Avatar: The Legend of Phoenix
Maya: Fire, Air, Water, Earth. These are the elements that the Avatar controls and will use to set balance to the world. Nick may not see himself as Avatar material but I believe he can save us all.
Edgeworth: Previously on Avatar… An old foe of Wright's named Titanium made his return to the city and left a large path of destruction. Fortunately Wright was able to apprehend Titanium before he could cause anymore damage. Two months later, in honor of his courage, Wright is currently up for the Man of the Year award for all of his hard work as the Avatar making it the first year in quite some time that the award hasn't gone to Richard Granite.
Book II: Earth
Winds of Turnabout
"C'mon, Nick! Your tie isn't even straight!" Maya scolded as she rushed over to help Phoenix with his tie.
"Maya, c'mon, Trucy's going to be late for this demonstration thing she has to attend for science class. It's not like I'm going to go accept the award right now." Phoenix complained.
"Well, you have to look the part!" Maya said as she did the finishing touches on Phoenix's tie. "We can't have the Man of the Year walking around with a sloppy tie."
"If you want I can go grab my hobo hoodie again, I could always wear that." Phoenix joked as he looked at his watch.
"Hey, come on now. No need to be in a rush, we're doing good time!" Maya said.
"I know, I know, I just wanted to meet this guy that's going the demonstration." Phoenix replied as he headed for the door.
"I think you're the only one excited for this, Dad." Trucy commented as she put her hat on.
"When I was in school we never went to any big events like this, Truce. Most we ever did was go to the aquarium."
Phoenix looked over the event pamphlet that Trucy had been given in class. The pamphlet detailed the event in full. It was to be the world's first demonstration of a powerful new energy, aerodynamic fusion, created by the man heading the demonstration; the scientist named Paul Cranston. Cranston was pictured on the pamphlet: he was a man around Phoenix's age who held friendly features on his face that showed him to be the type of man who was easy to get along with, the top of his head was smoothly shaven and on the bottom of his jaw he wore facial hair that matched that of Abraham Lincoln, and his eyes had a slight slant that signified a small portion of Asian heritage.
"I may not be into science much," Apollo commented "But if this 'aerodynamic fusion' works… It's gonna change the world."
"Maybe he should get Man of the Year." Phoenix added looking at the picture of Cranston, finding something oddly familiar about it.
The demonstration was taking place at the city's event center, Sunshine Coliseum, where Apollo unearthed a Borginian cocoon smuggling operation. Today's demonstration was taking place in the main hall, the only room in the hall large enough to fit all of Cranston's equipment for his experiment and allow spectators. The Wright Anything gang walked into the event center only to find a massive crowd waiting for to be allowed into main hall. Phoenix sighed at seeing the massive crowd and worried that his family wasn't going to be able to find seats.
"Check it out Nick, your arch enemy's here." Maya chuckled as she nudged Phoenix's arm and pointed to the crowd.
Phoenix looked at the direction Maya was pointing, expecting to see Edgeworth, however, Maya's joking description was shockingly accurate. Richard Granite stood in the crowd with his usual smug expression. To the public, Granite was a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, Phoenix knew who he really was though. Phoenix knew that Richard Granite was the man who ran all the organized crime in the city, Phoenix knew Richard Granite was an arms dealer who sold high tech weapons to freelance criminals, Phoenix knew that Richard Granite was the second in command of the Equalists. Phoenix never told anyone though, he knew that Granite was far too powerful to take down without solid evidence, something Granite never left.
"Avatar Phoenix." Granite called out as he walked towards the group. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Phoenix stared into Granite's eyes, which at first glance appeared to be kind and trusting, but if one were to take a closer look, one would see the cold hatred that lie behind that mask.
"Mr. Granite, sir." Phoenix replied. "It's a pleasure."
"The pleasure's all mine."
Phoenix and Granite had encountered one another before, it was after Granite had hired a hitman named Johnny Twogunsun to attack Phoenix. Phoenix had gone to get evidence linking him to the assassin… Granite, however, wouldn't have any of it. Granite destroyed whatever Phoenix had collected and threatened that if the Avatar were to ever attempt something like that again that he would kill Trucy. A threat that stopped Phoenix from ever attempting to confront Granite in person again.
Granite looked down at Trucy, who during a field trip to Granite Tower discovered his connection to the Equalists, her discovery was covered up by the Equalist leader Amon.
"I'm assuming you're here for school, am I right?" Granite asked Trucy; who merely nodded in response. "If you all would like, I can get you in before the demonstration starts."
"Oh hey! That's great, right Nick?" Maya responded enthusiastically.
"Y-yeah… It really is… Thank you Mr. Granite but I don't want to impose…" Phoenix declined.
"I insist." Granite smiled. "I really would like to get to know you and your family better, Avatar Phoenix. VIP seating, best in the house."
