Turnabout Mario Sunshine
By: OathToOblivion
Day 1 ~ Investigation
August 26, 6:00 PM
Delfino Courthouse Entrance
Delfino Plaza
[Delfino Plaza]
Stepping out of the Courthouse, the first thing Phoenix and Apollo noticed was that Mario was being dragged off to what passed for a Detention Center around here. Namely, a regular old jail cell on the other side of the Plaza. The second thing was that it was really dark for 6 PM on a tropical island.
Phoenix looked up at the sun. It didn't hurt to look at it at all. "Okay, really is dark. Better check the Gate first thing," he murmured.
"A moment, Mr. Wright," F.L.U.D.D. interjected.
Phoenix turned to the sentient water pack, who was currently strapped to Apollo's back. (Oh right. I almost forgot F.L.U.D.D. was here.)
Flashback
"Wait, you want us to take F.L.U.D.D.?" Phoenix asked Mario. It was right after Bowser Jr. had left. Princess Peach had also left, not wanting to worry Toadsworth needlessly.
"Yeah. Mario's in-a jail longer than normal this-a time. Some-a-body needs to clean the island up while I'm-a stuck," Mario explained, unhooking the yellow water-pack's strap from his waist.
(Guess that makes sense...) Phoenix thought.
"As he is red, I shall go with Mr. Justice. Registering temporary user data," F.L.U.D.D. droned.
"Hold on! What kind of selection criteria is that?!" Apollo sweated.
End Flashback
"While you are continuing your investigation, it may be best to also gather as many of the Shine Sprites as we can. To that end, I propose that Mr. Justice and I should go looking for the Shine Sprites that are presently hiding in the Plaza," F.L.U.D.D. suggested.
"Hm...what do you think, Apollo?" Phoenix questioned. After all, he was the water-pack's temporary user at the moment.
Apollo thought about it for a bit, before nodding. "Yeah. Best way to mess with the vandal is to fix the mess he's made. Only, I don't know how to use you, F.L.U.D.D.," he said sheepishly.
(...You probably could have phrased that better, 'Pollo.)
"Affirmative. Loading user instructions. May I suggest that you head to where the Grand Pianta statue is? We must clean that out before going after any Shine Sprites," F.L.U.D.D. explained.
"Got it. Good luck, Mr. Wright. Sorry I can't help with the investigation," Apollo apologized.
"It's fine, Apollo. Just get going," Phoenix said. He understood that cleaning the Plaza up was something they had to do, for the sake of everyone really.
"Alright. See ya later, Mr. Wright," Apollo said, before walking off. "So, how do you work exactly?"
"Simple. Use the R Button to shoot water from my tank..." And just like that, they were gone.
Phoenix sighed. (Looks like I'm on my own for now,) he thought. He then noticed a nearby lad-I mean, stepladder that was going up to a slightly elevated area of the plaza. Climbing up it, Phoenix found himself almost directly in front of the Shine Gate. And just as he had thought...
...It was completely dark.
"That's what I thought," he muttered to himself. "The prosecution wouldn't have forged evidence so blatantly. That picture had to be real. But that raises another question. The area around the Gate should be lit up, because Mario already rescued a Shine Sprite. So why is it still dark?" He had a feeling the true culprit had something to do with it, but right now he needed to get more clues.
Right before he could do that, he heard a familiar voice. "Hey, pal! I thought I'd find you around here!"
Turning around, Phoenix saw exactly who he expected to see. "Hey, Detective Gumshoe," he greeted.
[Dick Gumshoe ~ I Can Do It When It Counts, Pal!]
"Heya, pal!" Dick Gumshoe greeted with a dopey grin. "Betcha didn't expect to see me here, huh?" he laughed.
"Actually, I didn't. What are you doing here, Detective?" Phoenix questioned.
"That's a pretty interesting story! So, apparently Delfino Law Enforcement can't be trusted, see? So Mr. Edgeworth personally sent me to help with the investigation!" Gumshoe said proudly.
(Edgeworth...you're always helping out. Note to self, treat him to dinner next time I see him.)
"Well, there's no one else I'd rather see at a crime scene," Phoenix admitted.
(Detective Badd scares me, Ema tends not to do her job properly while I'm around, and I never get a chance to meet the real Fulbright.)
"Anyway, I gotta tell you, pal, I can't see someone like Mario doing something like this," Gumshoe said, looking slightly confused. "I mean, he's a hero! ...And a gaming icon! Even I've heard of him!"
"Yeah. Today in court, Apollo and I proved that somebody attacked a certain son of Bowser's and stole something that he had stolen. The end result was that the person who attacked him was the one who graffitied the island. And it can't have been Mario, because he doesn't normally attack people out of nowhere," Phoenix summarized.
