Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

DISCLAIMER:

All rights to Ace Attorney belong to Capcom.

And the rights to the Kashima Gatalympics title belong to their respective founders and current owners. (I clarify this last point to avoid any cultural issues).

February 12th 6:00 P.M - Detention Center - Visit Room No.2

It's was a stormy night when this happened, the baliffs was guiding Morgan Fey, former Fey Clan member who was taking from the prision, to the room for visits. When she enter, she walks near to the strong glass that separated her from her visitant.

"Nice to see you again" she said when she set in the chair, "My precious...Pearl?". She was surprised when she see from the other side of the glass, to her daughter, but not only her, aside was her niece Maya Fey, and the defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, "Excuse me, you wanna give me alone with my dear daughter, please?"

"How could you said her a daughter after what do you made her to do, miss Fey?" Phoenix said with the same angry look that Maya was giving her too.

"I don't know what do you say, Mr Attorney"

"Don't make the fool! We know all about the card that you give to Pearl, the machiavellian plan that you made!"

Morgan just look at him with disbelief, "Oh...that plan, yes, but you two didnt have to know it?"

"For what?" Maya said to her with angry, "For you made Pear a killer? For that she was can kill me?"

"But the plan didn't work, you still alive"

Maya started to dropping some tears, "B-but, but...my mother dead...'cause you!"

Morgan just stayed neutral, "She was dead for all when she leaves of the village for years, her death doesn't affect anything to our legacy, Mistic Maya"

"Stop calling her like that!" Phoenx said to her, "I know that formality it's just a facade to hide your true colors, damn witch!"

For that word, Morgan didnt nothing, just made a small grin, "Your right, mister Wright, she doesn't have nothing Mystic in her, it's just a fooly young lady who like burgers and like to see ridiculous samurais on TV; we should call her 'Dumb Maya' instead..."

Maya growled in anger, her temper was getting hotter than usual

"Mom, please, don't call Mystic Maya like that!" said Pearl, really nervous.

"My Pearl, it saddens me that I can no longer be with you, just look at Maya" the woman look at her with disdain, "I can't believe the future of the clan depents to her, it's their only hope? Her sister died, now her mother that don't cross our village all this time is died...I don't see a problem if she dies too..."

And was it...the straw that broke the camel's back. When the heart of pure friendly of Maya cracked, she breathed, she tembled, and soon...

"I GONNA KILL YOU!" she shouted when she punch the window the strongest so much that it get cracked like her heart, "WHEN I CAN I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BI-"

"MAYA, NO!" Phoenix held her as tight as he could, Pearl was scared and shocked, while Morgan just backed away cautiously. In that moment, the baliffs entered to stop the mayhem, helding Maya away from the glass, giving her out of the room, she was still screaming out of pure anger.

Morgan just see how Maya was acting, before they give her back to prision.

February 12th 6:30 P.M - Detention Center - Lobby

"Yes, sir, I promise that this not going to happen again..." Phoenix was talking with the chief baliff, meanwhile Maya and Pearl was sitting in the chairs of the lobby. Maya was still angry, and arms crossed, while Pearl see her with worry.

"Mystic Maya...?" Pearl was going to say, until Phoenix approached to them

"I don't now why do you lost the temper like that, Maya!" He scolded to her

"You heard her, Nick!" Maya respond him still with an angry tone, "She doesn't care my mother death, she's happy, HAPPY with my sadness!"

"That's not explain why you break the glass, now we have to paid 30.000 yens!"

"And why do you blame me?! You don't know how is feel to see your missed mother for years and then she dies 'cause you aunt's wicked plan?!"

"Mystic Maya...don't talk about my mom like that" Pearl said with a sad tone, "I know she did that thing, but...I love her!"

"Oh, Pearls..." Phoenix saw her with grief, he doesn't like to see her sad like that. Although, Maya doesn't feel it, and she responded as she should never have done.

"Do you not understand, Pearl?!" Maya said, glaring her, "Your horrible mother never had hearth, she doesn't deserve have a daugher like you anyway"

"W-what?" Pearl ask, some tears was in her eyes

"Maya..." Phoenix tried to stop her, but Maya didn't.

"Your mother is a MONSTER!" Maya told it whit all the fury in her, "And if you don't stop to love her, you'll become same like her! YOU HEARD IT?!"

Pearl now was sobbing, scared about all the words that Maya told to her

"N-no, t-that's not true! M-my mother is n-not a m-mons..." she said, before crying loud and runs away to outside, even if was raining a lot-

"PEARLS!" Phoenix runs to the principal door, then he see Maya, now angrier with her, "Maya, how you...?"

"SHUT IT, NICK!" Maya shouted loudly, her friend was so shocked that he didn't can't response, "I...I look for her, you go to buy a ticket for the train to Kurain, she'll go alone to the village"

"B-but..."

"I SAID IT!" she shouted again, before go for her cousin, Phoenix still looked her with worry, he thinks that she wasn't Maya that he meeted

To the end, Pearl go back to Kurain village alone, she doesn't even ask why Maya didn't go with her, she doesn't ask too.

February 12th 9:05 P.M - Wright & Co. Law Office - Kitchen

Maya was near to the stove, she was grabbing a photo of her when she was sixteen, with Pearl and Morgan too. Maya use scissors for cut off the part where it was her aunt, after she put that part in the middle of the stove, and then she put the stove on.

The fire slowly consumed the part of that photo until it was reduced to ashes for Maya. She drop the ashes in the garbage bucket and then, with nothing for retaliate, she enters to her room and closes the door.

All this was seeing by Nick, sitting in the couch. He just shook his head with worry. He never thought Maya would become so mad and cold, and he didn't know how long she would last like this.

GATALYMPIC TURNABOUT

Chapter Text

DISCLAIMER:

All rights to Ace Attorney belong to Capcom.

And the rights to the Kashima Gatalympics title belong to their respective founders and current owners. (I clarify this last point to avoid any cultural issues).

May 29th 7:00 A.M - Wright & Co. Law Offices - Living Room

Phoenix entered into his apartment, ended to doing his morning running, he wants to keep in form, stay sitting all day in the office won't him lose weight. He now was making his breakfast, a small and healthy breakfast, a integral toast and sugarless coffe.

He sit up in the couch, eating his breakfast with calm. This days he not had new cases, but at least he was working in keep his healthy life-style. But his breakfast was disrupted when he smell a rancid essence that was from to the other room. When Phoenix noticed it, he just sighed slowly, looking bothered.

(She is still on there...). He walks to the room, opening the door and taking a look to the dark room, except for the shining of the TV, showing the shadow of the person lying down in the couch, "Maya, do you taked out the garbage?"

"No..." she respond, with not saying more, keeping her watch to the TV, that was showing another Steel Samurai episode that she already watched along time.

"At least you can come here for breakfast?"

"I have already eated a burger, with ice-cream balls"

Phoenix just made a face of disgust, since Maya moved into his apartment, she had done nothing but stay in this room, eating junk food and watching TV constantly. The worst thing was when he walked in look the stuff droped in the floor, he stepped a bunch of magazines.

"What are these magazines?" he asked, grabbing them.

"I buyed them for have something to read" she respond with the same lazy tone, "But they're boring, I prefer the television, you can take out them"

Phoenix give her a bothered look, "You will train today?"

"I'll do it in the afternoon"

"You said it in the last two weeks!"

"You can at least get out of here?" she asked annoyed, moving his head slightly at him

Phoenix, more annoyed, left the room to leave her alone. (When Maya will going to stop living like this way?).

Since her conflict with her cousin, Maya stopped to training her canalization skill, stopped to eat one more thing aside burgers and junks, stopped to being a working member to society. (I wish there was a way to make her more productive).

When he was to going drop the magazines to the garbage, he noticed one that caught his attention. He readed it, the magazine was showing a place nammed "Ariake Sea", near to the city of Kashima, Saga Prefecture. (Maya loves the beach, hmm...).

In that moment, a spark of hope for the lazy medium was shining in the brain of the defense attorney. He entered againg in the room

"Oohhh Maya!" he talked with a happy tone, "Guess it, I know a place of a nice beach in Kashima, do you want to go there?"

For his surprise, Maya get up off the coach, put off the TV, and she turned to him with an excited smile, "I can bring my new bikini?!" (Uhhhh?).

May 30th 7:00 A.M - Bus Station

Phoenix walked to the outside parade for the bus, he buy tickets for go to Kashima, Saga. But he wouldnt go there with Maya alone. In the day when he was preparing the journey, he called to some good friends.

"Hey, I seeing a Phoenix right there!" said a man making a pun about the lawyer's name. The man was the murder detective Dick Gumshoe, a nice friend for Phoenix. But he wasn't alone, he was standing with a woman with glasses, someone that Phoenix know, she was Maggey Byrde.

"Oh, inspector Gumshoe, I was waiting you!" Phoenix salutes him, and noticed the woman aside him, "Huh, you're with Maggey Byrde now?"

"She's...my new girlfriend" Gumshoe admited with some blush, but Maggey, her girlfriend, hugged him happily

"We're dating two weeks ago!" she respond

"Nice for you" said Phoenix, "I was surprised that you wanna go with us from here to Saga"

"We need to go out from the city from time to time" said Gumshoe

"And I've watch a anime about that city" said Maggey excited, "It's great!" (Anime? I don't usually watch them).

"Thanks, but actually I do this for Maya..." frowned Phoenix, remember his motivation, "She need to leave from the apartment"

"Oh, Maya..." said Gumshoe, he and Maggey knowed about it, "She's okay?"

"Well, she is also excited for this journey, at least"

"Maggey, nice to see you again!" talked Maya, who leaves from the inside of the station, happy for seeing her friends.

"Oh, hi, Maya!" greeted Maggey, "You are...". She went in black when she see the all Maya's body. Everting was normal, except for the weight increment that she had now, isn't was too big, except for her belly. "You're still hot like ever!" (I hope that I've grab enough sunscreen).

Maya giggled, "Thank you, but you'd see nothing, wait for the two-piece suit that I have right here..." she starts to search in her suitcase, "Huh, I know that it was here..." (I don't wanna see it...).

"What's happened?" asked Gumshoe to Phoenix, in a low tone for that Maya doesn't listen

"A lot of burgers makeout her body, that's it" respond Phoenix in low tone. (It's not good for mention a woman's weight in public).

"Hi, Mr Nick!" said a child voice, then they noticed nothing more but Pearl, grabbing her own little suitcase, "I never think that I'm gonna go to the beach again!"

"Hi, little girl!" Maggey greeted her friendly

"You also grab her to here?" Gumshoe asked

"Believe me, it was more difficult that you think" Phoenix responded, "I convinced that old lady in Kurain that she can go here, it's for..."

"Mistic Maya..." tolded Pearl with she see in Maya's direction, she turned to her, they both to each other for ten second, "Where were you all this time?"

"Uh, I was helping Nick with his law cases" Maya lied. (One, I didn't have any cases for months, and Two, you don't help me in anything).

"Oh, I oonderstat" Pearl said with bad spelling (She need to go to a real school). "But the elders are not happy with your absence"

"Pfft, they just exaggerating"

"...I don't think if they are exaggerating if they noticed that you'll have a girl" (Wait, what?!).

Maya fully blushed. "It's not a girl!"

"Oh..." then Pearl turned to Phoenix, "Mr Nick, why you didn't make it a girl, boys are naughty n' nasty!" (ME?! But we are JUST friends!).

"Ok, Pearls, listen..." Phoenix tolded to her, "Maya actually winned weight by her BIG gluttony"

"NICK!" Maya shouted angry

"Wright, you don't have to talk about a woman's weight in public!" Maggey scolded. (That's was I thinking, but Pearls need to leave from Fantasy-Land).

"Oh, the elders will get angry about that too" Pearl said, putting his finger in his mouth

"Just forgite about that grumpy grannies!" said Maya, "This day we gonna have fun in the sun and the water!"

"Oh, I also wanna go to there, Mistic Maya!" (Wow, Pearls is finally happy with Maya this time? I think that this is was a GREAT idea).

"Hey, the bus is here!" called Gumshoe to everbody, the bus was now stanging aside them, "Come on!"

The five of them got on the bus with their suitcases, the vehicle was about to leave until...

"WAIT FOR ME!" shouted a exterior voice. (Oh no, I regonize that voice...). The driver let for enter that person, it was none other than Larry Butz.

"Nick, my dude, why do you didn't invite me?!" asked Larry to his friend from primary school, "You know that I love the beach than anybody! The girls there are hotter than the sun!"

"Hey, Maya and me are right here!" shouted Maggey, not happy about Larry's words about woman. He wasn't a bad guy, just...a dumb guy

"Oh, Mr. Laurice!" Pearl salutes him friendly, "Nice to see you again!"

"Hi, Pearly!" Larry setting in the seat aside to her, "Is great that we spend the next hours talking like the losers group, I have a lot for say to you about a funny story about..." (No, he's not!).

"Sorry, Larry, but the elder in charge of Pearl told me that I need to stay with her all the travel" Phoenix take Pearl away from Larry and any inappropriate story that he can told her.

"But Mr Nick, I wanna have something for heard, I'll get boring!" Pearl insisted

"Ok, what about reading this?" the lawyer gave her a junior novel about crime and mystery from his backpack. (I don't should gave her this, but it's just a junior novel, what's the matter?).

"Wow, it's a fairy tale?"

"Better than that, you're growing, and you deserve read more mature things"

"I just turned the 10 years two weeks ago!"

"What?! You didn't invite me to your birthday?!" Maya asked

"Mistyc Maya, I called you in that day, but you not response, why?"

"Uh?" (I'll help her, just to not make this more awkward).

"WELL, Pearls..." Phoenix stroke her hair, "Maya and I were vey busy in this days, but for now, we here for relaxing and enjoying this journey together"

"Yes, Mr Nick!" Pearl cheered, excited for this travel that was gonna start right now when the bus choffer finally drove through the streets

The trip had already lasted two hours, and some like Gumshoe and Maggey, had fallen asleep on each other, Maya was eating her seventh chocolate bar of the twenty she brought, and Larry was simply playing on his smartphone.

