Chapter Text
"Talking"
'Thinking'
'Quoting'
OBJECTION!
*sound effects*
(Extra info)
{scene change}
Text = Emphasis
"TEXT" = loud speaking
"tAlkiNg liKe ThiS"= voices from another time that the character(s) is(are) hearing
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Chapter No. 6
Turnabout Phoenix Really Hopes that His Office Will Turn Out Okay After this
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Date: January 2, 2028
Time: 7:09 PM
Location: Wright Anything Agency
{A narrator with a deep voice's Point of View}
There are several things going on at this specific moment in time. To understand the mood better, let us pause and zoom in on how everyone is feeling.
Phoenix(the original one) since 12:03 PM knew from the bottom of his gut that something was going to happen, and because something indeed did happen, he didn't know whether to be relieved that he wasn't going crazy or to curse his luck that he just had to be right.
Edgeworth(the original one) was—like any normal person—shocked beyond reason. He was also absentmindedly pondering the logistics of how two bodies could fall from the ceiling without actually falling through it.
Phoenix(the newcomer) was bewildered, infuriated, and utterly flabbergasted.
He had just realized after a whole damn year that Edgeworth wasn't dead, but was apparently very much alive. To add salt and confusion to the wound, now there were two—two—freaking Miles Edgeworths who looked completely fine, definitely breathing, and were literally standing right there. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should go up and hug them both, launch a long and spiteful rant/story-of-his-life at them, or try to pinch himself awake. In the end, his delicate feelings, which were wounded pretty badly by Edgeworth's sudden 'suicide' and still whinging about it, prompted him to unleash his wrath upon all the Miles Edgeworths within the vicinity.
Furthermore, seeing a man who dressed and looked so much like him only complicated things further.
Lastly, Phoenix swore his brain deflated and just about gave up analyzing the situation when he glanced over and saw a man who looked like Edgeworth's dead dad, and the three boys standing by his lookalike appeared to be—well, him, Larry, and Edgeworth back when they were kids.
Edgeworth(the demon prosecutor) was—to put it simply—a whirlwind of unnecessary feelings.
It's already bewildering enough to see his grade school friend—whom he hadn't contacted since fourth grade—insult him directly to his face right out of the blue, but there just had to be another one gazing at him from across the horrifically chaotic mess of a—what is this room even supposed to be? A circus? A garage sale? Anyway, as if that's not enough, he's even got what seems to be a doppelgänger standing beside the second Wright. Although the man was wearing glasses, he still looked freakishly similar enough to be a genuine copy of himself—especially in that magenta suit and cravat. What's more is that the three boys standing beside them are not helping matters make any more sense than it already is. In fact, Edgeworth's newly-formed migraine worsened whenever he glanced their way.
Catching sight of a man that was the splitting image of his deceased father who's supposed to be buried underground—but instead was currently staring straight at him and clearly not dead—was practically the last straw. In other words, Edgeworth's logic-driven mind had just been punched five times in the gut, hard. The poor prosecutor was frozen on the spot trying to reboot his brain while desperately wanting to comprehend just what the hell was going on.
Little Miles has very mixed feelings about all this.
First off, witnessing another version of his and Phoenix's adult selves spontaneously spawn from the ceiling is jaw-dropping, which is understandable and a no-brainer. Secondly, Miles thought it was fascinating because, like his grown self, his intelligent, inquisitive mind just had to also wonder how the heck can two bodies fall through the roof without breaking it. Lastly, Miles was decidedly unsettled. Why was he unsettled? Perhaps the hateful, murderously vicious waves of anger rolling off both newcomers had something to do with it.
Gregory was worried. He had bear witness to the amount of suffering and pain his future son had endured over the decades last morning in the form of somewhat manly tears and undeniably pitiful sobs. Now another version of his son had appeared wearing the coldest, merciless expression that Gregory couldn't believe his precious son could even make. This version of his son…he looked so...ruthless. Inhumane, even. Naturally, he linked his observations together and logically deduced that this version of his son must be from the time when he was suffering the most. The thought of that conclusion made his heart clench in sorrow.
Gregory was, however, not as fazed by the situation as everyone else. Why? Well, he's officially been in stranger scenarios considering he, his son, and his son's friends' current circumstance, so the concept of time travel and the appearance of another version of his son and his son's friend did not shock him as much compared to when they first arrived here in the future. After all, once you experience the impossible, what was once improbable is now probable and thus should not be surprising.
Little Phoenix apparently couldn't read the mood too well at first.
The moment he realized that the two adults who literally dropped in on them were also his and Miles's adult selves, he was enamored and practically sparkling in amazement at the prospect of seeing another version of his oh so awesome adult self and another version of Miles's oh so incredible adult self. Ahh, the blissful ignorance of children…
Sadly, those shiny sparkles of awe poofed out of existence the moment the newcomers began yelling at each other, and were replaced by a frightened look in his wide bluish-grey eyes instead.
And Larry? He's just being...well, Larry. Enough said.
All in all, the fourth graders were curious and fairly scared, Gregory was fascinated and worried, Edgeworth the chief prosecutor was starting to get a headache for whatever outcome this will bring, and Phoenix hoped beyond hope that his office will survive today's fresh pile of chaos.
Now let's unpause, zoom out, and observe how this all eventually plays out, shall we?