"'Apollo'? Oh, right, one of your junior partners. Mr...Whoizit, right?" Gumshoe guessed.
"Justice. Apollo Justice."
"Right, that! Anyway, pal, it's weird seeing you with junior partners! I remember meeting you as a hopeless rookie flying by the seat of your pants, after all!" Gumshoe laughed.
(...I take back what I said about preferring you. Where's Ema when you need her?)
"So, where to, pal?" Gumshoe asked.
"? What do you mean? Aren't you going to undergo your investigation?" Phoenix questioned.
"Nah, pal, Mr. Edgeworth said to stick with you. Something about how you always find something completely ludicrous, or something like that," Gumshoe remembered.
(...I'm not going to treat you to dinner anymore either, Edgeworth.)
"I...see. Well, the Island's pretty big. We'd need to ask people about the culprit, so...let's go into the marketplace first," Phoenix decided.
"Roger that, pal!" Gumshoe saluted.
[Apollo Justice ~ I'm Fine!]
"Wait, WHAT?! You can't be serious!" Apollo yelled in disbelief.
"I am incapable of being anything else, Mr. Justice," F.L.U.D.D. said dryly. "Should I repeat the instructions?"
"NO! Just...I seriously need to submerge myself just to fill your tank?" Apollo questioned, sweating.
"Affirmative. Query: Why is this giving you so much emotional distress?" F.L.U.D.D. asked, out of curiosity.
"Because I'm wearing my suit! If I dip myself in water, it'll be ruined!" the red-wearing lawyer pointed out!
"...Are you not a Looper? Surely you must have countless copies of this suit?" the water-pack questioned. It was a fair question to be sure. Apollo had hundreds of copies of his suit in his Pocket.
"Well, yeah, but this is my good one!" Apollo rebutted.
"...I have no response to that. Why do you not simply change out of your suit?" F.L.U.D.D. questioned.
"...Oh, right," Apollo realized sheepishly. A short while later, after ducking into a bathroom stall, he had switched to his street clothes; a white shirt, red jacket, and jeans. As soon as he walked out, he immediately walked back in to swap the jeans for shorts because of where they were.
"Okay then, I'm set! I don't really care if these get wet," he noted, walking towards where the Grand Pianta statue was supposed to be. As he entered Bianco Square, he noticed the giant, brown octopus-shaped Graffiti all over the place.
"That is the Graffiti we must deal with first. Any further activity cannot be concluded until this is cleaned up. This is an occurrence 78.49% of the time during a baseline Loop," F.L.U.D.D. reported.
"Right. How exactly should I deal with it?" Apollo questioned, finger on his forehead as per usual.
"I would advise cutting a path through to the center mass above the statue itself. Taking it out will erase the rest of the graffiti 96.65% of the time," F.L.U.D.D. advised.
"All right," Apollo nodded.
(To use F.L.U.D.D., hold the R button on its right handle, then start pumping the handles. Should be a piece of cake. I just hope my arms don't get tired.)
And so, he started. It was easy enough, Apollo decided, cutting a path to the undulating mass in the center. Then, he stopped in his tracks and aimed directly at it, spraying it with water. It reacted violently at that, and what looked like the head of a Piranha Plant emerged from it!
[VS Polluted Piranha Plant]
"WOAH!" Apollo reacted in shock.
"Do not be alarmed. It is harmless. Simply spray water into its mouth three times in order to eradicate it," F.L.U.D.D. stated.
"Okay then..." Apollo muttered. And true to F.L.U.D.D.'s word, the Polluted Piranha was harmless. All it did was sway back and forth, opening and closing its mouth in a pattern. Apollo sprayed water into it, but while it did react to it, it didn't do anything else. However, after he did it a second time...
"NRAAAAOOOOHHH!" the Polluted Piranha growled. And then it did something completely unexpected. The center mass got up, grew four spindly legs, and started scuttling away.
"HUH?!" Apollo reacted in shock.
"How curious. They have never done that before," F.L.U.D.D. noted.
"W-We gotta go after it!" Apollo declared, recovering from the shock of seeing the thing just get up and walk away.
"Affirmative. I would advise switching to my Turbo Nozzle," F.L.U.D.D. agreed.
(To switch Nozzles, hit the X Button on the left handle!) Apollo remembered. He proceeded to do so. The first hit switched to the Hover Nozzle. Hitting it again summoned the Rocket Nozzle. But the last hit switched to the Turbo Nozzle at last.
"Wait, this thing lets me go at high speed, right? I'm not going to get hurt, right?" Apollo realized, sweating profusely at the thought.
"Do not be alarmed. Although you do not have Mario's durability, the Professor has augmented me with parts from Intelligent Devices. Your clothes are currently augmented into a Barrier Jacket. You will not be injured," F.L.U.D.D. assured him.