Phoenix was calmly looking out the window at the streets and valleys passing by, while Pearl was already on the seventh chapter of the novel she had started reading. She suddenly stopped when a part seemed strange and turned to her seatmate.

"Mr. Nick..." Pearl said, showing a page from the book.

"What?" asked the lawyer.

"This part says the killer made a letter with magazine clippings. What does it mean by that?"

"That's usually known as a 'crime letter'; basically, they cut and paste letters from different fonts to form a sentence in a letter."

"Why they do that?"

"There are people who don't want their identity revealed when they want to communicate something, although there are also people who do that for non-illegal purposes, you know what I meaning"

"Sounds interesting, I'd like to write a letter like that!" (Why she wanted to do that?).

May 30th 11:30 A.M - Ariake Sea - Parking

After another two hours, the bus finally arrived in Saga Prefecture, in the city of Kashima. The vehicle parked near the Ariake Sea parking. Inside which some of its passengers were changing into their swimsuits.

"Ready for a day at the nicey beachy!" said Maya, already dressed in her purple bikini. Pearl also accompanied her, and they both got off the bus to run straight into the sea.

"Not so fast!" Phoenix told them, as he put on his beach shirt, before Larry passed him, also running to the sea. (Doesn't anyone have patience with me?).

The two Fey girls made it to the end of the shore to look at the Ariake Sea, only to be hugely disappointed. Most of the "beach" was gray, and the real ocean was miles away.

"Isn't sand supposed to be yellow?" Pearl asked Maya, just as confused as she was.

"I don't know what the heck is this" Maya said, staring at the large gray substance. "That doesn't look like sand..."

"SEE YAA, GALS!" Larry exclaimed as he runned past them and launched himself into the air, only to land face-first in the thick-looking gray substance.

"Yeah, that's definitely not sand..."

"What's wrong?" Phoenix asked when he reached them.

"Mr. Nick, you said we were going to the beach!" Pearl told him. "But the beach looks really dirty!"

"What?" The lawyer looked around at the gray substance, confused. "What the heck is that?"

"It's mud" Maggey said, approaching them. She was holding what looked like a tourist information pamphlet. "This is the Ariake Sea, famous for its mudflats."

"Mud? How grossy!" Pearl moaned in disgust.

"It's also famous for using this place as the stage for a crazy, entertaining event in Kashima, called the 'Gatalympics'"

"'Gatalympics?'" Phoenix asked. "Something like the Olympics?"

"Yes, it's held as an annual tradition in this part of town. Thousands of citizens and visitors come here to watch or participate in these games in various categories, full on mud." (That sounded like something from Wikipedia).

"Oh, that sounds fun!" Maya said, interested, "I wish we could participate". (Participate in something as dirty n' messy as that? NO WAY!).

"Actually, we can" Maggey replied, reading the pamphlet. "Registration is free, and the games are taking place today!"

"Really? Pearl, did you hear that? We're going to be able to participate!"

"Participate?" The young medium hesitated for a second. "But the mud isn't that dirty?"

"True, but it's cool and harmless. Mia and I can prove that to you!" (Since when did my chief taked mud baths?).

"Why you and she know that?" Phoenix asked, relatively curious.

"When I was younger, we used to play in the mud far from the village. One day we got so muddy that...that...M-Morgan grounded us for a whole week" (It's obvious, knowing what that witch is like).

"You mean my mom?" Pearl asked, Maya felt her throat choke up as her cousin spoke of THAT person as her mother, "She says a medium must be presentable and clean the all time in the village"

"Well, Pearly, we're not in the village anymore, right? Let's take this opportunity to break away from social norms a bit. Wouldn't you like that, Nick?"

"No thanks!" the lawyer responded quickly.

"Oh, come on! It's just mud, it won't hurt you!"

"But the thousands of bacteria in it might give me a nasty flu for a week..." (...why did I say that?).

"What about the bacteria, Mr. Wright?" Maggey asked, a bit confused (I guess I already spilled the beans).

"Well, the truth is...I'm a bit of a germophobe (too much, really). From my childhood to college, I used to get sick all the time. Obviously, I prefer to avoid those micro-beings that got sneezy"

Maya chuckled, much to Phoenix's annoyance. "Oh, Nick, are you really afraid of germs? I mean, when you see something dirty, you get freak out?". (And what does she think she is? She works for me! Mia would have kicked me out of the office if I'd spoken to her like that).

"No, of course not..."

At that moment, Larry stood back up on the bank, covered in mud. "Oh, Nick, that's not what I expected...". When he touched his shoulder with his stained hand, the lawyer flinched.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled at him, pushing him off and sending him back into the mud. Then he realized what he'd done. "Oops, I'm sorry, Larry..." (I hope he forgives me).

"Don't worry, Mr. Wright" Maggey spoke to him. "I'm afraid of bad luck too, even if I can't see it, but I'm still interested in participating in those games."

"What do you say, Pearl?" Maya asked her little cousin. "Do you want to join in?"

The young medium thought for a moment before smiling at her older cousin. "If you want to, then I'll join in too, Mystic Maya!"

"Ditto!" said Larry, getting back up.

"That's the attitude!" encouraged Maya enthusiastically. "Come on, let's sign up!". The four of them went off to sign up, leaving Phoenix alone (well, that's what happens when I want to avoid getting sick).

"Don't worry, Phoenix" said Gumshoe, carrying all the others' luggage (how could he stand that?). "Can you go to the motel for help me with lunch?" (Well, that's better than staying here resignedly).

May 30th 12:00 P.M - Gatalympics Registration

Maya, Pearl, Maggey, and Larry were waiting in the long line for register for the Gatalympics. Since it was a free event, many people were arriving to take advantage of the activity.

"I can't believe they don't let us wear swimsuits" complained Maya, now wearing her kimono just like Pearl, only without the pink and purple jackets.

"The games are dirty, but still conservative" Maggey responded to her complaint, reading the pamphlet to pass the time in line and get more information. "And bikinis aren't conservative at all"

"Especially for someone who's..." Larry was about to say about Maya's weight, until she and Maggey gave him a venomous glare. "I mean, someone who's really hot like you, Maya!"

"Mystic Maya?" Pearl said to her older cousin. "Are you sure I can participate with people older than me?"

"Oh, no, Pearl" Maggey replied, glancing at the pamphlet. "You're going to participate in a special category with other kids in your age"

"Really?"

"Yes..."

"Next, please!" called the registrar woman who was registering people, now at the front of them.

"It's our turn!" said Maya excitedly. She was about to walk toward to the lady until a dark-skinned, black-haired woman pushed her and Pearls out of the way.

"Move away, please!" said the woman, stepping in front of the lady with a haughty look.

"Hey! How rude!" complained Maya, glaring at her.

"Excuse me, dear lady, I've come to register me" she spoke to the lady, blatantly ignoring the medium.

"Name, please" said the receiver, not noticing that she had cut in line.

"What's my name?" She laughed just as smugly, "I'm sure you must know me just by looking, but I'm Starlie Parks"

"Starlie Parks?" she asked, impressed, as did others in line upon hearing her name, "Please, excuse me, just read these papers..."

"Don't put me in charge of that boring stuff, hey SIS!"

Soon, a woman resembling Starlie, but a little younger and with more formal hair and clothes, cut in line like her.

"Hello, I'm Ammie Parks. I'm the sister and manager..."

"Oh, stop talking and do your job!"

While her sister -or manager- read all the paperwork for her, Maya approached at Starlie angrily.

"Hey, you!" she said to the woman, causing her to turn to look at her disinterestedly. "You can't just cut in line like that!"

"Yes, we got here first!" Pearl said, also annoyed, "You should wait in line like everyone else!"

"I'm sorry for you" Parks apologized unsympathetically, "But I'm a famous star, I don't have to waste my time getting here"

"A famous star? But I've never met you in my life..." Larry said, before freaking out when the woman grabbed him by his shirt and glared at him angrily.

"How dare you say THAT to my face?!" she yelled at him, before letting him go out of compassion. "You're nothing but a stupid, maladjusted guy"

"What? I'm neither maladjusted nor stupid!"

"Actually, you are, Larry..." Maggey said, agreeing with the latter.

"You said you're famous?" Pearl asked Mrs. Parks, a little less angry.

"Of course I am! My name is Starlie Parks" she replied proudly. "But you can call me 'Star', because that's what I am, an athletic and acrobatic star"

"Are you also going to participate in the Gatalympics?" Maggey asked.

"That's correct. It may seem like a dirty game to someone like me, but like I said, I'm a star athlete, and I have to prove it even in the most unusual settings"

"Excuse me, Star, you have to sign here..." her sister Ammie told her.

"Don't talk like if you're my boss!" She scolded her rudely before taking the paper and starting to sign it.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but my older sister needs to register so soon"

"You should tell her to stop acting like that!" Maya told her. "You're her sister and manager"

"I understand, but..."

"Move on, I need to get ready for the competition" she ordered to her sis-manager. They both started to walk away before Starlie looked at Maya. "Oh, and you, darling, you shouldn't compete. Not only because of your physical condition, but because any guy wouldn't be attracted to that kind of body..."

As she walked away, Maya seethed with pure anger and was about to punch her until Larry and Maggey grabbed her to stop her.

"You'll see, you conceited, spoiled brat!" she yelled angrily.

"Forget it, Maya, it's not worth it!" Maggey told her to calm her down.

"Don't listen to that rude lady, Mystic Maya!" Pearl said to her cousin, "I think you look good in that body"

"Oh, thank you, Pearly..." the overweight medium replied, panting before recovering, "Let's register right now"

"Yes!"

May 30th 12:50 P.M - Motel - Room No.3

Meanwhile, in a Motel near to the Ariake Sea, Phoenix and Gumshoe had unpacked each other's suitcases and moved them to other rooms. For now, they were busy with something much more culinary.

They were preparing lunch (after the noon). Gumshoe was cutting meat, and Phoenix was boiling noodles, although he wasn't very good at it.

"I'm surprised you're starting to cook more, Gumshoe" Phoenix said to his detective friend.

"Oh, thank you" he said, flattered. "I wanted to start making more than just instant noodles, so now I make noodles regularly. You should learn to cook too." (Well, I'm not a master chef, but at least I know how to make myself a decent breakfast.) "Actually, this is what helps me cut meat..."

Phoenix almost jumped and burned himself on the pot when the detective held up a large, sharp knife.

"Be careful, you'll take someone's eye out!" (Or make me burn with hot water!).

"Oh, sorry, I just wanted to show you my favorite knife. I bought it when I wanted to make a dinner for Maggey on our first date" (They don't waste time).

"How did that end up?"

"HEY, don't act if something bad happened! My Maggey isn't a black cat! Although I don't know if that's racist..." (It's really should; for some reason those poor cats don't get adopted regularly). Gumshoe put the knife on the counter so as not to hurt anyone. "But I still see I need to learn more to become a master chef, huh?" (I guess cooking well is all he needs).

"ATTENTION, people and visitors of Kashima!" a woman shouted over the loudspeakers outside. "Please be advised that the Gatalympics are about to begin!" (I wonder how Maya and Pearl are doing. Oh yeah, and Maggey and Larry too).

"Go watch if you want" Gumshoe said, continuing to cut the meat. "I'll take care of the food. It's up to me to prove that I don't need to buy that pre-made noodles from the supermarket anymore"

"Okay? I'll see you later..." Phoenix put the pot on low heat and then left the room and went down the stairs of the Motel, ready to find out what was happening at the Gatalympics.

May 30th 1:00 P.M - Ariake Sea - Stands

When the lawyer arrived at the top of the stands, he saw the vast, muddy Ariake Sea, inhabited by many people attending the event.

"It's time to start these Gatalympics with our first category!" announced the hostess, dressed in pink and wearing a garden hat, standing on what appeared to be a large boat holding several competitors. "In the rope jump, we have Larry Butz as our first contestant!" (Larry?).

"That's right, miss, but call me Laurice!" Larry said when the microphone was placed near him. He had now grabbed onto a rope (this isn't going to end well...). "Watcha..."

Larry swung down the rope to reach the top, however, he didn't land properly and did it face-first in the soft mud (worse than I thought). Various cheers and laughter were heard, many of them coming from Maya, Pearl, and Maggey, who were watching the games afar from Phoenix.

"Very funny landing. Too bad the judges didn't give him a high enough score to get on the podium" the hostess said, while Larry, still lying in the mud, gave a thumbs-up sign that he was fine.

"This is more ridiculous than I thought..." Phoenix said to himself. He got bored quickly and decided to take a walk while the games continued.

The next category Maggey entered, was the bike race on the wobbly boards, and she was pedaling more worried than she should have been. And if that wasn't enough, her bad luck coming up, and the bike flipped over, landing her in the mud just before she could reach the end of the board with the other contestants.

As Larry made his way out of the mudflats, Maya and Pearl grimaced at Maggey's unfortunate fall.

"That's my girl! You've come so far!" Gumshoe cheered from behind them, surprising the mediums.

"Mr. Gumshoe, weren't you preparing lunch?" Maya asked, confused by his presence.

"I made it quickly so I could see Maggey in action. You're SO good in it!"

"I can't see..." she moaned, getting up with her face very muddy and her glasses on the mud.

Maya entered the next category, one where she had to slide on her board in the mudflats to reach the finish line. The other contestants advanced except for her, who, despite her efforts, didn't make much progress. She stood up to push hard on the board until she slipped and rolled in the mud.

Pearl and her other friends watched with pity, but the other people laughed at Maya, especially for her physical appearance.

"Are you seeing her? That girl looks like a pig..." a woman next to them mocked.

"HEY, don't mock of Mystic Maya!" Pearl got so angry at her that she kicked her in the butt, making her shrieking.

"Pearl, no...!" Gumshoe jumped in to calm her down, just as the kicked woman turned around and looked at the inspector near her. Thinking it was him who had kicked her, she slapped him hard before walking away, offended. "Ouch..."

"What a mean woman" Maggey said angrily, checking her boyfriend's face.

After finishing last, Maya walked over to her friends and cousin, completely covered in mud.