"Considering this crowd, Mr. Wright, we'd be lucky to actually get seats…" Apollo added.
Phoenix forced a smile and reluctantly accepted Granite's offer.
(Keep your friends close…), Phoenix thought to himself.
Granite smiled and signaled for the group to follow him. Granite walked them down a small hallway that lead to a door. One the group reached the door, Granite pulled a keycard out from his front pocket and swiped it in the electronic lock. The door automatically opened and Granite politely bowed, insisting that his guests go in first. Inside the room were massive pieces of equipment with several blinking buttons.
"E-excuse me!" A gravelly voice stammered "Just how on Earth did you get in here?" Paul Cranston walked out from behind the largest machine in the room, a large dome centered on a mechanical platform. "I'm sorry if I'm coming across as rude, but this machine is very delicate and-"
"They're my guests, Paul." Granite interrupted as he stepped out from behind the group.
"Oh! Mr. Granite, um, I'm sorry but I really don't think they should be back here, it's not safe for them." Cranston insisted. "Just wait for me in the VIP area, I'll be right there shortly." Cranston looked at Phoenix and his group. "It's very nice to meet you all, by the way. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as mean."
Granite escorted his guests to the VIP seating area, which were pretty much front row seats to the action.
"How do you know Paul Cranston, Mr. Granite?" Apollo asked as everyone took their seats.
"Granite Enterprises is providing the funding for Paul," Granite explained "His work is absolutely revolutionary. Funny how one man holds the potential to change the world."
"Sorry about earlier," Cranston said as he walked up to his guests. "I'm just so nervous about today, y'know how it is… You spend your entire life working towards a goal and when the time approaches… It's nerve wracking… Oh! Where are my manners? Hi, I'm Paul. Paul Cranston." Cranston grinned enthusiastically as he extended his hand out.
"Phoenix Wright." Phoenix smiled as he shook Cranston's hand.
"Oh I know who you are, Mr. Wright!" Cranston grinned excitedly. "You'd have to travel pretty dang, pardon my language, far to meet someone who didn't know who you are! May I say that I am so thankful for all you have done for this city, Mr. Wright."
Cranston's excitable energy was rubbing off on Phoenix, almost making him forget just who he was sitting next to.
"You didn't tell me you knew the Avatar, Mr. Granite."
"Haven't you heard, Paul? The Avatar and I are bitter rivals, he's the one taking the Man of the Year award instead of me, this year."
"Wow, Man of the Year, I can't imagine what it would be like to win something like that." Cranston thought aloud.
"You don't need to use your imagination, Paul, after this I see a Nobel Prize in your near future." Granite assured.
"Yeah, that would be something wouldn't it… Ah! My apologies, I forgot to greet your wife and kids, Mr. Wright!" Cranston said as he shook Maya's hand.
"I'm actually just his friend." Maya corrected "But it's a pleasure to meet you anyway."
"Whoops, I just thought that well…" Cranston cleared his throat and moved on shaking Trucy's hand and Apollo's hand. Apollo attempted to correct him as well but Cranston ignored him as he went back to Phoenix. "You know, Mr. Wright, you truly are a role model for so many people out there. So many people had lived their lives believing themselves to be freaks until you came along and changed everything. You gave people hope! You showed us that 'benders' can do amazing things for this world, and I hope that I'll be able to help you in that journey for a better tomorrow." Cranston's age and gravelly voice betrayed his youthful energy. Cranston ran over to his machine, "The Aerodynamic Fusion Reactor, or the A.F.R for short, is my life's work. With it, fossil fuels are a thing of the past! No more ruining our air, no more wars over oil, the A.F.R will provide enough clean energy for an entire city!"
"That's amazing!" Maya exclaimed. "This IS revolutionary!"
"How's it work?" Phoenix inquired.
"Well, it's a lot of boring sciency stuff but basically, I insert the newly discovered element 'erodium'-"
"Courtesy of Granite Enterprises", Granite interrupted.
"The erodium powers the machine and… well, you'll have to see the demonstration if you really want to know." Cranston smiled.
"Say, is it alright if I can get an interview with you for class? It'll give my paper that extra push!" Trucy asked.
"Why of course, little miss." Cranston replied. "I'll make sure to make a beeline for you so that the press doesn't get to me first."
"Alright Paul, it's time to get this show on the road." Granite said as he motioned for the security guard to let the people in already.
The guard nodded and allowed the people to swarm the area and fill the seats in the main hall. Cranston stood center stage, fighting off the butterflies that swarmed his stomach, watching the people pour in to witness his creation. Cranston had worked very hard for this moment to come: this was his life's work and he knew that after this demonstration, everything would change.