{everyone's Point of View}
"What is this about me 'choosing death' you speak of?!" The demon prosecutor snarled angrily.
"Exactly what it is! A confession of 'life is giving me lemons, so I'm going to opt out of it now because I'm a wimp!'" The defence attorney replied just as fiercely and gave the prosecutor a nasty glare.
'This is getting intense,' was what everyone else thought.
The usually laid-back atmosphere of the office is but a distant dream now as Phoenix and the others wordlessly watched the two newcomers glare razor sharp daggers at each other, still trying to process what had happened only minutes prior. The aggravated lawyers both firmly stood their ground with neither willing to back off. Their provoked expressions and open hostility were similar to a pair of caged animals facing off with each other. What's more worrisome for the onlookers is that the unadulterated hatred shooting out of their eyes was entirely too real for their liking.
'I'm guessing they are also our adult selves, then?' Little Miles thought apprehensively, eyeing the bickering duo and daring not to speak. 'Are they from another time as well? How did they appear from the undamaged roof like that? Ughh, this entire situation is so ridiculously absurd...why is this even happening in the first place?' Miles furrowed his eyebrows and frowned deeply, confusion chewing away at the edges of his mind. 'Also, why are they in such conflict with one another? I've never seen Phoenix this furious before...he's…he's kind of scary like this.'
Miles glanced over at the docile boy in question. The spikey-haired 9-year-old seemed extremely skittish and upset as he nervously clutched Miles's adult self's pant leg; akin to how Miles himself was currently grasping his father's hand for emotional support.
Older prosecutor Edgeworth glanced down in confusion when he felt the weight of a small tug by his side. The chief prosecutor's initially furrowed brow softened when he saw a timid little Phoenix Wright attempting to hide behind his leg, trembling and close to tears, evidently scared of the shouted threats and raised voices. Without a second thought, Edgeworth rested a hand gently on the boy's head in silent comfort while he returned to watching his and Wright's younger selves bicker.
'I don't particularly remember a moment when Wright and I were so utterly furious with each other at the same time. It is rather difficult to think of a specific time when we were respectively this hostile.' He pondered to himself as he kept his hand on kid Phoenix's head, patting the surprisingly silky hair absentmindedly when the child huddled closer to his leg at a particularly loud insult. 'Now, when could this delightful version of me originate from? He appears to be so on edge and oh so moody. Hmm, perhaps…? Erm, or perhaps no…' The chief prosecutor sweatdropped as he thought back to his numerous rough and prickly years, belatedly realizing that there were too many possibilities to deduce from. 'I…I loathe to admit that figuring out his original time may be more challenging than I'd thought. It seems that mayhaps I wasn't exactly the, er, best person to get along with back then.' (because, let's face it, when was Edgeworth NOT 'on edge and moody'? Lol)
As the angry attorneys continued to fire scathing retorts at their opponent, no one had the courage to interrupt them since everyone could practically feel the thick tension in the air dominating the room along with their yelling…
Well, everyone except one brave idiot.
"Whoa, Miles look! It's another big you and big Nick! Hi other big Miles and big Nick!" Shouted one questionably dense—or just plain stupid—Larry Butz, boldly waving at the demon prosecutor and the hateful defense attorney. This caused the two adults to turn away from their heated argument to face the boy, both now mildly shocked upon seeing a mini-version of their ever so troublesome friend/unfortunate acquaintance.
Larry continued, fists propped on his hips and nodding proudly—for some reason that no one could understand—at how his friends turned out. The slacker was also grinning obliviously and ignoring the tense atmosphere that he apparently cannot sense. "So another Miles and Nick, huh. Neat! You two don't look older than the current big Miles and big Nick, so how old are ya guys? Oh, oh! Better yet, where'd ya come from? Umm, wait, I guess it's more like when'd ya come from?" Larry crossed his arms, tilting his head and glancing to the side in contemplation with an earnest frown before shrugging it off with a grin. "Eh, oh well!"
The younger adult Phoenix blinked in some sort of dazed astonishment, unsure what to make of the mini Butz, before hesitantly replying, "I'm...um, 25. And what do you mean by 'when did I come from'?"
"Indeed, your statement about 'when' instead of 'where' is undeniably unusual and quite foolish." The younger adult Edgeworth then turned towards the younger adult Phoenix and narrowed his eyes quizzically at him. "However, you say you are 25? Shouldn't you be 23?"
The agitated attorneys resumed locking eyes with one another again. "No…? The last time I checked, I was 25..." Phoenix growled out slowly, narrowing his eyes in clear contempt.
"Hmph," the demon prosecutor pulled an unpleasant expression in response, "I don't know how you count your age, but I am certain that I recently turned 24, thus logically speaking—if not mistaken—you should still be one digit less than me at this time of the year unless something unfortunate happened before September ended last year." (since they don't have official birthdays, I estimated their birthdays via horoscopes. I think Phoenix is a Libra and Edgeworth is a Virgo since I believe their birthdays are somewhere during summer or near autumn, so Edgeworth is technically older than Phoenix by a month. If you have objections then they are sustained because your guess is as good as mine)
"Well, sorry to disappoint," the other lawyer spat sarcastically, "but I'm not. Maybe you should get your facts straight before you try to make an argument."
Yep, the tension was back again...
...and Larry still can't seem to read the atmosphere at all.