"You did a great job, Mystic Maya" Pearl congratulated her.

"Oh, thank you..." said her young cousin.

"Attention all childrens, the kids category is about to begin!" announced the hostess.

"Did you hear that, Pearl? Give it your all!"

"Sure, Mystic Maya!"

When Pearl entered on the mudflats, she saw many kids around, most of them her age. On the ground, she saw a pile of plastic balls of different colors in the mud.

"Get as many balls as possible, kids!" the hostess explained the rules of the game.

Pearl's companions encouraged her from afar, and when the horn sounded to start, she found herself in a hard situation as the kids ran around her very quickly and roughly. When she tried to grab a ball, they took it away from her or threw mud at her, which felt disconcerting, even more so when a rude boy pushed her and she fell hard into the mud.

At that moment, she felt an adrenaline rush she'd never experienced before in her life, and when she realized it, she felt an overwhelming desire to win. So she soon stood up determinedly and began knocking down some of the kids who had taken her balls to snatch them away.

"What the...?" Gumshoe said, surprised to see the 10-year-old girl acting like that.

"Yeah, that's it, Pearly! Show those brats who's bossing!" Larry encouraged, excited.

"Pearly?" Maya murmured, surprised, but in a bad way. She had never seen her younger cousin act like that, even when she had gotten really angry before. It worried her a lot.

At the end of the game, Pearl was grabbing as many balls as she could, smiling triumphantly, with some kids around her knocked into the mud by her.

(That's not my Pearly...) Maya thought.

May 30th 2:10 P.M - Ariake Sea - Dock

Meanwhile, Phoenix was walking along a dock far from where the competition was being held, trying to relax. He watched the Gatalympics unfold, with many people getting muddy, even if they won (I'm glad I didn't participate...).

*CLICK*

He was surprised by that sound and looked to her left. Further down the dock, there was a very familiar person checking a professional camera. It could only be Lotta Hart, and that was her, Phoenix had basically met her on a case, and then it became common to find her in other situations.

Lotta was a reporter from the south who used to hunt for supernatural things and now she hunted celebrities, always trying to get the gossip before anyone else. Still, she had something most journalists didn't: a LOT of heart. That's it, Lotta Hart had a LOT of heart.

"HEY, Lotta!" Phoenix waved to get her attention, but when he did, she let out a shriek and hid behind her camera, "Relax, I'm not covered in mud..." (I'd act the same if Maya wanted to hug me after the games).

"No, but ya' are covered in bad omens!" Lotta told him, as if she were afraid he'd touch her. "Every time ya' go somewhere I go, a murder happens. Maybe I could be next!" (Okay, that's a coincidence).

"Don't be superstitious, Lotta. I just want to know why you're here."

"Why are YA' here in the first place?!" (I don't like that counterattack).

"Well, I came with some friends to enjoy here, I think..." the lawyer explained as best he could, "But I did it for Maya in the first place; you see, it's a long story, I hadn't seen you in a year and..."

"Well, okay, for ya' information, I AM working as a journalist. Obviously, I go to a lot of places."

"So, will you let me get close to you?"

"Sure, but don't touch my camera! It's the only one I have right now, and I cain't afford another one"

"What's wrong? Are you having financial problems?"

Lotta looked at him sideways. "Pfft, no, it's just that being a journalist these days is very expensive, especially with dirty-dawgs that charge a lot to get a picture in the newspaper. It's not a fair!"

"Well, the same thing happens sometimes in court..."

"Don't tell me about ya boring job, fellah. (Boring? I wouldn't say that). I'm busy taking pictures of the Gatalympics". The red-haired journalist began to focus on her camera.

"Did you come here to take pictures of the games?"

"Pfft, no, no one would be interested in that, but there's a certain famous star who's participating right there..."

The star that Lotta was mentioning was none other than Starlie Parks, who at that moment was participating in the games in the next category, the obstacle course.

"Miss Parks, you've had a very good run so far! And you don't even have a speck of mud on you" the hostess next to her was telling her at the start of the course.

"It's not that much work. I've done a lot of training before" the athlete responded arrogantly.

"Are you sure you can get through this course without getting dirty once?" she asked her. Not many of the other contestants had even been able to make it through.

"Please, I'm a bettor. I'll be able to make it through without getting a drop on my hair..."

"What a conceited woman" said Gumshoe, along with his other muddy friends.

"I know, but I don't think she'll be able to make it through without getting even a little dirty" said Maya, still looking at the athlete with annoyance at the previous mockery she did to her.

"YES, it'll be great to see her fall and get all dirty in the mud!" said Pearl, feeling vengeful (but what?).

"Oh ho ho, yes, that'll be good!" added Larry.

Maya glanced at Pearl. She sometimes spoke like that, but never with the intention of making anyone suffer, even if it was her greatest enemy (she's not okay...).

When the horn sounded, Starlie didn't stretch even a bit before starting to run on the obstacle course. She jumped, climbed, even slid, and the only thing she managed to get dirty was a bit on the bottom of her jeans. Everyone was amazed as she jumped to the top in the end of the course, posing victoriously for her perfect run (how could someone so spoiled and arrogant be so skillfully?).

"How disappointing..." Pearl moaned, annoyed at not having seen the athlete suffer.

"Don't be discouraged, girl" Gumshoe consoled her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the motel. Lunch must be getting cold..." (Oh, finally!).

Back at the dock, Lotta took a picture of Starlie Parks's victorious pose, smiling when she saw she'd gotten it right.

"I just have to get these photos to a printer before anyone else, and I'm sure they'll give me a pretty penny!" she said, as if she were already eyeing the bills in front of her (She never changes).

"I don't suppose you taked a picture of Maya or any of my friends?" the lawyer asked jokingly, already knowing how Lotta would respond.

"I'd only spend my roller film on famous people, not nobodies, no offense for them". She then put down her camera to look at him, "So, why didn't ya' participate with your fellahs?" (I was afraid she'd ask that).

"Well, the truth is, I'm a bit of a germophobe and all that..."

The country gal laughed out loud, much to the lawyer's discomfort, "Typical of a city boy, country folks wouldn't even mind a little dirt..."

Suddenly, they both turned to look ahead when a loud scream was heard. Apparently, Larry wanted to try the jump rope again, even though he wasn't competing anymore. He'd reached such a height that he landed hard in the mud, splashing so hard that a splatter of mud hit Lotta's camera lens, to her horror.

"GAH, MY CAMERA!" She yelled, running quickly to clean it up. She inadvertently tripped over a misaligned plank of the dock, tripping over his professional camera, and they both ended up falling into the mud. Lotta now was very muddy, to her dismay. "Ew, ew, no, no, so gross...!"

Phoenix peeked out to see her trying to clean herself effortlessly, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Didn't country folks don't mind about dirt?"

Lotta, covered in mud, glared at him, "For ya' information, not all country folks are filthy, and besides, I needed to be clean for the podium interview later, so thanks!" (Thanks? But it wasn't my fault). So, the journalist, clutching her nearly ruined camera, walked out of the mudflats.

"Attention, there will be a thirty-minute break!" the reporter announced over the P.A (I think Gumshoe must have finished cooking the lunch by now...).

May 30th 2:33 P.M - Motel - Room No.3

Phoenix returned to the Motel hoping to enjoy a good meal, or that was until he was disgusted by what he saw before his eyes after opening the door. Maya, Pearl, Larry and Maggey had arrived before him to eat the Gumshoe's noodles with meat. That wouldn't have been strange at all, except that the four of them were still muddy after the games and were eating like that. (This must be a major violation of the health code and common sense!).

"Nick, you're back!" Maya greeted when she saw him, still eating with a dirty mouth, literally. "You should have seen us participating, it was so fun!" (Yes, and very dirty).

"May I ask why the hell you guys didn't go clean up first before eating?" asked Phoenix, doing his best not to explode with anger and disgust.

"Well, we were really hungry when the games ended, so I don't think it matters if we eat like this...". (Of course it MATTERS! Imagine all those bacteria crawling on those noodles. Gumshoe would go crazy seeing this).

"Did you go for a walk during the games, Mr. Wright?" Maggey asked.

"Uhh, yes, that's what I did"

"You can take the pamphlet over there on the counter. I don't need it anymore". When the lawyer looked at the counter, he noticed the pamphlet was somewhat stained by mud (of course,I know why she doesn't need it anymore). He cautiously took the pamphlet and shook off all the mud before putting it in his pocket.

(Tourist pamphlet added to Phoenix Wright's pockets)

"LISTEN ALL!" Gumshoe called out when he got to the counter. "Something bad just happened!" (I guess, three dirty adults and one dirty girl are being disrespectful about hygiene?). "My favorite knife just disappeared!" (Is that a bad thing? At least for the others?).

"You mean the one you used to make dinner on our first date?" Maggey asked, also shocked. "That's terrible!"

"Where did you leave it?" Phoenix asked.

"I left it on the counter before I go to watch the games" Gumshoe explained (how the hell does he leave his precious thing alone?). "When I came back, it was gone! I looked all over the kitchen, but nothing! Have any of you seen it? It's very big and sharp"

"No!" they said almost all in unison.

"I don't remember you bringing a knife, Detective" Pearl said, somewhat confused.

"I packed it really well in my suitcase. Maybe it's in there, or in one of ours."

"Let's do it after everyone's washed up" Phoenix suggested, not wanting his precious suitcase will get covered in gray mud.

"Attention everyone!" the announcer announced over the P.A. "All the winners of the games, report to the podium near to the Ariake Sea!"

"Did you hear that? We have to go there!" Larry suggested, getting up from his already stained chair.

"I don't think so. We didn't win in any category" Maggey replied, embarrassed that she hadn't even made it to the finish line in her category.

"But Pearl did win one!" Maya said. "She's going to the podium!" (Wait, Pearl's going to what?).

"Pearl won in a category?" Phoenix asked, quite impressed.

"Yes, Mr. Nick!" Pearl responded excitedly, "I managed to knock down all those brat kids in the competition!"

"Amazing... wait, did you say 'knock down', literally?". The girl nodded happily (okay, I wouldn't expect that from her, even though she slaps me sometimes).

"So what are we waiting for?" Maya said, getting up from her chair, "Let's go!"

May 30th 2:55 P.M - Ariake Sea - Podium

On the podium right at the edge of the mudflats, each winner in each category was being celebrated, each given a medal. Pearl was one of them when the hostess placed the medal around her neck. She was happy, all muddy, but happy, and she happily waved to her friends and cousin cheering her from the stands, watching the awards ceremony there.

"It's amazing you won three medals, Miss Parks!" Pearl was struck by what the hostess said to the star athlete, Starlie Parks. Unlike the other competitors, she had more than one medal, and they looked very shiny with it, besides she wasn't muddy.

"What can I say? It's to be expected coming from someone as famous as me" she spoke boastfully in front of everyone. "I always do my best to prove that, that there's no one better than Star"

"Starlie Parks!" A somewhat muddy n' messy journalist called, making the athlete's year frown. Lotta Hart, camera in hand, tried to speak to her, "Would ya' lac taking a picture for the..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she replied, averting her gaze from her, "It's just that I prefer have pictures from decent reporters, not dirty, disheveled Southern country gal"

"But it's just..."

"There are other competitors who would like taking picture from you, someone who wouldn't mind the way you talk, fellah..."

Lotta, frowning disappointed and left the podium, but not before giving Phoenix an annoyed look from the stands. (Why is she looking at me like that? I didn't push her into the mud).

"Excuse me for bothering you, ma'am" Starlie said to the hostess, "Now, as I was saying..."

"You can't be THAT rude!" Pearl scolded, heading up to her, to everyone's surprise, especially the two people closest to her (Pearl? What are you doing?).

"I'm sorry, but who are you, little girl?" the athlete asked, unimpressed. "Shouldn't you speak to your superiors"

"You, lady, are more spoiled than I thought!"

"And who do you think you are for saying THAT to my face?!"

"I'm a little girl who doesn't like rude people like you. I'm Pearl Fey, and..."

"Wait a minute?" Starlie started glancing sideways. "Your last name is 'Fey', right?"

"Y-yes, it is"

"Well, I never thought a member of the Fey clan would say that to me, especially a child"

Pearl frowned at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, don't act like you don't know, kiddo. Everyone in this country knows who are your family. The most 'troubled' family ever..." the athlete looked at her arrogantly.

"T-troubled?"

"The news is in charge of spreading everything behind the courts; wiles, deception, murder, conspiracies. Your entire clan is basically a mess"

"How dare she?!" Maya snarled, glaring at her. (I understand her anger; this woman doesn't seem to mind humiliating little girls in public).

"But not the entire Fey clan is like that!" Pearl protested at what the arrogant athlete was saying. "My mother..."

"Oh yeah, your mother, you're the daughter of Morgan Fey, the one who tried to kill her own niece" Parks mocked her as she said, "No wonder you act like that, 'like mother, like daughter.'"

"DON'T say that about my mother!" Pearl's fists began to shake.

"Why? What's wrong with that? I'm just telling the truth. Being her only daughter, it doesn't surprise me that you're defending her like that. She's nothing but a despicable woman and..."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" the girl screamed furiously. She was so angry that she pushed Starlie Parks very hard, sending her backward into the mudflats behind her. Everyone was perplexed at that moment, even Phoenix and Maya.

"Ugh, what's your problem?!" Starlie yelled angrily. "You little bi...". She yelled even more when the young medium started throwing mud in her face nonstop.

"Pearl!" Maya exclaimed, already worried. She started to climb down the steps, and Phoenix decided to follow her as well.

"You CAN'T talk about my mother like that!" Pearl yelled, attacking her with mud, until Maya grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Pearl, ENOUGH!" her older cousin ordered, as Phoenix had just reached the shore.

"NO, she has to pay!"

"You're going to pay for it, you disgusting girl!" Starlie said, glaring at her, completely furious "BODYGUARDS!". At that moment, a pair of burly men wearing dark glasses approached the three standing in front of the athlete. "Teach that little brat a lesson!"

