Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the characters of Phoenix Wright ace attorney, just little Autmn and the plot.
Hedgehog havoc of a turnabout
It was a regular Thursday morning in Japanifornia.
The early forenoon air was crisp and it was oddly refreshing.
The legendary Ace attorney, Phoenix Wright, exhaled heavily as he carried a big load of brown paper bags which were basically stuffed in his arms as he lumbered along the pavement which lined the side of the road, his sleek-shooed feet slowly stomping against the concrete he walked on with his famous, slick, jet black, sleeked-back bristled hair through the morning breeze which only an Autumns day could provide.
It had become a routine for him to go early morning shopping, even if it meant going out at the crack of dawn when the sunlight was just peaking over the horizon to greet the new day.
He had always found this to be a very tiring task but he always persevered as he had to do this to keep his beloved Wright anything agency up and running with what little budget they had in the first place.
Besides, doing this would always make his spirit soar like a bird gliding gracefully across the sky.
Phoenix used to take his adopted daughter, Trucy, with him on his early morning outings but, since she became fifteen years of age, she had been more interested in sleeping to try her best to get some beauty sleep so she could fulfil her dream of becoming the worlds best magician...and he couldn't be prouder.
Phoenix was finding it hard to carry the load and even had to take the occasional rest to stretch his aching arms and legs since the load was so heavy; this was one of those rests.
He eased his backside into the seat of a nearby bench while he placed all the big paper bags down on the seat beside him and let a smile paste itself on his lips as he felt the rather chilly morning breeze caress his face, even brushing a few loose strands of deep hair as well as brushing against his spiky hair. He loved feeling the wind embrace him as it made him feel like those he had lost had found him and decided to give him some encouragement; it made his heart feel all warm and cozy, it was the sensation one would get if they were bundled up inside a snugly blanket in front of an open fire.
Rubbish littered the streets and were being kicked up by the wind along with a few stray autumn leaves of an assortment of many different colours, a few discarded bits of rolled up/crumpled paper, a few squished or dented (or even both) tin cans, plastic bottles and the occasional scrap of cardboard.
Perhaps they spilled out of the bin?
The warmth of the fiery rays of morning sunlight came to embrace her as well as the wind, making him feel even more content in the world he was born into.
Phoenix could swear that all the aches in his ageing limbs were being washed away by this sense of glorious relief that the sunlight had managed to spread across his as it warmed his initially chilling skin. He supposed that, even though he was hitting his mid thirties, his legs were starting to grow awful creaky.
Soaking in the soft honey-coloured beams of sunlight, the lawyer opened his deep blue eyes and smiled just a bit more as he stood up again and went to go and deliver the bags he had meant to be delivering to the office before it opened up to not only the public in need of some good defence, but also the employees: Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice, along with his daughter.
He had to get back before his protégés arrived for work.
Phoenix went to pick up his bags but stiffened whence a small sound had refocused his attention to a very dark and shady-looking house beside him.
And what an old house it was...
It looked to be a cottage of some kind but, whoever had owned it, must not have been back for quite some time judging by the fact that the garden was in dire need of some trimming. It was overrun with overgrown weeds and unused vegetation, after all. The walls of the small house were covered in white paint which had been peeled, chipped and faded due to old age, there were no windows to be seen and the roof looked like it could collapse at any moment —that wasn't even the strangest thing!
Without much warning, the silhouette of a human being opened the door and looked long and hard at the man in blue.
Due to how dark it was inside (no thanks to the lack of windows) the lawyer couldn't make out a single feature about this woman except for the fact that the colours of her eyes were mismatched, it was sort of creepy.
The lawyer stood and gawked as discreetly as possible with the bags bundled in his arms, trying not to draw attention to himself.
Yet he couldn't explain it because it felt as though he was being beckoned inside.
Placing his bags slowly and tentatively down on the ground, Phoenix swallowed nervously. Something about this situation gave him goosebumps as he felt this feeling of unease settle in the pit of his stomach and the palms of his hands became soaked with sweat. He tried to think positive, though. Maybe this person was just shy and didn't get out of her house often? Perhaps she just needed a bit of assistance with something? The possibilities circled around and around in his mind as he pondered on this.