"24?! Hah!" The 9-year-old barked out as he slapped his thigh in childish glee before turning to face little Miles with a huge lopsided grin. "Hey Miles! You're 24 and you already look so old! I mean, dude, seriously…I can see wrinkles on your other adult self's face! AHAHAHAHAH!" He cackled boisterously, throwing his head back and clutching his belly.
The aforementioned prosecutor sputtered at the blunt insult thrown right at him while the Edgeworth-hating Phoenix snickered in approval at Larry's comment.
"Larry, please, not now..." Miles hissed at the other boy through clenched teeth, looking adorably like a flustered kitten baring its tiny needle-teeth at the offender. If Gregory wasn't so occupied with staring at demon Edgeworth in concern, he'd be fawning over his precious son in a very calm yet doting Gregory-like fashion. For now, he only squeezed his son's hand comfortingly.
"Aw, lighten up! Or else you'll end up looking like an 80-year-old grandpa by the time you reach 40!" Larry joked with a wide, toothy grin.
One of the 35-year-old Miles Edgeworth's eyebrows twitched. 'I'm not that old…' He mentally grumbled.
Larry then slapped little Phoenix's back playfully, startling him from his magenta-clad hiding spot. "Hey, hey! What do you think, Phoenix? Am I right or what?"
This seemed to have brought the other boy out of his terrorfied stupor. "Huh?! Uh…I-I, um, I guess…?" He then pursed his lips and blinked his innocent dark hues up at the two newcomers, uncertain. "But…wh-what I want t-to know is…why are you guys being mean to each other? Aren't you two friends...?"
Little Phoenix immediately shrunk back behind glasses-wearing Edgeworth again when the two adults sharply snapped their intimidating gazes at little Phoenix. The newcomer Phoenix widened his eyes once more in wonder upon seeing his child self again while the demon prosecutor continued to glare at the boy, critically judging him.
"Who...are you?" The 25-year-old defense attorney voiced his question hesitantly, the anger on his face and in his voice completely gone and replaced by curiosity instead.
Little Phoenix seemingly perked up at this, feeling somewhat brave enough to attempt a bashful introduction when he noticed his other adult self wasn't looking so scary anymore.
"H-hi. My name is Phoenix Wright. Umm…" He looked away shyly before quietly mumbling. "I'm 9 years old and I'm in grade 4."
His simple introduction got a jaw-drop from his older self, and a slightly baffled look from the ruthless prosecutor beside him.
"Y-you're Phoenix Wright?" The adult Phoenix stuttered and placed a hand on his chest. "But...I'm Phoenix Wright!"
"Yeah!" Encouraged by the absence of spewed death threats from the pair of young lawyers, little Phoenix smiled proudly with the sudden confidence of a thousand warriors heading to the bar. "I know! Isn't it awesome?!" He boldly stepped up from behind Edgeworth at the gentle nudge that the hand on his head gave him, and pointed to the original adult Phoenix excitedly. "He's also Phoenix Wright, too! Isn't that cool?!"
In response to the newfound attention, the 35-year-old Phoenix grinned sheepishly and awkwardly waved at the dumbfounded duo on the other side of the office couches. "H-hey there, how're you guys doing?"
The two newcomers only blinked and continued to stare at him bemusedly. They were probably having trouble processing what they were seeing just like their future selves.
Somehow, his weak greeting managed to bring the 35-year-old Edgeworth out of his stunned silence. The chief prosecutor raised his brow at the blue attorney teasingly. "Really, Wright? Is that the only appropriate thing you can think of to say in this sort of situation?"
Phoenix shot him an annoyed look. "Well, what else am I supposed to say? 'Welcome to the future'?"
"The future?!" Came the simultaneous shout of surprise from both the younger defense attorney and prosecutor.
"Oh, shoot." The older Phoenix swivelled his head back to look at the two with apprehension and dread. He privately wondered if Edgeworth asked him that just to sneakily set him up…
"What the—? Is this…really the future?! H-how? How did I get here?!" 25-year-old Phoenix exaggeratedly blinked and squinted at them as if trying to prove that they were actually illusions. After a few seconds, he gave up and sighed loudly before covering his whole face with a hand and slumping in defeat. "Why is this happening to me?" He groaned weakly to himself. "Wasn't getting attacked by a tiger already enough excitement for today?"
The demon prosecutor and the chief prosecutor both scrunched their eyebrows as they judgmentally stared at the newcomer Phoenix. Gregory was taken aback as well. Larry thought that sounded cool while little Phoenix thought that sounded awful.
'This fool was foolish enough to let himself be set upon by an animal? How utterly foolish. He's lucky to be alive.' Demon Edgeworth snorted to himself, unimpressed.
'He did? When did Wright get assaulted by a tiger? I don't recall reading any case report regarding the defense getting attacked by an animal besides a songbird and Blackquill's hawk.' Original Edgeworth cupped his chin thoughtfully with a tired and brooding look in his light grey orbs. 'Good Lord, Wright really needs to report his assaults. Does he not realize that they will continue to occur if he remains silent? It's truly unfortunate that Wright's such a pushover at times.'
'Oh dear. How unfortunate it is for Mr. Wright. I am glad this version of him seems relatively unscathed.' Gregory thought solemnly. His investigations, although arduous at times, did not involve any true threats of harm aimed toward his person. Of course, he was well aware how dangerous seeking out the truth was, so he supposed that he should feel lucky thus far that he hadn't encountered something that had forcibly taken him from his son yet.
