A.N: We got a Western port of DGS 1&2, so I had to write something about it! This short oneshot is actually spoiler-free for the DGS duology, though there are spoilers for the rest of the series (as well as the Professor Layton crossover). It's nothing amazing, but I do hope you like it nonetheless.
"Phone's ringing, Boss!"
Phoenix sighed. His chair was comfy, and he hated having to stand up to pick up the phone, especially with his back being what it was now. Whoever was calling better have something interesting to tell him. And if they were calling on the office's line, it probably meant that it wasn't a friend, so they would need an even better reason.
In the end, he did stand up and went to get the phone, passing by Athena, who was working on the paperwork of her latest case. It had been three months since the Sprocket case and wedding now, and since then, the Wright Anything Agency had been pretty calm, all things considered.
And Phoenix started to miss Apollo terribly. Trucy did, too.
He grabbed the phone and took the call. "Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix Wright speaking."
"Mr. Wright? I hope I am not disturbing you."
"Hm… No, you're not, but…" That voice sounds familiar, but… I can't seem to remember whose voice it actually is… "Apologies, but who am I talking to?"
"Ah, I should have known you probably would not recall my voice," the man on the other line said. "It has been quite a few years now, after all. This is Professor Hershel Layton, Mr. Wright."
Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise. Athena looked over to him with a funny look on her face, watching her boss's expression morph in a second.
"P-Professor Layton! W-We haven't heard from you in years!" Talk about someone I didn't expect to hear from… Phoenix thought, going back to sit on his chair. "How are you, Professor?"
"Oh, I am quite okay, Mr. Wright, thank you," Layton replied calmly and politely. "I am sincerely sorry we were not able to stay in touch after our adventure in Labyrinthia. I tried calling you, but I understand why you did not answer."
Right, I think he did call me… Phoenix recalled; feeling bad for the poor Professor. "I… I'm sorry, Professor. Things weren't easy for me after Maya and I went back to America, and I've been so busy ever since everything's gone back to normal. Still, I should have picked up. Sorry…"
"It is alright, Mr. Wright. I read what happened to you in the newspapers. I did not believe it for a second, however," Layton assured him, and he definitely sounded honest. "But enough about unhappy memories, Mr. Wright. It happens that I have called you for a specific reason."
"A specific reason, you say?" Please, not a puzzle…
"Correct. A most interesting investigation had to be led in London's famous court recently, the Old Bailey, and I happened to discover some information you would probably be interested in, Mr. Wright," the Professor told him. "After a more thorough search, I managed to compile a file which I would like you to read. However, it deals with… sensitive information, and I cannot simply send it to you in the mail."
"Oh." I guess I'm not taking any cases for a while longer… "I take it you would like me to come to England to consult it?"
"If you would, yes," Layton confirmed. "It is not urgent, of course, but at your earliest convenience would be best."
In the end, Phoenix's earliest convenience was two weeks later. The Professor had definitely caught his interest, though he left the precise contents of the documents he wanted Phoenix to consult vague. All that Phoenix knew was that it was related to him.
The defense attorney wondered how in the world documents related to him could be in London because apart from his short time there on the Legal League of Attorneys Exchange, he had never been there.
"So, what do you think this is all about, Daddy?"
Oh, and Layton had also asked him to bring Trucy along for the ride. The second he had heard Phoenix mention his daughter, he had suggested she be there with him.
"I… I don't really know, Truce," Phoenix admitted, dragging his suitcase behind him. "I guess we'll have to meet the Professor to find out."
"Yeah, you're right, Daddy," Trucy agreed, dragging her own suitcase, filled to the brim with magic tricks. "So, what's this Professor Layton like? And how did you even meet him? You're not English, as far as I know."
"I'm definitely not English, but I went to England once with Maya for work," he explained, feeling the memories flood him. "It was pretty soon before I was disbarred and when I adopted you. I'll tell you the whole story once we meet the Professor, alright? As for Professor Layton himself… well, he's a true gentleman with impeccable manners. He specialized in solving puzzles and cases Scotland Yard cannot solve on their own. He's quite a brilliant man."
"Puzzles? Like cases?"
Phoenix shrugged. "I guess you could put it that way. I'm not an expert of everything he did, though."
Trucy nodded in understanding. The two Wrights exited the airport and found themselves in the crowded streets of London.
"Wow, this might be even more crowded than home!" Trucy stated, gaping at the sight. "This city's huge!"
"Well, it is the largest city in Europe," Phoenix reasoned. "I don't know if it's bigger than Los Angeles, but it's still the capital city of England."
"And what's this building over there, Daddy?" the magician asked, pointing to a tall building in the sky. "Is it some sort of clock?"