"I thank you all for being here today." Cranston said, addressing the audience. "Now, I am certain you all are wondering 'What IS aerodynamic fusion?'. The answer? Revolutionary. I believe the best way explain how it works… is to show you." Cranston pulled a remote out from his pocket and pushed a button that pulled the curtains back and revealed his creation. "As you all are aware of, I recently came out of the closet, so to speak, as a bender. More specifically, an airbender. Why is this important you may ask? Since this is a public demonstration, I'll be managing the massive air current the machine generates to ensure everyone's safety." Cranston summoned a small breeze that rolled a cart towards him. On the cart was a cube, Cranston grabbed the cube and inserted it into a slot on the machine. "Precious erodium, a rare newly discovered element, is what powers the machine. I would like to thank Granite Enterprises for their generous donation." With the erodium inserted, the machine began to form a small sphere of concentrated air in the center of the machine. "I'd like to ask the staff to cut the power to the entire coliseum." At the request of Cranston, the power to all of Sunshine Coliseum was cut, yet nothing changed, the lights were still on and everything was still running. It worked, Cranston's machine was powering the entire Coliseum. "The device is now powering the entire coliseum!" Cranston beamed as the sphere of air began to grow larger. Cranston kept the sphere at bay as it crept out.
"He actually did it." Phoenix muttered as he started clapping, slowly the entire audience began to join in applause for Cranston's discovery.
As Apollo clapped he looked up and noticed the coliseum light's beginning to tilt towards Cranston's machine, like they were being sucked in.
"Umm, Mister Wright." Apollo said, attempting to get Phoenix's attention.
The lights began to grow brighter until the bulbs popped, dropping the broken glass over the audience. The air sphere in the center of the machine suddenly grew to massive proportions, generating hurricane like winds that threatened to suck everyone in. The walls began to crumble apart and the lights were ripped from the ceiling.
"It's just an energy spike, everyone!" Cranston reassured as he struggled to keep his footing and contain the winds. "I'll can handle this!"
"Shut it down, Cranston!" Granite shouted from the audience as he stood up.
"I can take care of this, Mr. Granite!" Cranston replied, frantically trying his best to contain the winds. "I can fix this!"
"You'll kill everyone if you don't stop this!" Granite turned to Phoenix "Shut the machine down by removing the erodium from the reactor, I'll get everyone out safely."
Phoenix didn't want to take orders from Granite of all people, but he knew Granite was right. If this machine wasn't stopped now, it would destroy the entire building and kill everyone inside. Phoenix leapt up on stage, struggling to keep his footing, while Granite evacuated everyone out.
"I'm turning it off, Cranston! The entire building's gonna come down!"
"No!" Cranston shouted as he blasted Phoenix with a gust of air, sending the Avatar flying back.
Phoenix slammed into the floor as he watched the machine grow out of control. Phoenix then decided to take a page from Titanium's book and fix the problem in the simplest way he could; by smashing it. Phoenix ripped a chunk of earth out from the ground and tossed it at the main part of the reactor, smashing the erodium inside of it to bits. Without the erodium to sustain it, the air sphere imploded, destroying the machine and releasing a huge burst of air that slammed Cranston into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Phoenix ran over to Cranston and pulled him out from the rubble, and rushed him to the paramedics waiting outside.
"That maniac could have destroyed the entire city block, if he hadn't been stopped." One civilian commented as Cranston was placed on a stretcher and moved into an ambulance
A day had passed since the incident at Sunshine Coliseum and Cranston sat in his hospital bed, waiting for his doctor to come in. The room was cold, the blankets uncomfortable, and the TV was too small, but most of all, it reeked of failure. Cranston had his one chance at greatness, and he blew it. Cranston's silent reflection was interrupted by his doctor opening the door and coming in. Pulling up a chair, the doctor sat next to Cranston's bed and looked over his charts.
"The police stopped by, Mr. Cranston." The doctor said, still looking at his charts, "They're not filing any charges. They just told me to inform you that Mr. Granite's covering all the damages."
Cranston stayed silent and stared at the doctor's tie, there was a tiny mustard stain on it, most likely left over from his lunch.
"I was looking at your charts, Mr. Cranston, and well… There's a slight chance that you may have minor brain damage…" The doctor explained. Cranston remain silent, still staring at the doctor's tie. "Mr. Cranston?"
"Huh?" Cranston snapped out of his daze and finally looked at the doctor.
"Did you hear me?" The doctor asked.
"Yeah, minor brain damage… You have mustard…" Said Cranston vacantly as he pointed to his own chest, signifying where the stain would be.
"Slight chance," The doctor said as he looked down at his tie. "But we're going to keep you here for a couple of more days until we're certain."
"But I feel fine." Cranston replied.
"You can never be too careful, Mr. Cranston."
Cranston stayed staring at his doctor for a few seconds before smiling.
"Let me see if I follow your logic here, doctor." Said Cranston in an irritated tone. "You're going to keep me here, wasting my time… because I might have slight brain damage?"
