Super depressing story with our favorite lawyers. Beware of character's death and odd paranormal stuff that completely makes no sense in the Ace Attorney world. Formerly a one-shot, but it was too long, so I split it.

The song that inspired me through this fic: Ram – Clockwork Orange (and also the original soundtrack from the old 70s movie). Youtube it if you like the Trance/Electro genre and want a full listen of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them.

Chapter 1: A New Friday

Date: January 31th 2028, 3:52 PM
Place: Detention Center

"Daddy, please, you gotta believe me…"

"I-I know! I believe you! Don't worry, girl, it's going to be fine!"

There was a silence between the two before the young girl choked into more incessant sobs. It took her more than a minute before she managed few coherent words between her loud whimpers. "N-No it's not!" she furiously objected with a sad whine, clutching her trembling fists against the desk in front of her before going straight for the window with her palms. "Even if I'm innocent…"

"…nothing's going to bring him back!"

As the man on the other side ran his hands through his black hair with anguish, he left out a weary and wretched long sigh. All the latest events in these days seemed to have aged him older than he already was, dark bags under his eyes being his new prominent features on his tired visage. Even some visible wrinkles had made their way on his forehead. Phoenix couldn't bear to see his dear daughter behind that unbreakable prison glass, maintaining her captive from her deserved freedom. Her recent arrest for murder had been so unfair, but it was nothing compared to the haunting sight of the bloodied corpse of her beloved friend upon her waking two days ago.

Her poor Polly…

Phoenix and Athena, from the other side of this thick glass, were both looking at the floor, eyes half-closed with some obvious regret for the fate of the young Trucy. The magician girl, gritting her teeth together, attempted to shut her mouth during her uncontrollable hiccups session. She needed to stay strong in these moments… No matter what occurred and what outcome will emerge from this, even after being accused of the murder of her companion… She was Trucy Wright, daughter of the best lawyer of the district, Phoenix Wright! Of course he was going to win this upcoming trial for her rightful non-guilty verdict!

However, she was unable to take a particular memory away.

That frightening reminiscence of that cold, dying voice of the murder victim himself, his last, forever uncompleted words that would persistently echo inside her mind…

T…Truc… cy… W…Wr…

"Why…" Trucy wept, holding her tears with her slender fingers. "Why did Polly say my name before he… he… went to the other side? I never… I didn't…"

The young lawyer woman leaned closer to the glass with an empathetic smile. "Trucy, Apollo probably thought of great things about you before he left," Athena expressed with an attempt to lift up the mood.

Yet, what welcomed the two lawyers was a sudden garish whine from the other one. "No, no! It couldn't be!" Trucy cried with more tears as they went flying around when she boosted her head up. "I-I… clearly remember the eyes he was giving me just before he left…"

"Those were the eyes of a… an… unforgiving phantom!"

"No! Why? Why did he think I was the one who killed him? Why would I kill him? He was… like my big brother to me!"

A long breath escaped Phoenix's lips as he leaned his sweating forehead against his palms. If only… she knew the truth. The man was almost glad he never told them about their blood relation. Trucy would probably have gone more than insane to know she had been falsely accused of the murder of her own older brother, the one she never had the chance to grow up with thanks to their mother's unusual choice of life.

Or maybe… Apollo wouldn't have suspected his own little sister as his murderer, if only he knew the truth too.

Nevertheless, why, on his way to his tomb, was he accusing her of all people? Phoenix nearly wished to request a channeling service from his old friend Maya in the mystical Kurain village. He'd be asking tons of questions to his late protégé, but he was afraid of what would result from that channeling session. What if Trucy was right about Apollo? What if… he will persist on accusing her if he was to be summoned in the world of living things? Even worse; what if he wanted… revenge?

Suddenly, something cold was floating in the air.

"Miss Wright, we'll have to bring you back to your cell."

Turning back to the calling voice, Trucy shook with pleading eyes toward the guard behind her. Like a dark shadow submerging the atmosphere and slowly grabbing her arm, the man ordered her to get up. "Please, give me more time…" she murmured with more sniffles. "It's still so early…"

"I'm sorry, that's the rule," the guard looked at her before he started pulling her arm a little harder.

Having no other choice but to comply, Trucy unhurriedly stood on her feet with a lament. She couldn't bear to look at her father and her friend anymore as they gave a menacing glare to the guard for the manner he treated her. However, Trucy managed a barely audible whisper when she disappeared in the detention center deep corridors, her back facing them.