"OK! As Mario would say, here we go!" Apollo declared. He started pumping up and running forward, and then the force of the Nozzle started up, causing him to jet forward!
"WOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
[Pursuit ~ Never Let Up! (Never Let Up! - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team)]
As Apollo sped after the Polluted Piranha, he began to feel slightly nauseous. Lawyers are not meant to run as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog, after all. This was way out of his paygrade, Looping or not!
(Why the hell did I agree to this again?! This is INSANE!)
And it proceeded to get more insane when the Polluted Piranha decided that running over the Plaza wasn't good enough for it, and started running out into the ocean!
Apollo was flabbergasted. "I thought you said they were weak to water!" he called out over his back, challenging what F.L.U.D.D. had said.
"They are supposed to be! I do not understand what is different about this one yet! At any rate, you must follow after it!" the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device declared.
"But-!"
"It will be fine! As long as we run over the water, I will run perpetually! You need not fear drowning!" the now-water booster reassured him.
"...OKAY! I'M APOLLO JUSTICE, AND I'M FIIIINNNNE!" Apollo screamed, before leaping off the ever oncoming pier into the water. Sure to F.L.U.D.D.'s words, the moment he touched the water, the force from F.L.U.D.D.'s watery-exhaust propelled him forward on top of the water.
However, the Polluted Piranha noticed this, and was not pleased. It took aim at the accelerating Apollo, and fired a ball of Goop directly at him!
"WOAH!" Apollo yelled, before side-stepping out of the way.
"Polluted Piranhas typically do not exhibit such behavior! The changed identity of the perpetrator is likely to blame!" F.L.U.D.D. called out.
"How do we deal with this thing then?!" Apollo demanded, dodging another Goop ball.
"I have not yet finished my analysis! However, its movement suggests that it is heading for the Airstrip! Keep after it, and do not get hit!" F.L.U.D.D. ordered.
"Easier said than done when I'm constantly going forward!" Apollo argued, jumping over the next Goop ball.
The Polluted Piranha roared out, then fired out a horizontal spread of 5 shots. Apollo was forced to steer around the entire barrage, losing distance from the Graffiti Monster.
"It's no good! We're losing it!" Apollo swore, before redoubling his efforts to run after it. It didn't take too kindly, and started firing off more Goop balls, but in a way that there was always a gap to clear the way. Apollo slowly gained on it, as the Airstrip came closer and closer.
"...Analysis complete!" F.L.U.D.D. suddenly declared. "Mr. Justice, you must run up in front of one of its legs, then use the back blast from my exhaust to damage it!"
"Of course!" Apollo realized. If he took out the legs, the whole thing would fall apart.
He started pumping faster at that point, picking up speed and racing in front of one of the legs. He got up right in front of the left rear leg. Its goop gradually started reacting, before the leg began dissolving!
The Polluted Piranha started convulsing in pain, before it collapsed over its three remaining legs. Apollo immediately dashed out of the way, and skidded to a halt on the pavement of the Delfino Airstrip.
[Victory ~ Boss Defeated! (Victory Fanfare: Bowser (Jr.) - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS)]
"Phew! We did it!" Apollo cheered faintly, before falling onto his rear. He was exhausted after all of that. As he took in deep breaths, he saw the Polluted Piranha dissolve away in the water, before vanishing entirely.
"With that accomplished, Bianco Square will be completely clean. The way to Bianco Hills has also opened, and we can begin retrieving the Shine Sprites hidden in Delfino Plaza," F.L.U.D.D. announced.
"Yeah..." Apollo sighed. More work to do then.
(But why was it headed here for the Airstrip? It had to have some reason...even if it was a Goop Monster! I hope Mr. Wright's investigation turned up something...)
"I'm tellin' ya, pal! I know what I saw!" Detective Gumshoe argued as he and Phoenix walked through Delfino Plaza.
"I'm not saying you're lying, Detective! All I'm saying is that I didn't see this giant Piranha Plant skipping on the water that you said you saw," Phoenix pointed out.
"How could you miss something like that?!"
"I don't have eyes in the back of my head, you know!"
Gumshoe scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess. All that, and nobody knew anything about the guy who did it at all. They said he looked like Mario, and could jump like him, but..."
"But Bowser Jr.'s Shadow Mario bandanna grants whoever wears it Mario's abilities. It's still not enough," Phoenix surmised.
"At this rate, we'd need to prove that Shadow guy was vandalizing the place right now," Gumshoe sighed.
Just then, they rounded the corner into Bianco Square. Phoenix blinked at seeing the place clean. "Looks like Apollo's been busy," he mused. Just then, a familiar sound rang out.
"Hey, Nick!"