"As a precaution." The doctor added.
"Yeaaaah, no." Cranston shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Mr. Cranston, you don't understand." The doctor attempted to speak before Cranston blasted him against the wall with a burst of air.
"No! YOU don't understand! I am fine! There is NOTHING wrong with me!" Cranston shouted angrily.
"Mr. Cranston please… You're not well!" The doctor pleaded.
Cranston didn't listen, instead he blasted the hospital window open and leapt out. Gliding through the sky with his airbending abilities, Cranston made his escape. Finding refuge in the old abandoned warehouse by the harbor, Cranston sat on the floor to rest. Closing his eyes, Cranston hoped that rest would remove the intense pounding he felt on his head. A gentle breeze blew by, granting Cranston peace of mind for a moment. This peace was interrupted, however, as a newspaper being carried along by the breeze slapped Cranston in the face. With a deep sigh, Cranston removed the paper from his face and looked at the headline. "Avatar Saves Sunshine Coliseum: Stops Mad Scientist". Cranston felt tears well up in his eyes, this was how the world saw him! Despite all the hard work he had done to change the world for the better, the world spat in his face in return! His life's work was destroyed and he was seen as a monster. Cranston wanted nothing more than to just lay there and die… Until he realized just what a disservice that would be. The world may have spat in his face but he wouldn't let that stop him; his device was working! It just needed time to stabilize! He had to try again, he needed to rebuild his machine and show the world the promise he held! But he had no funds, Granite wouldn't pay for the machine again, why would he? Cranston couldn't let something as trivial as money stop him, it was then he made the choice; he would just have to take the money.
"Tonight's the night, Nick!" Maya said enthusiastically as she brushed her hair, getting ready for the ceremony. "Or should I say, Man of the Year!"
"Come on, Maya, it's not that big of a deal." Phoenix replied, fixing his tie. Maya merely turned and looked at him with a smirk. Phoenix paused for a moment before laughing, "Yeah, well, I suppose it's a pretty big deal."
"I'm so happy for you, Nick." Maya said. "You're finally getting recognized for all the good you've done."
"Yeah, all it took was me getting superpowers."
"I'm serious, Nick." Maya replied. "After everything you've been through, I'm glad things are finally looking up for you. You're finally getting everything you deserve."
Phoenix smiled warmly at Maya's words as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"You should put on that waistcoat Edgeworth got you for your birthday, Nick." Maya suggested. "It'd look nice."
"Eh, I wear it some other time. I'm already dressed."
"Lazy bum." Maya joked as she walked out the office with Phoenix.
The Man of the Year award ceremony was being held at the Gatewater Hotel and was, as usual for the Gatewater, absolutely luxurious. Phoenix had never seen anything quite so fancy in his life, it was hard to believe that it was all being done in his honor.
"I feel so underdressed." Phoenix stated with his jaw agape.
"At least you have a coat." Apollo retorted.
Phoenix, Apollo, and Trucy all stood awkwardly at the front entrance taking in the sight. Maya, who because of her political connections and was used to such sights, found a table for them to sit at and motioned for the trio to come with her.
The table Maya had found was close to the soundstage the city had put at the front of the room, where Phoenix would accept his reward. Seated at the table already was Miles Edgeworth and… Richard Granite, having a conversation with each other.
(I didn't know Edgeworth and Granite knew each other,) Phoenix thought to himself as he took a seat.
"There's the man of the hour." Edgeworth said as Phoenix took a seat.
"Man of the Year, Edgeworth." Maya corrected as she and the rest of the group sat down.
"So what were you two talking about?" Phoenix pryed.
"Business." Granite stated.
"Don't let us workaholics ruin your night, Wright." Edgeworth stated as he took a sip from his beverage.
The lights in the room dimmed down as the mayor of the city, Thomas J. Haggar, stepped up to the soundstage and grabbed the microphone. Mayor Haggar was a tall man with wide shoulders and a thick moustache.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen," The mayor greeted, his voice rough and scratchy, sounding less like a mayor and more like a professional wrestler. "I thank you all for being here to honor a man who has lived an interesting life. And that's putting it lightly." The audience chuckled. "From solving the long unsolved DL-6 case and SL-9 case, to reworking our court system to be a little more fair. And now, he's a man who constantly reminds us that benders are not people to be feared, not to be treated as different, but to be treated like anyone else." The mayor raised his glass "To Phoenix Wright, the Avatar! The Ace Attorney!"
The entire roomed started to clap for Phoenix, even Edgeworth, who hardly ever clapped for anything. Phoenix smiled modestly as he walked up to the sound stage and accepted his award.
Maya then began to chant "Speech!" as she clapped, soon enough the room began with fill with people clamoring for a speech.