"NO, you won't!" Phoenix said, stepping forward to protect Pearl from Parks' bodyguards, "She's just a child, it's a crime to hit her!"

"Yes, we won't let you hurt my cousin!" Maya also objected.

"You're her caretakers, you're older than her?" Parks said, glaring at them, "You brought her here to humiliate me, right? In that case, gentlemen, show those two some manners!"

Phoenix and Maya gulped when they saw the two big, strong men approaching them (This is going to hurt...).

May 30th 8:10 P.M - Motel - Room No.2

Phoenix and Maya were recovering from all the blows they'd received. The defense attorney was writhing in pain when the medium tried to bandage his forearm (it hurts more than I thought it would).

"I can't believe those jerks beat us like that!" Maya said, still brimming with anger. "Especially me, I'm a woman!" (If I weren't afraid of those gorillas, I could sue them for it).

"I'm sorry again, Mr. Nick and Mistic Maya" Pearl apologized, who was inside the room. "It was my fault you got beaten"

"Don't worry, Pearl" Phoenix said compassionately. "This wasn't your..."

"Of course it was your fault!" Maya scolded her cousin angrily, to both her and the lawyer's surprise. "What were you thinking about?!"

"I'm s-so sorry, that woman was really rude!" Pearl replied, feeling the weight of her scolding. "She kept talking badly about my mother!"

"That's the problem, you didn't have to act like that FOR THAT!"

"But Mystic Maya..."

"How come you still don't understand, Pearl? Your mother is a scoundrel! She's the one responsible for my long-lost mother's death!"

Pearl then began to cry, "B-but my m-mother..."

"'My mother', 'my mother', THAT MONSTER DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE YOUR MOTHER!" Maya yelled her, fed up, "And if you still don't understand, you're just a stupid, naive girl!"

"Maya..." Phoenix tried to calm her down, but it was useless (this wasn't what I thought...).

"H-how can you t-talk to me like that, M-Mystic Maya?!" Pearl was now afraid for her older cousin, who didn't stop his anger toward her.

"Because I don't want you to visit her again, is that clear?!"

"N-no, no...". At that moment, the young medium glared at her cousin for the first time and angrily answered, "You can't forbid me from seeing her again! You can't!"

"Of course I can! I'm Kurain's master, you have to listen to me..."

"I WON'T!" She yelled at Maya before starting to head for the door, grabbing her suitcase.

"What are you doing?! GET BACK HERE, you can't talk to your older cousin like tha..."

"YOU'RE NOT MY COUSIN ANYMORE, Maya!" Pearl scolded, opening the door and giving her one last angry glare. "I don't want to see you again. I HATE YOU!". She closed the door, lefting off the room.

"You'll see, little brat!" Maya tried to follow her, but her friend Phoenix grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Maya, don't..." he said before she turned to him angrily.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, JERK?!". At that moment, she could see Maya's eyes were red, as if she had become more furious than ever, he was afraid of her now.

Maya hyperventilated sharply, seeing her friend, and at the sight, she began to slowly calm down, although anger and tears were all over her face.

"N-Nick, I-I..." she stammered, barely realizing her outburst of anger against someone she shouldn't have. "I-I...I'M SORRY!" she collapsed, repentant. Phoenix knelt down to comfort her (oh, Maya...).

It took many minutes for Maya to feel a little better, sitting on the bed of the room, sipping the hot chocolate Phoenix had prepared for her. The lawyer didn't want to give her any more sweets than she was already eating, but made an exception to make her feel better this time.

"Now, Maya, can you tell me why you got so mad?" Phoenix asked, seeing her calm, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

The medium just sighed dejectedly, "I-I didn't want to act like that. I-I just didn't want Pearl to become a b-bad person"

"A bad person?"

"Listen, Nick, besides me, the only person who raised and was with Pearl is my evil Aunt Morgan. She raised her to overthrow me, and now that she won't leave her, I'm afraid Pearly has caught her evilness"

"But what makes you think that?"

"Today at the games, she got really out of sorts with the other kids, she never acted like that before. And when that arrogant athlete insulted our family and Morgan, Pearl started attacking her, as if she was defending her at all costs despite everything she did"

"I see..." Phoenix watched as Maya held her cup tremblingly, a few tears escaping from her face.

"I-I have to p-protect Pearl, even if I acted harshly toward her, I don't want her to turn into someone like Morgan...or w-worse, like that Dahlia Hawthorne..." (...I didn't want to hear that name again).

Phoenix, in order to comfort her, put his jacket over her to warm her up because it was a bit chilly in the room because of the air conditioning. "Listen, Maya, don't think about it; Pearl will never turn into someone like that witch or that demon. She's not like that!"

"H-how do you know?"

The lawyer tried to lift her up, "Let's go find her so you can apologize with her"

"Didn't you hear her? She hates me now! She's never been mad at me before..." Maya frowned. "I guess I'm not the idol she looked up anymore"

"Don't get discouraged when all is not lost" Phoenix encouraged her, inspired by the words his mentor had told them. "You just have to go outside, talk to her, and then everything will be okay..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

That female scream alarmed both the lawyer and the medium.

"W-what was that?" Maya asked, now bewildered.

"I-I don't know, let's see what happens!" Phoenix replied, as the two of them left the room to find out.

May 30th 9:10 P.M - Ariake Sea - Shore

Phoenix and Maya exited the Motel through the back and arrived near the edge of the mudflats, where they encountered two familiar faces.

"Phoenix, Maya, what's going on?!" asked Gumshoe, with Maggey at his side. "Whose scream was that?!"

"That's what we're looking into..." the lawyer replied when they bumped into another familiar face.

"What's all the fuss, fellah?!" asked Lotta, camera in hand. "Something interesting happen?! An exclusive for me?!"

"Phoenix, LOOK!" called Maya, who was standing on the shore, looking at what appeared to be wooden flip-flops. "Those are Pearl's shoes!". Everyone rushed toward her, equally surprised.

Gumshoe used a flashlight to see more clearly in the darkness, especially in the mudflats where there were some small bare footprints. "They seem to be the little girl's footprints..." (Pearl? Please! Tell me nothing happened to her!).

So everyone started running, following Pearl's footprints in the mud. Even Phoenix dared to enter just to make sure she was safe. However, when they reached what they thought was the scream, they couldn't believe it.

"Th-that's not Miss Parks?!" Maggey stammered at what she and everyone else were seeing before their eyes. There was the aforementioned Starlie Parks, lying face up in the mud, but there was a problem...she was dead.

"W-what?!" Gumshoe said, shining his flashlight as brightly as he could. He noticed a bloody-wound on the athlete's stomach, possibly the cause of her death. "B-but who did this?!"

Then he shone a light on something, seemingly hearing small moans, but when he did, he and everyone else got the shock of their lives...

"PEARL?!" Maya exclaimed. What she was now seeing was her younger cousin, sitting next to Miss Parks's dead body. But that wasn't all that shocked them, the young medium was apparently holding a bloody knife, and her face was covered in small drops of blood. (This...this...no...it can't be...).

"What's going on, mates?" asked Larry, who had just arrived after hearing all the commotion. But when he saw what everyone was looking at, he made the most exaggerated reaction he could muster.

"P-Pearls?" Phoenix muttered "W-What?". The young medium was simply shocked freezy by how everyone was looking at her.

Everything happened very quickly for Phoenix Wright; without he realizing it, several things happened; Lotta make a photo of the crime, the ambulance took Starlie Parks' body with her sister Ammie crying for her, and worst of all, the police had arrested Pearl Fey on suspicion of murder.

(This can't be true? It must be a nightmare...someone wake me up!)

To be continued...

Chapter Text

June 1st 7:30 A.M - Kurain Village - Cabin No.3

On the first June day, Kurain had dawned peaceful as always, being such a small and traditional village in the mountains. However, it's not as if they could be so detached from communication or technology. In one of the cabins in the village, there were two medium students who had gone to have breakfast while they're watching an old television.

These two young mediums were students of Kurain's current master, Maya Fey (or she was before temporarily leaving the village). One of them was 16-year-old Mabel, and the other was 15-year-old May. They were both sisters, and they were having a good time eating rice while watching their local news channel, one of the few channels they had access to.

"Do you think it was a good idea to come here?" May asked to her older sister.

"We're alone here, also the best news is shown in the morning" Mabel replied, just before they were both surprised by their mother entering the cabin. She was Mariah, one of the village's most respected elders, and currently the village headmistress while Maya was away.

"Mystic Mabel, Mystic May, what are you doing here?" she asked, calling them by their title, although they didn't like her calling them that since they were practically her daughters. "You should be eating breakfast on the table like the others."

"But mother, we just want to watch the news" May asked, like any teenager being scolded by her mother.

"Yes, besides, Mystic Maya did the same thing" Mabel added. This medium had inspired them to be less traditional, as they had always been.

"That doesn't mean you should follow what the current master does" her mother spoke up. "Especially one who hasn't been to the village for three months"

"She's just helping Mr. Wright"

"If she was really helping that man, she would have called us about it". Mystic Mariah was quite tough, however, she was nothing like Morgan Fey, who was know as a disgrace for the village, "Now turn off that TV, you're going to go blind!"

"At least can we watch this latest news?" Mabel insisted.

"No excuses, if you're not going to turn that piece of junk off, I will...". Despite her daughters' pleas, Mariah walked over to the TV and strained to see which button was the off button, just as the news channel was still broadcasting a new report.

"Shocking news!" the female newscaster spoke. "A 10-year-old girl has just been arrested on suspicion of murder. Her name is Pearl Fey...". Mariah turned off the TV at that moment, however, both she and her daughters had heard that last bit, and they were both confused and perplexed.

"Did she just say Mystic Pearl's name?" May asked, stuttering.

"M-Mystic P-Pearl?" Mariah was just as shocked.

"Turn it on again!" her daughter Mabel told her. "Quick!"

Listening to her daughter, Mariah turned on the television just as she was finishing the news report.

"Today, this Saturday, June 1st, the trial against this minor will be held in the courtroom city" the reporter said. "The defense will be led by the distinguished lawyer, Phoenix Wright, according to him, is a 'friend' of the young defendant"

"Mr. Wright?" May was confused. "Didn't he take Mystic Pearl to Mystic Maya?"

"That man..." Mariah growled, as if she were about to throw a tantrum. Her two daughters stepped back, somewhat worried.

June 1st 8:10 A.M - District Court - Defendant Lobby No.2

Phoenix Wright was sitting on the lobby's sofa, not to rest, but rather, frantically reading through the bit of information he'd been able to find on the case yesterday. He couldn't sleep even that day; the police had forbidden him from investigating because people were panicking after a murder following that huge event in Kashima. That had never happened to him, especially in a critical situation like this one.

"Can I come in?" asked a voice peering through the door. It was Maya, "Nick, are you busy?"

"Yes, I am, but come in" he answered quickly, not wanting to lose focus on what he was reading.

Maya came in and looked at him, very worried, "You've been reading that since last night, can't you get some rest?"

"I can't, Maya, especially since the trial is almost here."

"You shouldn't be so worried..."

"I shouldn't?!" He looked at her as if she'd insulted him, "The defendant isn't just anyone, it's an innocent girl, it's Pearls! Your cousin!"

"Woah, calm down!" Maya put her hands on his shoulders and stared at him, "I was going to tell that you've been in worse situations before"

"R-really?"

"Of course! Don't you remember those two times I was accused of the same thing as Pearl? Or Maggey? Or Larry? Or that time that Dekiller kidnapped me?". Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that last one. it had left a lasting impression on her lawyer friend, "The thing is, we were all wrongly accused, but YOU saved us, Nick! You set us free! Without you, the whole city would be a horrible place without a lawyer like you!" (I couldn't imagine that. This city would stop using lawyers without me winning cases...damn, I sounded a bit arrogant).

Phoenix was touched by what she said; he had saved people she loved, more than once, even outside of court. "You're right... but that doesn't guarantee that Pearl will be declared innocent today?"

"Don't say that! You know very well that Pearl isn't a murderer!" (No, but she can slap me very hard).

"I know!"

"So if you know she didn't do that, you have to prove it in court, like you did to me!"

"I get it, Maya..."

The overweight medium smiled, "I'm glad to hear it. Besides, our friends will also be attending the trial, they'll help us! So you don't have to feel any pressure..." (I don't think that's enough).

At that moment, they both heard the Steel Samurai theme, the version that Phoenix had as a ringtone on his phone. He grabbed it and answered the call, "Hi, it's Phoe..."

"I TOLD YOU THAT SHE SHOULDN'T LEAVE THE VILLAGE!" a very loud woman's voice screams at him, causing both the lawyer and his assistant to cover their ears. (I almost got deaf before the trial!!).

"Is that Mystic Mariah?" Maya asked, recognizing the elder's voice. (Why must Kurain elders be such grumps?).

"Mrs. Mariah, it's you..." Phoenix replied, before being yelled at again.

"OF COURSE IT'S ME, DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!"

"Listen, you've probably watched the news, but I can explain..."

"EXPLAIN WHAT?!". At that, the woman took a breath and spoke softly, "You promised you'd take good care of Mystic Pearl, RIGHT?". Phoenix couldn't refuse this; in fact, that's exactly what he'd done when he went to Kurain to talk to her.

Three days ago in Kurain Village...

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mariah continued to ask the lawyer, "Mystic Maya left for a 'training' trip, and since that day we haven't seen her again, she hasn't even called"

"She's in a pretty hard situation right now..." Phoenix replied, "But believe me, this travel will make her and Pearl connect again, and then, she'll return to the village!"

"Please, Mystic Mariah!" Pearl, who was next to her in the conversation, insisted, "Let me go with Mr. Nick so I can see Mystic Maya again!"

The lady just sighed exhaustedly, "Alright, but Mr. Wright..." she stared at the lawyer, "Keep in mind that Mystic Pearl is one of the last fey left in the village. Promise me you'll take good care of her, you heard?"

"Don't worry, ma'am!" Phoenix assured her confidently, "I promise that both she and Maya will return to Kurain safe and sound after the travel..."

Back to the present...

Unable to lie, Phoenix answered frankly, "Uh, yeah..."