Turning around, Phoenix and Detective Gumshoe saw a familiar pair of cousins in spirit medium uniforms run up to them from the other side of the Square. Phoenix's eyes lit up. "Maya! Pearls!"
[Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001 (Cadenza ver.)]
"Heya, Nick! Betcha didn't expect to see us here!" Maya Fey greeted as she skidded to a halt. The 27-year-old Kurain Channeling Master looked no worse for wear regarding the running she had just done, and the look in her eyes told Phoenix that she was Awake. The Ping she sent out right afterwards was also a dead giveaway.
"Yeah, I was kinda surprised," Phoenix admitted. "Nice to see you, Maya. You too, Pearls."
"Thank you, Mr. Nick," 17-year-old Pearl Fey bowed in gratitude. It was then she noticed the other person standing there. "Oh! Hello, Mr. Scruffy Detective!" she greeted.
"Oh yeah, hey, Detective Gumshoe!" Maya said, just noticing the Detective.
"Heya, pals! Been a while!" Gumshoe laughed. It had actually been a while in-Loop. None of them had seen each other for a few months.
"So, what are you girls doing here, Maya?" Phoenix wondered.
"We're on vacation, duh! I thought I sent you a letter, Nick, or is your old man brain finally going?" Maya teased.
"You wish...Wait, you're here on vacation?" Phoenix realized.
Detective Gumshoe had the same thought. "Hey, pal, you don't think-?"
"They might. Maya, Pearls, do either of you know about the recent strings of vandalism that have been going on?" Phoenix questioned.
"Ugh, tell me about it! We've been here for about two weeks, and it's been a whole mess! How'd they even lose the sun?!" Maya complained, shaking a fist up at the sky.
(! Two weeks, huh?)
"Mr. Nick, is it true that Mario is really behind all of this? I just can't believe that he'd do something like that..." Pearl said in confusion.
Phoenix shook his head. "He didn't, Pearls. I can guarantee it. That's why Detective Gumshoe and I are here, actually. Mario got arrested right as he and Princess Toadstool got here for their own vacation, but Delfino Law Enforcement...isn't exactly the best in the world." (And that's putting it mildly!)
"So, we're here to do some investigating. Apollo's here too, but he's currently trying to clean the island up and get the sun back," he summarized.
"Well, good on Polly! Hope he does it!" Maya cheered, before something occurred to her. "Speaking of, Pearly and I actually met Mario a couple of weeks ago," she remembered.
"Really?" Phoenix blinked. "What happened?"
"It was right before we left for the airport to come here. Some of Bowser's troops attacked Kurain. Apparently, they wanted Mystic Maya's power to augment the Koopa Troop's," Pearl recollected.
(Wait, WHAT?! How come I didn't hear about this?!)
"WHAAAT?! You're joking, right, pal?!" Detective Gumshoe asked in shock. Pearl's silent shake of the head was enough to deny it, though.
"As if I'd give it to them! Well, like they were expecting me to, anyway. I was fully prepared to kick their butts with my awesome ninja skills!" Maya declared, striking a pose.
(The sad thing is, she's not exaggerating anymore...)
"But then, WHAMO! Mario came in and kicked all of them to the curb so hard they went crying away!" Maya said in a frenzy of poses, including Mario's signature jumping pose.
"W-When was this, pal?! I don't know what we can do about it, but Mr. Edgeworth should know about this!" Gumshoe spluttered.
"It was exactly 15 days ago, at around 2:30 PM...Oh! Here, Mr. Nick! We took a picture!" Pearl remembered, handing the two males a photograph. In it was Pearl, Mario, and Maya, in that order in front of Kurain's gate. Maya had one foot on a defeated Koopa Troopa's shell, and was making a victory sign. Mario's signature was also scrawled on the photo, and there was a timestamp in the upper right, telling them that it had been taken on August 11 at 2:33 PM.
Autographed Photo added to the Court Record
"Thanks, Pearls. This might actually come in handy," Phoenix thanked.
"You're welcome, Mr. Nick," Pearl said with a smile. Just then, her watch beeped. Looking at it, she gasped in surprise as she noticed the time. "Oh no! Mystic Maya, we're going to miss the train to the hotel if we don't hurry!" she said.
"WHHAAT?! What are we waiting for then, Pearly?! Let's get to the station!" Maya declared, before the two started running off.
(Wait, train station?)
HOLD IT!
"Wait, Maya! What train station?!" Phoenix called out.
Maya turned around while running to call out, "Just follow us!", before turning back around.
(Guess I don't have a choice...)
"Come on, Detective!" he urged.
"Right, pal!" Gumshoe agreed, before they started running after the Fey cousins.
By the time Phoenix and Gumshoe arrived at the station, Maya and Pearl had already stopped. Maya looked slightly annoyed.