"I didn't think I'd have to, er, well um…" Phoenix cleared his throat as the noise died down. "I never in my life thought I'd ever be honored with something like this." Phoenix said as he looked down at the small gold trophy he had just been awarded. "I feel like I don't deserve this, however… I mean, I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the people around me. I feel this award really belongs to Maya Fey, my best friend who has always stuck by me through thick and thin; to Miles Edgeworth, the man who set me on the path I'm on today and is always someone I can turn to for help; to my daughter, who was my light during my darkest hours; to Apollo, my apprentice who reminded me just what I fought for; to Larry Butz… Well, maybe not Larry…" Phoenix paused. "To Mia Fey; my mentor and friend, and if it wasn't for her teaching then I wouldn't be the man I am today. I saw that this award belongs to them, not me."
Maya wiped a small tear from her eye as she clapped, with the entire room joining her. The applause was cut short by the doors to the Gatewater being blasted open by hurricane-like winds. Cranston, clad in a yellow shirt, a red sweater vest, and red pants, stood at the door and blasted the entire room with powerful gusts that knocked over tables and flung people around the room.
"Edgeworth, Apollo, get Trucy out of…" Maya turned around and only saw Apollo, Granite, and Trucy by her on the floor. "Where'd Edgeworth go?"
"I'm sure he's fine, Miss Fey, but we need to get out of here." Apollo replied as he helped Trucy and Maya off of the floor.
"No one's leaving until I say so!" Cranston shouted as he knocked the three back down onto the floor. "Do not fear, I won't kill anyone. I'm just here to accept some generous donations from the creme de la creme of LA."
"And if we refuse?" One guest replied from the floor.
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to go back on my word." Cranston said he flipped the guest into the air and spun him around inside a small cyclone before slamming him against the wall. Cranston tossed a bag on the floor, "You all have more than enough money, so why not donate it to a good cause."
"Cranston?" Phoenix walked towards the maddened airbender "What are you doing!?"
"Changing the world, Mr. Wright." Cranston replied.
"I don't think so." A familiar voice sounded from above Phoenix.
Amon leapt down from the ceiling and landed a kick square in Cranston's chest, knocking Cranston to the floor. Amon placed his hands on Cranston's forehead and chest and prepared to take Cranston's bending away.
"Amon!" Phoenix shouted as he ran towards Amon to stop him.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on me!" Cranston shouted as he knocked Amon off of him with a strong burst of air, sending the Equalist flying.
Amon flipped through the air and landed on his feet with catlike agility. Amon tossed bolos at Cranston, only for the airbender to blast them right back at him. Amon caught the bolos and placed them back at his side.
"Cranston, this isn't like you!" Phoenix pleaded. "We can talk this out."
"I have nothing to talk about." Cranston replied as he spun the air around in the room and knocked Amon and Phoenix over. Amon, as usual, landed with grace… And Phoenix, as usual, didn't. Cranston then pinned both Amon and Phoenix to the wall with gusts of wind as the ceremony guests filled the bag as Cranston demanded.
Police sirens blasted through the air and approached closer. Hearing this Cranston decided to take whatever money was in the bag and make his escape. The airbender grabbed the bag of money and created a sphere of air that he hopped on and rode out of the building. Finally free from Cranston's hold, Phoenix and Amon immediately ran after him. Their efforts were in vain, Cranston was already long gone.
"Gone." Phoenix muttered as he turned around to confront Amon, however the Equalist leader was nowhere to be found either.
"Neither The Avatar nor Amon could stop me!" Cranston muttered to himself in a crazed fashion as he hobbled around in his new warehouse home. "Both of them! Powerless!" Cranston grabbed hold of his bag of money and tossed it against the wall. "I don't need this! Why should I have to resort to petty theft? I can just go take back what is rightfully mine!" Cranston hovered above the ground, through the hole in the warehouse's roof. Hovering hundreds of feet above the ground, Cranston looked out upon the city and set his sights on the one place where he can find all of his needs, Granite Tower.
Richard Granite opened the door to his darkened office, he had managed to slip away during the commotion and returned to his home away from home.
"I was wondering when you'd get here."
Granite scowled as he recognized the voice.
"You should know better than to come here," Granite growled as he turned the lights in his office on. "Avatar."
"I hope you don't mind but I was looking over the paperwork you had regarding Cranston's work." Phoenix said as he sat in on of Granite's chairs, reading over several papers. "Pretty interesting stuff regarding the rights to the A.F.R. This little tidbit really caught my attention, 'Should anything happen to the creator of the Aerodynamic Fusion Reactor, the rights to use the machine however one may please, would fall to Granite Enterprises.'." Phoenix put the paper down and looked Granite in the eyes. "You tried to make it look like an accident but you weren't counting on me being there to stop Cranston's machine. You tried to kill him so Granite Enterprises could do whatever it wanted to the machine."
