Turnabout for Better, Turnabout for Worse

Chapter 1

Thursday, March 20, 10:30 am, Wright & Co. Offices

The air was damp from the gray clouds that were preventing the healthy film of light that always seemed to shine upon the Wright & Co. building. A young man with spiky black hair leaned casually against the window, looking out at the busy street from inside. He held a cellphone to his ear. But not for long.

"NIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!"

"…H…hey, Maya," the defense attorney managed to respond, his right ear ringing. He gingerly brought the phone back to his ear. "How're you—"

"It's been so long!! I thought you had forgotten about me!!"

Phoenix smiled grimly to himself. It had been a while, alright. Enough to make Maya's voice ten times louder than he remembered it being. "I think it's only been a few weeks since I last called…" he replied, checking the Steel Samurai calendar on his desk. "As always, you seem to have forgotten about that pesky thing known as timekeeping."

"Well, can you blame me?! Being away from the office for over 3 months—which, in other words, means 'being away from the real world'—takes its toll! I can hardly even remember what a hamburger tastes like anymore…" she sniffed audibly. "You should come visit me…"

"… and bring a hamburger with me," finished Phoenix. "is what you were going to say." He picked up a pile of papers and clicked a pen open.

"How could you," Maya sniffed louder. "You're taunting me with that concept. But I know you must be too busy."

Phoenix tapped the pen to his temple and sighed. It was true. Ever since last year, the number of clients asking for his services had been increasing. While it was somewhat reassuring to know that he was actually getting better at his job, he was also too often exhausted, and felt like he was appearing in court much more as a result. Even the various judges and prosecutors of his new district seemed to be getting friendly with him, offering him hot drinks during the recesses, which was indeed, very scary.

"I think I could make some time…" he said slowly. " I actually finished a case yesterday—"

"HOLD IT!" Maya roared gleefully, while Phoenix winced. "Nick! Did you win?!"

"Well, yeah…" Phoenix shrugged, thought quickly and pulled the phone away from his ear. Just in time. "Weeeee! I knew it!" came the faint cheer from the receiver.

"But that also means that hopefully, no one will call me today," Phoenix finished, after making sure Maya was done screeching. "And since it's a weekend, I think maybe I might be able to take the weekend off too…"

"Then you should come visit! Although…" Maya stopped to think. "It might be a bad weekend to come… I start another training program today that lasts for three days. I won't even be around to eat my hambu—I mean, see you."

"You could have mentioned that first… you know, before you said that I should come," Phoenix replied sourly. This was Maya's way—act first, think later.

"Sorry, Nick," she mumbled guiltily. "Oh, I know! I'll come visit you!"

"But—" Phoenix started. "Are you sure? You need to be around for your training, and—"

"No buts! Oh no, my instructor's coming! Gotta go! Get ready, Nick! Pearly and I will be coming in three days—"

The phone clicked off. Phoenix sighed and hung up his own phone. This was also Maya's way—act first, deal with the consequences later. He smiled to himself. It would be nice to see her and Pearly, her little sweetheart cousin. And of course, they would go out to the hamburger joint, and toast to her late, beloved sister and his eternal mentor, Mia Fey. It was something they did together, on a regular basis.

Rearranging the papers in his hand, his thoughts traveled to the events of the past year. He had met so many new people, and taken on many interesting cases. Cases that he never thought he would be dealing with… certainly not the kinds of cases he had learned about in law school. He had learned a lot there, but of course, as with most professions, he had learned the most in the field. He had taken cases dealing with a variety of subjects, but surprisingly most often, with murder.

The murder of models, actors and actresses, siblings, significant others, clients, friends, enemies… he had dealt with and seen them all. Many of them had been painful, and all of them had certainly been stressful. If there was one thing he had learned so far from his three years of lawyerdom, it was that no murder case could be taken too seriously.

Dealing with murder cases for three years, however, caused him to rethink things. While it was rewarding to help those in life-threatening need, he did need a break from the fast lane. So, a few months ago, he had moved to another district. It wasn't the same as having Gumshoe trailing after you like a lost puppy, or pinning the usual "OBJECTION!" on Winston Payne, but still… after closing the Fey case for good last year, he needed a rest from it all. Thus, he had been doing theft cases—at most—for a few months. It was nice… yet…

He shook his head a little and concentrated on the papers in front of him. He shouldn't be thinking this much about it—after all, today was almost a day off for him. All he had to do was finish the paperwork on the last case he had been working on. Studying the papers, he absentmindedly reached for his mug of Godot Blend #17.

RRRRRING!!!!

He nearly jumped as his office phone rang. Out of habit, he began to reach for it, but stopped himself an inch away from the receiver. Maybe… he shouldn't answer it today.

RRRRRING!!!!

He tugged nervously at his already loose tie. Should he? Another client meant one more meal on his table, but it also could potentially open a world of trouble for him and his sanity.

RRRRRING!!!!

He reached for it again. His hand was on the receiver when he heard Maya's cheerful voice ringing in his head. "We'll come in three days…"

He shook his head and folded his arms. Too bad for this client… they'll have to find someone else. He needed to take this weekend off.

RRRRING—"Hello, you've reached the office of Wright & Co. We are sorry--- we are not able to take your call at this time, but if you leave your name and contact information, we'll be sure to contact you back. Thank you."

Phoenix looked at his files again, trying to block the answering machine noises from his hearing. After hearing the first few words, however, he found that he could not. "H-hell—o, Mister Phoenix Wright. My name is Diamond, and I am calling to possibly request your services in a case."

Phoenix stared at the answering machine. Was this for real? This girl sounded really young—WAY too young to know what a law office even was.

"The case is a murder case," she started, "And the trial is tomorrow morning."

Alarm bells went off in Phoenix's head. Danger, Will Robinson. Murder case… you swore off murder cases for a while. Don't listen. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else. Puppies. Pretty Pink Princess. Uh… Tres Bien lunch special…? But nothing came to mind and stuck. He listened, miserably.

"I… I know you're a famous lawyer," came the voice again. Phoenix shrank a little in his chair. He had heard that tone of voice before—it was the same tone of voice that his clients used on the cases that he tended to accept. Nooooo, he thought, morosely. It's going to be my day off. Day off. Day off… He took the pillow that he had handy by his desk-- ONLY to support his back, of course—and tried to cover his head with it.

However, the little girl's soft voice seemed to gaze into his very soul. "You really might be too busy, but I don't know what else to do," said the girl, plaintively. "I don't think the government will do a good job in court, and my sister… my sister isn't a criminal. I—I don't want her to die."

Phoenix slowly pulled the pillow from his head. Sisters, huh.

"She won't ask anyone for help. She even tried to put the guilty sentence on herself a couple times, but they kept telling her to wait until tomorrow. She won't listen to me, or any of my big brothers. Please," the girl was obviously crying a little now. "Please… help us…help—"

Phoenix sighed and picked up the phone. "Hello, Diamond," he replied. "Can you tell me more about the case?"


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Thanks for reading. Chapter 2 to come.

References to the game. When a valid point is brought up, or a point needs to be presented or pressed, the most famous phrases shouted are "Objection!", "Take that!", or "Hold it!" If you haven't played this game yet, PLAY IT!!!

Godot Blend #17. Another reference to the game—a character named Godot is well-known for drinking exorbitant amounts of coffee. He also roasts his own beans and brews at home, creating these special blends known as "Godot Blend # --."