DISCLAIMER:
All rights to Ace Attorney belong to Capcom.
And the rights to the Kashima Gatalympics title belong to their respective founders and current owners. (I clarify this last point to avoid any cultural issues).
May 29th 7:00 A.M - Wright & Co. Law Offices - Living Room
Phoenix entered into his apartment, ended to doing his morning running, he wants to keep in form, stay sitting all day in the office won't him lose weight. He now was making his breakfast, a small and healthy breakfast, a integral toast and sugarless coffe.
He sit up in the couch, eating his breakfast with calm. This days he not had new cases, but at least he was working in keep his healthy life-style. But his breakfast was disrupted when he smell a rancid essence that was from to the other room. When Phoenix noticed it, he just sighed slowly, looking bothered.
(She is still on there...). He walks to the room, opening the door and taking a look to the dark room, except for the shining of the TV, showing the shadow of the person lying down in the couch, "Maya, do you taked out the garbage?"
"No..." she respond, with not saying more, keeping her watch to the TV, that was showing another Steel Samurai episode that she already watched along time.
"At least you can come here for breakfast?"
"I have already eated a burger, with ice-cream balls"
Phoenix just made a face of disgust, since Maya moved into his apartment, she had done nothing but stay in this room, eating junk food and watching TV constantly. The worst thing was when he walked in look the stuff droped in the floor, he stepped a bunch of magazines.
"What are these magazines?" he asked, grabbing them.
"I buyed them for have something to read" she respond with the same lazy tone, "But they're boring, I prefer the television, you can take out them"
Phoenix give her a bothered look, "You will train today?"
"I'll do it in the afternoon"
"You said it in the last two weeks!"
"You can at least get out of here?" she asked annoyed, moving his head slightly at him
Phoenix, more annoyed, left the room to leave her alone. (When Maya will going to stop living like this way?).
Since her conflict with her cousin, Maya stopped to training her canalization skill, stopped to eat one more thing aside burgers and junks, stopped to being a working member to society. (I wish there was a way to make her more productive).
When he was to going drop the magazines to the garbage, he noticed one that caught his attention. He readed it, the magazine was showing a place nammed "Ariake Sea", near to the city of Kashima, Saga Prefecture. (Maya loves the beach, hmm...).
In that moment, a spark of hope for the lazy medium was shining in the brain of the defense attorney. He entered againg in the room
"Oohhh Maya!" he talked with a happy tone, "Guess it, I know a place of a nice beach in Kashima, do you want to go there?"
For his surprise, Maya get up off the coach, put off the TV, and she turned to him with an excited smile, "I can bring my new bikini?!" (Uhhhh?).
May 30th 7:00 A.M - Bus Station
Phoenix walked to the outside parade for the bus, he buy tickets for go to Kashima, Saga. But he wouldnt go there with Maya alone. In the day when he was preparing the journey, he called to some good friends.
"Hey, I seeing a Phoenix right there!" said a man making a pun about the lawyer's name. The man was the murder detective Dick Gumshoe, a nice friend for Phoenix. But he wasn't alone, he was standing with a woman with glasses, someone that Phoenix know, she was Maggey Byrde.
"Oh, inspector Gumshoe, I was waiting you!" Phoenix salutes him, and noticed the woman aside him, "Huh, you're with Maggey Byrde now?"
"She's...my new girlfriend" Gumshoe admited with some blush, but Maggey, her girlfriend, hugged him happily
"We're dating two weeks ago!" she respond
"Nice for you" said Phoenix, "I was surprised that you wanna go with us from here to Saga"
"We need to go out from the city from time to time" said Gumshoe
"And I've watch a anime about that city" said Maggey excited, "It's great!" (Anime? I don't usually watch them).
"Thanks, but actually I do this for Maya..." frowned Phoenix, remember his motivation, "She need to leave from the apartment"
"Oh, Maya..." said Gumshoe, he and Maggey knowed about it, "She's okay?"
"Well, she is also excited for this journey, at least"
"Maggey, nice to see you again!" talked Maya, who leaves from the inside of the station, happy for seeing her friends.
"Oh, hi, Maya!" greeted Maggey, "You are...". She went in black when she see the all Maya's body. Everting was normal, except for the weight increment that she had now, isn't was too big, except for her belly. "You're still hot like ever!" (I hope that I've grab enough sunscreen).
Maya giggled, "Thank you, but you'd see nothing, wait for the two-piece suit that I have right here..." she starts to search in her suitcase, "Huh, I know that it was here..." (I don't wanna see it...).
"What's happened?" asked Gumshoe to Phoenix, in a low tone for that Maya doesn't listen
"A lot of burgers makeout her body, that's it" respond Phoenix in low tone. (It's not good for mention a woman's weight in public).
"Hi, Mr Nick!" said a child voice, then they noticed nothing more but Pearl, grabbing her own little suitcase, "I never think that I'm gonna go to the beach again!"
"Hi, little girl!" Maggey greeted her friendly
"You also grab her to here?" Gumshoe asked
"Believe me, it was more difficult that you think" Phoenix responded, "I convinced that old lady in Kurain that she can go here, it's for..."
"Mistic Maya..." tolded Pearl with she see in Maya's direction, she turned to her, they both to each other for ten second, "Where were you all this time?"
"Uh, I was helping Nick with his law cases" Maya lied. (One, I didn't have any cases for months, and Two, you don't help me in anything).
"Oh, I oonderstat" Pearl said with bad spelling (She need to go to a real school). "But the elders are not happy with your absence"
"Pfft, they just exaggerating"
"...I don't think if they are exaggerating if they noticed that you'll have a girl" (Wait, what?!).
Maya fully blushed. "It's not a girl!"
"Oh..." then Pearl turned to Phoenix, "Mr Nick, why you didn't make it a girl, boys are naughty n' nasty!" (ME?! But we are JUST friends!).
