A/N: Here's the next chapter!

First though, please, NO SPOILERS FOR "SPIRIT OF JUSTICE." This story will contain no spoilers, and please don't put any in your review.

That said, I know something here might contradict "Spirit of Justice." That said, it will contradict "Apollo Justice" as well, considering it's an Alternate Universe fic.

Apollo is five here.

Now, ONWARD!

Chapter Two: Magnifi

Five Years Later

Valant shuffled the cards in his hands, watching the young boy in front of him. He, like the rest of the Gramaryes, was dressed in a cloak, trimmed with a card suits motif, and a silk top hat, crimson in color. A green, diamond broach clasped the cloak closed over his left shoulder.

"Alright, Apollo. Watch my hands closely," he said. He deftly shuffled, doing a few tricks, before having Apollo pick a card. Mystified, he carefully pulled one out, jealously holding it close so Valant wouldn't see. The man smiled, leaning closer slightly. "You have to remember it," he said.

"I am!" Apollo replied heatedly, before quickly looking at it. His head then snapped up, the silk hat slipping back slightly, forcing him to quickly reach up and catch it. "Got it!"

"Alright. I'm going to thumb through the deck. Tell me when to stop," Valant said. Apollo nodded, still gripping his card tightly. Valant began, the cards making a sharp slapping noise as each hit the next.

"Stop!" Apollo said with a bounce once he was in the middle of the deck. Valant smiled, holding the bottom of the deck.

"Alright, now place your card on top, face down."

"Alright!" Apollo did as he was told. Valant began shuffling his cards quickly again, before suddenly throwing the cards into the air. Apollo gasped, looking up as he watched after the cards.

"Look under your hat, Apollo," Valant said. Looking at the man in confusion, he pushed his hand up under his hat. His eyes widened as his searching fingers found something sitting on top of his hair, and he pulled it out, turning to see it.

"Was the Ace of Diamonds your card?" Valant asked.

"WOW!" he squealed in his five year old way. "Teach me, Uncle Valant. Please!?" he begged, nearly jumping across the table. Valant laughed heartily at that.

"Alright, as soon as you pick up the cards."

"Okay!" Apollo jumped down and darted around, his red cape flapping behind him, as he picked up the 51 scattered cards, the Ace of Diamonds still sitting on the table. Once they were all collected, Valant got to work teaching Apollo the trick.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" little Apollo called, darting into the head magician's study. Magnifi looked up from his work with a frown, watching the little red ball of energy bounce towards him.

"I want to show you a trick! Uncle Valant taught it to me, and it's a lot of fun, and I think you'll really enjoy it, so can I show it to you, please!?" Apollo asked, all in one big breath. Without waiting for Magnifi's answer, which would have been no, he whipped a deck of cards from under his cloak and shuffled it, before fanning it out and holding it up to the man. "Pick a card! Any card!"

Magnifi rolled his eyes with a frown, but picked a card. Apollo continued to go through the trick, just as Valant had taught him. Of course, being five, he messed up here and there, making Magnifi's patient wear thinner and thinner.

When Apollo threw the cards was when Magnifi snapped.

"STOP!" he roared, surging to his feet. Apollo's little face drained of color as he looked up at his grandfather. "This is ridiculous, boy. I don't know why you bother continuing to try," he growled. "Everyone knows you'll never be a magician."

Tears welled into Apollo's eyes, and he looked at the mess of cards around them.

"B-but…"

"NOW GET OUT!" he roared, sending the little five year old running. Magnifi sighed, sitting again, before feeling something against the top of his head, under his hat. Reaching up, he pulled a card out: The Ace of Clubs.

The card he had originally picked.

He had no idea how or when it got there.

With a scowl of disgust, he threw it into the trash and returned to his work.

"MOMMY!" Apollo cried, ramming his head into the woman's stomach, his arms wrapping around her tightly as he sobbed. Valant and Zak both looked on in surprise, having been talking by talking about their next performance.

"Apollo? Sweetie? What is it?" Thalassa asked, prying her son's arms from around her long enough for her to kneel down to his height. His arms wrapped around her neck, and he sobbed into her shoulder. "Apollo, please, what happened?"

"G-g-grandpa…" he sniffled. Thalassa frowned, having an idea of where this was going. "I… I showed him… a trick Uncle Valant taught me… and… and he… yelled at me! And told me… that everyone knew… I wasn't going to become a magician…" He yanked back, looking up at Thalassa. "That's not true, right!? I'll become a magician, right!? Like you, and Zak, and Uncle Valant! …Right…?"

"Oh sweetie, of course you will!" Thalassa said, pulling the boy close again. You will be one of the best magicians I know. Your grandfather… he's just a cranky old man."

"He doesn't like me… does he…?" Apollo whimpered.

"He… doesn't like a lot of people," Thalassa said. Apollo nodded, his sobs fading into sniffles.

"Thalassa, I'm so sorry, I had no idea this would happen," Valant said softly, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder. Thalassa shook her head at the man, a silent motion of him not to worry about it.

"You know, Apollo," she said, leaning back and tipping the boy's head up. "I would love to see your new trick."

The boy looked at his mother for a moment before wiping his face off on the back of his gloved hand and smiling.

"Okay, Mommy."

A/N: And here we are! Sorry for the rollercoaster of emotions, haha.

I hate Magnifi. Can't you tell?