"What's the big deal, Steve?! Our train was supposed to be here by now!" she demanded of the red Pianta in front of her. Instead of the bulbous nose most Piantas had, his was more pointy. That, and the palm tree on his head only had one leaf.
Steve held up his hands in protest. "I'm sorry, Ms. Fey, but until we can fix that loose ceiling panel, the train's not going to come!" he said apologetically.
"Grr...that cheapskate manager is probably going to make us pay a fee again," Maya grumbled.
(Oh boy... Judging from some things Mario has said in the past...)
"Let me guess, you're staying at the Hotel Delfino at Sirena Beach, aren't you?" Phoenix asked as the two males walked up.
"Yes! How did you know, Mr. Nick?" Pearl wondered.
"Let's just say Mario told us a few stories about it..." Phoenix sweated. Meanwhile, Gumshoe noticed a certain device used for raising people off the ground so they could reach higher places. It looked rather precarious in how one of its legs was almost hanging off the platform.
"I gotta tell ya, pal, that ladder don't look too stable," he told Steve, scratching the back of his head.
Before the Pianta could say anything, Phoenix cut in. "Actually, Detective, that's a step-ladder," he argued.
"...I dunno, pal, looks like a regular ladder to me," Gumshoe admitted.
"Same here! Come on, Nick, stop judging things based on narrow-minded cultural assumptions," Maya admonished him.
(Not this again...)
Before Phoenix could make a cutting remark, Steve cut in. "Hey, you're Mario's defense attorney, uh, Phoenix Wright, right?"
The Comeback King blinked. "Uh, yes? Why, did you need something?" he wondered.
"Well, I was told to give you a message from this Koopa kid who passed through here," Steve continued.
(? Koopa kid? ...! Bowser Jr.!)
"What did he say?!" Phoenix asked urgently.
"He said that he wants to see you in about an hour. After that, he took a train to Gelato Beach. I guess he wants to see the Legendary Sand Bird Egg," the red Pianta guessed.
(This late? It must be something important, but then why didn't he tell us at the Courthouse?)
"Ooh! The Legendary Sand Bird Egg! You got to see it, Nick, it's so cool!" Maya gushed.
"Uh...maybe after I prove Mario's innocence," Phoenix nervously said.
(What's so cool about an egg?)
"Still, he said that he's at Gelato Beach, didn't he? If the trains aren't working..."
"Heh! You leave that to me, pal!" Gumshoe laughed. "After all, I didn't come unprepared! I commandeered one of the Island's patrol boats. We can just take that!" he declared.
Phoenix nodded. "Right, I guess we should get going. See you, Pearls, Maya," he bade farewell, before the two turned to leave.
HOLD IT!
The two stumbled, before turning around. Maya had her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. Clearly, she was emulating her sister today. "As long as you two are going around in a boat, you don't mind escorting us lovely ladies to our hotel, would you?" she coyly asked.
Gumshoe looked crestfallen. "Uh, I don't know, pals. I got that thing for official business and all," he mumbled.
"What's more official than escorting the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and her assistant to their temporary residence?" Maya coolly asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.
"Mystic Maya..." Pearl muttered in exasperation.
Just from the look on Gumshoe's face alone, Phoenix knew where this was going. (And once again, Maya reels it in, hook, line, and sinker. I feel for ya, Gumshoe. Hope Edgeworth doesn't cut his salary for this...)
[Delfino Plaza]
Apollo panted in relief. At last, he was finally back in Delfino Plaza. With all that was going on, the boat between the Airstrip and the Island was currently not running. This, of course, forced him to use the Turbo Nozzle again just to get back.
"Hah...Hah...Never...again!" he swore, catching his breath.
"Mr. Justice?"
"I know, I know. We gotta find some Shine Sprites," Apollo remembered. Looking around, he found himself near the Lighthouse. "Where's one hidden?"
"As it happens, right in front of you," F.L.U.D.D., now back to its Squirt Nozzle, stated. It angled one of its handles at the sand in front of him. "Simply spray the sand right there."
"Really? That's easy," Apollo blinked, before doing just that. As the water squirted along the sand, the image of a Shine Sprite started to appear. Apollo sprayed more water at it, until the picture was complete.
Suddenly, the glimmering gold form of a Shine Sprite appeared in front of him! "Whoa!" he yelled, leaping backwards in shock. The Shine Sprite bobbed slightly before shooting straight up and coming back down, just above Apollo's head.
"Curious. It usually goes above the Lighthouse 89.06% of the time," F.L.U.D.D. noted.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask. I mean, yeah, you are a machine, but what's with the percentages?" Apollo wondered, finger on his forehead.
"Ah, my apologies. I suppose Fi is rubbing off on me," F.L.U.D.D. mused.
"Fi?" (Let's see, Nintendo character with name of Fi... !) "Wait, you mean the spirit of the Master Sword?!"