"Ok, Pearls, listen..." Phoenix tolded to her, "Maya actually winned weight by her BIG gluttony"
"NICK!" Maya shouted angry
"Wright, you don't have to talk about a woman's weight in public!" Maggey scolded. (That's was I thinking, but Pearls need to leave from Fantasy-Land).
"Oh, the elders will get angry about that too" Pearl said, putting his finger in his mouth
"Just forgite about that grumpy grannies!" said Maya, "This day we gonna have fun in the sun and the water!"
"Oh, I also wanna go to there, Mistic Maya!" (Wow, Pearls is finally happy with Maya this time? I think that this is was a GREAT idea).
"Hey, the bus is here!" called Gumshoe to everbody, the bus was now stanging aside them, "Come on!"
The five of them got on the bus with their suitcases, the vehicle was about to leave until...
"WAIT FOR ME!" shouted a exterior voice. (Oh no, I regonize that voice...). The driver let for enter that person, it was none other than Larry Butz.
"Nick, my dude, why do you didn't invite me?!" asked Larry to his friend from primary school, "You know that I love the beach than anybody! The girls there are hotter than the sun!"
"Hey, Maya and me are right here!" shouted Maggey, not happy about Larry's words about woman. He wasn't a bad guy, just...a dumb guy
"Oh, Mr. Laurice!" Pearl salutes him friendly, "Nice to see you again!"
"Hi, Pearly!" Larry setting in the seat aside to her, "Is great that we spend the next hours talking like the losers group, I have a lot for say to you about a funny story about..." (No, he's not!).
"Sorry, Larry, but the elder in charge of Pearl told me that I need to stay with her all the travel" Phoenix take Pearl away from Larry and any inappropriate story that he can told her.
"But Mr Nick, I wanna have something for heard, I'll get boring!" Pearl insisted
"Ok, what about reading this?" the lawyer gave her a junior novel about crime and mystery from his backpack. (I don't should gave her this, but it's just a junior novel, what's the matter?).
"Wow, it's a fairy tale?"
"Better than that, you're growing, and you deserve read more mature things"
"I just turned the 10 years two weeks ago!"
"What?! You didn't invite me to your birthday?!" Maya asked
"Mistyc Maya, I called you in that day, but you not response, why?"
"Uh?" (I'll help her, just to not make this more awkward).
"WELL, Pearls..." Phoenix stroke her hair, "Maya and I were vey busy in this days, but for now, we here for relaxing and enjoying this journey together"
"Yes, Mr Nick!" Pearl cheered, excited for this travel that was gonna start right now when the bus choffer finally drove through the streets
The trip had already lasted two hours, and some like Gumshoe and Maggey, had fallen asleep on each other, Maya was eating her seventh chocolate bar of the twenty she brought, and Larry was simply playing on his smartphone.
Phoenix was calmly looking out the window at the streets and valleys passing by, while Pearl was already on the seventh chapter of the novel she had started reading. She suddenly stopped when a part seemed strange and turned to her seatmate.
"Mr. Nick..." Pearl said, showing a page from the book.
"What?" asked the lawyer.
"This part says the killer made a letter with magazine clippings. What does it mean by that?"
"That's usually known as a 'crime letter'; basically, they cut and paste letters from different fonts to form a sentence in a letter."
"Why they do that?"
"There are people who don't want their identity revealed when they want to communicate something, although there are also people who do that for non-illegal purposes, you know what I meaning"
"Sounds interesting, I'd like to write a letter like that!" (Why she wanted to do that?).
May 30th 11:30 A.M - Ariake Sea - Parking
After another two hours, the bus finally arrived in Saga Prefecture, in the city of Kashima. The vehicle parked near the Ariake Sea parking. Inside which some of its passengers were changing into their swimsuits.
"Ready for a day at the nicey beachy!" said Maya, already dressed in her purple bikini. Pearl also accompanied her, and they both got off the bus to run straight into the sea.
"Not so fast!" Phoenix told them, as he put on his beach shirt, before Larry passed him, also running to the sea. (Doesn't anyone have patience with me?).
The two Fey girls made it to the end of the shore to look at the Ariake Sea, only to be hugely disappointed. Most of the "beach" was gray, and the real ocean was miles away.
"Isn't sand supposed to be yellow?" Pearl asked Maya, just as confused as she was.
"I don't know what the heck is this" Maya said, staring at the large gray substance. "That doesn't look like sand..."
"SEE YAA, GALS!" Larry exclaimed as he runned past them and launched himself into the air, only to land face-first in the thick-looking gray substance.
"Yeah, that's definitely not sand..."
"What's wrong?" Phoenix asked when he reached them.
"Mr. Nick, you said we were going to the beach!" Pearl told him. "But the beach looks really dirty!"
"What?" The lawyer looked around at the gray substance, confused. "What the heck is that?"
"It's mud" Maggey said, approaching them. She was holding what looked like a tourist information pamphlet. "This is the Ariake Sea, famous for its mudflats."
"Mud? How grossy!" Pearl moaned in disgust.
"It's also famous for using this place as the stage for a crazy, entertaining event in Kashima, called the 'Gatalympics'"
"'Gatalympics?'" Phoenix asked. "Something like the Olympics?"
"Yes, it's held as an annual tradition in this part of town. Thousands of citizens and visitors come here to watch or participate in these games in various categories, full on mud." (That sounded like something from Wikipedia).
"Oh, that sounds fun!" Maya said, interested, "I wish we could participate". (Participate in something as dirty n' messy as that? NO WAY!).
"Actually, we can" Maggey replied, reading the pamphlet. "Registration is free, and the games are taking place today!"
"Really? Pearl, did you hear that? We're going to be able to participate!"
