All of the Ace Attorney characters belong to Capcom, not me. I only own Rebecca and a few others

Chapter 7

A/N: Hi guys, since I'm feeling much better now and I've been able to get a huge chunk of my homework done, I thought I'd update a bit earlier this time. Hopefully it will make up for my crappy update schedule for the past few chapters. So...enjoy!

Over the next few months, Phoenix and I built up quite a strong bond as I, along with Mia, taught him all that I knew about defending. The important assets that I passed on to him included how to correctly cross examine a lying witness, how to outwit the prosecution, get the judge on your side and, probably the most vital one of all, how to correctly stand and hold his arm when pointing and yelling 'Objection!'. It was a lot of fun and luckily, Phoenix seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.

Oh, and the Office Prank Squad? It's doing pretty well if I do say do myself. 7 successful pranks and Mia didn't suspect a thing about Phoenix being involved. And that's how I wanted it to be; I didn't want him to be blamed or even fired for my misdeeds and trickery, it wouldn't be fair on the poor guy.

Even though his involvement was secret, I could tell that Phoenix had a lot of fun when devising pranks with me. It was extremely relieving to me that he was enjoying my company; I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't so fun loving and open towards me. And I had to admit, the feeling was mutual. I'd have assumed that he would have become some kind of burden or annoyance as time went on but it was entirely the opposite. I really enjoyed being around him and never want to stop having a laugh with him in the office.

On the other hand, I was extremely determined to make him into the best defence attorney I possibly could, just as the Chief had done for me. Even though I didn't have a perfect win record like many of the more famous lawyers in the district, I always tried every possibility and did everything in my power to get a defendant an acquittal. I didn't particularly care for winning; that wasn't my main goal. I just desired that feeling of satisfaction with my efforts, that I had done all that I could for whoever I was defending. And that's exactly what I wanted for Phoenix.

I trained him up, teaching him everything that I knew about being a well rounded, decent attorney and the Chief built up on that, improving on sections of defending that she held more knowledge on than I did. Together, we moulded him into the greatest lawyer possible within our capabilities and readied him for his first proper trial; that fateful day where he would sink or swim, when we would either win or fail.

And that day came sooner than I had expected.

We had recently received a case for murder, nothing really special, and were told to defend some guy called Larry Butz, which Mia quickly took charge of as usual. However Phoenix objected this time and insisted that he took the case since the defendant was one of his oldest friends. He seemed really determined to take the task on and, after deciding that he was ready for it, Mia handed the case over to him, much to my surprise.

(Wow, she must really trust him if she's letting him take a case on this soon. I sure hope he's ready for this.)

In the few days leading up to the trial, I went over all that I had taught Phoenix, making doubly sure that he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. I just didn't want him to fail and give himself a bad name after only one trial. Luckily, he did seem to know everything and have a clear grasp on his intentions which reassured me massively.

(Thank god he knows what he's doing. I can rest a little easier now. Well, I suppose even if he didn't, I could help him; I will be up there on the bench with him after all.)

At a rookie's first trial, they needed to take a fellow attorney into court with them to stand at the bench alongside them and assist if necessary. I had already consulted the Chief in advance and we had both agreed that I would be the one to accompany Phoenix into his first trial.

Even now, I remembered my own first trial really vividly, pointing at the witness or prosecution and screaming 'Objection!' at the top of my lungs. That feeling of adrenaline when you outwit someone so much that they break down into tears and start bawling or pull their hair out or hurl a series of curses in your direction. That was my first trial in a nutshell, my first victory; and the Chief was right by my side though it all. It was...quite an experience.

But still, it was a daunting thought, knowing that the roles would be reversed and I would be the one helping as opposed to being helped. I didn't really know what to think but I wanted to believe that I'd do a good job. And even though I was brimming with nerves, I was still pretty excited; I would finally be able to act as a proper mentor to Phoenix after all.

(I'm probably more nervous than he is. Oh come on Bec, pull yourself together!) I reassured myself the day before the trial was to be held, shaking my head vigorously to clear it of negative thoughts.

(It'll be easy, all you have to do is stand up there next to Phoenix and help him out a bit if it looks like he's struggling. No problems.) I quickly nodded to myself, satisfied with that thought and continued working.

However, the next day wasn't going to go as I had expected. Unbeknownst to me, fate wasn't going to let me be a mentor to Phoenix for this trial after all.

A/N: Sorry for the really short chapter guys, I hope it's still good for you. Okay, we all know what happens at the trial, right? Or do we? With Rebecca there, anything could happen! You'll just have to see in the next chapter. See you then!

Gaby :)