"Then why the poor girl has been ARRESTED for murder?!"

"I can assure you it's a complete misunderstanding" Phoenix told her, the phone now far from her ear, but he could still hear her screams, "The trial is today, and I'll take care of getting her out of this..."

"You better be, because if anything happens to the only decent Fey, you're going to pay for it all...". The Elder hung up. (That sounded worse than a death threat, because that's what it was).

"Mystic Mariah, always so intense..." Maya said, shocked, just like her friend (Intense? I think that's an understatement).

"Mr. Wright, the trial will start in five minutes!" one of the baliffs called to him.

"Ugh, it's time? I haven't even read this for the fourth time yet" Phoenix said tiredly, trying to quickly read a sheet of paper.

"Don't worry, Nick, you don't need to read a report over and over again. You can do this, I trust you and Pearl too!". Maya encouraged him, heading for the door. "Now we have to go to the courtroom to prove who Phoenix Wright is...". (That's true, I haven't become the most outstanding defense attorney in the city for nothing; I even defended myself, and won. Don't worry, Pearl, I'll save you very easily!).

June 1st 8:20 A.M - District Court - Courtroom No.3

Phoenix and Maya entered in the courtroom very determined as possible; they would make sure to win this case no matter what. At that moment, the defendant in this case, or rather, Maya's little cousin, Pearl Fey, entered in the courtroom. She was being escorted by a pair of baliffs to the defendant's seat. The courtroom began to roar when she arrived, clearly surprised that this time the defendant was a 10-year-old girl.

"What is this?"

"A child? Involved in a crime? What a world!"

"David, don't go near children like her!"

"Who's the adult responsible for this brat?". Maya frowned by that.

"And what kind of lawyer defends a brat for committing a crime?" (That again?!).

*SLAM*

"ORDER! Order in the courtroom!" The judge in this case silenced everyone. He was the same one Phoenix had seen in all her trials. He was kind, a little bit naive, but fair. "Very well, we are gathered here for the trial of young Pearl Fey". The gallery made noise again, but the judge silenced them with his gavel, again.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Phoenix Wright said firmly. However, he noticed a silence that seemed strange to him. He glanced ahead and noticed that there was no one on the prosecutor's side.

"Mr. Wright...and the prosecution?" the judge asked, just as confused as the lawyer.

"Will Pearl be declared innocent if no one come?" Maya whispered in Phoenix's ear.

He frowned, "If anyone come, then the trial is suspended or she will be declared guilty". (I wish it really was as Maya suggested...).

HOLD IT!

A high-pitched voice sounded, somewhat familiar to Phoenix, he nervously entered the courtroom, embarrassed at having arrived late. Soon the person stood up on the prosecutor's side, placing his enormous briefcase on the table.

"I'm very sorry, Your Honor!" the man apologized in his slightly high-pitched voice, "I was just gathering some essential files for the case"

"No problem" said the judge, "Mister...uh?"

"Payne, Winston Payne, Your Honor" (Payne?).

"Oh, true, Winston Payne, the "rookie killer", right?"

The prosecutor chuckled, "Exactly, although this time I'm up against someone familiar, if I'm not mistaken...". He stared at Phoenix with his typical arrogant stare, adjusting his small glasses that revealed his blank stare. (Of all the prosecutors I've faced, this one has definitely never changed since the first time).

"Hey, Nick!" Maya spoke to him again.

"Maya, it's not the time for jokes..." Phoenix replied, knowing that his assistant was also discreetly mocking Winston Payne.

"No, I'm serious. You always humiliated that old-man. He could never beat you; I mean, we already won this case! Pearl will be with us in a jiffy...". (Hmmm, that's true. Payne has never been a match for me since I beat him the first time; I wouldn't wish to jinx it, but this will be a piece of cake...).

"Don't think I'm deaf, Mr. Wright" Payne spoke loudly. "I know very well what your annoying, chubby assistant said". Maya looked at him with her typical angry expression (Isn't it that a woman's weight isn't mentioned in public?), "You don't think I'm very capable against you after two losses, however, I believe in the saying 'the third time's the charm'; and this time you will be defeated. I literally prepared for this case because of this". (As if I hadn't heard that before...).

"Very well, Mr. Payne" the Judge spoke. "Since you're here, may you can begin your opening statement?"

"It will be a pleasure, Your Honor..." the prosecutor smiled as he began to speak, the screen giving a visual display of what he was saying, "I'll tell you everything from the beginning. On May 30th, the extravagant Kashima Gatalympics were held in the Ariake Sea in SAGA Prefecture. From what I've learned, there was a minor argument between the victim and the defendant of this case". The audience began to murmur, "Don't worry, nothing serious happened. However, I wanted to clarify this to justify a certain point."

"Which point, Mr. Payne?"

"Apparently, the star athlete known as Starley Parks said some insulting things toward the defendant, young Pearl Fey. The 'surprising' thing was that shortly afterward, that night, Ms. Parks was found dead, and young Pearl was right next to her, apparently carrying the weapon that killed the woman..."

In seconds, the gallery erupted in shouts, murmurs, and chatter about Winston Payne's words.

"A murder child?!"

"How could something in this country have happened?!"

"That girl must be phyco to have done that?!"

"Surely she never had any parental or family attention..."

"Shut up, you dork!" Maya responded to the person who had said that last thing. Phoenix asked her to keep quiet too, but didn't blame her; he saw Pearl sitting in the defendant's seat, her pitying gaze alone demonstrating the damage all those words from the gallery were doing to her. (You're not a murderer, Pearls, not if I can prove it...).

"Order! ORDER!" The judge slammed his gavel to silence everyone, "All right, we understand what the girl is accused of the murder. Let's not get hysterical and get this over with!"

"Before we go any further, Your Honor, I'd like to discuss the defendant's sentencing" Prosecutor Payne spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Since she's not only a minor, but also a child, the prosecution has previously discussed her sentence if she's found guilty" (which won't happen).

"Very well, talk about that."

Payne, nodding, held up a sheet of paper and read it, "If young Pearl Fey is found guilty of the murder of Starley Parks, the prosecution will sentence her to...the death penalty..."

The gallery made one of the most outrageous scenes in history, even Phoenix and Maya had joined in, their faces completely blank and their hearts racing out.

"Uh, excuse me, EXCUSE ME!" Payne said, now looking very embarrassed. "Sorry, I accidentally mixed up some documents in my briefcase, my mistake."

"Well, let that be the last time you make that mistake!" the Judge told him, glaring at him, just like Phoenix and Maya (this better not have been an attempt at a bad joke!).

"I'm so sorry, Your Honor, here it is..." he read the correct sheet of paper, "If the defendant girl is found guilty, she will be sent to a juvenile detention center, far from this city. There she will be locked up and harshly disciplined until she completes her sentence, which the prosecution has ruled will end until she reaches the age of majority."

"So, until she turns eighteen?"

"Exactly, Your Honor."

"Oh, Nick, this is BAD!" Maya said, genuinely concerned. "Pearly is only ten years old. If she's found guilty, she'll have to live almost her entire life locked up and treated like a criminal!"

(Oh, that's right, Pearls...she'll be doomed if we lose today. If she's locked up until she comes of the age of majority, she won't be able to enjoy the best years of her life, she won't get a job because of her lack of schooling, and she never had one. If I don't save her from this, her life will be ruined forever...I'm never going to let that happen!)

"Alright, Mr. Payne, call the first witness you have" the judge told him.

"With pleasure, Your Honor" Payne smiled confidently (I don't like to be arrogant, but I'll make sure you'll be down in this one...).

Very soon, the first witness of this trial entered the stand.

"State your name and occupation...miss?" the prosecutor asked the witness with a frown, as if he had met her before, which he had.

"My name is Maggey Byrde, sir" she replied, giving Maya a quick nod from distance, "And I'm currently unemployed, although lately I've been trying to get my job back as a police officer". (Are those cruel people really sorry for firing her for a crime she didn't commit?).

"Why are you here again, Ms. Byrde?" the judge asked, also recognizing her from past cases.

"Well, the truth is...my boyfriend, Detective Gumshoe, was supposed to be here testifying about the details of the murder, but...he had a minor accident" (Oh no...why doesn't that surprise me?).

"What kind of accident?"

"Well, while he was investigating the crime scene, he tripped off the dock and fell hard into the mud, right on his head. The doctor said it wasn't serious, but he had a temporary concussion that prevented him from testifying in this trial. Luckily, he asked me, his own girlfriend, to cover for him during this testimony. Isn't that sweet?"

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Maya cooed, as did several other people in the gallery.

"I'm glad you've found a partner, Ms. Byrde" said Prosecutor Payne. "However, we can't allow his testimony. You're not as experienced in criminology as Detective Gumshoe is. Besides, in my opinion, I wouldn't believe the word of someone who was accused of murder...twice"

"HEY, that wasn't me! I was framed in both cases!"

"Okay, quiet!" said the Judge. "I'm sorry, Ms. Byrde, but the prosecution is right. We need an expert here."

"I may not be one, but I can still testify validly..." She pulled out a folder full of documents, "The detective himself gave me all the truthful and vetted information on the case. I just have to read it!"

"Hmm, what do you think of this, Mr. Payne?"

He just patted his head pretentiously, "Sounds good to me, as long she say everything that's written in that document"

"Okay, I approve too. Ms. Byrde, you can begin with the testimony."

The ex-cop nodded, "Yes, Your Honor..."

Witness Testimony

(The Crime. Maggey Byrde)

"Starley Parks' body was found at 9:10 p.m."

"Several cuts were found, one of them fatal."

"The young defendant had a knife in her hand; it contained the victim's blood."

"At that time, there were only the defendant girl's footprints in the mud."

"Hmmm, interesting..." the judge said, pondering for a moment in silence before speaking, "That's what I would say if this hadn't been done by a 10-year-old girl"

"Today's youth" Payne said, "Always getting into serious trouble to get attention."

"But my cousin didn't do it!" Maya protested, before being silenced by the judge.

"Be quiet, Ms. Fey!" he said, before looking at his friend at his side, "Mr. Wright, this testimony has some loose ends. You may begin your cross-examination."

Phoenix nodded, "Yes, Your Honor!" (This is my moment to shine, to prove this is all a misunderstanding; don't worry, Pearls, I'm going to get you out of this...).

Cross-Examination

(The Crime. Maggey Byrde)

"Starley Parks' body was found at 9:10 p.m."

HOLD IT!

"Where were she when they found her?" asked Phoenix.

"Don't be so silly, Mr. Wright" Maggey told him. "We were all there at the time, she was in the mudflats" (Oh, yeah, I almost forgot it).

"Have you been suffering from a bad memory recently, Mr. Wright?" Payne asked mockingly.

"Uhhh, no, I just wanted everyone to know, hehe..." (what an excuse, Wright).

"Okay, so Ms. Parks' body was found in the mud?" said the Judge. "I understand. And what else?"

"Several cuts were found, one of them fatal."

HOLD IT!

"How many cuts were there? And which one was fatal?"

Maggey read the document carefully. "There were only two, one on her right ankle and another right on her stomach. That was the one that ended up killing her."

"Can you confirm this with an autopsy report?" the Judge asked.

"Sure..." she pulled out the typical yellow envelope containing the forensic report. "Gumshoe gave it to me, too"

"Excellent, the court will accept it as evidence."

(Autopsy report added to the Court Record)

"But how were those cuts made?"

"The young defendant had a knife in her hand; it contained the victim's blood..."

Instead of Phoenix interrupting her, the gallery did, erupting again in shock. The Judge silenced them once again.

"Order! ORDER! My God, this is just getting worse..."

"Maggey, did the knife really have the victim's blood on it?" Phoenix asked, trying to calm the situation.

"Of course it did, it's an official report, it's even in the document..." Maggey pulled out the bloody knife, stuffed into a plastic bag, and murmurs from the gallery began to rise again.

The judge slammed his gavel to silence them, "The court accepts this evidence."

(Bloody knife entered added to the Court Record)

"Although, really, the blood isn't the most surprising thing here" said Maggey

"Like, why?"

She looked away, a little nervous, "Well, when I checked this knife, I realized it belonged to someone, my boyfriend, Detective Gumshoe"- Several murmurs arose again.

Phoenix's eyes widened, "Was it Gumshoes'?!"

"Yes, the same one he cooked dinner with for our first date. He'd brought it on our travel that day, but for some reason it disappeared when we got back to the motel."

At that, Payne snickered, "I guess that settles one issue."

Phoenix stared at him, "What issue?"

"How that tiny, weak little girl could get her hands on such a lethal weapon. From what I heard, Mr. Wright, your whole gang of friends went on a SAGA trip, right?" (What? Jealous of not having friends to go somewhere else with?).

"Are you implying that the young girl stole the detective's knife?" the Judge asked the prosecutor.

He smiled, "Of course. In fact, I think I know how the crime scene went. The girl first slashed the athlete's ankle to knock her down, and then finished her off by stabbing..."

"MR. PAYNE!" The judge silenced him, "Don't describe it, we're talking about a little girl!"

The prosecutor frowned in embarrassment, adjusting his glasses, "I'm sorry, Your Honor, I got carried away..."

"That's not true!" Maya replied, glaring at him, "You just made my cousin look like a killer!"

"I'm just doing my job, Miss Fey; anyway, it's not my fault she's here now. I guess that's a result of not having a school education and living in a closed village..."

Maya stood up to hit him, but Phoenix grabbed her sleeve, holding on with all his strength.

"You don't know anything, you big ass...!"

"ORDER! ORDER!" The judge glared at the medium, "Miss Fey, I ask you to calm down in this courtroom!"

"But..."

"If you do something like that again, I will have to hold you in contempt. Do you understand?"

Maya, towering over the prosecutor, returned with Phoenix at her side.

"My goodness, this trial is getting even more intense" The judge wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Miss Maggey, please get this over with..."

"At that time, there were only the defendant girl's footprints in the mud."

HOLD IT!

"What do you mean 'at that time?'" Phoenix asked at her words.