"Participate?" The young medium hesitated for a second. "But the mud isn't that dirty?"
"True, but it's cool and harmless. Mia and I can prove that to you!" (Since when did my chief taked mud baths?).
"Why you and she know that?" Phoenix asked, relatively curious.
"When I was younger, we used to play in the mud far from the village. One day we got so muddy that...that...M-Morgan grounded us for a whole week" (It's obvious, knowing what that witch is like).
"You mean my mom?" Pearl asked, Maya felt her throat choke up as her cousin spoke of THAT person as her mother, "She says a medium must be presentable and clean the all time in the village"
"Well, Pearly, we're not in the village anymore, right? Let's take this opportunity to break away from social norms a bit. Wouldn't you like that, Nick?"
"No thanks!" the lawyer responded quickly.
"Oh, come on! It's just mud, it won't hurt you!"
"But the thousands of bacteria in it might give me a nasty flu for a week..." (...why did I say that?).
"What about the bacteria, Mr. Wright?" Maggey asked, a bit confused (I guess I already spilled the beans).
"Well, the truth is...I'm a bit of a germophobe (too much, really). From my childhood to college, I used to get sick all the time. Obviously, I prefer to avoid those micro-beings that got sneezy"
Maya chuckled, much to Phoenix's annoyance. "Oh, Nick, are you really afraid of germs? I mean, when you see something dirty, you get freak out?". (And what does she think she is? She works for me! Mia would have kicked me out of the office if I'd spoken to her like that).
"No, of course not..."
At that moment, Larry stood back up on the bank, covered in mud. "Oh, Nick, that's not what I expected...". When he touched his shoulder with his stained hand, the lawyer flinched.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled at him, pushing him off and sending him back into the mud. Then he realized what he'd done. "Oops, I'm sorry, Larry..." (I hope he forgives me).
"Don't worry, Mr. Wright" Maggey spoke to him. "I'm afraid of bad luck too, even if I can't see it, but I'm still interested in participating in those games."
"What do you say, Pearl?" Maya asked her little cousin. "Do you want to join in?"
The young medium thought for a moment before smiling at her older cousin. "If you want to, then I'll join in too, Mystic Maya!"
"Ditto!" said Larry, getting back up.
"That's the attitude!" encouraged Maya enthusiastically. "Come on, let's sign up!". The four of them went off to sign up, leaving Phoenix alone (well, that's what happens when I want to avoid getting sick).
"Don't worry, Phoenix" said Gumshoe, carrying all the others' luggage (how could he stand that?). "Can you go to the motel for help me with lunch?" (Well, that's better than staying here resignedly).
May 30th 12:00 P.M - Gatalympics Registration
Maya, Pearl, Maggey, and Larry were waiting in the long line for register for the Gatalympics. Since it was a free event, many people were arriving to take advantage of the activity.
"I can't believe they don't let us wear swimsuits" complained Maya, now wearing her kimono just like Pearl, only without the pink and purple jackets.
"The games are dirty, but still conservative" Maggey responded to her complaint, reading the pamphlet to pass the time in line and get more information. "And bikinis aren't conservative at all"
"Especially for someone who's..." Larry was about to say about Maya's weight, until she and Maggey gave him a venomous glare. "I mean, someone who's really hot like you, Maya!"
"Mystic Maya?" Pearl said to her older cousin. "Are you sure I can participate with people older than me?"
"Oh, no, Pearl" Maggey replied, glancing at the pamphlet. "You're going to participate in a special category with other kids in your age"
"Really?"
"Yes..."
"Next, please!" called the registrar woman who was registering people, now at the front of them.
"It's our turn!" said Maya excitedly. She was about to walk toward to the lady until a dark-skinned, black-haired woman pushed her and Pearls out of the way.
"Move away, please!" said the woman, stepping in front of the lady with a haughty look.
"Hey! How rude!" complained Maya, glaring at her.
"Excuse me, dear lady, I've come to register me" she spoke to the lady, blatantly ignoring the medium.
"Name, please" said the receiver, not noticing that she had cut in line.
"What's my name?" She laughed just as smugly, "I'm sure you must know me just by looking, but I'm Starlie Parks"
"Starlie Parks?" she asked, impressed, as did others in line upon hearing her name, "Please, excuse me, just read these papers..."
"Don't put me in charge of that boring stuff, hey SIS!"
Soon, a woman resembling Starlie, but a little younger and with more formal hair and clothes, cut in line like her.
"Hello, I'm Ammie Parks. I'm the sister and manager..."
"Oh, stop talking and do your job!"
While her sister -or manager- read all the paperwork for her, Maya approached at Starlie angrily.
"Hey, you!" she said to the woman, causing her to turn to look at her disinterestedly. "You can't just cut in line like that!"
"Yes, we got here first!" Pearl said, also annoyed, "You should wait in line like everyone else!"
"I'm sorry for you" Parks apologized unsympathetically, "But I'm a famous star, I don't have to waste my time getting here"
"A famous star? But I've never met you in my life..." Larry said, before freaking out when the woman grabbed him by his shirt and glared at him angrily.
"How dare you say THAT to my face?!" she yelled at him, before letting him go out of compassion. "You're nothing but a stupid, maladjusted guy"
"What? I'm neither maladjusted nor stupid!"
"Actually, you are, Larry..." Maggey said, agreeing with the latter.
"You said you're famous?" Pearl asked Mrs. Parks, a little less angry.
"Of course I am! My name is Starlie Parks" she replied proudly. "But you can call me 'Star', because that's what I am, an athletic and acrobatic star"
"Are you also going to participate in the Gatalympics?" Maggey asked.
"That's correct. It may seem like a dirty game to someone like me, but like I said, I'm a star athlete, and I have to prove it even in the most unusual settings"
"Excuse me, Star, you have to sign here..." her sister Ammie told her.