"Yes. We are currently in a relationship," the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device said bluntly.
"Say, WHAT?!" Apollo jerked in shock.
(Great, a sword and a water-pump have a relationship, and I don't. What does that mean about me?)
"Uh, that's rather unrelated, don't you think? Why don't you just grab the Shine Sprite?" F.L.U.D.D. hurriedly said.
(...Great, even he can read my thoughts. Did I pick up telepathy as a Loop power and not realize it?)
Still, Apollo shrugged. The water-pack had a point. He should pick it up. He jumped up, and touched the Shine Sprite. The Shine Sprite spun around, then headed for the Gate. As it did though, a fanfare suddenly rang out.
[Shine Get!]
"What was that?!" Apollo reacted.
"Ah. That. That happens 98.02% of the time. Pay no attention to it," F.L.U.D.D. suggested.
"If you say so..." Apollo sweatdropped.
[Ringtone ~ Apollo Justice (Guitar's Serenade)]
Just then, his cell phone went up. He picked it up and hit Talk. "Hello?"
"Apollo, it's me."
"! Mr. Wright! What is it?"
"I'm following up on a lead. Bowser Jr. wants to talk to me for some reason. I'm going to Gelato Beach to meet him. Just wanted to let you know. How many Shine Sprites have you found?"
"...One," Apollo sighed.
"? Uh..."
"It's a long story, involving a walking Piranha Plant, and that's all I'm going to say."
"Oh, so that's what Detective Gumshoe was talking about! Anyway, just wanted to let you know. Oh! And if I get waylaid by something, you're in charge of the defense tomorrow, so don't stay up too late."
"Yes, dad," Apollo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Then, more seriously, he said, "See ya, Mr. Wright," before hanging up.
"Okay, where's the next Shine Sprite, F.L.U.D.D.?" he asked.
"On top of the Lighthouse."
"...Sigh. Of course it is..."
[Gelato Beach]
"You sure about this, pal?" Gumshoe wondered, even as Phoenix jumped off the patrol boat. They had dropped Maya and Pearl off at Sirena Beach, then had immediately headed for Gelato Beach.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Even if this is a trap, he has to know something," he reasoned.
"Well...if you're sure," Gumshoe said dubiously, tethering the boat to the dock. The two proceeded to walk forward onto Gelato Beach itself, taking in the cooling air of the sunset.
"Hey, pal, I'm a bit confused," Gumshoe said as they walked, scratching his head. "So these Shine Sprite things are what let the Sun shine on the Island, right?"
"I guess. I'm not exactly sure how that works though," Phoenix admitted.
"Well...how come the Sun is working right here? I mean, the Plaza was like night levels of darkness! And...this is just a regular sunset," Gumshoe pointed out.
"..."
(I...actually have no response to that. Wow.)
"I...oh, look! There he is!" Phoenix declared, pointed at where he could see Bowser Jr. The Koopa Prince hadn't seemed to notice them, as he was too busy glaring up at an elevated area where a cliff-side was.
"Hey! Bowser Jr.!" he called as the pair of humans walked up to the Koopa. BJ reacted in surprise, and swiveled around. He immediately scowled when he realized who it was.
"Oh, it's you. Whaddya want, porcupine-head?!" he demanded.
(Never heard that one before...)
"What do you mean, 'what do I want?' You're the one who called me here," Phoenix pointed out.
"Hah? I didn't say that!" Bowser Jr. denied.
"Hey, pal, I was there when that guy said you had a message! Are you telling me he was lying?!" Gumshoe retorted.
"What guy?! I didn't give anyone a message!"
(...He's not lying. There's no Psyche-Locks. But that Pianta wasn't lying about getting a message either. As far as I know, Bowser Jr.'s the only Koopa kid on the Island, so...)
"Can you answer this question real quick? Are you the only Koopa on the island?" Phoenix asked.
"Eh...Papa's hiding somewhere around here, but other than that, yeah," Bowser Jr. remembered, scratching around his right horn. Then he blinked and glared at him again. "Wait, why do you want to know?!"
"Because that Pianta told me that he got a message from a kid Koopa to come here, and you're the only one on the Island," Phoenix explained.
"What?! That's baloney! I didn't say that!" BJ denied once more.
"Yeah, right, pal! I heard it too, so that means you're lying!" Gumshoe declared.
"No, I'm not! If anything, you are! I got a message that said you wanted to talk to me!" Bowser Jr. rebutted.
(! What?!)
"Wait, what?! I never sent a message!" Phoenix denied.
"Wait, if he didn't send a message, and we didn't send one, then who did?" Gumshoe wondered, scratching his head.
(Good question...)