35-year-old Phoenix sighed exasperatedly to himself as he thought of the only trial that had involved a live tiger. 'Oh right, I remember that day. That horrible, torturous, painful, hell of a day. A monkey that stole my badge…a clown with endless lame puns…an overly insulting ventriloquist dummy…a tiger that nearly bit my head off...teenage Franziska von Karma…ugh, yeah no, that day was just absolutely terrible.'
Miles gasped and gazed at the 25-year-old defense lawyer in genuine concern. "You nearly got mauled by a tiger?!" He exclaimed incredulously. "Are you alright?"
The hateful attorney stared at the fourth grader with an oddly lost look for a moment, soft bluish-grey eyes big and wavering, before sniffing and breaking out into a shaky grateful smile. "...that's the first time anyone has asked me if I was okay today. Thank you." He croaked thickly, voice laced with gratitude.
'He looks like he's about to cry...why do I suddenly feel so bad for this guy…?' Miles thought with a sweatdrop, blinking up at the man worriedly.
Demon Edgeworth glared at them with inevitable disdain. He scoffed and crossed his arms. "Do you all honestly expect me to believe that I had somehow been transported—against my will—to some disoriented room with past and future versions of myself and other associates that I unfortunately know? Do you honestly take me for a fool?!"
"Yes," the 35-year-old Edgeworth responded coolly, pushing his glasses up with a graceful motion before crossing his arms and mirroring his other self's arrogant posture. "That is precisely the situation you—no, we—are in. Whether you choose to ignore the blinding truth in front of you is the true testament of whether or not you are a fool."
The two prosecutors stared each other down with cold, yet blazing steel grey eyes. Calm and collected, their gazes could probably terrorize someone into confessing their guilt and pee their pants all at the same time. Right then and there, 25-year-old adult Phoenix knew that the man who wore glasses and looked like an older version of Edgeworth was, against all reason, the same Edgeworth standing in front of him who was legally deceased a year ago.
'Yeesh, individually they are already intimidating enough, but when combined together, they look like the very definition of 'a force to be reckoned with' that I, nor any defence, would ever want to deal with.' The two adult Phoenixes thought to themselves quietly. The oldest one then cleared his throat hesitantly as he brought a hand to the back of his head. 'This whole thing is so awkward and surreal, but these two look like they could freeze hell over with their piercing glares alone. I gotta jump in somehow before my office turns into a warzone.' He thought, grinning nervously as he finally decided to cut in.
"Erm, let's all just calm down and talk this through in a civilized manner, shall we? No need for threats or further insults now..." The oldest Phoenix stated amicably in an effort to de-escalate the situation. "So, uh, yeah. I know this is hard to accept, but this is the year 2028. What my younger self said is true: my name is Phoenix Wright. I am, specifically, the Phoenix Wright from this time."
25-year-old Phoenix sucked in a panicked gasp and stared at his older self bewilderedly. "2028?! Wait…so…you really are…?"
Older Phoenix nodded earnestly, holding the other's gaze steadily. "Yep. I'm the 35-year-old you in the future."
The younger defense attorney continued to stare disbelievingly at his double with an expression close to despair and his mouth pressed into a strained line, but eventually he sighed heavily through his nose as he closed his eyes reluctantly in acceptance. "Oh my God…you're serious." His hand slid up to palm at his temple. With his eyes still shut and looking exhausted all of a sudden, he vaguely gestured to the chief prosecutor standing beside Phoenix. "And…and him? Is he…?"
"Yep. He is also a 35-year-old Miles Edgeworth from this time." Phoenix confirmed, wincing at his other self in sympathy and total understanding. He knew just how much this version of him had suffered today, and to add accidental time travel to the list…well, that would definitely be way too much to handle at one time.
By now, the prosecuting Edgeworths had temporarily halted their glaring contest in order to observe the exchange between the two Phoenixes. A scoff could be heard from the demon prosecutor when older Phoenix introduced Edgeworth, which caused the chief prosecutor to in turn raise an unamused brow at him.
'So. He's not dead.' 25-year-old Phoenix thought, remaining deathly quiet. There wasn't a hint of a question in his acknowledgement. For a few tense moments, the spiteful defense attorney didn't speak or respond to anyone. He just stood there tiredly, head down with a hand rubbing at his eyes like he was fed up with the whole world. Larry, Phoenix, and Miles glanced toward each other uncertainly at the muted reaction of the other adult Phoenix. In the end, Larry, being the good friend that he is deep down, decided to make himself known again
"Heeeey, uh, other big Nick—and you too, big Miles! It's OK to not believe it the first time!" Larry chirped optimistically, giving the adults a thumbs up and a goofy smile. "When we came, we couldn't believe it at first either! But, like, it's totally true! This really is the future, man! Now it sucks that you probably missed a lot of Christmases, too, but don't worry—we'll get through this crisis together, dude!" Larry cheered, trying to help yet not really helping matters—like always.
Little Miles, along with both his adult selves, looked like they were ready to facepalm in unison at Larry's stupidity. Gregory, though, was simply amused at Larry's antics.
'Hm. What a peculiar boy.' Gregory thought with a faint smile before focusing back on the current situation at hand.