"Don't talk like if you're my boss!" She scolded her rudely before taking the paper and starting to sign it.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, but my older sister needs to register so soon"
"You should tell her to stop acting like that!" Maya told her. "You're her sister and manager"
"I understand, but..."
"Move on, I need to get ready for the competition" she ordered to her sis-manager. They both started to walk away before Starlie looked at Maya. "Oh, and you, darling, you shouldn't compete. Not only because of your physical condition, but because any guy wouldn't be attracted to that kind of body..."
As she walked away, Maya seethed with pure anger and was about to punch her until Larry and Maggey grabbed her to stop her.
"You'll see, you conceited, spoiled brat!" she yelled angrily.
"Forget it, Maya, it's not worth it!" Maggey told her to calm her down.
"Don't listen to that rude lady, Mystic Maya!" Pearl said to her cousin, "I think you look good in that body"
"Oh, thank you, Pearly..." the overweight medium replied, panting before recovering, "Let's register right now"
"Yes!"
May 30th 12:50 P.M - Motel - Room No.3
Meanwhile, in a Motel near to the Ariake Sea, Phoenix and Gumshoe had unpacked each other's suitcases and moved them to other rooms. For now, they were busy with something much more culinary.
They were preparing lunch (after the noon). Gumshoe was cutting meat, and Phoenix was boiling noodles, although he wasn't very good at it.
"I'm surprised you're starting to cook more, Gumshoe" Phoenix said to his detective friend.
"Oh, thank you" he said, flattered. "I wanted to start making more than just instant noodles, so now I make noodles regularly. You should learn to cook too." (Well, I'm not a master chef, but at least I know how to make myself a decent breakfast.) "Actually, this is what helps me cut meat..."
Phoenix almost jumped and burned himself on the pot when the detective held up a large, sharp knife.
"Be careful, you'll take someone's eye out!" (Or make me burn with hot water!).
"Oh, sorry, I just wanted to show you my favorite knife. I bought it when I wanted to make a dinner for Maggey on our first date" (They don't waste time).
"How did that end up?"
"HEY, don't act if something bad happened! My Maggey isn't a black cat! Although I don't know if that's racist..." (It's really should; for some reason those poor cats don't get adopted regularly). Gumshoe put the knife on the counter so as not to hurt anyone. "But I still see I need to learn more to become a master chef, huh?" (I guess cooking well is all he needs).
"ATTENTION, people and visitors of Kashima!" a woman shouted over the loudspeakers outside. "Please be advised that the Gatalympics are about to begin!" (I wonder how Maya and Pearl are doing. Oh yeah, and Maggey and Larry too).
"Go watch if you want" Gumshoe said, continuing to cut the meat. "I'll take care of the food. It's up to me to prove that I don't need to buy that pre-made noodles from the supermarket anymore"
"Okay? I'll see you later..." Phoenix put the pot on low heat and then left the room and went down the stairs of the Motel, ready to find out what was happening at the Gatalympics.
May 30th 1:00 P.M - Ariake Sea - Stands
When the lawyer arrived at the top of the stands, he saw the vast, muddy Ariake Sea, inhabited by many people attending the event.
"It's time to start these Gatalympics with our first category!" announced the hostess, dressed in pink and wearing a garden hat, standing on what appeared to be a large boat holding several competitors. "In the rope jump, we have Larry Butz as our first contestant!" (Larry?).
"That's right, miss, but call me Laurice!" Larry said when the microphone was placed near him. He had now grabbed onto a rope (this isn't going to end well...). "Watcha..."
Larry swung down the rope to reach the top, however, he didn't land properly and did it face-first in the soft mud (worse than I thought). Various cheers and laughter were heard, many of them coming from Maya, Pearl, and Maggey, who were watching the games afar from Phoenix.
"Very funny landing. Too bad the judges didn't give him a high enough score to get on the podium" the hostess said, while Larry, still lying in the mud, gave a thumbs-up sign that he was fine.
"This is more ridiculous than I thought..." Phoenix said to himself. He got bored quickly and decided to take a walk while the games continued.
The next category Maggey entered, was the bike race on the wobbly boards, and she was pedaling more worried than she should have been. And if that wasn't enough, her bad luck coming up, and the bike flipped over, landing her in the mud just before she could reach the end of the board with the other contestants.
As Larry made his way out of the mudflats, Maya and Pearl grimaced at Maggey's unfortunate fall.
"That's my girl! You've come so far!" Gumshoe cheered from behind them, surprising the mediums.
"Mr. Gumshoe, weren't you preparing lunch?" Maya asked, confused by his presence.
"I made it quickly so I could see Maggey in action. You're SO good in it!"
"I can't see..." she moaned, getting up with her face very muddy and her glasses on the mud.
Maya entered the next category, one where she had to slide on her board in the mudflats to reach the finish line. The other contestants advanced except for her, who, despite her efforts, didn't make much progress. She stood up to push hard on the board until she slipped and rolled in the mud.
Pearl and her other friends watched with pity, but the other people laughed at Maya, especially for her physical appearance.
"Are you seeing her? That girl looks like a pig..." a woman next to them mocked.
"HEY, don't mock of Mystic Maya!" Pearl got so angry at her that she kicked her in the butt, making her shrieking.
"Pearl, no...!" Gumshoe jumped in to calm her down, just as the kicked woman turned around and looked at the inspector near her. Thinking it was him who had kicked her, she slapped him hard before walking away, offended. "Ouch..."
"What a mean woman" Maggey said angrily, checking her boyfriend's face.
After finishing last, Maya walked over to her friends and cousin, completely covered in mud.
"You did a great job, Mystic Maya" Pearl congratulated her.
"Oh, thank you..." said her young cousin.
"Attention all childrens, the kids category is about to begin!" announced the hostess.
