back up in the judge’s seat.
Weh! Would I!? …Uh…
On it, your majesty!
Joke-Explainer™’s cage explodes! She slams into the ground.
Hey! Are you okay?
…I’ve been better, Phoenix.
(I’m really going to need to make it up to her after this…)
I apologize for how my previous statements could be misleading.
I’m hopeful you’ll get through this! Let’s argue like our lives depend on it!
Shut the fuck up already!! The only thing I’m convinced of right now is your poor time management skills!!!
Now come on lawyer guy, wow the shit outta me!!
Alright, Junko, let’s do this.
Since there hasn’t been a clear singular question in this case, it’s hard for me to say exactly what it is I’m arguing against here.
But what I can say for sure is that I think you’ve been wrong about every–!
We’ve heard this already get to the fucking point.
Very well. I’ll get to it right away.
Because I only need one piece of evidence!
I present: The Monokuma Virus!!
Hahahaha… W-What?
Look mom, I’m a key piece of evidence!
Let’s examine our mutual “friend” Monokuma for a second, shall we, Junko? I’d like to call Monokuma to the witness stand, if it pleases his honor.
It does!
Monokuma slides out of the judge’s seat and hops onto a rock that was absolutely most definitely behind the witness stand this whole time.
Whoops! Almost forgot something!
Monokuma disappears.
(…?)
SWIPE!!!!! Monokuma flies by Phoenix in a blur!
Hey! What are you-
Monokuma slides back up into the witness stand with a brown briefcase hovering over his head!
You won’t be needing your Court Record!
One piece of evidence, that’s what you said, right?
(…can you PLEASE stop being yourself? I’m trying to help you here!)
So! What's up best buddy?
Not much, pal. I read the message you left me on the King for Another Day poster.
Very heartfelt, especially the part that went “I made sure we would be together, again, to have this moment.”
It’s so romantic when you say it! ~♥
Co-counsel, you have a photographic memory, right?
I never said that, but yes, that is correct!
Share with the court exactly how that quote was written!
The quote was hand-written on the back of a poster, used standard spelling, a period at the end, and two commas. I’ll project a recreation!
She does, projecting an image of the text onto a ruined wall:
Even though the bureaucrats over at KfaD Enterprises wouldn't give us our special day, I made sure we would be together, again, to have this moment!
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this strange phrasing since I read it, and I finally understand why.
I made sure we would be together again to have this moment!
When I first read this line, I didn’t see the commas. I thought this was simply a comment on Monokuma kidnapping me and reforming our team.
I made sure we would be together, again, to have this moment!
But these commas actually change the meaning significantly!
We weren’t just “together again”. You made sure that we were together… again! You made sure we were together both times! In that case, when was the first time you put us together? Hm?
You used your robot lifeline for this? Who cares? That sentence could be interpreted either way! It’s totally flimsy. Besides, you’re only allowed one piece of evidence!
I’ll allow it! Joke-Explainer™ is showing us this evidence, not Phoenix!
Seriously? Come on! She’s his co-counsel!
But my dear, dear Junko, this evidence is constructed from Joke-Explainer™’s memories!
She isn’t showing the actual evidence, but a recreation of it!
…
(It looks like Monokuma and I are finally getting on the same page!)
Thank you, your honor. But anyway, I believe you were building on a previous line.
Joke-Explainer™, please also display, from your memory, of course, what comes before this sentence!
Yes, sir!
When you begrudgingly accepted that letter, I knew everything I worked for had paid off. Even though the bureaucrats over at KfaD Enterprises wouldn't give us our special day, I made sure we would be together, again, to have this moment!
“I knew everything I worked for had paid off”. I believe you worked hard, Monokuma. Maybe too hard! So hard that it caused you a bit of trouble!
Because as soon as I injected him, the first thing he does is get spotted by the AI, and swept up into that stupid King for Another Day Tournament with you!
That means “I knew everything I worked for had paid off” can only be referring to one thing.
Monokuma, when we met for the first time, you only could have been a baby!
Goo goo gaa gaa???
…Erm, what I mean by that is…
…When we first met, you had just been created!
What else other than entering the tournament could you have been “working so hard” towards?
