The jet cut through the sky at a leisurely pace. Flying above the few clouds that lingered above the vast ocean, the white plane seemed to drift listlessly, knowing where it was going but not in any hurry to reach it. Along the side of the craft, emblazoned in sleek black and gold lettering, a logo read: "ANGELMARKER INDUSTRIES".
Inside, Phoenix Wright brought a wine glass to his lips, gently sipping the purple fluid it contained. He sat reclined on a couch, his characteristic blue suit standing out in strange contrast to the cabin's mostly white and black interior. Across from him, in two small chairs and across a table from one another, sat two individuals he had once called rivals. A chessboard sat on the table, the pieces locked in combat.
"You know, Wright, when I asked if you wanted a drink, I expected you'd want something fancier than grape juice."
The distinguished voice floated across the room, almost drowned out by the constant noise of the aircraft. An older gentleman clad in a crimson suit and white cravat looked up briefly through his glasses, and away from the chess game to take a sip of red liquid from his own wine glass. Miles Edgeworth's glass, however, contained actual wine.
"Let the fool drink how he pleases," came another voice, much more cutting than Edgeworth's. "If Mr. Phoenix Wright wants to drink a child's beverage, then so much the better. More wine for us." Without looking up, Franziska von Karma used a gloved hand to move one of her pieces. Her glass of white wine sat on the table, half empty.
"Check," she said, a small grin forming at the sides of her mouth. From across the room, Phoenix looked at the daughter of one of the most evil men he'd ever helped put behind bars. She's grown into a lovely young woman, he reflected. To think, all those years ago, she was out for my blood.
"You don't know what you're missing, Franziska," Phoenix remarked. "Grape juice is the perfect thing for a cushy flight like this. Remind me to go on vacation with you guys more often. I can barely afford Eldoon's after a trial, and yet you guys get all this!" Phoenix waved his arms around to indicate the rather plush accommodations.
"I admit that being a prosecutor comes with rather… unique benefits," Edgeworth said, nonchalantly moving one of his chess pieces. "Though it did strike me as odd that the CEO of AngelMarker would pay for all of this just to meet us. I hadn't even heard of his company before last month. Which forces me to remind you, Wright, this is a business trip. Not a vacation. Check."
"Aw, come on Edgeworth. Lighten up. Can't we call it a… business vacation? I've read all about this island, and Trucy says it's one of the hottest tourist spots on this side of the world. Beaches, forest trails, lots of places to stop in the city? What's waiting there is certainly much better than those dusty tomes that always wait for us when we go to Europe."
It was Franziska who answered. "I'm not interested in such trivialities. Interpol has been very interested in the CEO, Rhiod Marker. I'm sure you've heard the rumors, those ludicrous stories circulating. And Interpol seems to think that man is at the center of it. I'm on this trip as a means to an end. Check."
Edgeworth stifled a laugh. "And I'm the one that needs to lighten up. But Franziska does have a point. I'm not sure I entirely trust everything he said. It all seems so strange, especially in light of those rumors. Check."
Phoenix shook his head. "Come on, you two. For once, can't we take something at face value? We were able to work together to acquit one of his top employees. Ms. Helen Back was one of our nicest clients at the agency. Why is it so hard to believe he'd want to thank us?"
"Because," spoke Franziska, "this is too much of a reward for simply investigating on behalf of one of his employees. If it was his progeny, sure, but an employee? If all Mr. Marker wanted to do was thank us, he could have done so over the phone, or by video calling. Instead, he offers an all-expense paid weeklong stay at a hotel on the beach? The clues are there, Mr. Phoenix Wright. But you never were one for paying attention to clues. Check."
"You know, you can just call me by my first name," Phoenix remarked. "It's been more than seven years, and we certainly aren't in court right now."
"I don't know, Wright. I think such a formal title suits you. Especially now that you're the head of your own law office. With two disciples now, you're no longer the greenhorn I fought in court all those years ago." Edgeworth grinned. He had learned to enjoy teasing his old friend. He moved his hand one more time. "Checkmate."
"What foolishness is this?!" Franziska exclaimed, gripping the table and beginning to scour the board. "Y-You're lying! You haven't won yet, Miles Edgeworth!"
As she frantically looked for an escape from the certain defeat her opponent had set up for her, the sudden sound of a door slamming open rung through the small cabin. Standing in a red suit with hair spiked high, Apollo Justice stood underneath the door's archway. He was nervously fiddling with his bracelet, and a look of shock adorned his face.