Granite noticed that Phoenix had his hand in his coat pocket, fiddling with some sort of object. Granite thrust his hand forward and grabbed Phoenix's arm, pulling it out from his pocket. Phoenix tried to pry his arm free of Granite's grip but it was to no avail, in his hand Phoenix held the magatama. Granite leaned in towards Phoenix, fixing his cold stare on the Avatar.
"I did not sabotage Cranston's machine. I did not try to kill Cranston." Granite spat. "Well, Avatar? See any?"
"N-no," Phoenix muttered "How did you-?"
"Shut up and listen." Granite cut Phoenix off. "I have nothing against 'heroes' but you think you can just come in here and make accusations?" Granite chuckled. "I warned you about what would happen if you ever attempted something like this again." Granite lifted Phoenix by the arm and punched him in the face three times in rapid succession before tossing him to the floor. "I will kill you, I will kill your apprentice, I will kill your prosecutor friend, I will kill you girlfriend…" Granite grabbed Phoenix by the throat and tossed him to the wall. "I will kill your precious DAUGHTER!" Granite placed his foot on Phoenix's chest, "Consider this beating a warning. Next time, it won't be just you lying at my feet." Granite opened the door for Phoenix, "Leave. Leave and remember my words, Avatar."
Phoenix weakly got up from the floor and hobbled out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He wasn't expecting Granite to be so strong. He would have to tread lightly when dealing with Granite, but Phoenix knew that one way or another he'd bring to light the evils of Richard Granite.
Granite walked over to his window and decided to open it to allow a cool breeze inside. As Granite undid the window locks, a powerful wind shattered the window. The wind knocked Granite to the floor and Cranston flew inside the office. Grabbing Granite by the leg, Cranston dangled him out the window.
"Granite Enterprises has several more A. stored away. Give one to me now!" Cranston shouted.
Granite, as calm as ever, looked at Cranston with an amused smirk.
"Or what?" Granite replied.
"Or you'll wind up street pizza, Granite!" Cranston growled.
"Go ahead. Let's say that you do manage to find out where the A. are hidden. Let's say that you manage to get your hands on one." Said Granite as he dangled out the window. "Without erodium you won't be able to do a thing with it. Kill me, and you'll never get your hands on it."
Cranston glared down at Granite.
"Your choice."
Cranston brought Granite back into the office and tossed him on the floor.
"Now we can negotiate." Granite said as he dusted himself off.
"What do I have to do to get you to give me the erodium?" Cranston asked.
Granite sat in his office chair contemplating just what he can have the airbender do for him. Until he smirked in realization, "Kill the Avatar."
Phoenix sat on the office's futon as he held a small ice pack against his cheek, as Maya was talking on her phone.
"Alright, thank you Mystic Ellen." Maya said as she hung up the phone.
"What'd she say?" Phoenix asked from the couch.
"She can't give you an answer." Maya responded. "She says that airbending shouldn't even exist anymore. It was already about gone when bending vanished from the world. Nick, you may very well be dealing with the last airbender."
"Mr. Wright, I talked with Cranston's doctor like you asked me to." Apollo said as he walked in the room with Trucy.
"He says that Mr. Cranston's suffering from slight brain damage." Trucy added.
"They weren't able to run many tests due to him running out on them, but the doctor theorizes that the hit Cranston took to his head damaged the part of his brain that controls aggression." Apollo said as he handed the charts over to Phoenix.
"The doctor know if there's a way to help him?" Phoenix asked.
"He doesn't know, they'd have to take a look at him." Apollo answered.
Phoenix got up from his seat and placed the ice bag down, "Alright, I need to find out what
Cranston's next move is. I'll call Edgeworth and explain the-"
A knock on the door interrupted Phoenix's sentence. Apollo looked out the peephole to see who was knocking, Apollo couldn't see much due to the individual being adorned in a bowler hat and trenchcoat. Just as Apollo turned the knob a powerful force thrust the door open and knocked Apollo across the room.
"Yeah I was wondering if I could talk to the manager." The man said as he threw his trenchcoat and hat to the ground, revealing himself to be Cranston.
"Cranston? Look we can talk this out." Phoenix said as he walked towards the intruder. "What do you want?
"You." Cranston replied as he charged up a blast of air.
"Ok then," Phoenix said as he popped his knuckles. "Let's take this outside."
Phoenix, unwilling to risk the lives of his family, lunged at Cranston and tackled him out the window. Phoenix placed Cranston in a sleeper hold as they plummeted towards the ground. Cranston slowed their descent to a crawl as they fell, causing them both to hit the ground with only enough force to leave a few bruises.
"Alright, now let's talk." Phoenix said as he crawled up from the ground.
"Nothing to talk about." Cranston replied as thrust his fist forward and blasted Phoenix with a powerful gust.
"Sure there is," Said Phoenix as he dodged the blast. "Like 'Why do are you attacking me?' is a good conversation starter."
