"If it isn't THE HUMAN LEADER OF THE MUTANT MENACE!" Baxter stood up, pointing at Ava dramatically. Baxter had grown, seeing as Ava was gone for years. He had a tall stature, with the same thick, black hair paired with piercing brown eyes.
"Wait, you two know each other?!" Kris asked, looking between them.
"Baxter, first off, what the hell are you doing here?!" Ava asked, walking a few steps forward. "Second, where is the general?"
"You're looking right at him." Baxter glowed with pride. "I, General Baxter stockman-!"
"Stockman?" Ava interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Wasn't it stockboy?"
Baxter sputtered, clenching his fists. "Do not interrupt me! And no, it's stockMAN now!" Baxter insisted.
"Okay, but how the hell did you become general? Weren't you like 12 when the Kraang invaded?" Ava asked, her eyebrow practically to the ceiling.
"I was not! I was 14." He huffed. "And to answer your question, my father was a general before the aliens."
"I thought your family owned a small supermarket." Ava tilted her head.
"Okay, uncle! My uncle was a general. He was enlisted in the army, and after the whole mutant menace I was taught how to fight in genius kid jail. When I got out, my uncle insisted I enlist. And so I worked my way up, had him pull a few strings, and I took over his position when he was brutally devoured by a mutant." Baxter explained. "Which brings me to the question, HOW DID YOU FIND THIS PLACE?!" Baxter pointed at Ava once more, in an even more dramatic fashion.
"Okay, calm down Phoenix Wright. I brought her here." Kris answered. "She said she was looking for the leader to speak with them. You're the closest general here. She already passed as a human, so I didn't think it would be a big deal."
"But she's clearly with the mutants!" Baxter snapped.
"She was being attacked by them!" Kris defended, stepping in front of Ava.
"She's probably leading them to me!" Baxter shot back.
"Stop!" Ava pushed Kris out of her way as she approached the desk Baxter was at, stopping 5 feet away. "I came to find out why the humans aren't accepting peace treaties from the mutants. Not to lead them to you."
"Peace treaties? You mean the ones they keep trying to ask for a pardon in?" Baxter asked. "The ones where they ask for mutants to take over New York? The ones where they ask to be left alone despite the fact countless people have died because they didn't get what they want?!"
"I think you mean the ones asking for you to realize this entire war was a misunderstanding, where they ask for the mutants to be able to reside in New York and the ones asking to just make peace and put all of it behind them!" Ava defended. Baxter opened his mouth to speak when suddenly he was interrupted by the crackle of a radio.
"MAYDAY! WE NEED FIRE CONTROL! THE MUTANTS HAVE STORMED BUNKER 16-!" The radio crackled out, leaving the entire room silent. Kris stared at Ava with a look of betrayal that hurt her beyond measure to see.
"Well what do you know?" Baxter's lips twisted up into a smirk. He lifted one side of his coat, drawing out a hand pistol. "I was right." He pointed the gun straight at Ava.
"W-wait, I didn't do that! I swear!" Ava backed up, eyes widening. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Baxter wasn't supposed to be the general. The general was supposed to listen to her. To end this war. Not try to kill her. "I was running from the Yokai! They were trying to catch me! Kr-Kris, back me up here! You saw me fighting them!"
"General, she really was fighting-" Kris began.
"ENOUGH! She's guilty." Baxter snapped. "Plus, I've been wanting to put a bullet through your skull since you and your crew humiliated me. Do you know how long I was in jail? 3 months, my life was wasted! My parents had to spend half their savings to pay my bail, and the supermarket went under! You're the reason they went into poverty! You're the reason my parents are suffering, having to live with my grandma!"
"First off, that is not that bad. Second, you humiliated yourself! Your obsession with the brothers drove you to make it public!" Ava accused. "That's probably the reason why you haven't accepted the peace treaties! Because you are too stubborn to look past the-"
BANG! Time slowed down as Baxter pulled the trigger. This was it. Ava was going to die. She could fight Yokai weapons. But not a gun. She couldn't summon her shield in time. The next blink Ava took seemed to speed up time. To the point where all she saw was a blur of a blue bandanna and felt two hands shoving her away.