The silent defense attorney snapped his head up in surprise at Larry's cheerful statement. He blinked once, twice, at the ginger-haired boy for a few seconds before hesitantly breaking out into a fond half-smile. "If you say so, Larry."
Said troublemaker grinned like the cat that got the cream, satisfied that at least one of his adult version friends appeared to feel better.
Demon Edgeworth, however, stubbornly turned away and focused his glare on the bookcase by the far wall, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
Observant young eyes darted back and forth between the aloof demon prosecutor and the grumpy defense attorney, confused. Hardening his resolve out of a burning need to know what had transpired between them, Little Phoenix gathered his courage and spoke up again, staring at the newcomers intensely. "But...why are you two so angry at each other? Umm, d-did something happen between you two?"
35-year-old Phoenix comically widened his eyes, jaw dropping and sweating slightly in dread. 'Oh. Oh no. If the younger adult me was from around the time that circus trial happened…' Phoenix cringed, gritting his teeth in anticipation. 'Hoh boy, that was definitely not the right thing to ask him!'
"Yes—"
"—no."
The two younger lawyers answered kid Phoenix simultaneously. They turned to glare menacingly at each other once more.
"Don't be foolish. Nothing serious happened between us. It is natural to have associates lose contact, and mayhaps good relations as well, over long periods of time." The demon prosecutor scoffed.
"WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! How can you say that?! How can you be so damn selfish?!" The defense attorney fumed, almost on the verge of infuriated tears at the other's hurtful dismissal. The pain and frustration in his heart began to swell up again at the thought of what he'd done—what he'd sacrificed—all for the sake of trying to reach out and be there for this insufferable man only to be pushed away again and again and again—!
The enraged defense attorney clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists. His lips twisted into a snarl and his eyes shined with raw emotion as he stared down the fairly puzzled demon prosecutor who was blinking back speechlessly at the other's overreaction. "All this time, I had been trying to get in touch with you ever since you appeared in the newspapers as some prosecuting prodigy. Ever since my university years, I had aimed to meet you again through whatever means possible, and to do that I switched my degree to law and studied my butt off—just for you!"
Miles glanced at kid Phoenix in shock. He couldn't believe that the boy that he'd reluctantly begun calling his friend became a lawyer just to see him again. 'I thought Phoenix became a lawyer because he willingly wanted to due to mine and Larry's influence, but apparently it seems he was studying something else in his postsecondary education. To go so far as to completely change his major…' Miles furrowed his brows in bewilderment. 'Why? Why would he do that for my sake?'
The 35-year-old Edgeworth glanced at the 35-year-old Phoenix questioningly with a raised brow. "Really? You went into law for the sole purpose of getting acquainted with me again? I had half thought that you were simply jesting when you informed me..." He murmured quietly to his court partner, not sure what to make of the new information.
35-year-old Phoenix rubbed his neck sheepishly while waving his other hand around half-heartedly, grinning embarrassedly as he whispered back. "Ehh. Kind of. I mean, Mia was a big part of the reason too, and, uh, there's also Larry…"
On the other side of the room, the younger adult Phoenix continued on with his angry rant. "I saved your life, Edgeworth! I faced the legendary Manfred von Karma head on and won, just for you! I believed in you, but you never believed in me. How can you just leave me again right after I've finally found you?!"
Gregory gasped, a shocked expression morphed on his face. He faced the older Phoenix and asked breathlessly, "you faced von Karma...the undefeated ruthless prosecutor, Manfred von Karma...and won?"
The original Phoenix scratched his cheek with the same embarrassed attitude as before and muttered back a reply. "Ehh. Well, technically yes, but I had a lot of help from others so I shouldn't take all the credit here. And Edge—I mean, your son wasn't guilty, so of course I won."
Gregory closed his eyes and sighed softly. "You are too modest, Mr. Wright."
The demon prosecutor stared at the raging attorney incredulously as if the other had gone mad. "What in the world are you rambling about? You became a defense attorney? This is the first I've heard of it. Nonetheless, there is no possible way someone like you would've ever gained a chance to defend against my mentor—let alone win a case against him. I doubt he would even have spared a glance your way. Don't flatter yourself." He responded coldly, choosing deliberately to ignore the first part of the other's rant.
'How could this magenta bastard forget all that I've done for him so easily?!' The blue-clad 25-year-old was so frustrated that he wanted to scream. "Well I did defend against him and won, you dolt! Why don't you remember?! It wasn't a stroll in the park for me, mind you! It was downright terrifying! For goodness sakes, he looked like he wanted to beat me with his cane!" The agitated attorney had to pause to take in a deep, shuddering breath in a poor attempt at calming his wrath and the pulsing painful ache in his chest. "That said, your 'mentor' was great at electrocuting me with a handy electrical taser—which reeeally hurt by the way!"
The 35-year-old Edgeworth glanced at the 35-year-old Phoenix again, expression appalled. "Really? He did that to you? I wasn't aware of that…" He spoke solemnly, almost apologetically even.
"Nah, it's all good. I've actually gone through much, much worse since then." Phoenix replied back quietly, flashing a somewhat reassuring smile.
"Hm." The chief prosecutor pursed his lips into a thin line. "It is slightly alarming how prone to injury you are, Wright."
Phoenix curled the corner of his mouth and shrugged. "Well, on the bright side, I'm extremely tolerant of pain now. Plus, I'm still alive so that's gotta mean something, right?"