And one that wasn't going to be answered anytime soon. The Beach was practically deserted, and they were the only ones there, but they felt a rumbling sound all the same. Suddenly, out of the blue, a giant Wiggler appeared out of nowhere, stomping onto the beach from the hills!
"WOAH!" Gumshoe reacted.
"A giant Wiggler?!" Phoenix exclaimed in shock.
"What's that doing here?!" Bowser Junior questioned. But they didn't have any time to think of anything else, as the Wiggler came right for them!
[Vs. Wiggler (Glitch)]
The three rolled out of the way as fast as they could, dodging the Wiggler's charge. Bowser Jr. got back to his feet. "Hey, you! Eat this!" he declared, charging up and letting out a burst of fire.
The fire hit the Wiggler directly in the back, but seemed to do nothing but singe the skin slightly. The Wiggler then turned around. As it did, they noticed that its head looked different. It looked like it was covered in brown goop, and the flower on its head had shriveled. The rest of its body was green instead of the yellow of a regular Wiggler, and its face was drastically different. For starters, it had one solitary eye, and instead of a mouth, it had a familiar 'M'-shape with dashes above the arches of the 'M'.
"That's Shadow Mario's symbol!" Phoenix realized, thinking back to the Wanted Poster. Meanwhile, the Wiggler bellowed out a guttural moan, and fired streams of goop from the 'M', forcing the trio to dodge again.
As Gumshoe rolled to a ready position, he felt he had to do something he didn't especially like resorting to. "All right, pal! Freeze! You've got one chance to surrender, or I open fire!" he declared, drawing his gun from his holster in a smooth motion you wouldn't normally expect from him. The Wiggler moaned again, then...shot its head off directly at him!
"Woah!" Gumshoe yelled in shock, pulling the trigger unconsciously. The bullet flew forwards...then bounced off the ever-approaching head, which was glowing ominously. A gaping maw suddenly appeared as the 'M' split apart into sharp teeth.
"Gumshoe, look out!" Phoenix yelled, leaping forward to push the Detective out of the way. He got them both of the way just in time, and the Wiggler proceeded to eat a lot of sand.
"Stop ignoring me!" Bowser Junior declared, breathing a stream of fire at the disembodied head. It started heating up, and the Wiggler moaned in pain, before its head shot back to its body. It then immediately charged right at the Koopa Prince.
"Oh geez!" B.J. said with wide eyes, before he was rammed backwards into one of the beach's palm trees with a loud thud. Luckily, his shell took most of the force.
"Ow..." he moaned, before falling unconscious.
The Wiggler bellowed again, before turning around to get its other two targets.
"What are we supposed to do about this, pal?!" Gumshoe demanded, reloading the chamber in his gun.
"I don't know! How do you stop a giant Wiggler?!" Phoenix yelled in return.
(But I do know one thing, and that's that if this thing keeps rampaging, somebody is going to get hurt! I might just be a lawyer, but I'm not going to let that happen!"
"...Looks like I don't have a choice," Phoenix said seriously, before pulling a certain red-and-black device from his Pocket.
Gumshoe blinked. "What's that, pal?"
"You could say that it's my secret weapon," Phoenix said cryptically, before placing it on his waist. A silver belt strap emerged from the device and wrapped around his waist until it secured the device. He then proceeded to take out what looked to Gumshoe like a white USB Memory. He then hit a button on it.
ETERNAL!
Phoenix then inserted it into the device, causing it to let off a pulsing noise of sorts. White energy pulsed from the inserted Memory, and black lines crept up Phoenix's face. "No turning back now," he muttered, before declaring a word he would never have dreamed he'd have said before the Loops had begun.
"Henshin!" he declared, drawing his left hand back then forward as if he was about to make an Objection, before quickly bringing it down to tilt the slot the Memory was inserted into, and bringing his right hand over his chest in the opposite direction.
ETERNAL!
With that declaration, a sphere of black, white, and blue particles surrounded Phoenix as cool and speedy music played, before flashing with a bright light that made Gumshoe avert his eyes and made the Wiggler stop for a moment.
When he could look again, he could hardly believe his eyes!
Where Phoenix had stood was a figure that appeared to be wearing white armor. They had fiery blue ankle cuffs, blue gloves that extended into a flame pattern on the arms, and black bandoliers on the chest that had Memory slots. They were wearing a black cape, and the same bandolier-things were on his left leg and right arm. The helmet had yellow, bug-like eyes, and had a trident-horned crest.
The figure then spread their cape out behind them, before pointing forward with their left hand into Phoenix's signature Objection pose. "Justice is Eternal. Always," Phoenix, now Kamen Rider Eternal, declared, his yellow eyes flashing.
[cod-E ~E no angÅ~]
"Woah...where'd you get that, pal?!" Gumshoe asked in awe.