Maggey replied, "Well, from what the local citizens of Kashima said, the Ariake Sea floods every hour, so the muddy ground is completely cleaned of prints. Luckily, they managed to make a symbolic map of the crime scene before all the footprints in the mud were erased."

"Okay, do you have that map?" the Judge asked.

"Of course..."

(Symbolic Map added to the Court Record)

The screen showed everyone the stylized map, which showed the muddy terrain of the Ariake Sea with a path of small footprints leading toward a large patch.

"The only prints that were validated were the defendant's, which are the ones you see there. That large stain represents the victim's body where it was found, or rather, where we found it..."

The judge thought again, "It's very simple: the defendant's prints, and the victim's body."

Prosecutor Payne smiled formidably, "I suppose that's enough to reach a verdict."

"Wait, Mr. Payne, I need to know the defense's opinion..." The judge looked at the defense attorney, "Mr. Wright, do you see anything wrong about the map?"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow, "Something wrong?"

"Something that doesn't make sense?". Phoenix looked at the map in detail, his mind growing increasingly stressed.

(Damn, there's absolutely nothing wrong here. I know Pearl left her footprints and was near Starley Parks's body. How can I solve this? Remember what your mentor told you, 'look at things differently'. If the wrong thing isn't on the map, does that mean it's...not there? ...THAT'S IT!).

And so, Phoenix slammed both hands on his desk as usual, with a determined look. "Your Honor, there is a SERIOUS problem with this map!"

The Judge looked at him, "What exactly is the problem, Mr. Wright?"

"The problem has to do...with the footprints of the victim, Starley Parks!"

OBJECTION!

Payne laughed lightly again. "How silly, Mr. Wright, I recommend you wear glasses. At least I'm not blind enough to make that mistake. In case you didn't know, the map doesn't contain any of the victim's footprints."

Phoenix then looked at him. "Exactly, if there aren't any of Parks' footprints, then... there's NO way she could entered in the mud without leaving ANY print!"

And it was at that moment that Wright's magic began, shocking Payne, letting him know that he would eventually be defeated by the defense attorney...again.

"If we take Maggey's advice about the floods erasing any trace in an hour, Parks' footprints would still be intact, just like Pearl's, if the crime took place in the same place they were."

"Great observation, Mr. Wright" the Judge congratulated him.

"Well done, Phoenix!" Maggey also congratulated him.

"B-b-but, this is IMPOSSIBLE!" Payne squeaked, unsure how to respond, "How did the victim get there without leaving any footprints?!"

The Judge mused, "Hmm, that's quite true, it leaves a very big question mark. I recommend a fifteen-minute break before moving on to the prosecution's next witness..."

Phoenix breathed a small sigh of relief. (I'm glad I had a good mentor, but this is just the beginning. Payne seems more determined than ever, I shouldn't underestimate him...).

"Very well, the court is adjourned..." the Judge slammed his gavel before the entire court took a short recess.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

June 1st 9:50 A.M - District Court - Defendant Lobby No.2

"Nice work, my girl!" spoke a voice waiting for them as they entered the defendants' lobby. It was none other than Detective Gumshoe, smiling at his girlfriend, Maggey.

"Gumshey?! How did you get here?" the former police asked, surprised.

"Uh, I got discharged by the doctor after a few hours" he replied, scratching her head in her typical way. "He said that I was fine. I wanted to see you as much as possible from the gallery, and you really covered for me so well. I knew you were the one"

Maggey blushed deeply. "Th-Thanks, sir, uh, Gumshey" she said, "...but I feel bad."

"But you did it so good!" Maya told her.

"Yeah, but at the same time, I made your sweet little cousin look like a criminal. I'm SO terrible!"

"Don't blame yourself, you were just doing your job" Gumshoe consoled her.

"Besides, you gave me evidence that can prove Pearls's innocence" Phoenix said. "I just need more information. Gumshoe! Do you have any details that weren't mentioned at the trial?"

The detective scratched the back of his neck again. "I really don't know, although that little bump from the fall made me forget to give you some evidence before the trial"

Phoenix glanced at him. "Which ones?"

"The first, I don't know if it's evidence, but you left it behind when you started investigating on your own and the Kashima police wouldn't let you. It's this...". He handed him what looked like an pamphlet.

"What's this?"

"It's the pamphlet that I gave you, Mr. Wright" Maggey said. "Didn't you read it?" (Uhhhhhh, I think I forgot about).

"Um, I don't remember that, maybe I should read it again..." he scratched the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed.

(Tourist pamphlet added to the Court Record)

"Gumshoe, and the other evidence?"

"I tried my best not to let the prosecution take it..." The detective handed him a pair of wooden sandals in a plastic bag.

"Those are Pearl's shoes!" Maya said. (You mean "sandals").

"The investigation team used these to check the girl's footprints; they had no other evidence. They're exactly the same ones we found that night."

"Okay, I need to save that information..." Phoenix wrote in her notepad. He sometimes did this to remind herself of important information about certain physical evidence.

(Pearl's shoes added to the Court Record)

"That prosecutor is more conceited than I remember" Maggey said. "He's always one of the toughest. It's not for nothing that he was the one who convicted me of that murder that made me lose my second job". (I still remember that, but it was all because SOMEONE decided to cosplay me!).

"Winston Payne is a veteran of the justice system" Gumshoe said. "He's had many wins as well as losses. He knows a lot about trials, and he's getting smarter all the time. Wright, don't underestimate him too much..." (As if I doing it...).

"Attention, the recess will be over soon!" warned one of the bailiffs.

"We're really in a bind!" Maya said nervously. "I wish Mia were here..." (Mia? That's right!).

"Maya!" Phoenix spoke to her. "I need you to channel Mia!"

"Woah, hold on! You said you didn't need her help. You said she wanted you to do it on your own. Your last case was like that" (Yeah, don't remind me of that fiasco).

"I know, but this time we need to win this case; please, Maya, channel her now!"

"Hey, don't talk to me like that!" she glared at him, "That's not how you talk to a woman, right, Maggey?"

"That's true, but Mr. Wright is right" she replied.

Phoenix looked at her pleadingly, "Maya, please, do it!"

"Okay, okay..." she said a little reluctantly, then approached the door, "I need to get ready. I'll see you in court...". She soon left, leaving Phoenix in the lobby feeling tense.

(I don't have much time; I should use it to do something useful. Maybe the pamphlet Maggey gave me could be useful. Plus, this is the first time I've worked on a case so far from the city. Some things aren't going to go the way I think they will. I won't let that Payne-guy get the better of me, not this time...).

June 1st 10:01 A.M - District Court - Courtroom No.3

"The trial against young Pearl Fey continues today" the judge spoke up as everyone arrived and took their places. "We had adjourned so the prosecution could prepare his next witness."

"I'm pleased, Your Honor" said Prosecutor Payne. "Although, like the last one, this one is also a bit unbeliable, not to mention another one I prosecuted for murder". (Wait a minute... oh no, don't tell me it's HIM!) "Let Larry Butz take the stand!"

And so it was that the personification of disaster forcefully opened the courtroom doors, strode up to the bench, and smiled cheekily, wearing his pink beanie on his spiky hair.

"You should naming me 'Laurice', please?" He said to the prosecutor, "It's a more formal way to introduce a contemporary artist like myself". (I guess of all the job and ideas Larry got, this one stucks on him, apparently).

"Is it YOU again?!" the judge looked at the witness, astonished. "Why, like Mr. Wright, do you always have to come when there's trouble?!" (I'd better put an end to this whole thing where people think I'm a trouble-magnet...).

"I'm sure you don't know this, don't worry, but I have a saying, 'When something smells, it's...'"

"Nobody cares, sir!" Payne said, somewhat impatiently. "We already know your name, so say your profession"

"Being an artist isn't a profession, it's a 'way of life', that's what my former art teacher used to tell me. She was a good master" (Misty Fey?).

"Why this...guy, is a witness?" the judge asked the prosecution.

Payne replied, "According to what he said, he saw the defendant girl moments before committing the crime". Murmurs from the gallery began again, and the judge struck them again with his gavel.

"Silence! Okay, Mr. Butz, this time without wasting time on nonsense, tell us what you saw..."

Witness Testimony

(I saw the girl. Larry Butz)

"Around 8:50 P.M, I was walking near to the ocean".

"In an alley, I saw that adorable little girl. She seemed to be doing some crafting".

"I asked her what she was doing, but she bitterly told me to get away".

"I thought some ice cream would improve her mood, so I looked for an ice cream shop to buy her one".

"It took me 20 minutes, and when I came back, she wasn't there. Then I heard that scream from the beautiful athlete".

The judge pondered the testimony he just heard. "Hmmm, so you saw the girl? That's why your testimony was so important?"

"Of course it was, Your Honor" Payne said confidently. "He found the girl alone. She told him to get away, and when he did, the whole crime happened. It doesn't take a genius to figure out exactly what happened"

OBJECTION!

"Mr. Payne, you can't decide that she murdered the woman because of that" Phoenix told him, determined. "I haven't even done the cross-examination yet"

"Why would there be a need for a cross-examination?"

"Because we're talking about LARRY, that's why!"

"HEY, what are you saying about me, dude?!" Larry said, somewhat offended.

"I'm with Mr. Wright; this witness isn't that beliable," the judge said. "Please, start with the cross-examination"

Larry then snorted mockingly. "Fine, but just so you know, I'm sure of what I'm said..."

Cross-Examination

(I saw the girl. Larry Butz)

"Around 8:50 P.M, I was walking near to the ocean".

HOLD IT!

"You mean you were near to those gray mudflats?" Phoenix asked.

"Exactly, dude!"

"And why were you walking there at that time?"

"Well, I wanted to clear my head a bit, you know, after that 'incident' you guys had that afternoon"

"Uh, yeah, sure, but what did you saw there?"

"In an alley, I saw that adorable little girl. She seemed to be doing some crafting".

HOLD IT!

"Cr-Crafting?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, well, I guess. She was cutting some paper with scissors and gluing them together." (Why would Pearl bring her school supplies if she doesn't even go to school?).

"What was she doing exactly?" the Judge asked.

Larry shook his head, "I really don't know..."

"I asked her what she was doing, but she bitterly told me to get away".

"I thought some ice cream would improve her mood, so I looked for an ice cream shop to buy her one".

OBJECTION!

Phoenix slammed both palms on his table, as usual. "Larry, there wasn't an ice cream shop in that area!"

He shrugged. "Well, at least a store that sold some ice cream cones. No need to yell at me like that, man"

"Actually, you couldn't go to any store...because they were ALL CLOSED!"

"And how do you know that, Mr. Wright?" Payne asked, raising an eyebrow.

Phoenix smiled confidently. "Well, I know that from this informational pamphlet about the Gatalympics". Then he pulled out the pamphlet in front of everyone in the court. "It has all the information you need about that event, and right in the last paragraph, it stated that all businesses closed around 8:00 P.M. There's no way Larry wanted to get ice cream after 8:50 P.M."

"But what does that contradiction mean?" the Judge asked.

"Well, uh...?" (I really don't know...).

"HOLD ON!" Larry said loudly. "Now I remember! It took me 20 minutes 'cause no businesses were open, that's why!" (And you really remember that NOW?!). "That's why, after a while, I gave up and went back to her to talk, but she was gone."

"That's means..." Payne said, smiling mockingly at Phoenix, "That the testimony remains the same, and that the defense only likes to boast about insignificant contradictions". (So, all that excitement I felt just now...was for nothing?!).

"Well, that was a waste of time" the Judge said. "Apparently it's true that the girl, once they couldn't see her, went straight for the victim..."

"Hold it, Your Honor!" said Phoenix, "There's still no way to decide a verdict. Remember what I discovered before the recess? The victim couldn't have been murdered in the mudflats if she didn't leave a single footprint there."

"Oh, that's right! In that case, it's very impossible to determine how the Ms. Parks died...". (I need to find that out as soon as possible. How could Starley Parks have been murdered without leaving a single footprint...?).

"NICK!" spoke none other than Maya, who entered the courtroom unprepared and approached him.

"Maya?" He looked at her in confusion. "Why didn't you channel Mia?"

"I tried, but I just couldn't do it!"

Phoenix glanced quickly at Pearl; she was still exactly the same. "But how come you couldn't channel her?"

The medium scratched her head, looking down in embarrassment, "Maybe... after not training for almost...three months, my spiritual powers have weakened...just a little bit". She smiled nervously at Phoenix, who was not at all happy. (Why? Why her? Why at the WORST time?!).

"Mr. Wright, we're in the middle of a trial!" the Judge scolded, "You can speak out loud to your assistant later". Both lawyer and medium fell silent, frowning.

"I know, Your Honor!" Winston Payne spoke up. "While the defense was arguing about useless things, I was thinking about all of the above and realized there was ONE way the young defendant could have murdered the victim without leaving any prints". Everyone glanced at him in surprise, including Phoenix and Maya.

"State your hypothesis" the Judge told him, also surprised.

"It's very simple. Take a look at the map...". The screen displayed the symbolic map again, this time showing something horizontal at the top. "That rectangle at the top represents the dock that was in the middle of the mudflats, right next to where the body was found."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means Starley Parks wasn't killed in the mud, but up on the dock. After being seriously injured, she must have fallen off it and landed into the mud, which is why she left no footprints"

The Judge pondered what he heard. "That...that makes perfect sense".

OBJECTION!

Phoenix looked frustrated. "Don't be fooled, Your Honor, that can't have been just the case. For starters, how did Pearl know Starley Parks's location if she was murdered on the dock?"

At that moment, Prosecutor Payne was smiling at Phoenix, and his wicked smile made him understand that something bad was going to happen. "You see, Mr. Wright, or rather, everyone in the courtroom, do you know why I was late at the start of the trial?"

"Because you did forget your lunch?" the Judge suggested.

"No, well, yes, a little bit because of that..."

"Because you forgot to bring your "I'm an idiot" badge?" Maya suggested mockingly, annoyed that he had suggested her cousin was a murderer.

"NO!" Then he coughed to regain his patience. "The reason I took so long is because I had just obtained evidence from the police in Kashima, SAGA."

