Felix awoke earlier than expected, before the sun had even begun to rise. Yawning, he sat up and looked at the clock. "Only four in the morning…" He sleepily dragged his legs off the bed and hung them over the side. "I should probably get up and look at the notes before the trial begins…"

As he stood up, he stretched and walked over to the desk in his room. Turning on his lamp, he sat down on the chair and opened the folder that contained all the trial notes. As he was looking over the notes, he heard his phone ring. "This is Felix."

"Wright, I hear you've taken the Lacy Hall case. Is that correct?"

It's the same caller as before… "Yeah, I did. I assume since you're calling the case really is a part of the 'Blades'?"

"That is correct. However, this one isn't going to be as straightforward as last time, nor will it be as easy. The 'witnesses' will already be pawns of them, and will do anything to keep themselves from an…untimely death."

"So in other words, even if I catch them in a lie, they won't be willing to admit it and will instead keep fighting?"

"You are again correct, and they've already been spoon-fed credible lies. In order to break through this barrier, you have to use something else to your advantage: Lacy's connection with the victim."

"I heard from Lacy that she worked at the agency because she was worried about him. Her ex, his son, had been put into prison. On top of that, his credibility in the legal world had been slipping, not really getting any clients. That's why she stayed even without getting paid."

"That's exactly what you should be using. That connection right there is the key to the entire case. I have to disconnect before anyone grows suspicious. Focus on that throughout the trial, and you will win, even with all the witnesses being against you."

The line went dead as Felix sighed, putting his phone down. Focus on the connection huh? But what else can there be that can get me a not-guilty verdict?

"Sounds like you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament."

Felix turned around and saw Phoenix standing in the doorway. "I was on my way to make sure you were up preparing for the case when I heard you talking on the phone."

Felix looked away and nodded. "Yeah, there's a lot more to this case than meets the eye, and I want to find the truth behind it all. The problem is, this case would test even you, much less a rookie attorney like me. I'm just not sure if I can win this trial or not, especially with Melinda being the prosecutor."

Phoenix chuckled. "Then think of it as a challenge to be overcome. You loved to do puzzles as a kid, the harder the better. You loved the challenge of solving them. Use this to your advantage, and remember, think outside the box. Don't limit yourself to linear questions, but the whole picture."

Phoenix walked away from the room, leaving Felix alone with his thoughts. Look at the whole picture…

Phoenix walked back to the bed where Maya was still sleeping, as he got back in and under the covers, he heard her groan. "Nick, where were you?"

"Oh, you were up? Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you."

"That's alright…but…where were you?"

"Had to make sure Felix was up and ready for the trial. This is the first time he's not going to have me there with him in the courtroom, so I figured I'd give him some advice. From the looks of it, he's gotten himself a pretty…complicated case."

"I see…" Maya mumbled as she rolled over, facing away from Phoenix. "I hope he does well…" She said as she drifted back off to sleep. Phoenix smiled at Maya and stared at the ceiling. To be honest with myself, I would have wanted to go with Felix myself, helping him along with this case. However, he needs to overcome this obstacle by himself. If not, he'll never be a great attorney.

Felix walked into the defendant's lobby, now wide awake, and sat down on a bench. Opening his briefcase, he gave his notes one last quick read. Okay, I'm as prepared as I'm ever going to be. Now, I just have to wait to see how much information Melinda has that she'll present in the trial.

Felix felt his stomach turn in knots as he put the notes back in his briefcase. It's alright, I've been through a trial before, so I know what I'm getting myself into…everything will be alright. He thought to himself as he looked up at the ceiling.

He heard the door to the lobby open, seeing a guard usher Lacy into the room. She immediately spotted Felix and grinned slightly. "Good morning Mr. Wright."

"G-good morning Lacy. Did you manage to sleep well last night?"

Lacy shrugged. "As great as any person would considering the circumstances. What about you?"

Felix nodded. "Yeah, I did. I've gone over your case file multiple times so I'm familiar with the background and basic facts about it. Now we just have to wait for what Melinda presents in court."

"Melinda?"

"Oh, that's right you don't know. Melinda Edgeworth is your prosecutor, and a childhood friend of mine. She's not going to be lenient when prosecuting. The fact she's taken your case also shows she firmly believes you're guilty."

"Oh…I see…"

Lacy looked a bit dejected. Felix put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, she may be a good prosecutor, but I'm a better defense attorney. I promise you I'll find the truth behind this and get you a not-guilty verdict."

Lacy forced a smile. "Thanks…Mr. Wright."

As Felix sat back down on the bench, he had to try to collect his thoughts. Why did I just say that? Melinda is obviously better than me right now, more experienced too. No, I have to maintain confidence in myself, for my client's sake.

As he made sure his briefcase was locked and secured, he heard the door to the courtroom open. "Mr. Wright, the trial is about to start. Please make your way into the courtroom."

Felix nodded and turned back to Lacy. "Don't worry, by the end of the day, you'll be a free woman again."

Lacy smiled and nodded. "I'm counting on you. Good luck."

Felix walked into the courtroom and to the defense attorney's desk. Setting his briefcase down, he looked across the room, spotting Melinda across from him. Before he could do anything else, he spotted the judge walk into the room and sit down. Alright, here we go!