"Please Daddy… Save Polly…"

(Few days earlier…)

Date: January 28th 2028, 8:23 AM
Place: Wright Anything Agency, Main Office

"Hey there, Pollo. How are you doing?"

The young brown haired lawyer looked up to the composed greeting with some weary eyes, his sight still showing visible traces of the slumber that still hadn't left him completely. Behind all these papers scattered over his desk and the laptop he had to work with, Apollo presented a weak smile to his boss. "Hi Mr. Wright," the boy kindly greeted back. "I'm fine, thanks. How about you?"

When a chuckle escaped the older man's lips once the younger one had finished his simple, generic response, Apollo raised an eyebrow with a perplexed expression. "I've been doing great, in fact," Phoenix revealed with a broader smile.

"There's something off about him, I know it. He's never up wide awake at this time in the morning," Apollo thought with an obvious discomfort before he returned his focus back on his paperwork.

"By the way, I've cleaned the toilet for you and Athena," Phoenix added with a laugh. "I've even been rubbing the rest of the bathroom clean. There won't be any need for more cleaning the rest of the day!"

Nearly causing the papers to fly around by the sudden jump he made from his boss's reveal, Apollo almost coughed the coffee he was bringing close to his mouth. He quickly wiped his mouth with a hand from all the small coffee drips that escaped his lips, moping when he noticed some found their way on the papers and the laptop. He was right; something was definitely off about Mr. Wright today.

"Don't tell me you woke up earlier for this!?" the young lawyer in red loudly mumbled with silly tremors, trying to tone down his proud "Chords of Steel".

Few more giggles evaded from Phoenix's grinning lips. "Oh, not only I woke up earlier for this, but I'm giving you a day off. Paid too."

For a dozen seconds, the younger man was standing still. He opened his mouth trying to protest against the sudden gift his boss was offering him, but unfortunately, no words were able to get out from his throat as he inhaled the air around. Everything felt so warm, yet so chill. Apollo never expected to start his day like this. Since the last launch to space of his good old mentor-like friend, Mr. Solomon Starbuck, his days were always tediously lived. He was doing his job, having cases with his co-workers and living his dull life in his apartment with Mikeko, a stray Calico cat he had saved from the streets as his only remaining true companion outside his job.

And there he was, virtually complaining to his boss for giving him a paid day off.

"Huh, are you all right, Mr. Wright?" Apollo questioned the man's sanity.

Mr. Wright nearly burst out laughing if he wouldn't be holding his mouth shut with his hands. It was like he was mocking the confused boy. "Oh, not only I'm perfectly all right," the boss giggled, giving a scornful pat on Apollo's hair, messing his two hair antennas. "But I'm giving off to everyone else too. You'll all enjoy your paid day off with Trucy and Athena."

"That's right!" a bright, girly voice interrupted the intimate moment between the two men. Right after, with confetti flying around the office, Trucy appeared out of nowhere, holding her hat in one hand and her small magic wand in the other. "We're going to have fun together, Polly!" she ecstatically exclaimed.

Dazed from the shock, Apollo aimlessly shook his head around, only to be clutched by the shoulders with more hands from behind, much to his surprise. "And don't forget about me!" another flashy feminine voice shout out with a louder joy before she went to give the young man a big hug.

Tangled between steady but slender arms, Apollo arduously turned around, discovering the face of his lawyer partner, Athena, very close to his own. "A-A-Athena? Trucy!?" the boy groaned, stunned as the other girl swiftly wrapped her arms around him too, tighter than ever. "What the… Are you b-both p-part of Mr. Wright's plan too?"

To this, Trucy gave a friendly pinch on Apollo's reddened cheeks. "Of course! We're coming with you, Polly!" the younger girl squealed with few childish jumps. "We're gonna make this day the best day ever!"

"Trucy's correct! We're gonna accompany you wherever you're going so you won't be alone!"

Relieved when the girls finally let him go from their grasps, Apollo took few seconds to bring his breath back to normal. "W-W-What? B-But… What about the papers I was working on?" the poor messed boy blurted out. Everything seemed to have been shoved against his face so fast he was unable to cluster his thoughts together.

Calm as ever, Phoenix stood back to straighten his sole male pupil back to shape. "Don't worry about the paperwork, Apollo," the older man exposed, landing his hands on his shoulders like he was soothing his composure. "I'll be completing that for you. And aside, you need to change your ideas."