"What kind of evidence?" the Judge asked.

"One that would prove beyond a doubt that the young defendant girl of this courtroom is the only one who could have committed the crime, and it's right here..."

The prosecutor clearly displayed his new evidence, which was none other than a sheet of paper. He passed it over the projector, allowing it to be seen by the entire court on the screen. The sheet of paper appeared to be a letter, with the oddity that the letters on it were cut out of letters from other sheets of paper, like magazines.

"What is this?" the judge asked again.

"This is known as a 'criminal letter', made to hide the identity of the author"

"But how do you know it proves the girl's guilt?"

"That was something we discovered ourselves at the prosecution and the police. When the young girl accused was being interrogated, she was asked to fill out a certain form, but the problem is that she had very poor spelling for a 10-year-old kid" (Yes, she definitely needs to be sent to school).

"Hmm, you have a point" the Judge said. "This letter also has spelling errors. It's missing some letters, so it's almost incomprehensible"

"Our criminal investigation team was in charge of filling in the missing letters; according to what we believe, what the letter says is this..."

"Dear Star, meet me at the dock on the mudflats at 9:00 P.M."

The Judge pondered this. "Well, so that's how...the defendant summoned Ms. Parks to come to her?"

Payne nodded confidently. "That's right, her poor spelling was her doom; now everything fits together: the motive, the weapon, the location. All of this proves that this little girl apparently did all this to the woman. How terrible..."

OBJECTION!!!

This "objection" came from an angry Maya.

"Stop calling my cousin a murderer!" she said angrily, "She'd never hurt a fly! She's not a monster like my aunt!" (I think that comment was unnecessary). "How would she even know what a criminal letter is?!"

At that moment, Phoenix's eyes widened, remembering something.

"I think I know how..." he said, scratching the back of his neck in total embarrassment, drawing everyone's attention. "In the bus ride, I gave her a junior novel about crime, and she asked me what a criminal letter was...I basically told her how to do it..."

Maya, Prosecutor Payne, the Judge, and the rest of the courtroom audience stared at the defense attorney completely blankly.

"W-Why did you say th-that out loud?" Maya asked, giving him a completely justifiable sour face.

Phoenix just stammered, not knowing what to say. (Now I spilled the beans pot...).

"What an irresponsible man!" a woman from the gallery spoke.

"No wonder that girl did something so heinous!" a man from the gallery spoke, and more people joined in.

"We shouldn't teach our children that kind of things"

"And I hope this inept lawyer doesn't have any!"

"Or even adopt one!"

Phoenix frowned. Although he has not planning on having children in this point in his life, those words hurt him enough to weaken him. (H-how can these people be so c-cruel to me?!).

"What a way to teach children, Mr. Wright" the judge said sarcastically.

"I think the defense just gave the prossecution an extra point, thanks..." Payne said, smirking mockingly.

"I'm going to rip your hair out for this, Nick..." Maya whispered to him angrily, also justifiably. Phoenix shuddered in fear at this, especially since her friend had never said some like that to him in a serious way.

The judge then grabbed his gavel. "Okay, I think I can give a verdict at this point..."

HOLD IT!

"Your Honor, you can't do that!" Phoenix said, agitated, stopping the verdict. "There are still questions, like... why did Pearl leave footprints in the mud if the murder occurred on the dock?"

"Do you have some obsession with footprints, Mr. Wright?" Payne asked ironically. (No, and there was no need to ask that...).

"My theory is, how could she have ended up at the same place where the body was?"

The Judge considered what he said. "Hmm, that's true. Maybe we should think about it a bit and..."

"That won't be necessary, Your Honor..." Winston Payne said, staring at his rival. "It's obvious Wright wants to save her girl at all costs, and that's understandable. In any case, the murder she committed wasn't intentional"

"What do you mean?"

"It's clear the defendant is just a child, and one who isn't very aware of what she's doing due to her...upbringing. Surely the attempt to murder that woman was a mistake she got carried away with, but it was too late by the time she did it. So I'm sure any child in that situation would do only one thing... go straight for the victim."

"W-what?"

"Yes, there was a considerable height above the dock, so the Fey girl ran so fast as she could to get around and meet the victim of her mistake"

Loud murmurs rose in the gallery, and the Judge silenced them.

"Order! Order! ORDER!" he shouted, slaming his gavel.

"That theory is very shallow, Mr. Payne!" Phoenix said, glaring at him.

"It's the most logical thing that one would think, and the rest of the evidence proves that...". Then, the prosecutor looked at him with a domineering smile, "Or do you have any EVIDENCE that can deny that?"

Phoenix shuddered at that; he hated it when prossecutors asked him something like that.

"So, Mr. Wright?" the judge said, "Do you have any PHYSICAL evidence that proves the defendant's innocence?"

(Uh, no, I don't know. What kind of evidence would that be? Proving Pearl's innocence? That she didn't go to the mudflats for...hold it, I know!).

TAKE THAT!

Phoenix held up a plastic bag containing Pearl's shoes. "This is the evidence, Your Honor!"

The Judge looked closely at the bag, "Those are some very nice wooden sandals!"

"They belong to the defendant, Pearl Fey, and they exactly match the footprints found in the mud."

"I knew it, you have a very strange fetish, Wright!" Payne told him (and you're a big creep for thinking in that...).

"What matters isn't that the shoes match, is WHERE the shoes were found!"

Payne raised his eyebrow, "Go on..."

And so Phoenix began to explain, "These shoes were found right at the edge of the mudflats. We found them when we came out from behind the motel, far away from where the dock was, and we also found the footprints where we found the shoes. But we went outside just after we heard Starley Parks' scream, just when she was murdered..."

"Get more to the point, Mr. Wright" the Judge said.

"The point is, there was NO TIME. The time between the scream and us found the shoes is too short to think Pearl ran fast enough to get there without seeing her, or leave her shoes behind if she was really in such in a hurry"

"So the girl couldn't have murdered the woman? And her shoes proves it?"

Phoenix nodded, "Exactly, Your Honor."

OBJECTION!

"That's just your assumption, Mr. Wright" said Prosecutor Payne, indignant. "Besides, you're someone close to the defendant, possibly you're saying this just to defend her." (Of course, as if that wasn't my job as a defense lawyer, DUH!).

"Well, Mr. Payne, I wouldn't say this if the information hadn't come to me from someone I trusted."

"Who?"

"Detective Gumshoe himself, of course."

"B-but he's hospitalized!"

"Not anymore, I'm here!" spoke none other than Gumshoe, standing up from the gallery, "Well, I was, but I can assure you what Wright says is completely right!"

"In that case, I can take his word for it" said the Judge, nodding in agreement.

"B-but not that...look at the letter again!" The prosecutor showed the letter on the screen again, "It's the only evidence against the defendant, we can't ignore it!"

Phoenix stared at the screen, analyzing the letter, until something seemed odd to him, "HOLD IT!". He caught everyone's attention in the courtroom, "That letter has something strange, right there, in the corner..."

Everyone looked where he was pointing. Apparently, there was something torn in the lower right corner of the letter, and it was very noticeable (how the hell didn't they notice this before?).

"That's right, someone apparently tore out a part of the letter!" said the Judge, surprised.

"It must have been something very important to tear it out. The rest of the corners look normal...". Then Phoenix glared at Prosecutor Payne, "Or could it be that you, Mr. Payne, tore out this crucial part for your benefit?"

Payne jumped in fright, shuddering, "NO WAY! The police found this letter like that. It was in a dumpster, according to what the person who found it said, I swear on my life!"

"In that case, it's impossible to know what that letter said..." the Judge said. He pondered and soon made a decision, "We've raised several questions in this trial that aren't enough for me to make a final verdict. I declare an extra day for the defense and prosecution to further investigate this case, and since this is a long-distance case, the trial will be postponed until June 3rd. The court is adjourned!"

And so the Judge slam his gavel, bringing this first part of the trial to a close. Phoenix could only sigh in exhaustion as he slumped his face on the table, while Maya watched in sorrow as her cousin was taken back to detention.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

DISCLAIMER:

All rights to Ace Attorney belong to Capcom.

And the rights to the Kashima Gatalympics title belong to their respective founders and current owners. (I clarify this last point to avoid any cultural issues).

June 1st 2:02 P.M - Detention Center - Lobby

After three months, Phoenix and Maya had returned to the detention center. They always came to visit the defendant on duty, only this time this person was much more special for them.

"I'm blessed that I finally had permission to visit Pearl" Phoenix said to himself and Maya. "They always let me visit my clients, but when it comes to your little underage cousin, the law forbids me from seeing her."

"And I'm her cousin, also her legal guardian, and they don't let me speak to her!" his assistant also said, walking together toward the reception desk. "They must be crazy to think she's a dangerous criminal!"

"Luckily, Gumshoe has convinced them to let us visit her. We need to hear her side of the story to find out what happened...". And then the lawyer turned to the bailiff in charge of the reception desk. "Excuse me, we're here to see the young defendant, Pearl Fey. I have a newly signed permit here..." He showed him the sheet of paper sealed by the law.

"The young girl is waiting for you in Visit Room No.2" the bailiff replied, "Please come in...". Phoenix walked to the next hallway, and Maya would have followed if the bailiff hadn't stopped her. "Excuse me, miss, but I've been asked not to let you in until you show me a written report from a psychiatrist; we don't want you breaking another one of our properties."

"Are you calling me a pshyco?!" Maya asked, offended, when he mentioned the psychiatrist part.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure to keep her long enough" Phoenix tried to convince the bailiff. "Believe me, I promise..."

"It's okay, Nick, talk with Pearly" Maya replied. "Maybe while I wait here, I can try to channel Mia or some spirit to help us."

"Oh, well, thanks, Maya. I'll see you soon...". And so the defense attorney walked down the hall, while the chubby medium sat near reception, somewhat resigned.

(First they called me fat, and now they called me crazy. When are people going to start respecting me?!).

June 1st 2:10 P.M - Detention Center - Visit Room No.2

Phoenix had waited a couple of minutes, sitting still, until the door on the other side of the glass opened, and soon, a small head popped out in front of him. Pearl had a truly distressed face.

"Pearls!" Phoenix said when he finally saw her.

"Mr. Nick!" Pearl said, finally able to face him and speak to him, "The detention cell is very dark and scary, and the people who spoke to me in the room haven't been so nice to me either!" (How the hell are they?! To a little, innocent girl?).

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here soon. The good thing is they finally let me talk to you since the police took you in as a suspect"

"I didn't want this to happen!" Pearl said, distressed, almost crying. "I mean, that woman was very arrogant and insulted our family, and I pushed her because of it; but I didn't want her to die... now everyone thinks I took her life!". The little medium lowered her head in utter sadness.

"No, you didn't do it, Pearl!" Phoenix told her, trying to make her feel better. "Everyone will know it was a misunderstanding, which is why I came here. First, I need to know what you were doing that night... after you left the motel."

Pearl, although no longer so sad, spoke with depression. "After arguing with Mystic Maya, I went to hide in an alley..."

"Larry testified that he saw you doing some crafting, and then they said it was a letter." He noticed the girl look away. "Pearls, listen, for this nightmare to end, you have to be honest."

"O-okay," she replied. "About what I was doing... yes, I made a letter; but it wasn't the one they were showing! The one I was making was different, a prettier one, I think."

"In the first place, why were you making a letter? And what was it about?"

However, Pearl remained silent, playing with her fingers nervously until she spoke, "I'm sorry, Mr. Nick. I know it's for my own good, but I just can't tell you what the letter was about..."

(Hmm, as I thought, Pearl hides some things, even if her life is at risk... luckily, I think I know how I can see through her lies).

Then, the lawyer took out what was a small green stone, known in Kurain as a "magatama", and held it up to Pearl, staring at her as if waiting for something, only to make her very uncomfortable (Come on, why isn't there a psycho-lock?).

"Uhhh, Mr. Nick, what are you doing?" Pearl asked, looking at him strangely.

"Excuse me, but I was using the magatama to see if you were hiding something; but it seems you're telling the truth or..."

"Mr. Nick, that magatama doesn't have any mystical power"

"Wait, how?"

"The energy that magatamas hold within them is very powerful, but not unlimited; occasionally, like every three months, it must be refilled by a medium with spiritual power."

"So, could you refill this for me, please?"

The girl then frowned, "I'd love to, but those guards told me directly that if I had direct contact with you, I would be imprisoned". (Those idiots...what do they have against children and me?!).

"This sucks..."

Pearl then smiled hopefully, "But don't worry, you can ask Mystic Maya to empower your magatama. She has a lot of spiritual power within her..."

"Well... what if it's a symptom of being unable to channel spirits after being away from training for too long?"

And then the medium's smile disappeared, "Then it will be impossible for you to see through people's lies, including me". (Great, simply great. First, Maya can't channel anymore, and now I can't catch people in their lies either... amazing).

"It doesn't matter, Pearls, let's ignore the part about the letter's content. Just tell me what happened at that moment..."

And so Pearl, although somewhat nervous, told her his entire perspective on that night of May 30th...

"Just after I had finished my letter, I heard that t-terrifying, loud scream coming from beyond that gray mud. I hid the letter somewhere and quickly ran to the shore. I don't wanna to got my sandals dirty, so I left them and walked into that darkness."

"It was t-t-terrifying, but I thought someone needed help, but when I found t-t-that woman lying there, I-I got scared. She had a k-k-knife stuck in her stomach, s-so I tried to remove it. It was very tight, so I used all my strength until I fell with the knife in my hand."

"Some small r-re-re-red dr-drops fell on me. I don't know what they were, but when the people who in-inte-te-rrogated me saw me with them, they thought I had done something very bad to the lady."

"I didn't do anything else when yo-you arrived, and that men in blue took me far away from you and Mystic Maya."

Phoenix thought about everything she had heard. Even though it came from a 10-year-old girl, he understood it perfectly.

"Tell me, where did you hide that letter?" he asked her. "If what you say is true, and the letter is found, your alibi would be accepted"

"A-a-alibi?" the girl asked, not knowing what the word meant.