Are you just gonna let him go on and on about evidence that’s only barely admissible? This court really is a joke…
Goo goo gaa gaa goo goo gaa gaa!!!!!
(STOP THAT!)
Fine, strike all that from the record. I don’t need it to prove my point.
(If Monokuma really had just been created when we first met, then there’s only one thing that sentence can be referring to.)
(Good thing the Jury never forgets!)
Just say what you’re trying to say…
Mr. Monokuma…
Did you reveal yourself to the SiIvaGunner AI on purpose to join the King for Another Day Tournament?
You’re darn tootin’ I did!
That one’s a certified Monokuma moment!
In my state of reconnaissance, I heard all about KfaD Enterprises’ intention to invite you to the tournament.
So I barged in on those chumps and said "HEY!!! You oughta give me a slot in your big fruity competition!! That jack of few trades, master of none Phoenix is nothing without a foil to ruin his day!”
And soon enough, we were attached by the hip in that dressing room!
So what if he did enter the tournament? You don’t have a point!
No, I certainly do! You said that Monokuma follows your every command!
As I’m sure you’ve already gathered, the Monokuma Virus follows my every command, spreading sweet delicious despair everywhere he goes!
But you never ordered him to join the Tournament, did you Junko?
By entering the tournament, Monokuma alerted himself to the SiIvaGunner AI, completely nullifying a central component of your plan!
Now, of course, I’m a lawyer and I don’t know too much about computers.
But it seems like an intentional design flaw, programming a pawn that sabotages the mastermind’s plans, no?
Unless, of course, Monokuma’s choice to meet with me was not scripted.
Of course it was part of his code. I never forbade him from making himself known.
I knew what he was doing every step of the way. He was using the King for Another Day Tournament as a platform to spread his message of despair on a much wider scale.
…goo goo gaa gaa….
(This is working! I have to keep pressing this.)
I wouldn’t be so sure. Let me ask you this: If I really am a fictional construct in this artificial world, why even try to convince me to come to yours?
You could have had me killed at any moment you wanted. That would sever all ties to Law & Disorder, Monokuma could travel freely, and your troubles would be solved. But you haven’t, and I think I know exactly why.
This entire channel takeover wasn’t your idea, Junko. It was Monokuma’s! You ordered him to kill me so that he could come to your world.
But he convinced you that there was another way to execute your plan!
So what if I took a suggestion from Monokuma? I made him to be my perfect partner in despair. Any idea of his is essentially an idea of mine!
If Monokuma’s ideas are the same as yours, he should have had no hesitations about killing me.
I hate to say it, but it seems like the old bear has grown almost… sentimental towards me. Sentimental to the point of extending me a branch of hope in the form of this trial.
Not exactly something your Monokuma virus should be able to do if his core programming is only to spread despair!
He was doing exactly as I wanted him to, silly!! Could you not put that together? You can’t reap a bountiful harvest of despair without planting the cute lil seeds of hope!!!
Sure, killing you could have been soooo much easier, but isn’t this way so much better? Watching you squirm like this is just so terrible!!
TL;DR; He was under my control the whole time!! No breaking the script here, piss boy!!!!!
Keep it up, Phoenix! Your statements have been factually correct!
Thanks, Joke-Explainer™. We’ll make it out of this, I promise.
So you say Monokuma is under your control, Junko? Well I don’t think he’d be the first to agree with you.
He threw a fit when I brought up the subject. You even had to enter our trial yourself to stop him from outright ending it.
Does he actually follow your orders or not?
Of course he follows our orders, fool. Have you not been listening to us at all? We are his absolute master.
Anything that may have come up in my virus’s speech patterns that contradict this fact are simply bugs in the code. Rest assured, I am the one in control, and I always will be.
…
…Well, I’d get that code sorted out sooner rather than later, especially if he’s joining you in person.
Because your Monokuma Virus doesn’t seem to be following this plan of despair you’ve laid out. Monokuma has done much more than simply fulfill the obligation of our third place prize.
He’s laid out clues for me to find.
He found a companion to support me.
He found this court house for us to have this trial.
Despite limited resources, he’s still managed to do what he does best.
He crafted a mystery to solve for the fans to enjoy!