"Did you hear that, Pearl? Give it your all!"
"Sure, Mystic Maya!"
When Pearl entered on the mudflats, she saw many kids around, most of them her age. On the ground, she saw a pile of plastic balls of different colors in the mud.
"Get as many balls as possible, kids!" the hostess explained the rules of the game.
Pearl's companions encouraged her from afar, and when the horn sounded to start, she found herself in a hard situation as the kids ran around her very quickly and roughly. When she tried to grab a ball, they took it away from her or threw mud at her, which felt disconcerting, even more so when a rude boy pushed her and she fell hard into the mud.
At that moment, she felt an adrenaline rush she'd never experienced before in her life, and when she realized it, she felt an overwhelming desire to win. So she soon stood up determinedly and began knocking down some of the kids who had taken her balls to snatch them away.
"What the...?" Gumshoe said, surprised to see the 10-year-old girl acting like that.
"Yeah, that's it, Pearly! Show those brats who's bossing!" Larry encouraged, excited.
"Pearly?" Maya murmured, surprised, but in a bad way. She had never seen her younger cousin act like that, even when she had gotten really angry before. It worried her a lot.
At the end of the game, Pearl was grabbing as many balls as she could, smiling triumphantly, with some kids around her knocked into the mud by her.
(That's not my Pearly...) Maya thought.
May 30th 2:10 P.M - Ariake Sea - Dock
Meanwhile, Phoenix was walking along a dock far from where the competition was being held, trying to relax. He watched the Gatalympics unfold, with many people getting muddy, even if they won (I'm glad I didn't participate...).
*CLICK*
He was surprised by that sound and looked to her left. Further down the dock, there was a very familiar person checking a professional camera. It could only be Lotta Hart, and that was her, Phoenix had basically met her on a case, and then it became common to find her in other situations.
Lotta was a reporter from the south who used to hunt for supernatural things and now she hunted celebrities, always trying to get the gossip before anyone else. Still, she had something most journalists didn't: a LOT of heart. That's it, Lotta Hart had a LOT of heart.
"HEY, Lotta!" Phoenix waved to get her attention, but when he did, she let out a shriek and hid behind her camera, "Relax, I'm not covered in mud..." (I'd act the same if Maya wanted to hug me after the games).
"No, but ya' are covered in bad omens!" Lotta told him, as if she were afraid he'd touch her. "Every time ya' go somewhere I go, a murder happens. Maybe I could be next!" (Okay, that's a coincidence).
"Don't be superstitious, Lotta. I just want to know why you're here."
"Why are YA' here in the first place?!" (I don't like that counterattack).
"Well, I came with some friends to enjoy here, I think..." the lawyer explained as best he could, "But I did it for Maya in the first place; you see, it's a long story, I hadn't seen you in a year and..."
"Well, okay, for ya' information, I AM working as a journalist. Obviously, I go to a lot of places."
"So, will you let me get close to you?"
"Sure, but don't touch my camera! It's the only one I have right now, and I cain't afford another one"
"What's wrong? Are you having financial problems?"
Lotta looked at him sideways. "Pfft, no, it's just that being a journalist these days is very expensive, especially with dirty-dawgs that charge a lot to get a picture in the newspaper. It's not a fair!"
"Well, the same thing happens sometimes in court..."
"Don't tell me about ya boring job, fellah. (Boring? I wouldn't say that). I'm busy taking pictures of the Gatalympics". The red-haired journalist began to focus on her camera.
"Did you come here to take pictures of the games?"
"Pfft, no, no one would be interested in that, but there's a certain famous star who's participating right there..."
The star that Lotta was mentioning was none other than Starlie Parks, who at that moment was participating in the games in the next category, the obstacle course.
"Miss Parks, you've had a very good run so far! And you don't even have a speck of mud on you" the hostess next to her was telling her at the start of the course.
"It's not that much work. I've done a lot of training before" the athlete responded arrogantly.
"Are you sure you can get through this course without getting dirty once?" she asked her. Not many of the other contestants had even been able to make it through.
"Please, I'm a bettor. I'll be able to make it through without getting a drop on my hair..."
"What a conceited woman" said Gumshoe, along with his other muddy friends.
"I know, but I don't think she'll be able to make it through without getting even a little dirty" said Maya, still looking at the athlete with annoyance at the previous mockery she did to her.
"YES, it'll be great to see her fall and get all dirty in the mud!" said Pearl, feeling vengeful (but what?).
"Oh ho ho, yes, that'll be good!" added Larry.
Maya glanced at Pearl. She sometimes spoke like that, but never with the intention of making anyone suffer, even if it was her greatest enemy (she's not okay...).
When the horn sounded, Starlie didn't stretch even a bit before starting to run on the obstacle course. She jumped, climbed, even slid, and the only thing she managed to get dirty was a bit on the bottom of her jeans. Everyone was amazed as she jumped to the top in the end of the course, posing victoriously for her perfect run (how could someone so spoiled and arrogant be so skillfully?).
"How disappointing..." Pearl moaned, annoyed at not having seen the athlete suffer.
"Don't be discouraged, girl" Gumshoe consoled her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the motel. Lunch must be getting cold..." (Oh, finally!).
Back at the dock, Lotta took a picture of Starlie Parks's victorious pose, smiling when she saw she'd gotten it right.
"I just have to get these photos to a printer before anyone else, and I'm sure they'll charge me a pretty penny!" she said, as if she were already eyeing the bills in front of her (She never changes).
"I don't suppose you taked a picture of Maya or any of my friends?" the lawyer asked jokingly, already knowing how Lotta would respond.
"I'd only spend my roller film on famous people, not nobodies, no offense for them". She then put down her camera to look at him, "So, why didn't ya' participate with your fellahs?" (I was afraid she'd ask that).
"Well, the truth is, I'm a bit of a germophobe and all that..."