A sudden jolt overtook Apollo. "Needing to change… ideas? W-What are you talking about, Mr. Wright? Why do I need to change my ideas?" the boy interrogated like a cornered one.

"Oh, just like that," Phoenix chuckled. "You've been working so hard since last month, so I thought you'd enjoy some days off, you deserve it."

… There…! Right when Mr. Wright mentioned "last month"…

… Apollo's bracelet reacted. The slight squeeze initiated a weak pain around his wrist, instinctively causing him to grab his jewel piece.

When a frown and a stricter look were made visible on Apollo's expression, the sudden change of mood prompted Phoenix to give another laxer pat on his student with a small snicker. "Hm, so I can't really hide anything from you, can I?" the boss declared with his now delicate smile. "You know something's up, don't you?"

Awkwardly, Apollo led a hand behind his head, scratching it with some discomfiture. "Well, to tell the truth, yeah, and I'd like to know what's up…" he expressed with a deeper scowl.

A gasp came from the little magician's direction. "Polly!" Trucy called, mortified. "Daddy's giving you a day off! Yo-"

"Trucy!" Athena shouted with a jump, immediately covering Trucy's mouth with her own hands. When she realized her very loud tone, she slightly bent down with a worried look and a lower voice. "Let the boss say it."

Stumped, Apollo gave everyone a glare. What did he do to have everyone know of something he wasn't aware of in this agency? What was everyone hiding from him? His curiosity was killing him; he felt left out in this whole process of being part of this agency. After a long, almost regretful sigh, Phoenix finally spoke. "I've seen it. You've been working to the bones to forget about the events from last month, haven't you?"

"About him," Phoenix added.

When he heard the mention of him, Apollo froze with a dead silence that filled the room along. No one dared to speak for few seconds because all knew exactly who Mr. Wright was speaking about, but the center of the attention himself succeeded to break the unusual quietness. Only a straight, stern reply was heard from him with a serious glare forming on his expression.

"No, I haven't."

Mysteriously, Apollo's orbits went dimly wider when he perceived one of Phoenix's hands going after his pocket. He could have sworn he saw a faint green light beneath it. No, it must be his imagination, but seeing the abnormal, compassionate eyes with the gentle smile his boss was obstinately giving him, there was something Mr. Wright was hiding from him.

Apollo felt it; Phoenix pitied him, and he wasn't really feeling too comfortable about it.

"I'm fine," the young brunette stated with an obvious emotional struggle.

"You're lying, Apollo…" the boss merely alleged.

"Mr. Wright, please! Let it go. I'm fine, damnit!"

Apollo's last saying contained a faded tone of annoyance and frustration when his hands formed into two firm fists. Trucy and Athena gulped from their friend's move, but Phoenix didn't flinch at his pupil's anger.

"I'm still giving you off," Phoenix persisted, this time with a more solemn sulk. "C'mon, Pollo, don't tell me you can't enjoy a paid day off? It's Friday; everyone wants their Friday off."

"I'm not everyone, Mr. Wright…"

Thankfully, the youngest one in place decided to save the mood. If no one was to act now, the darkness will completely fill the atmosphere, and it was definitely not the best thing on a sunny Friday. "Polly, c'mon!" Trucy cheerfully squeaked. "I'm going to pay for all your activities today! I'll even pay your lunch and dinner!"

Stunned by the new reveal from the magician, Apollo slightly shook his head before he turned to her. Seeing the young girl speaking with so much innocence nearly melt his heart with a warm feeling. Nostalgically, he wished he was as carefree and jolly as her.

It was like… he could see the eyes of his late best friend Clay in her. How similar both were in their naiveté, their childish but smart maturity, their intelligence… How he missed Clay… That childhood buddy, that old brother…

After a relieving sigh and after letting his shoulders loosen up, Apollo finally smiled back at everyone.

"All right, let's have fun today," the young man gave up the fight. He wasn't going to win against three anyway, and aside, Mr. Wright might be right. He really needed to put his thoughts toward a new greater direction. This will definitely do well on him.

Not surprisingly, everyone cheered on his final decision before all went for a warm group hug with Apollo in the middle, gasping for air.

Author's note: Yes, Apollo actually has a Calico cat named Mikeko in the AA5 sound drama thing.