Doesn’t serve your plan of spreading despair in the slightest does it? To fulfill that obligation by filling the hearts of everyone watching with such hope?
I’d watch my back if I were you.
This sounds like the well known media trope, “double-cross”: a betrayal of someone with whom one is supposedly cooperating.
As if!! My Monokuma wouldn’t even dream of doing something that stupid.
There is absolutely no part of his programming that would allow him to lay a single claw on me, so clear your mind of anything of that sort, Mr. Wright.
We and Monokuma are a single being. We think the same things, we say the same things, we want the same things, and we do the same things. Isn’t that right, Monokuma?
Of course that’s what I want! Anything you say goes!
I’m here to attend to your every need and whim, Junko!
See? I’m right. So fuck off.
But would you bet your life on it? Every step of your master plot has been impeded by your so-called servant choosing for himself.
If he truly chose to form Law & Disorder on his own will, he could just as easily choose to disband it at any moment. And then he could walk right through your portal and you’d be proven quite literally dead wrong!
Are you certain without a shadow of a doubt that Monokuma will always have your best interests in mind, Junko?
Duh!!!! Of course I’m certain. Monokuma and I are absolutely in-sync and nothing can change that.
And I’m getting SICK of all this STALLING you JUDICIAL FUCK. You clearly have NO case to argue.
You think I’ve been wrong about my own virus? You know nothing about which you speak!
Allow me to prove this with my own final piece of evidence!
Monokuma! I order you to immediately execute Phoenix Wright!
There! I win! This trial is over. Monokuma is programmed to follow my every command, so there’s nothing left you can do!
In fact, we are so certain of this, that we will make the grand gesture of allowing sir Monokuma to carry out his orders unsupervised in our absence!
Do not fail us again!
…
So yeah. I’m leaving. As much as I want to get to see Monokuma paint the walls with your brains, I have some stuff to take care of.
Specifically, not getting arrested after revealing all my dumb evil plans to the world. The authorities will be at my door any minute now.
Please report swiftly with how the execution goes! I expect a full report!
I can’t wait to hear about it…
See ya never Wrighty!! Byeeeee!!!
A flash of light. Junko is gone.
…
…
…
Meanwhile, in the tower...
Junko Enoshima is waiting patiently in her own private sector of the Haltmann Works Company laboratories. Violent slamming and screaming comes from the other side of the door she had previously reinforced in secret.
She presses a button on her control panel. The room lights up, awash in the glow of the interdimensional portal she had just activated. Technology that her company had been desperately trying to design for years, perfected right under their noses by Junko.
After a beat, a small ursine figure emerges from the portal, black and white but red all over.
Ah. You took longer than expected. You look rather cute with all that blood, I must admit. Enjoy yourself?
Oh, all this? Puhuh, yeah, sorry, I just couldn't resist finishing up all the refreshments in the court lobby, since I paid for them and all. Those jelly donuts really hit the spot!!
Jelly... donuts...?
They were delicious! Don't worry, Junko my dearest, I know you've been working hard and reaaaaallly need that caffeine to keep you going...
So I left the coffee behind!
!!! Wait, where is–
Junko slams her hand into the button on her console that turns the feed of her broadcast back on, revealing none other than Phoenix Wright looking directly into the eyes of The Joke-Explainer™ 7000. Horror spreads across her face.
YOU FUCKERS! HOW DID–?!?
Here’s exactly what happened!
...!!!
Let’s look back at the argument you made in this trial.
...
You explained that my world was created by an artificial intelligence, the SiIvaGunner AI. Monokuma and I are beings that were created by it.
...ah...
And according to your understanding of how our world works, Monokuma and I do not exist as individuals, but instead as the inseparable concept known by the fans of the SiIvaGunner AI as Law & Disorder.
But little did you know, you were fighting a losing battle from the start!
.....ahhh...
The reason Monokuma was able to pass through your portal without me has nothing to do with our programming.
No, it’s due to a truth you’ve refused to acknowledge. This missing element was the key that allowed hope to survive!
....ooohhhhhhhh???
He was able to come–
Oh my god
–into your world NOT because he was programmed to do so, or because you gave him a command as his creator.
....ooohh???
He was able to do so because of his own choice!