"You know, a reason why you couldn't have committed a crime must be proven by something or someone for the judge to accept it."

Pearl thought and thought, but simply shook her head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Nick. My-My nerves made me forget, but I know I hid it in that dark alley". (Well, if I looked there, maybe I can find it).

"Excuse me, sir, visiting time has to end" a bailiff warned the lawyer.

Phoenix sighed and stood up from the chair, "I'm sorry, Pearls, but I have to go. I promise I'll use your words to your advantage."

"Mr. Nick, before you go, can I ask you something?" Pearl said with a worried look.

"Yes, tell me..."

"All this happened because I left the room after arguing with Mystic Maya. The last thing I said to her was that I hated her, and that might be the last thing I say to her if they take me to that ju-ju-juvie place". She shed a tear, "It's my fault, for not listening to her..."

"It's not your fault, Pearls. Maya feels bad about it too. Now I have to..."

And then the girl stared at him, "One last thing... Mystic Maya thinks I didn't it, right?!"

Phoenix considered that, but then looked at her calmly, "She's your cousin, basically your only family. Of course she believes in you, and she doesn't want to leave you. You're all that matters to her."

"Sir, you have to go now" the bailiff told him, opening the door.

The defense attorney gave Pearl one last hopeful look before leaving, allowing her to be led back to her cell.

June 1st 2:20 P.M - Detention Center - Lobby

Sitting in a chair for almost half an hour, Maya would steeple her fingers, close her eyes, and try to focus her mind on a single goal: channeling Mia, or whoever; but she simply couldn't, or she would get distracted by thoughts of burgers or junk food.

"Ugh, how come I just can't?" she grumbled after failing on her tenth attempt. "Why can't I? Before, I wouldn't go in for a week and manage to channel a spirit, so why isn't it the same after three months?"

"Mom, why is that lady so angry?" asked a girl near the medium, pointing at her and heading toward her mother.

"You shouldn't be around people like her" her mother replied, pulling her away from Maya and heading for the exit. "You shouldn't get distracted. We were going to see your sister in the hospital, right?"

"Of course, I'm glad her injury was just an accident. It's good she's alive!" They both left the Detention Center.

In those cases, Maya would be angry when someone mocked her or judged her for her appearance or her branch of the family, but this time she was left speechless when she heard the girl rejoice that her sister was alive, especially with her mother by her side. (Why can't I have the same happiness as her?!).

At that moment, Maya began to remember the times when she was very young, when her only concern in life was simply being happy, with her sister, in Kurain Village...

16 Years Earlier - Kurain Village - Backyard

It was a bright, sunny day when Maya had gone out to play with Mia in the backyard of the Fey Manor. They were playing with a pink ball that Mia had given Maya on her recent birthday, and she hadn't stopped playing with it since.

"Catch it as high as you can, Maya" fourteen-year-old Mia told her, raising the ball above her head.

Maya, just four-years-old, jumped with her hands open, "I can do it, Mia! I can do it!" she said with so much childlike energy.

"Here it goes..." The older sister tossed the ball into the air, going very far. The little girl ran quickly to catch it, watching it descend through the air, not paying attention to where she was running. "MAYA, LOOK OUT!"

Mia's warning was too late, as Maya tripped over a root and fell forward to the ground. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt, but it was because she had landed in a large, muddy area; so when she rolled, she was covered from head to toe, until she was sitting in the mud.

"Maya, are you okay?!" Mia said worriedly, reaching for her.

The toddler spit mud everywhere. Although she was uncomfortable, she wasn't upset. "What is this brown stuff?"

"You're covered in so much mud; come on, you have to wash up before Auntie..."

"It feels so creamy and freshyl!" Maya said as she touched her cheeks, feeling the mud all over her, "I like it!"

"It's not time to play, Maya, that tunic won't clean itself..."

"Hey, look, here's the ball!" Maya stood up, staring at the ball in the mud, "I'm going to pass it to you..."

"NO, MAYA, NO!" but it was too late. Her little sister kicked the ball hard, not only throwing it, but throwing a lot of mud all over her, getting it on her tunic and in her face, "EWWW!"

"Oh, you don't like that?" Maya asked innocently, "I thought you'd feel more freshy..."

Mia glared at her, "Listen, Maya, we don't have to...". She watched as she grimaced at her reaction, so she took a deep breath and softened her face, a little more understanding. "It's okay, our tunics are already ruined anyway, they can't make it any worse. Why don't we just "get freshy" in this heat?"

Maya gasped, excited, "Great idea!"

And so it was that the two Fey sisters started playing around in the mud, first with the ball, then having a little mud fight with each other, then lying on the ground to start making muddy angels, as if they were on a snowy day and not a dirty mess. Despite Mia's mature age, being with her sister made her forget her worries about getting dirty.

It was all splashing and laughter, until one of them heard a mighty cough. Mia raised her head and froze when she saw her Aunt Morgan glaring at them with her arms crossed, looking at her as if they had broken Ami Fey's urn...for the second time.

"Maya, get up!" Mia told Maya, but she was so immersed in the mud that she continued laughing loudly and rolling even more vigorously. "MAYA, STOP!"

At her sister's scream, the muddy little Maya stopped and opened her eyes. She turned to her side, realizing that her aunt was standing in front of her, not only angrier now, but with part of her robe stained with mud from her outburst.

"A-Aunt Morgan?" Maya stuttered, freezing in fear just like her older sister.

"Mystic Mia, Mystic Maya, I've told you that a Fey must behave like an orderly and firm woman, haven't I?" the older woman spoke to them, her anger straining to be contained.

"T-T-That's right, Aunt Morgan" Mia replied nervously.

"So why have you now used your precious tunics but wallowed in the muck like vile pigs?!"

"W-we were just p-playing, Aunt Morgan" Maya replied, more nervously.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Mystic Maya" Morgan spoke to her, with a glare that was not only disapproving but also threatening to a child like her. "You're lucky your sister is the heir of the Master position, otherwise, Kurain would be in the hands of an irresponsible, dirty, rude, and foolish person".

Mia was furious about what her aunt told her little sister, so she stood up bravely. "Maya didn't cause this, it was me..."

"Your excuses don't excuse her, Mystic Mia" she said reproachfully to her older niece. "Now take her and I hope you clean up very well. The people of Kurain expect a lot from you...". And then she left venomously.

Soon, Mia helped her younger sister get up and out of the mud to walk all muddy to the nearest water faucet.

"Sorry for making Aunt Morgan scold us, big sis" Maya said, hanging her head in guilt and sadness.

Mia stroked her dirty hair to comfort her, "Don't always listen to your aunt, Maya; she's sometimes cruel to us for no reason. She'll never be a third of what Mom was."

"Y-you think Mom was better?"

Mia then smiled sweetly at her, "She was so much better. She was kind, sweet, caring, she was basically the best person in the whole world."

"In the whole world?"

"That's right, she was the best mother any child could ask for."

Then, Maya frowned, "It's too bad I can't remember Mom before she left..."

To cheer her up, Mia held her little sister in her arms as she always liked, "Don't be discouraged, she'll come back someday."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, and when she comes back, the three of us can play ball...Maya...Maya...Maya..."

"Maya!" Phoenix roused her with all his might from the land of her memories, making her groan as she returned to her current depressing world. "You've been ignoring me for the past five minutes!"

"S-sorry, Nick!" she apologized, coming back to her senses, "I didn't know you came back: tell me, were you able to see Pearl? Is she okay?"

"She's fine...it seems so. Although I haven't gotten much information, it seems my magatama no longer has the strength to see secrets. She can't fill it in, and obviously you won't be able to..."

"Ugh, what a situation!" Maya snorted, "At least she was able to give you some important information?"

"I only know that she wrote a completely different letter than the one Payne presented. The problem is that she hid it somewhere she doesn't know where that night in Kashima."

Then Maya raised her fists in a sign of determination, "So what are we waiting for? We must return there as soon as possible... well, after we rest and eat something."

"First of all, the bus to SAGA won't arrive at the station until dawn; and second, if you're really that tired, why don't you return to Kurain? Maybe that way you can calm things down with those old women."

Maya thought about it for a moment, but now her current self rejected it. (If I go back... all those old women will scold me, not only for my obesity, but for having left the village for so long... no thanks!).

"No thanks, Nick, but I have to help Pearl as much as I can!" She said this almost as an excuse, "I can't waste my time going back to my house while she's locked up there like a criminal. Only a highly selfish and whiny person, which I'm not, would do that!"

Phoenix recoiled slightly at the way she said it, "Okay, you don't have to be so loud here; let's go back to my apartment, eat, and rest as much as possible, because tomorrow we'll have to put in the effort if we want to save her..."

June 1st 8:07 P.M - Detention Center - Cell No.6 

After eating her small dinner, young Pearl Fey went to her mattress in her cell and tried to sleep. She couldn't do, not only because the mattress was so uncomfortable, but also because her mind wasn't in the best place right now.

(Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya must be out there trying to help me. This place is creepy. And if they find me guilty...what will they do to me in that juvenile center? Will I have friends? People who will love me even if I have the title of murderer forever? Will they banished me forever from Kurain? Am I the biggest disappointment of...?).

Before she could think in more negative things, the girl heard the cell door open. A figure blindingly illuminated by the light in the hallway caught the girl's attention. She looked familiar, but it wasn't until she came closer that she revealed who it was.

"MOTHER!" Pearl immediately ran when she saw Morgan in the shadows, her gaze neutral. He hugged her from under her robe.

"Oh, my precious Pearl, I've missed you so much," she said in her motherly tone, hugging her.

"H-how did you get here?"

"I found out you were arrested, so I asked those prison guards to take me with you to visit you. It's a disgrace what happened to you. I knew one day that Phoenix Wright would get you into trouble."

"N-no, Mother, it was my fault!". She started to sob a little, "I got angry and treated Mystic Maya badly, and now everyone thinks I killed a woman, that I'm a murderer!"

"Of course not, my Pearl! The daughter I raised would never be a sadistic murderer" Morgan consoled her, clearly referring to her current daughter... because the other one...

"I-I'm afraid of what will happen next. If they find me guilty, I'll be kept away from Mystic Maya for a long time. She might not even r-recognize me!"

Morgan stroked her hair while the girl just cried, "You shouldn't be afraid, my Pearl; in fact, that's exactly why I came to see you."

Pearl wiped her tears and raised her eyebrow, "H-how?"

"It was really hard to convince those social workers, but I told them that if you want to, and if they sentence you, you could live with me in my cell."

Pearl was very surprised to hear that, her eyes widening, "R-really? C-can I really live with you? Even if I'm locked up?"

Morgan nodded proudly, "It may be a small, refined cell, but we'll have each other. Besides, even with limited resources, I'll be able to educate you so that you can continue meditating for your Kurain channeling, so that you'll be qualified to be a Master once your sentence is over and you're an adult."

Then, Pearl bit her finger and began to hesitate, "B-but the Master position belongs to Mystic Maya, doesn't it?"

Morgan rolled her eyes shamelessly, "Listen, dear, shouldn't that Maya be the Master? Tell me, have you ever seen her worthy of that?"

"Well... since we had a fight that night, she's left Kurain for months and still hasn't returned, and when I saw her, she really wasn't in the state she was before."

"Typical Maya, she'll always be an embarrassment to our clan. One day the Kurain villagers will realize her worthlessness and banish her, I suppose, and then you'll replace her when you return."

"B-but Mr. Nick, who would get me out of this, I don't need to be in prison..."

"Don't you want to live with me?"

"N-no! It's just that Mr. Nick..."

Morgan then looked at her with a pointed gaze, "So tell me, Pearl, if that lawyer said he'd get you out of this, why hasn't he done it yet?"

Pearl looked nervous, "I-I don't know"

"Then it means he doesn't matters you, just like Maya"

"But she does! She... I don't know... I really don't know...". She looked down sadly, thinking about their recent argument. "It was the first time she got angry with me and... she told me she would prevent me from seeing you again."

"Even if she wanted to, in the end, it's your choice, Pearl. Tomorrow I'll come back to find out your final decision regarding what I offered you. I hope you sleep well and make a wise choice; it will define the rest of your life..."

And so Morgan left the cell, leaving Pearl with even more doubts all night, preventing her from sleeping.

June 2nd 5:05 AM - Bus Station

Both the lawyer and the medium watched the bus stop in front of them, opening its doors so they could get in.

Maya yawned, "I don't know if I got a good night's sleep..."

"Well, take that time to rest during the trip" Phoenix told him. "Once we arrive, there won't be time to waste..."

"Not so fast, pal!" a familiar voice called from behind them. When they turned around, they saw not only Detective Gumshoe, but also Maggey Byrde and Larry Butz standing next to him.

"Gumshoe, Maggey, Larry?!" Phoenix was surprised to see them. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're here to help you get your friend out of that dark, cold cell!" Maggey responded optimistically, as if she wanted to help someone incriminated after her own experience.

"No need to come all the way to the other district; Maya and I can do it alone."

"Nonsense, your pals are here to help you!" Gumshoe told him, all smiles. "You've saved me from some things that even my meager salary can't solve. Besides, I'm an official detective; I have every right to participate in the investigation!"

"And I'm a cop... I-I mean, I was a cop," said Maggey. "B-but I have s-some experience, so I can help you!"

"And I... well, I don't have any experience in criminology," said Larry. "But I've been your best friend since childhood, Nick! Friends help each other!"

(Wow... just... wow... I can't believe I've made several friends over the years... I must be lucky... I just wish at least Edgeworth were here. At least he has a much higher IQ than these three combined... but at least they're here for me).

"Thanks a lot, guys" Nick thanked them, smiling. "I never thought you'd wake up at 4 in the morning just to come with me to another city to help me."

"Anything to make you happy, pal," Gumshoe replied with a smile.

"Excuse me, is anyone getting on?" asked the bus driver impatiently.

"What are we waiting for?" Maya said with great determination, "Let's get Pearly out of this!"

And so the five adults boarded the bus and began their journey to Kashima SAGA...again, but with the intention of saving Maya's cousin. (This has to go well...this can't fail!).

To be continued...