The country gal laughed out loud, much to the lawyer's discomfort, "Typical of a city boy, country folks wouldn't even mind a little dirt..."
Suddenly, they both turned to look ahead when a loud scream was heard. Apparently, Larry wanted to try the jump rope again, even though he wasn't competing anymore. He'd reached such a height that he landed hard in the mud, splashing so hard that a splatter of mud hit Lotta's camera lens, to her horror.
"GAH, MY CAMERA!" She yelled, running quickly to clean it up. She inadvertently tripped over a misaligned plank of the dock, tripping over his professional camera, and they both ended up falling into the mud. Lotta now was very muddy, to her dismay. "Ew, ew, no, no, so gross...!"
Phoenix peeked out to see her trying to clean herself effortlessly, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Didn't country folks don't mind about dirt?"
Lotta, covered in mud, glared at him, "For ya' information, not all country folks are filthy, and besides, I needed to be clean for the podium interview later, so thanks!" (Thanks? But it wasn't my fault). So, the journalist, clutching her nearly ruined camera, walked out of the mudflats.
"Attention, there will be a thirty-minute break!" the reporter announced over the P.A (I think Gumshoe must have finished cooking the lunch by now...).
May 30th 2:33 P.M - Motel - Room No.3
Phoenix returned to the Motel hoping to enjoy a good meal, or that was until he was disgusted by what he saw before his eyes after opening the door. Maya, Pearl, Larry and Maggey had arrived before him to eat the Gumshoe's noodles with meat. That wouldn't have been strange at all, except that the four of them were still muddy after the games and were eating like that. (This must be a major violation of the health code and common sense!).
"Nick, you're back!" Maya greeted when she saw him, still eating with a dirty mouth, literally. "You should have seen us participating, it was so fun!" (Yes, and very dirty).
"May I ask why the hell you guys didn't go clean up first before eating?" asked Phoenix, doing his best not to explode with anger and disgust.
"Well, we were really hungry when the games ended, so I don't think it matters if we eat like this...". (Of course it MATTERS! Imagine all those bacteria crawling on those noodles. Gumshoe would go crazy seeing this).
"Did you go for a walk during the games, Mr. Wright?" Maggey asked.
"Uhh, yes, that's what I did"
"You can take the pamphlet over there on the counter. I don't need it anymore". When the lawyer looked at the counter, he noticed the pamphlet was somewhat stained by mud (of course,I know why she doesn't need it anymore). He cautiously took the pamphlet and shook off all the mud before putting it in his pocket.
(Tourist pamphlet added to Phoenix Wright's pockets)
"LISTEN ALL!" Gumshoe called out when he got to the counter. "Something bad just happened!" (I guess, three dirty adults and one dirty girl are being disrespectful about hygiene?). "My favorite knife just disappeared!" (Is that a bad thing? At least for the others?).
"You mean the one you used to make dinner on our first date?" Maggey asked, also shocked. "That's terrible!"
"Where did you leave it?" Phoenix asked.
"I left it on the counter before I go to watch the games" Gumshoe explained (how the hell does he leave his precious thing alone?). "When I came back, it was gone! I looked all over the kitchen, but nothing! Have any of you seen it? It's very big and sharp"
"No!" they said almost all in unison.
"I don't remember you bringing a knife, Detective" Pearl said, somewhat confused.
"I packed it really well in my suitcase. Maybe it's in there, or in one of ours."
"Let's do it after everyone's washed up" Phoenix suggested, not wanting his precious suitcase will get covered in gray mud.
"Attention everyone!" the announcer announced over the P.A. "All the winners of the games, report to the podium near to the Ariake Sea!"
"Did you hear that? We have to go there!" Larry suggested, getting up from his already stained chair.
"I don't think so. We didn't win in any category" Maggey replied, embarrassed that she hadn't even made it to the finish line in her category.
"But Pearl did win one!" Maya said. "She's going to the podium!" (Wait, Pearl's going to what?).
"Pearl won in a category?" Phoenix asked, quite impressed.
"Yes, Mr. Nick!" Pearl responded excitedly, "I managed to knock down all those brat kids in the competition!"
"Amazing... wait, did you say 'knock down', literally?". The girl nodded happily (okay, I wouldn't expect that from her, even though she slaps me sometimes).
"So what are we waiting for?" Maya said, getting up from her chair, "Let's go!"
May 30th 2:55 P.M - Ariake Sea - Podium
On the podium right at the edge of the mudflats, each winner in each category was being celebrated, each given a medal. Pearl was one of them when the hostess placed the medal around her neck. She was happy, all muddy, but happy, and she happily waved to her friends and cousin cheering her from the stands, watching the awards ceremony there.
"It's amazing you won three medals, Miss Parks!" Pearl was struck by what the hostess said to the star athlete, Starlie Parks. Unlike the other competitors, she had more than one medal, and they looked very shiny with it, besides she wasn't muddy.
"What can I say? It's to be expected coming from someone as famous as me" she spoke boastfully in front of everyone. "I always do my best to prove that, that there's no one better than Star"
"Starlie Parks!" A somewhat muddy n' messy journalist called, making the athlete's year frown. Lotta Hart, camera in hand, tried to speak to her, "Would ya' lac taking a picture for the..."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she replied, averting her gaze from her, "It's just that I prefer have pictures from decent reporters, not dirty, disheveled Southern country gal"
"But it's just..."
"There are other competitors who would like taking picture from you, someone who wouldn't mind the way you talk, fellah..."
Lotta, frowning disappointed and left the podium, but not before giving Phoenix an annoyed look from the stands. (Why is she looking at me like that? I didn't push her into the mud).
"Excuse me for bothering you, ma'am" Starlie said to the hostess, "Now, as I was saying..."