"Because it's the only way." Cranston replies as he continued to attack Phoenix.
"Cranston, we don't need to fight, you're a good man. We can be reasonable." Phoenix knew that this wasn't who Cranston was, this was all a result of that hit Cranston took to the head, and he needed to find a way to get through to the real Paul Cranston.
"I'm sorry Mr. Wright." Cranston said as he swept Phoenix's feet out from underneath him, knocking the Avatar to the ground "But I have to do this."
"Me too, Mr. Cranston." Phoenix replied from the ground as he thrust forward a pillar of earth from the ground and launched Cranston into the air.
Cranston flipped and spun in the air until he gained control of his momentum and flew down to Phoenix as the police began to show up. Several police officers swarmed the area and attempted to apprehend Cranston with force as he landed. Cranston was able to dodge every bullet fired at him, every attempt to club him with grace. One by one the officers began to fall as Cranston attacked them. Every attempt Phoenix made to intervene was refuted by Cranston. The officers lied unconscious on the floor as Cranston took one of their pistols and held it to the head of one of the policemen.
"I'm done toying around." Cranston growled.
Phoenix glared sternly at Cranston until he replied, "Then so am I." And with a swift kick, Phoenix was able to launch a rock that knocked the gun out of Cranston's hand. Phoenix grabbed Cranston by the collar and planted his feet to the ground to prevent Cranston from knocking him off with a blast of air. "I'm taking you to the police, Cranston."
"I only have one thing to say before you do." Cranston replied.
"And what's that?"
"Sleep." Out of a small device hidden in Cranston's sleeve, a gas sprayed out into the air. With his airbending, Cranston guided it into Phoenix's nostrils. The gas rendered Phoenix's muscles weak and forced him to the ground.
"Say my name." Cranston demanded as he looked down upon his foe.
"Cranston….." Phoenix muttered weakly under the drug's influence.
"You're goddamn right." Cranston growled as he kicked Phoenix in the face and rendered him unconscious.
Every light was blinding. The room spun around uncontrollably. Every sound was shrill and deafening. Phoenix couldn't move his arms, he was bound by chains. As his head stopped pounding he could finally understand what was being said around him.
"You couldn't finish him yourself? Typical…"
"I figured you might want to do it yourself. Teach him a lesson."
"...I suppose that could be fun."
"Our deal?"
"Right. The erodium."
Phoenix opened his eyes and saw just where he was, inside the office of Richard Granite. He watched Cranston; clad in a bowler hat, shades, and a trenchcoat, negociate with Granite. Granite moved a painting to reveal a hidden safe. Entering the proper passcode, Granite opened the safe and gave Cranston a small chunk of erodium.
"I need more." Cranston demanded.
"That's all you're getting." Granite replied as he closed the safe.
"No. It's not." Cranston blasted Granite to the ground and placed a small device on the safe, forcing it open.
"You idiot. Any more erodium and you'll destroy the city." Granite informed.
"I need the machine to be more powerful! Maybe then it'll work!" Cranston shouted back.
"You'll kill us all." Granite leapt at Cranston, only for Cranston to leap out of Granite's window and make his escape.
"Get up, Avatar. I know you can hear me." Granite said as he removed the chains that bound Phoenix.
"Granite… What have you done?" Phoenix asked as he sat up.
"He wants to try his machine again." Granite replied.
"And if this attempt goes bad like the last one…"
"Then the entire city is dead."
"Good going, Granite."
"You need to stop him. He's down at the old harbor." Granite stated.
Phoenix was about to reply until an idea struck him, "No." Phoenix replied.
"Then he'll kill everyone."
"Like you care, Granite. You only want to save your own skin." Phoenix crossed his arms. "Way I see it, a world without you might not be so bad."
"Your family will die too."
This struck Phoenix hard, but he had to keep bluffing. He couldn't risk showing his hand to Granite, so he kept quiet and continued to glare at Granite.
"Well?"
"Promise me that you'll leave them alone. That you'll never threaten any of them again." Phoenix demanded.
"...Very well, I'll never threaten any of them again." Granite chuckled at the irony that he himself was finally being strong armed.
"Good." Phoenix said as he climbed on the edge of the window. "Realize Granite… If you go back on your word. I'm coming after you. Hard." Phoenix leapt out of the window to pursue Cranston.
"Believe me, Avatar." Granite smirked. "I know."
Rain poured down, thunder blared, and lightning lit up the night sky as Phoenix leapt from roof top to roof top. With every leap, Phoenix thrust himself off the ground with a pillar of earth to gain momentum and reach the harbor faster. Phoenix saw the harbor warehouse where he and Amon took down Stone.