"Uh, boss? We've got a slight situation."
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff!"
The sound of a woman screaming was so shrill, Phoenix was forced to cover his ears as he followed Apollo into the adjoining cabin. There, the remaining members of his law office – now termed the Wright Anything Agency – sat in a circle on comfortable looking couches. Athena was violently shaking her hand in the air, creating a blur. Her necklace, Widget, glowed a darkened blue. Across from her sat Phoenix's daughter, Trucy, clad in her usual magician attire. Trucy had her fists balled up, and, arms in the air, was staring at Athena with a serious expression.
"Athena…" she said. "I got one too. I don't think that's going to help. Besides, it's got a weird warm feeling to it. I'm not so sure it's a bad thing."
Phoenix almost immediately moved to his daughter's side, his face a mix of concern and confusion. "What's going on?"
Athena looked up at Phoenix, ceasing to shake her hand. Widget suddenly turned from the dark blue to a glowing yellow.
"Heh… hey, boss! What brings you around these parts?" Athena said, trying to sound way more convincingly normal than she could truly pull off.
"Apollo said something happened," he replied, face turning more serious.
"Haha, no, not at all! Apollo, that prankster! Everything's fine here, boss!" Athena smiled at Phoenix, not so subtly hiding her right hand behind her back.
Nearby, Apollo lowered his forehead into his open hand. "Thena, you know lying to Mr. Wright won't do any good. Just show him." Athena groaned.
"Fine," she said, lowering her head. "But you have to promise not to laugh."
With that, she lifted out her hand from behind her back, showing the backside of it to the room at large. Phoenix's eyebrows narrowed. Pulsating with a soft violet light, a strange mark that resembled a tattoo shone brightly from the middle of her hand. It resembled a spoked wheel, but looked far more arcane. The spokes extended beyond the wheel's edge, some narrowed into points while others seemed to flare out into what looked like wings. Athena lowered her head.
"I'm confused," Phoenix said, staring at the purple mark. "You decided to get some weird new tattoo?"
"No, Daddy!" Trucy exclaimed, hugging tightly onto Phoenix's arm. "It just appeared! Like out of thin air!"
"Kind of like when Trucy does her magical chipmunk out of a hat trick," Apollo added, trying to suppress a grin.
"Yeah! But this isn't magic! I mean, it has to be magic but it's like magic magic, definitely not like magic, you know? Look, I got one too!" It wasn't long before Trucy had let go of her father and pulled off her right hand's glove, revealing an identical mark that glowed a bright orange. "It kind of tickles."
Phoenix reflexively reached into his pocket, laying his fingers upon a smooth stone. His Magatama. He felt his chest tighten.
"And you, Apollo?" he asked, not exactly knowing how to address the situation at hand.
"I've seemed to be lucky enough to avoid strange tattoos from nowhere," Apollo replied coolly. He lifted up his right hand to begin fiddling with his bracelet on his left wrist. "See? No crazy OH MY GOD!"
Sure enough, a green symbol, identical to the others, had now made itself apparent on Apollo's right hand.
"Wow, Polly! That certainly wasn't there a second ago! Maybe the secrets of magic ARE inside you! You could join my troupe yet!"
Apollo looked shocked. All he could do was stammer out "N…not now, Trucy."
Phoenix gripped his magatama. This was magic, he was sure of it. He'd been through some crazy things in his life, and he'd spent enough time around Maya and the Fey clan to know that not everything had an explanation rooted entirely in worldly logic.
"It does feel warm," Athena said, gently touching her mark with her other hand. "I'm sure it's nothing to freak out about, right boss?"
Apollo continued Athena's thought. "It's gotta be just some trick or prank, right? Yeah, there's no reason to be worried, it's probably just a hologram, like Widget."
A small, mechanical voice piped in. "I'm not just a hologram! I'm Widget!" Athena cheeks turned ever so slightly red with embarrassment. "Sorry to freak out, boss. We'll be fine, really!"
A voice coming over the intercom broke the tension. "Attention passengers, we have hit some unexpected turbulence. Please find your way to a seat and fasten your seat belts."
Phoenix swallowed. "I… we shouldn't be so hasty to make conclusions. Maya will be waiting for us on the island. As a spirit medium, she'll probably know something about this we don't. Until then, I don't think there's a whole lot we can do."
"Will… will you stay in this cabin with us, Daddy?"
He looked down at his young daughter, giving her a slight hug. "Of course, sweetie."