"You can't be THAT rude!" Pearl scolded, heading up to her, to everyone's surprise, especially the two people closest to her (Pearl? What are you doing?).
"I'm sorry, but who are you, little girl?" the athlete asked, unimpressed. "Shouldn't you speak to your superiors"
"You, lady, are more spoiled than I thought!"
"And who do you think you are for saying THAT to my face?!"
"I'm a little girl who doesn't like rude people like you. I'm Pearl Fey, and..."
"Wait a minute?" Starlie started glancing sideways. "Your last name is 'Fey', right?"
"Y-yes, it is"
"Well, I never thought a member of the Fey clan would say that to me, especially a child"
Pearl frowned at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, don't act like you don't know, kiddo. Everyone in this country knows who are your family. The most 'troubled' family ever..." the athlete looked at her arrogantly.
"T-troubled?"
"The news is in charge of spreading everything behind the courts; wiles, deception, murder, conspiracies. Your entire clan is basically a mess"
"How dare she?!" Maya snarled, glaring at her. (I understand her anger; this woman doesn't seem to mind humiliating little girls in public).
"But not the entire Fey clan is like that!" Pearl protested at what the arrogant athlete was saying. "My mother..."
"Oh yeah, your mother, you're the daughter of Morgan Fey, the one who tried to kill her own niece" Parks mocked her as she said, "No wonder you act like that, 'like mother, like daughter.'"
"DON'T say that about my mother!" Pearl's fists began to shake.
"Why? What's wrong with that? I'm just telling the truth. Being her only daughter, it doesn't surprise me that you're defending her like that. She's nothing but a despicable woman and..."
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" the girl screamed furiously. She was so angry that she pushed Starlie Parks very hard, sending her backward into the mudflats behind her. Everyone was perplexed at that moment, even Phoenix and Maya.
"Ugh, what's your problem?!" Starlie yelled angrily. "You little bi...". She yelled even more when the young medium started throwing mud in her face nonstop.
"Pearl!" Maya exclaimed, already worried. She started to climb down the steps, and Phoenix decided to follow her as well.
"You CAN'T talk about my mother like that!" Pearl yelled, attacking her with mud, until Maya grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Pearl, ENOUGH!" her older cousin ordered, as Phoenix had just reached the shore.
"NO, she has to pay!"
"You're going to pay for it, you disgusting girl!" Starlie said, glaring at her, completely furious "BODYGUARDS!". At that moment, a pair of burly men wearing dark glasses approached the three standing in front of the athlete. "Teach that little brat a lesson!"
"NO, you won't!" Phoenix said, stepping forward to protect Pearl from Parks' bodyguards, "She's just a child, it's a crime to hit her!"
"Yes, we won't let you hurt my cousin!" Maya also objected.
"You're her caretakers, you're older than her?" Parks said, glaring at them, "You brought her here to humiliate me, right? In that case, gentlemen, show those two some manners!"
Phoenix and Maya gulped when they saw the two big, strong men approaching them (This is going to hurt...).
May 30th 8:10 P.M - Motel - Room No.2
Phoenix and Maya were recovering from all the blows they'd received. The defense attorney was writhing in pain when the medium tried to bandage his forearm (it hurts more than I thought it would).
"I can't believe those jerks beat us like that!" Maya said, still brimming with anger. "Especially me, I'm a woman!" (If I weren't afraid of those gorillas, I could sue them for it).
"I'm sorry again, Mr. Nick and Mistic Maya" Pearl apologized, who was inside the room. "It was my fault you got beaten"
"Don't worry, Pearl" Phoenix said compassionately. "This wasn't your..."
"Of course it was your fault!" Maya scolded her cousin angrily, to both her and the lawyer's surprise. "What were you thinking about?!"
"I'm s-so sorry, that woman was really rude!" Pearl replied, feeling the weight of her scolding. "She kept talking badly about my mother!"
"That's the problem, you didn't have to act like that FOR THAT!"
"But Mystic Maya..."
"How come you still don't understand, Pearl? Your mother is a scoundrel! She's the one responsible for my long-lost mother's death!"
Pearl then began to cry, "B-but my m-mother..."
"'My mother', 'my mother', THAT MONSTER DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE YOUR MOTHER!" Maya yelled her, fed up, "And if you still don't understand, you're just a stupid, naive girl!"
"Maya..." Phoenix tried to calm her down, but it was useless (this wasn't what I thought...).
"H-how can you t-talk to me like that, M-Mystic Maya?!" Pearl was now afraid for her older cousin, who didn't stop his anger toward her.
"Because I don't want you to visit her again, is that clear?!"
"N-no, no...". At that moment, the young medium glared at her cousin for the first time and angrily answered, "You can't forbid me from seeing her again! You can't!"
"Of course I can! I'm Kurain's master, you have to listen to me..."
"I WON'T!" She yelled at Maya before starting to head for the door, grabbing her suitcase.
"What are you doing?! GET BACK HERE, you can't talk to your older cousin like tha..."
"YOU'RE NOT MY COUSIN ANYMORE, Maya!" Pearl scolded, opening the door and giving her one last angry glare. "I don't want to see you again. I HATE YOU!". She closed the door, lefting off the room.
"You'll see, little brat!" Maya tried to follow her, but her friend Phoenix grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Maya, don't do this..." he said before she turned to him angrily.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT, JERK?!". At that moment, she could see Maya's eyes were red, as if she had become more furious than ever, he was afraid of her now.
Maya hyperventilated sharply, seeing her friend, and at the sight, she began to slowly calm down, although anger and tears were all over her face.
"N-Nick, I-I..." she stammered, barely realizing her outburst of anger against someone she shouldn't have. "I-I...I'M SORRY!" she collapsed, repentant. Phoenix knelt down to comfort her (oh, Maya...).