The Edgeworth on the other side of the room gritted his teeth, getting annoyed with the incomprehensible situation he was in. "My mentor would never do such a dishonorable thing, much less give his attention to a lowly defense attorney like you."
Gregory suddenly narrowed his eyes at the arguing attorneys because what the demon prosecutor had said finally sunk in. 'His 'mentor'? Miles actually allowed Manfred von Karma to mentor and teach him law? Oh, that can't possibly be good. Is...did this happen because of my unfortunate 'accident'?'
The young prosecutor glared at the defense attorney with renewed vigor. "While we are on the subject, why would you ever consider a career in law? Last I remembered, you were interested in art. Why did you foolishly switch into a field where you would undoubtedly fail?"
"Because of YOU, ya big egotistical JERK! Didn't I say that already?!" By now, the blue attorney was so furious that his face had gone completely red. Even the original Phoenix thought he looked like he was about to straight up punch demon Edgeworth. "How the hell can you remember the method you made up to count my age back in grade school when you had completely forgotten what I said A MINUTE AGO?!"
Little Phoenix and Miles stared on with large trembling eyes. Even Larry was surprisingly silent throughout the entire exchange. For Miles and Larry, they had never heard Phoenix shout like this before—or shouting in general since the shy boy was always so quiet at school—and for little Phoenix, he never knew that he could look so mad and miserable at the same time. The timid fourth grader gingerly yet bravely spoke up again after a full minute of both lawyers glaring at each other seethingly in tense silence.
"S-s-so...does that mean you guys aren't f-f-friends anymore?" He asked, voice small and sad.
The arguing attorneys glanced at the boy again. They briefly gazed at each other before their heads abruptly turned away to the opposite direction in a sort of childish fashion. "No, we aren't. Not anymore." The 25-year-old Phoenix grumbled while 25-year-old Edgeworth brooded wordlessly.
"B-but…" Little Phoenix pointed at the older pair of lawyers standing beside him. "But they are!"
The chief prosecutor, abruptly noticing that the tiny finger was unfortunately pointed up at him, half-coughed and half-cleared his throat in slight discomfort. "Erm, I did not say that we are."
35-year-old Phoenix snorted and lightly jabbed his side with his elbow in a joking manner. "Oh? But doesn't 'more than simply acquaintances' mean that we are something more than just acquaintances?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh my lord." The chief prosecutor groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't do that, Wright."
"Why not? Doesn't 'more than simply acquaintances' mean that I can do things a regular acquaintance can't? I mean, 'more than simply acquaintances' means I'm more than just an acquaintance, so—"
"Wright, I swear to God, this is clearly not the time for this." The older Edgeworth stated in the most dry and unamused tone ever. "Drop it."
Phoenix held his hands up in mock surrender while grinning playfully like the Cheshire Cat. This gave the chief prosecutor half a mind to swat the pair of offending appendages away.
"See?" Little Phoenix probed with a small confident smile. "I told you they were still friends."
The two newcomers continued to stare at their older selves with unreadable expressions. Their faces were morphed into a cross between disgust, disbelief, and speechless dumbfoundment.
The original Phoenix caught the nasty looks sent their way. "What? Just because you two can't get along right now doesn't mean that we can't. Things change over time, after all. Nothing stays the same forever."
"I…" After another moment of flabbergasted silence, the hateful Phoenix sighed and reluctantly gave in. "I guess you have a point, but how can you forgive this guy," he gestured to the magenta-clad figure beside him, "after everything he's done to you—to us?"
"Well," the older Phoenix gazed at the chief prosecutor beside him thoughtfully who in turn raised an eyebrow at him. He turned back to his 25-year-old self with a nonchalant grin. "What can I say? He's that type of person who you can't help but forgive."
"Thank...you...?" The prosecutor replied uncertainly before readjusting his glasses albeit somewhat awkwardly.
The demon prosecutor snarled loathingly at the spectacles-wearing man. "If you truly are my future self as you claim to be, then how can you possibly stand being near the presence of that fool?"
The 35-year-old in response smirked, closed his eyes, raised his arms with palms facing upwards, and shook his head sagely. He shot the younger with a knowing look. "You will get used to his foolish presence eventually. In time, you wouldn't even take notice of it."
The original Phoenix looked at him with an irked expression. "Gee, thanks." He said, body slightly hunched forward.
Little Phoenix tugged at Miles's sleeve and asked him with big pitiful eyes. "Hey Miles? I...am I really a f-fool to y-you?"
"Of course not." Was the immediate reply. "Don't take it to heart, Phoenix. You're fine."
"Okay…" He nodded with a tiny satisfied smile.
The hateful attorney who had witnessed the small exchange between the two boys had a curious soft look on his face, but the demon prosecutor turned away looking undeniably uncomfortable and perhaps a tad guilty.
Gregory, meanwhile, couldn't help smiling in amusement at the interactions between the three different versions of his son and his son's friend as he kept on observing everything noiselessly. One was of mutual trust and respect for each other, one was of mutual hate and bitterness for each other, and the one most familiar to him was of pure friendship. It was quite fun for the 35-year-old to watch even if he was still very concerned with how his 24-year-old son was behaving.
Larry doesn't disagree with how amusing this all was either.
"On another note," the older Edgeworth with glasses spoke up. "I do wonder, what was the last thing you both had been doing before you had arrived here?"