(What is it with this warehouse and being some sort of hideout for bad guys?), Phoenix thought to himself as he landed in front of it. Phoenix dug his hands into the concrete that comprised the building's walls and began to climb it. Phoenix made it to the roof. (Judging by the amount of wind blasting out from that dangerously large hole on the roof, I'm going on a limb and that he's already started his machine.)
Just as Phoenix took another step, the roof crumbled apart causing Phoenix to fall through and land right behind Cranston; who was watching his machine run with a large grin on his face. Cranston's grin disappeared as he turned around and saw the Avatar sitting before him.
"Ta-da…" Phoenix grinned sheepishly as he had hoped to make a more dramatic entrance.
"I should've known Granite wouldn't kill you!" Cranston shouted as he picked up a metal pole and swung it at Phoenix.
Phoenix jumped out of the way of the pole, he'd have to worry about Cranston later. The machine had created a small cyclone in its center as it began to rip the warehouse apart. Phoenix rushed to the machine only for Cranston to knock him against the wall.
"No! You're not ruining this moment! Not again!" Cranston shouted as he spun the pole around and blasted a cyclone of air at Phoenix. Phoenix held his ground against the cyclone as it pounded against him.
Phoenix closed his eyes and concentrated. In his mind he saw images of someone who looked very much like Cranston, only he was clad in red and yellow robes, airbend with skill and accuracy. Phoenix studied his movements and began to mimic them. As Phoenix did this the winds being hurled at Phoenix began to weaken as Phoenix started to take control of them. Phoenix condensed all of the air into his palm and thrust it at Cranson, sending the scientist flying. Cranston hit his head on the A.F.R and fell to the ground. Phoenix ran over and used a rock to smash the panel of the A.F.R that held the erodium. However, unlike last time, the A.F.R was not affected.
"You're too late." Cranston said from the floor. "It's already self sustaining. There's no stopping it now."
The cyclone in the A.F.R grew even more massive and ripped the walls out from the building and sucked them in. Phoenix looked over at the machine's readings, the A.F.R was going critical.
"This thing's going to blow!" Phoenix said as he turned to Cranston.
"I really did fail then…" Cranston muttered. "Everything I've ever done… meaningless… My entire life's work, wasted."
Phoenix looked down at Cranston, who gazed upon his machine with sadness and remorse. Everything that man had been working for had been stripped from him, made useless. It was as if everything he had ever done meant nothing. Oddly enough, Phoenix knew the feeling.
"I know how you feel." Phoenix said as he helped Cranston up. "But we have to stop this thing Cranston, or it'll destroy the city."
"I told you, there's no stopping it… Unless…"
"The river?" Phoenix suggested.
"No, not the river… I have to get inside of the cyclone." Cranston said.
"That's insane. You'll be ripped apart." Phoenix replied.
"Not if I control the air currents. If I can disperse enough of the air currents, I can get the machine to power down." Cranston explained.
"I'll do it." Phoenix said as he stepped towards the machine.
"No." Cranston said as he stopped Phoenix. "My machine. My burden."
Cranston walked to his machine as the harbor fell apart, he looked back at Phoenix with an apologetic look, and leapt into the eye of the storm. The machine began to overload as its winds were being blasted out of the cyclone into the night sky. From within, Cranston was being hit with all kinds of debris as he struggled to gain control of his machine. Phoenix noticed a crack form on the floor of the warehouse. His eye's widened as he realized what was about to happen. The entire bridge that the warehouse was planted on was giving out as it moaned and cracked. The floor crumbled apart and the machine was dragged into the ocean with Cranston inside. Phoenix leapt inside the water and swam towards the machine, which had been deactivated, where Cranston's body floated. Phoenix grabbed hold of Cranston's body and used his waterbending abilities to thrust himself and Cranston out of the water to dry land. Phoenix laid Cranston's body on the ground uncertain whether the airbender was dead or alive. Soon enough Cranston began coughing as he regurgitated some water and spat it out. Smiling, Phoenix helped Cranston to his feet.
"Avatar…" Cranston muttered, still coughing. "I cannot apologize enough for my actions."
"I understand, Cranston." Phoenix replied "I understand."
Cranston looked out at the ocean, where his life's work now lay in a watery grave. Phoenix placed his hand on Cranston's shoulder.
"Cranston," Phoenix sighed. "I'm afraid I'll still have to take you in."
Cranston swallowed a lump in his throat, "I-I understand."
"Don't worry, I'll do everything I can for you." Phoenix assured as he flashed his attorney's badge to Cranston.
"The Avatar has apprehended Cranston, I repeat, the Avatar has apprehended Cranston. We are now bringing him into the station for transfer." A voice sounded from the police scanner that lied on Amon's desk right next to his mask inside Amon's pitch black chamber.
Amon reached for the microphone on his desk and spoke into it, "Equalists. Time to mobilize." Amon placed the microphone down and put on his face. The face that benders feared. The face of Amon.