It took many minutes for Maya to feel a little better, sitting on the bed of the room, sipping the hot chocolate Phoenix had prepared for her. The lawyer didn't want to give her any more sweets than she was already eating, but made an exception to make her feel better this time.
"Now, Maya, can you tell me why you got so mad?" Phoenix asked, seeing her calm, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.
The medium just sighed dejectedly, "I-I didn't want to act like that. I-I just didn't want Pearl to become a b-bad person"
"A bad person?"
"Listen, Nick, besides me, the only person who raised and was with Pearl is my evil Aunt Morgan. She raised her to overthrow me, and now that she won't leave her, I'm afraid Pearly has caught her evilness"
"But what makes you think that?"
"Today at the games, she got really out of sorts with the other kids, she never acted like that before. And when that arrogant athlete insulted our family and Morgan, Pearl started attacking her, as if she was defending her at all costs despite everything she did"
"I see..." Phoenix watched as Maya held her cup tremblingly, a few tears escaping from her face.
"I-I have to p-protect Pearl, even if I acted harshly toward her, I don't want her to turn into someone like Morgan...or w-worse, like that Dahlia Hawthorne..." (...I didn't want to hear that name again).
Phoenix, in order to comfort her, put his jacket over her to warm her up because it was a bit chilly in the room because of the air conditioning. "Listen, Maya, don't think about it; Pearl will never turn into someone like that witch or that demon. She's not like that!"
"H-how do you know?"
The lawyer tried to lift her up, "Let's go find her so you can apologize with her"
"Didn't you hear her? She hates me now! She's never been mad at me before..." Maya frowned. "I guess I'm not the idol she looked up anymore"
"Don't get discouraged when all is not lost" Phoenix encouraged her, inspired by the words his mentor had told them. "You just have to go outside, talk to her, and then everything will be okay..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
That female scream alarmed both the lawyer and the medium.
"W-what was that?" Maya asked, now bewildered.
"I-I don't know, let's see what happens!" Phoenix replied, as the two of them left the room to find out.
May 30th 9:10 P.M - Ariake Sea - Shore
Phoenix and Maya exited the Motel through the back and arrived near the edge of the mudflats, where they encountered two unfamiliar faces.
"Phoenix, Maya, what's going on?!" asked Gumshoe, with Maggey at his side. "Whose scream was that?!"
"That's what we're looking into..." the lawyer replied when they bumped into another familiar face.
"What's all the fuss, fellah?!" asked Lotta, camera in hand. "Something interesting happen?! An exclusive for me?!"
"Phoenix, LOOK!" called Maya, who was standing on the shore, looking at what appeared to be wooden flip-flops. "Those are Pearl's shoes!". Everyone rushed toward her, equally surprised.
Gumshoe used a flashlight to see more clearly in the darkness, especially in the mudflats where there were some small bare footprints. "They seem to be the little girl's footprints..." (Pearl? Please! Tell me nothing happened to her!)
So everyone started running, following Pearl's footprints in the mud. Even Phoenix dared to enter just to make sure she was safe. However, when they reached what they thought was the scream, they couldn't believe it.
"Th-that's not Miss Parks?!" Maggey stammered at what she and everyone else were seeing before their eyes. There was the aforementioned Starlie Parks, lying face up in the mud, but there was a problem...she was dead.
"W-what?!" Gumshoe said, shining his flashlight as brightly as he could. He noticed a bloody-wound on the athlete's stomach, possibly the cause of her death. "B-but who did this?!"
Then he shone a light on something, seemingly hearing small moans, but when he did, he and everyone else got the shock of their lives...
"PEARL?!" Maya exclaimed. What she was now seeing was her younger cousin, sitting next to Miss Parks's dead body. But that wasn't all that shocked them, the young medium was apparently holding a bloody knife, and her face was covered in small drops of blood. (This...this...no...it can't be...).
"What's going on, mates?" asked Larry, who had just arrived after hearing all the commotion. But when he saw what everyone was looking at, he made the most exaggerated reaction he could muster.
"P-Pearls?" Phoenix muttered "W-What?". The young medium was simply shocked freezy by how everyone was looking at her.
Everything happened very quickly for Phoenix Wright; without he realizing it, several things happened; Lotta make a photo of the crime, the ambulance took Starlie Parks' body with her sister Ammie crying for her, and worst of all, the police had arrested Pearl Fey on suspicion of murder.
(This can't be true? It must be a nightmare...someone wake me up!)
To be continued...
Author's Note:
Well, this is my first Ace Attorney fanfiction, so I can probably improve it for the future (feel free to give me some advice).
I'm sure this plot will excite some people, since Maya and Pearl have never been seen in conflict, much less yelling at each other. This is basically the main focus of this story (it should have been called "Cousins Turnabout", but I wanted to reference the crime scene location).
I also liked making the excuse for the Gatalympics that Phoenix and his friends went on a journey to rehabilitate Maya. Many will be sad that I didn't include Miles Edgeworth, but you'll find out why later.
But let's get to a specific topic that some will surely be confused about, and that is the location of the case.
In this story, the characters are in Japan, as in the original version, so they can reach Saga Prefecture in hours by bus (imagine they're somewhat close to there; I'm not exactly where they live in Japan).
Many will ask why it's not Western-oriented ('cause of things like Maya and burgers). But the truth is, I needed them to be close to Saga to be able to make this case (you probably know about that city or the Kashima Gatalympics from the "Zombieland SAGA" anime).
Even so, if this location thing bothers you, just think of it as something fictional like "Japanifornia" (I don't use that term because it seems quite stupid to me). Or better yet, don't read so much logic into it; do it for the trials.
That's exactly what the next chapter will be like, the first trial, with ten-year-old Pearl Fey accused of murder. Will defense attorney Phoenix Wright be able to save her from the hands of the law?
Look for this...probably in a month or two.