The 24-year-old prosecutor straightened up, face as placid as a marble statue, and the air around him suddenly turned calculating and professional. "I had just completed a recent trial. However, I was confronted by the opposing defense right after, and just before the confrontation turned physical, I was somehow sent to a chasm with a particularly disturbing strange echo. I began falling soon after, and now I am here."
"An echo?" The chief prosecutor pressed. "Whatever do you mean?"
The younger paused, as if contemplating whether or not he should say it, before he finally responded. "The sound was very distorted, yet perceivable. It was a man's voice. It said, 'Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death'...and then it asked me why I 'left again'." He then side-eyed the young defense lawyer beside him in annoyance. "You can see why I'd reacted so intensely when you uttered those accursed words, yes?"
"Wh...what?" The hateful Phoenix blinked, taken aback. 'Why does his story of how he got here sound so similar to mine?'
"Woah!" Larry interrupted, waving his arms in his friends and Mr. Gregory's general direction. "That's what happened to us, too! Except there was a loud gunshot, and lots of violent shaking, and our echo sounded like Miles was yelling 'get away from my father!'"
"...!" The demon prosecutor suddenly appeared on edge and angled his head forward to form the harshest glare Larry's seen yet while the chief prosecutor Edgeworth simply sighed, remembering his many years of dreaming that dreadfully nightmarish moment of his young childhood life.
"Wh-what?" Larry asked in a quivering voice, looking frightened as he backed up a step away from the intimidating look the infamous prosecutor was giving him. "Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do?"
The previously hate-filled defense attorney, who was staring at the demon prosecutor in scepticism, decided to speak up and comment on demon Edgeworth's last claim. "What you said about that echo you heard…" Finally, realization hit him all at once and he gasped. "Oh. Oh! Ohhh! Those words, it—oh wow, no way! You're joking—you've got to be kidding me…!"
"I don't believe I am." Demon Edgeworth grunted, unamused at being left in the dark.
"I don't think he can." Larry muttered to his two friends. This earned him a quick shush from Miles.
"That's…" The 25-year-old opened his mouth as if wanting to say more, but ultimately closed it in the end. His head tilted downwards in thought before he glanced up again. "What date was it before you got here?"
"August 27th, 2016." His rival answered evenly.
Both adult Phoenixes and the older prosecutor Edgeworth briefly paused to process that piece of information. Then a look of recognition dawned upon all of them.
'He is from my demon prosecuting years? *sigh* Of course he is. This unfortunate situation does not look like it will be getting pleasant anytime soon.' Chief prosecutor Edgeworth internally grimaced upon picturing the callousness that his other self will no doubt be dishing out in the unforeseeable future.
"Ah. That's why...I see…" The hater Phoenix was suddenly significantly calmer now than before. "So you are the Edgeworth who hadn't seen me yet until now, huh. No wonder you were acting more like an inconsiderate jerk than usual."
"Hmph, how quaint. You acted like quite the foolish fool yourself as well." Came the snappy reply.
Before the young defense attorney could retort, the original Phoenix cut in with a question of his own. "Okay then, what date was it before, uhh, you, my other self, ended up here?"
'Although to be honest, I think I have an idea of when you came from…' He added the last part as an afterthought.
"It was December 28th, 2017 last time I checked." The younger Phoenix replied, stroking his chin with his index finger.
"Ah, that sounds about right." The older Phoenix declared, appearing oddly satisfied that his assumptions were correct. "There was only one day in my life where I thought I was gonna die three times, and that day was when I took up that country bumpkin Max Galactica's defense."
"S-s-so I actually got attacked by a tiger?" Little Phoenix whimpered, inching slightly closer to Edgeworth's leg once more.
Larry grinned at him and patted his shoulder heartily. "Don't look so sad, buddy! I think it's wicked sick you got attacked by one! I mean, not everyone does, right?"
"Not to mention that not many survive if they did. It's not 'wicked sick' when you wind up dead." Miles stated matter-of-factly, tone cool and distinctly irritated.
Larry stuck out his tongue at him. "Boo! You're no fun. You're such a party pooper, Miles."
The other boy merely shrugged at this. "I try to be."
The demon prosecutor didn't know what to make of the carefree interactions between the boys. A miniscule part of him yearned for those simpler, innocent times when his life hadn't become so complicated and guilt-ridden.
"Hahaha, you'll be fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here right now." 25-year-old Phoenix laughed lightly.
'Technically, me neither.' 35-year-old Phoenix added mentally, sweatdropping.
"Anyway, I arrived like how this guy arrived actually." The Edgeworth-hating Phoenix jabbed a thumb in the direction of demon Edgeworth. "I also fell through some kind of dark abyss to get here"—'but no way am I telling them I was screaming my head off while falling'—"and I also heard a strange voice telling me something about how 'the prosecution and the defence need each other to bring out true justice' or something along the lines of that. Then it said about 'absence' or something...and honestly, I thought that the one who said it was you, Edgeworth."
24-year-old Edgeworth crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes while 35-year-old Edgeworth hummed, closed his eyes, and pushed up his glasses. "Why would you think I would say that?" They asked in perfect sync.
"Because it sounded like your voice." The other attorney deadpanned as if he was asked the dumbest question he's ever heard.