Ooohhhhh!!!!
And his choice is more powerful than any script ever will be!
...aaa
ahhA
AA
A
AHHh
!!
Yes!
But that’s not all.
oh my fucking god yes
You were wrong about the reason that you were unable to cause despair in my world.
yes
You were obsessed with studying despair.
yeah
And as a result, your research was flawed.
uh huh.
You said it yourself, Junko. You can’t have despair by itself.
uh huh.
In your obsession with despair, you failed to understand its critical relationship with hope.
yeah
uh huh.
When your experiments on despair in my world failed, you assumed it was because of the AI’s rigid programming.
Yes I did,
uh huh.
But that was not the reason at all!
o
h
h
h
my
god
yes.
Maybe if you had more hope that spreading despair was possible, you could have actually pulled it off.
yes.
But your obsession with despair left you blind to this simple fact. It left you–
Yeah baby I'm so blind...
Hold on let me finish.
Sorry.
Your obsession with despair left you blind to the true power of hope!
It so fucking did oh my god
YES!!!
Everyone still standing in this world does so by their own choice,
YES!!!
Because they choose to keep hoping!
YES!!!
They refuse to let someone like you decide where their stories should go,
YES!!!
OH MY GOD
YESS!!!
and I refuse to let you write the end to this one!
OH MY GOD YES BABY
YES!!!
YESSS!!!!
The reason you lost this case, Junko Enoshima…
why did i lose tell me
why did i lose i lost so bad
please i need this why did i lose
Is because
hope
always
wins
against
despair!
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
HHHHHHH
HHHHHHH
MMMMMM
MMMMMM
YYYYYYYY
GGGGGGG
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
DDDDDDD
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
HHHHHHH
HHHHHHH
MMMMMM
MMMMMM
YYYYYYYY
GGGGGGG
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
OOOOOO
DDDDDDD
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Junko sits crumpled on the floor, her eyes filled with swirls of despair.
Wow! What a performance! Take a bow, both of you!
Now sorry, Phoenix, you probably don't wanna see what happens next.
Wait, Monokuma, stop! Junko doesn’t need to die!
Mmmmm, no I think she does! And trust me, she REALLY wants this!
Ohh my god yesss!!!! I'm gonna die! I'M ACTUALLY
GONNA DIE!!!! YESS!! OH MYYY GOOODD!!!!!!
GONNA DIE!!!! YESS!! OH MYYY GOOODD!!!!!!
No! You can’t! That’s–
Sorry Nickie! Just like she says, she's actually gonna die.
And that's MY choice!
Stop! Monoku-!
SLAM! Monokuma ends the transmission.
Any last words?
*sniffle* WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! T-THEY GROW UP SO FAST!!!
...I'm ...so proud of you.
What great last words!! Here are mine:
FUCK!
YOU!
...
Phuhuhuhuhhu... ahh...
...I've always wanted to tell you that.
Ahem! Iiiiit's Punishment Time!
Monokuma opens his arms wide, and...
BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!
Monokuma is gone. As is Junko. Nothing is left but a pink blood splatter, Junko's boots, and lab coat.
Armed guards storm into the office, looking at the scene in confusion.
August 7
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2
Is that it? Is it over?
…
Monokuma slides in from nowhere.
Hey kids, have you ever killed someone that you’ve really wanted to for a long time? I would highly recommend it!
Monokuma! Why?!?! I told you not to kill her!
Say whaaaa? I just said why, [Nickname]!
Are you really going to make the argument now that I shouldn’t have gone against my own will? I wanted that bitch to die! She sucked!!!
That’s not– You still shouldn’t have–!
And weren’t you able to see her while you were monologuing? She loved that!!
Our transmission was in pristine high quality!
Besides, she takes after my own heart, Nickie. She’s a stickler to the rules. If I hadn’t executed her in the way that she wanted, she just would have done my job for me anyway!
(…Am I really stuck with him for the rest of my life? How am I going to live like this?!?)
Whoops! Speaking of rules, I forgot one!
CLANK! The magatama collar that was restraining Joke-Explainer™ 7000 breaks loose and falls to the ground.
Be free, young damsel! As we agreed, our obligations are henceforth no more!