"That's Big Ben, Truce. Probably the most famous monument in London," he explained as they walked in the streets. People gave them a funny look when they saw Trucy's magician hat, but they didn't mind them. "I'm sure the Professor will want to bring you there if we visit the city."
Trucy smiled, visibly looking forward to it. Phoenix pulled out his phone, where the Professor had sent him the directions to the Old Bailey, London's most famous court of law.
That his name had popped up in a court of law, Phoenix wasn't surprised. That it had popped up in a court of law on the other side of the Atlantic, however, was a whole different story.
Well, I guess the only way to find out is to meet Professor Layton and have him explain… Old Bailey, whatever you have to show me, here I come!
"Phew, we should have taken the London Underground if we'd known it would be so far away…" Phoenix said, panting as they entered the halls of the Old Bailey. "I'm too old for this…"
"Oh, you're not so old yet, Daddy!" Trucy told him with a smile. "At least, you can't be as old as Aunt Maya claims you are."
"I guess you're right about that, yeah," he conceded, chuckling. "Now, where's the Professor…?"
"Over here, Mr. Wright!"
Both father and daughter looked at the end of the hall and noticed a man's figure waving at them, and moreover that, a characteristic top hat.
Phoenix laughed. "I guess Professor Layton's equivalent of my blue suit is his top hat. You following me, Truce?"
"Yep, right behind you, Daddy!"
The two Wrights walked to the end of the corridor and met Professor Hershel Layton standing there, harboring a friendly smile on his face.
"Good afternoon, Professor. It's good to see you again," Phoenix greeted.
"It certainly is, Mr. Wright," Layton replied before turning to Trucy. "Good day to you too, young Miss. My name is Hershel Layton, Professor of Archaeology at Gressenheller University. It is my pleasure to meet you."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Layton!" Trucy greeted back, smiling cheerfully at the man. "My name is Trucy Wright, and I am my Daddy's daughter and a magician!"
Suddenly, something popped out of under Trucy's cloak, surprising the Professor and forcing him to take a step back.
"Good day to you, sir! I am Mr. Hat!"
Phoenix sweatdropped. "This… is one of Trucy's many tricks. Her silk hat isn't yet as popular as your top hat, Professor, but it might soon be. Trucy's biological parents were magicians, and her skills are impressive."
"Well, I'd be happy to learn more about your stock and trade, Ms. Wright. Now, you are probably wondering why I did you the discourtesy of calling you here all the way from America, am I wrong?"
"It was no discourtesy, Professor. A break from time to time can't hurt, you know?" Phoenix told him, and both Trucy and Layton seemed to agree. "But I'll admit you aroused my curiosity, yes. Your explanation was rather vague."
"Ah, my apologies, Mr. Wright. I just did not want to ruin the surprise, you could say," Layton said, chuckling. "The archives are this way. If you would follow me, I will show you."
"These are the archives, where you'll find the files related to all the cases that were ever tried in the Old Bailey," the Professor explained as the group of three walked through the dusty rows of files and folders. "Some date back a few centuries, and the files I want you to see are dated from the beginning of the twentieth century."
"The beginning of the twentieth century…?" Hm, I definitely wasn't born back then, as old as Maya claims I am… "I'm afraid I don't see how this is related to me, Professor."
"Of course, Mr. Wright. I understand it would not be so evident, but it is actually quite simple. Take a look."
The Professor stopped in front of a shelf and grabbed a folder, the largest there was. It was remarkably dust-free, which showed that Layton had opened it recently.
"These are the files related to a defense attorney who marked the history of the Old Bailey, Ryunosuke Naruhodo," he said, giving the file to Phoenix. "This attorney, Mr. Wright… was your great-great-grandfather."
"W-WHAAAAT?!" N-No way! "Y-You're kidding, Professor!"
"No, I'm not, Mr. Wright. This man is also Ms. Wright's great-great-great-grandfather as a result," Layton assured them, his serious expression showing that he wasn't joking. "Your ancestor was a renowned defense attorney in London more than a hundred years ago. I have compiled every piece of information I could find about Ryunosuke Naruhodo in this folder. You're free to look through it as long as you want. It cannot leave the archives, however."
What the hell… One of my ancestors was a defense attorney already…? Phoenix and Trucy exchanged a look of surprise. "Thank you. I definitely will take a long, hard look at this file…" Could this be simply a coincidence…? "Let's see…"
Feeling a burst of both excitement and nervousness, Phoenix carefully opened the file and read the title on the front page: "The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles."
The End.
A.N: I hope you liked it! I just thought it would be fun to see how Phoenix would react to learning that one of his ancestors worked as a defense attorney too. Please leave a review, and I hope you all have a nice day! :)