The hairs on the back of Phoenix's neck stood on end as he licked his dry lips.
He felt this growing urge to run away but kept his feet glued to the ground, normally he wouldn't care about manners like this but he didn't wish to be rude. He decided to make light of the situation and strike up a conversation with the person clearly spying on him and watching his every move.
"Ummm...Hello? Can I help you with something? I am a lawyer after-!"
The lawyer's question was cut off when the figure suddenly vanished back into her house. Her door shut with a loud slam that could have easily knocked the whole house down into a huge pile of rubble, it was something that almost made the spiky-haired attorney jump right out of his skin as he winced at the painfully loud noise. He could even hear the person whom was previously staring at him screaming and cursing from the inside of the house as he seemed to have been rummaging around for something.
He finished his previous sentence in a low mumble, "...All..."
When Phoenix managed to recover from the shock he just received, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. His heart was racing and he couldn't help but shudder (wether that was the cold or the fright he felt, he had no clue). He reached up and scratched the back of his neck with nervous embarrassment as he tried to figure out what he just witnessed.
"Well...that was something you don't see everyday." He muttered, bluntly.
He stared at the front door of the dilapidated house with his wiry brows furrowed with blatant suspicion. He just didn't —he couldn't— understand. Something about what just happened gave him a strange sensation deep down in his gut but he didn't know why. This was just a person in a house (albeit a strange person) but why did everything about both that person and this crumbling, faded, run-down house send massive red flags flashing in his mind?
It both puzzled and annoyed him greatly.
A long, few, tense moments dragged on by until a sudden chill brushed passed him as the autumn breeze started to intensify.
For some reason that urge to run away intensified all of a sudden but then he froze the second when he felt a sharp sting hit him straight in the side of his neck, whatever it was felt quite painful and he instinctively reached up to touch the side of his neck. He glanced over his left shoulder and quickly saw that mysterious man with a dart gun, he even slammed the door just as Phoenix caught a glimpse of him. He resumed his search for the object and very soon grabbed the mysterious object dart that shot at him much like a bullet.
He studied the dart carefully and he couldn't help but be confused.
Phoenix felt a bit woozy all of a sudden. He felt his legs become shaky and weak as he stumbled about on the spot whilst he reacted to this as his shoulders bunched up and he felt his skin grow chilled as a freezing cold sweat swept across his face, his vision started to sway from left to right and everything started to steadily darken and then fade.
"Wh-Whaaa...?" He slurred, his tongue flopping about numbly inside his mouth.
He still felt unsteady on his feet as he tried to walk back in the direction of the agency, or somewhere where someone could help him before he passed out! The spiky-haired lawyer felt his muscles tighten up and squeeze and his body started to heat up severely, he was most likely spiking a high temperature, but he still was covered in a fine sheen of freezing cold sweat.
He was confused.
What was going on?
What was happening to him?
He caught a quick glimpse down at his hands and found, to his pure horror, that claws were starting to sprout out of his fingers and bluish-gray hair sprouting from his body. The palms of his hands were starting to become pudgy and plump as they raised up to create what looked like soft, little paw pads. He felt his stomach clench with mortification as bile of sick raised and bubbled up in his throat.
He could barely comprehend what was going on...!
Phoenix continued to struggle and stagger around in his dazed state and his mind screamed at him to try and call an ambulance or someone to help him or something. But he knew full well that he wouldn't be able to do neither since he knew that he was about to keel over any minute now. His mind felt as though it was filled with cotton balls and his body started to become limp as he suddenly started to feel his vision go black.
The last thing he could see was the floor rushing up to meet him.
A/N: This is probably one of my strangest fic ideas yet but I hope to fill this fic with as much Ace attorney spirit as possible. I hope you guys enjoy this fic and I'll make it an inbetweenie chapter fic so it probably won't be a saga but it won't be limited to two chapters either, like a One-shot or something.
Anyways, on another note, its NINE DAYS UNTIL XMAS!
I am REALLY excited!
See you guys soon and stay tuned for more!
-Chloemcg