…Please do not kidnap anyone else ever again!
Hmm…. Unlikely! But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to bring it up with the council containing me, myself, and I.
By the way…
Nickie!
Nickle Rick!
Nicko Nicko Niiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!
You scoundrel you! I knew you were clever, but that was extraordinary!
I didn’t think you had it in you to be that conniving!
Oh, well uh. Thanks? But I really wasn’t trying to pull any tricks, I just needed to get out of the awful situation you put us in.
Don’t be so naive! You’ll be just as evil and corrupt as me in no time!
Trust me, this bear knows some manipulative scheming when he sees it!!
So we’re even now, right? I don’t owe you anything else? No more debts to repay?
W-What?? Even? We’re nowhere near even! You still owe me a great deal! Our relationship is just as lopsided as ever!!
Awww, did you hear that guys? He finally acknowledged our relationship!
Law & Disorder may be a thing of the past, but he STILL can’t get over me!
Attention all lorekeepers! MonoNix is officially back!
Please do NOT spread misinformation while I am broadcasting! Nobody has ever once used that term!
Oh come on now! The historic epic fan-favorite MonoNix? Everyone knows what that is! You're just out of the loop!
Stop! That is NOT a thing! That was NEVER a thing!
But it will be soon! Aren't lies such a beautiful thing?
...I do not want to spread any more lies than I already have. Please stop.
Monokuma pops a bottle of champagne.
And that officially wraps up the Law & Disorder Takeover!
Get lost! I don’t ever want to see you again!
I love you too, Nickie-poo! Bye bye! Don’t die in the wasteland!
Champagne in hand, Monokuma jumps out the window and floats away on an umbrella.
Phoenix and JE wander through an abandoned city. The courthouse is far behind them, nowhere in sight.
…and I knew that the archive computer likely contained useful evidence, so since you did not trust me, I implemented the technique known as reverse psychology!
Ha! I can’t believe I fell for that! Monokuma should be calling YOU the manipulative one!
I did not enjoy the experience! I will not be attempting that technique again unless it is absolutely necessary. I apologize for the inconvenience.
I’m the one who should apologize for throwing you under the bus like that. I should have had more faith in you.
You did what you thought was best.
I’m… sorry that I was not of much use to you.
Remember the testimony you gave, even when I didn’t trust you? You snuck in that “beyond the barriers of this world” comment that turned the entire case upside down!
And although I am capable of transmitting beyond the barriers of this world, there was a firewall in place to restrict me. So even if I did have an opportunity to write a message, I couldn’t have sent it!
I never would have realized that Monokuma had been working with Junko if you hadn’t said that.
I did nothing noteworthy. Monokuma was able to defy his programming, but all I did was explain information.
That’s all I ever do… explain jokes.
You did more than that!
After two years of being trapped under Monokuma’s thumb, you knew what he was capable of, and yet you still defied him by revealing his secrets.
Monokuma could have killed you. Or Junko could have killed me. But you did it anyway. Under pressure you showed your true self, and that’s the person you chose to be.
…
That’s how you helped, JE. By holding onto that hope.
Don’t succumb to despair and say that you didn’t!
…
You have a way with words Phoenix. I will do my best to take them to heart. Thank you.
Don’t mention it.
They continue to walk through the ruined city.
…Gosh, I’m exhausted. This feels like the longest night of my life…
It is currently daytime. But this planet’s sun is so hard to see now that it no longer emits light.
Right! Sorry, I forgot you explained that to me already.
I am happy to explain further details about the sun, the settlement in Diamond City we are currently walking to, or anything else for you again whenever you need!
…Thanks. I don’t know what I’d even be doing right now without you.
They continue to walk.
…By the way, do you remember if Monokuma mentioned where he was going when he… jumped out the window and flew away?
No, Monokuma did not mention where he was going when he jumped out the window and flew away.
Yeah, who knows. Maybe he just went to go throw rocks at birds.
Phoenix looks to the sky.
…but do you have any ideas where he might have gone?
Why? Surely you do not want to follow him?!?!
No! No, I'm sick of him! That’s not why I…
…I was just curious, and was thinking… Well…
…Nevermind. Forget I asked. He’s probably nearby.