"A long time ago. I don't usually use it, since I'm a lawyer and all. But sometimes, no matter how much I don't like it, you have to fight. That's why I've kept this for so long," Phoenix...no, Eternal said. Just then, the Wiggler recovered and bellowed out again, before racing towards them.
There was no time to think, just react. "Gumshoe, distract it!" Eternal ordered, before racing forwards.
"You got it, pal!" Gumshoe declared, before he started firing off shots at the Wiggler. It didn't do anything, but it did draw its attention, letting Eternal leap up to try to uppercut it in the face.
"TAKE THAT!" Eternal declared, as he proceeded to perform said uppercut. Blue fire erupted around his hand as he did so, and it knocked the Wiggler's head clean off. Unfortunately, that was when it fired a laser from its eye, that slammed directly into Eternal and knocked him to the ground.
"Oof!" he let out, as the wind was knocked out of him and he fell.
"Pal, you all right?!" Gumshoe called as he ran up. The Wiggler was more concerned with reattaching its head at the moment, so he felt it was safe to do so.
"Ow...yeah," Eternal declared, getting back to his feet. "What about you?"
"I'm fine, except...well, I hate to say it, pal, but I'm out of ammo," Gumshoe admitted.
(Oh boy... Wait! Idea!)
Eternal drew out a combat knife from behind his cape. This was the Eternal Edge, Eternal's weapon. He then brought out a blue Memory with a 'T' on it. He hit the button.
TRIGGER!
He then slotted it into the Eternal Edge. The Edge flashed, before the blade reformed into the barrel of a shot-gun. The grip also produced a trigger in the correct spot. Eternal then gave Gumshoe the transformed weapon. "Use this. You don't need to reload, and if you need to use a more powerful attack, then hit this button here," he explained, pointing to a silver button on the side of the trigger.
"Got it, pal!" Gumshoe saluted, before taking aim and firing at the Wiggler. The shots of the shotgun-like weapon were powerful and energy-filled, causing damage to the Wiggler and holding it off. It bellowed once more, throwing globs of goop at the pair.
As Eternal dodged to the side, his mind raced for a way to deal with this thing.
(Okay, this is clearly something made by Shadow Mario! Meaning, it's made out of goop! And Water takes care of goop... Water takes care of goop, of course!)
With that thought in mind, he brought out a Memory that was a more translucent blue than the Trigger Memory was. He slotted it into the Maximum Slot on the right side of his Lost Driver's belt, then hit the button on the front of the Slot.
OCEAN: MAXIMUM DRIVE!
Swirling water started cascading around his legs as the Memory's power spiked up to 100%. Meanwhile, water started to swirl around the transformed Eternal Edge. Gumshoe, having a flash of insight, figured this meant it was time to hit the button on the side Eternal had pointed out.
TRIGGER: MAXIMUM DRIVE!
As if that was the signal, Eternal leaped up into the sky, water swirling around him as he fell into a drop kick aimed at the Wiggler's head. At the same time, the Eternal Edge charged up a blast, before Gumshoe pulled the trigger and sent a blast of water towards the Wiggler.
The Wiggler attempted to defend by firing another laser beam, but it was deflected by Gumshoe's shot, letting Eternal descend at its head, and kick right through it! Goop splashed out where he hit it, and the Wiggler bellowed (somehow) in pain, before it exploded into a pile of goop that vanished after a second!
[END MUSIC]
Eternal breathed heavily for a few moments, before tilting the Lost Driver's Transformation Slot back up and removing the Eternal Memory. The form of Eternal then disintegrated, revealing Phoenix Wright's body once more. His suit was slightly tattered, and he was exhausted, but he seemed no worse for the ordeal.
"That was amazing, pal! How'd you do that?!" Gumshoe yelled as he ran up to him.
"Heheh...I guess it's just practice," Phoenix sheepishly said.
(But...that Wiggler was definitely sent by Shadow Mario. It seemed like it was directly after us, so that would mean Shadow Mario knew we would be here. The only way that could be was if-!)
It was an unsettling conclusion that he was drawing, but it seemed the only likely one. And if he was right, something told him that Shadow Mario would be there tomorrow. In court.
[Jingle ~ You Need To Rest At Such A Time]
Couple of quick notes to make. Who here remembers when Phoenix told Apollo to yell "TAKE THAT!" next time he uppercut someone? Cause I do~!
And the Wiggler Glitch thing stems from something in Sunshine. If you hit the Z button to bring up the map right as you perform the last hit on the Wiggler Boss, then the tempo goes bonkers. Look it up.
As for Fi and F.L.U.D.D. being in a relationship, that pretty much came out of nowhere on my behalf.
Next up comes the final Trial section, where Shadow Mario's true identity will come to light! See you guys then! ...Assuming I don't post another regular Set between then and now.