Chapter 1

Algebra Homework.

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Author's Note: 'Ello. This story has spoilers, I guess, so if you haven't finished Apollo Justice, tread carefully.

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Boing boing.

Apollo busily played with his antennae-like hair in the silent "Wright Anything Agency". Mr. Wright was busy breaking pianos and high spirits alike with unheard of melodies, so he left Apollo in charge of the agency for the day. The sun was high in the sky (a clock on the wall informed Apollo that it was 3:15), bringing uncomfortably hot sunlight into the office. With the sweaty, dull atmosphere, Apollo slouched in the office chair.

Well, business definitely never booms around here.

It had been nearly a month since his last court case, and ever since that time Apollo's wallet felt inescapably lonely. Checking his wallet, Apollo frowned. George Washington frowned back at him in shame.

"Hey, if you think you're bored, just take a look at me, buddy." Apollo snapped at his wallet. Putting his wallet back where it belonged, Apollo reclined in the office chair and set his feet up on the table.

The door flew open.

"Polly, I'm home!"

Surprised by the sudden noise, Apollo flew out of the chair and onto the floor. Picking himself up, he saw a young girl sit down on the couch with a frighteningly large book bag strapped to her back. Scratching his head, Apollo sat down in the couch opposing her. "Hey Trucy. Back from school?"

Smiling with glee, she nodded. "Yep! On top of that, I have some other stuff, too." Twiddling with his hair again, Apollo asked, uninterested, "Oh really, and what would that be?"

Reaching into her backpack, Trucy unveiled the largest book that Apollo had ever laid eyes upon. Showing its cover to him, he examined the title. "Intermediate Algebra…?" Nodding, Trucy slammed it down onto the coffee table. "Exactly! I have a lot of homework due tomorrow, and you need to help me with it."

Stuffing his face into a pillow, Apollo mumbled something inaudible. He put his hands into the air, making a shape resembling an X. Trucy pouted. "Polly, you have to help me! I have a big test tomorrow, and my teacher assigned almost a hundred problems from the book. This is bigger than actually getting a client!"

Apollo sat back up. "Trucy, I haven't been to school for almost a year now. Do you have any idea of what a relief it's been not to look at a textbook in that long?" Not going to take no for an answer, Trucy got up from her couch. "I'm sure it's wonderful, Polly. Just look at it this way: it'll be nostalgic to think back on your textbook memories!"

Those are memories best left untouched, Apollo thought.

Sitting down next to him, Trucy opened up her math book. Apollo sighed before looking at the book. The top of the page that Trucy had open read "Polynomial Equations", and numbers and X's littered the page. Thinking to himself for well over a minute, Apollo finally concluded, "I'm a lawyer, not a mathematician, Trucy."

"Oh come on, it can't be that hard!"

"Is that so? Then do you mind telling me what you're supposed to do?"

In an almost confident manner, Trucy bluntly replied, "I don't know; that's why you're helping me!"

Apollo felt his antennae-hair droop.

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"Well, it says here that you take out this X and put it over here…"

"What? No! If you did that, these numbers would be completely out of place, Polly!"

"No, you just have to put parenthesis around these numbers and you'll have your equation."

"But that still doesn't explain what X is…"

"Patience!" Apollo snapped. Flipping to the back of the book, he looked at a sample problem listed in the back. With that being their only guide, even the first problem proved itself to be troublesome.

"So, what do you do after that?" Trucy complained. Reading the rest of the sample, Apollo returned to their objective problem. "Well, it says that you're supposed to factor these out," He wrote down the numbers on the page, "and then set them equal to zero. That… that should do it."

Trucy sat up and looked at Apollo's handiwork. "Really? That's it?"

Double-checking the paper, he slowly nodded. "Uh, I guess. That's all that's written in the sample problem."

Laughing, Trucy hugged Apollo for his accomplishment. "Yay, Polly! You did it!" Blushing slightly, Apollo scratched his head. "Well, it wasn't that hard. It just took a little bit of time, that's all." Picking up the textbook again, Trucy quickly frowned. "But we still have, like, a hundred more to do."

Checking the clock, Apollo shrugged. "Oh well, we have time. Math don't scare me!" Whooping for joy, Trucy prepared the next problem.

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"…But if you factor by that, you'll be left with a decimal! Nobody likes decimals, Polly!"

"But you can't continue with the problem unless you do. Maybe it's just one of those answers with an infinity of numbers."

"What, you mean like pi?"

"Huh? What in the world to pies have to do with this?"

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"Hey kiddos, you've been at that for way too long. I'm closing office soon." Phoenix stood by the doorway, holding onto the light switch. The clock on the wall blatantly announced that it was eleven o'clock, and the only dinner that the "kids" had touched was a pair of Hot Pockets.

"But Daddy, we only have ten more to go!" Trucy protested.

"Yeah, Mr. Wright. We've come so far, and you want us to just stop?"

Shaking his head, Phoenix began flicking the lights on and off. "Well, it's gotten pretty late. I can't just let Trucy stay up…" He quit flicking the switch and left it on. "But education definitely is a must."

Trucy grinned. "Thanks, Daddy!"

"But, I'd better see you back home by twelve o'clock. Apollo, don't let her walk home by herself, now." Apollo nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Closing the door behind him, Phoenix chuckled. "Man, they're cracking at that thing like it's a brand new videogame…"

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Trucy never came home. Phoenix was mildly worried about his daughter, but he knew that Apollo had to be with her, so that eased away a portion of his anxiety. Having taken his bicycle to the agency, Phoenix turned his key in the door, when he realized that the door was already unlocked. Slowly pushing it open, he entered to see both his daughter and apprentice safe, and in a way, rather content.

Snuggled together on the couch, the duo had fallen asleep in the middle of their homework raid. Trucy had her textbook cradled in her arms, while Apollo had a pen in his hand.

Shaking his head and smirking, Phoenix sat down at his desk. As he settled into his chair, his eyes widened. At first giggling to himself, Phoenix started to laugh at the sight before him.

In heavy marker, the current date stated in Trucy's handwriting:

"First day of Spring Break! No school for a week!"

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Author's Note: Rawr. Spring break can jump up on ya' like a bitch. No, Trucy didn't do it on purpose just to spend some time with Apollo. She just forgot, because that's the Trucy way of life.