'Now this is intriguing.' The chief prosecutor thought to himself privately. 'I suppose that it was around the time of my return after my one year absence that I had said that exact phrase to Wright. Hmm...how very intriguing.'
'Okay, so to recap, now there's an Edgeworth here who isn't 'enlightened' yet, and he's still under the influence of von Karma—who he pretty much worships like a god. And there's also another me who hates Edgeworth to no end. Great. Juuuust what I needed today.' 35-year-old Phoenix sighed, sarcastically praising his luck. 'What am I gonna do with a demon prosecutor and a prosecutor hater? I really don't know what to do right now…'
"Daaaaddy!~" A carefree, overly cheery voice suddenly rang out from the front office. Trucy, in her full magician outfit complete with colorful props in one arm, ran into the main office in front of the 35-year-old Phoenix and began rocking on her heels excitedly. "I'm off to the Wonder Bar now! I've got a show there at 8:15!" She nuzzled herself into Phoenix's arms, giggling happily when he hugged back and gave her a gentle noogie. "Aww quit it daddy! You'll mess up my hair."
"Sorry sweetie, I couldn't help it. My little girl is just too adorable for me to ignore!" The veteran attorney, with his mood drastically improved upon Trucy's sudden arrival downstairs, chuckled at his daughter who had cutely wiggled herself out of his embrace to evade total destruction of her hairdo. "You're still going to be performing there tonight?"
"Yeah! After I apologized to the owner, I made a promise that tonight I would do a proper show without running off like yesterday."
"Alright, but be sure not to come back home too late, okay? You've got school tomorrow." He patted her head affectionately.
"Daddy! I told you to stop, or I'll have to go and redo my hair again!" The teen puffed out her cheeks, tapping her foot agitatedly.
Phoenix was about to tease her more when little Miles spoke up in a breathless voice. "E-excuse me, Mr. Phoenix, but, did she just call you 'daddy'?"
He glanced at the child, then at everyone else who had come from a different time period. They—except for Gregory—all wore expressions of pure bafflement. The newcomer duo had the most amusing facial expressions of shocked bemusement more than everyone else. Phoenix blink at them cluelessly for a moment, mildly taken aback. "Oh, I didn't tell you guys I had a daughter? Huh, I guess it just never came up." He stroked his chin in thought. "Actually, whenever she called me 'daddy', you guys were never around either. What odd coincidental timing…"
Trucy turned to face the time travelers—who all pretty much had a buffering symbol above their heads—and noticed the new additions. She curiously cocked her head to the side with a smile ever so present on her face. "Oh, hello there! Are you two other versions of daddy and Uncle Edgeworth?"
25-year-old Phoenix, with his eyes as wide as saucers, managed to squeak out. "I, uh, d-daddy?"
Demon Edgeworth, eyes hilariously wide as well, also managed to squeak out. "You...I...Uncle Edgeworth?"
"Yes, it's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Original Edgeworth nodded his head with an understanding smirk, remembering the time when Wright dropped the bomb on him as well. When he returned from Europe, his new status as 'uncle' sent the international prosecutor into a state of mumbling shock for the rest of the day. Miss Hannah, his faithful secretary, had to make him at least six cups of tea to snap him back to reality, much to Edgeworth's embarrassment.
Gregory covered his mouth in a fake coughing fit, secretly chuckling in mirth. 'Goodness, I never thought I'd be fortunate enough to still be around to see the day Miles gets called an uncle.'
"Hey, Phoenix," Miles began, shaking his dazed friend's shoulder, tone apprehensive. "Do you know what this means?"
"Huh?" His spikey-haired friend slowly blinked at him, reaction time lacking and uncomprehending why Miles looked so alarmed. "What…?" He asked almost lazily.
Miles shot him an incredulous stare. "What do you mean 'what'? It means you potentially had a daughter with someone! Phoenix, this girl here, she—" Suddenly he lights up in realization, and then faces the teenager with a blush at his lack of manners. "Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry, but I don't think we've ever been properly introduced yet either. My name is Miles, Miles Edgeworth. What is your name?" He asked politely.
The blue-clad magician giggled. "Don't worry yourself, I already know who you are, silly! After all, you three are the same people as daddy, Uncle Edgeworth, and Uncle Larry!" She perked up when she finally officially introduced herself. "I'm Trucy! Trucy Wright! Magician extraordinaire!"
"Woah, you're actually big Nick's kid? Who knew!" Larry breathed in awe. "I thought you were some magic pancake lady who's here just to make yummy pancakes for us!"
"That's a little farfetched, don't you think?" Miles muttered, eyeing Larry quizzically.
"Oh! Which reminds me," Larry, without an ounce of tact in his body, looked at Miles expectantly, "hey Miles, where's your kid?"
"Excuse me?!" All the Miles Edgeworths in the room sounded out at the same time; some offended, some flustered.
"Wh-why do you ask?" Miles glared at Larry edgily. (get it? Edgey-ly? Hahahaha okay I'll stop)
"Well, 'cause Phoenix's got one." Larry shrugged and folded his arms behind his head casually. "And since you're the same age as him, I figured you'd have one as well."
Miles sighed in annoyance, facepalming at his friend's lackluster logic. "You do realize that on the subject of children, whether I have, don't have, or choose not to have is none of your business, right?"
'Also, why are we even talking about these things? I'm only nine for God's sake!' Miles thought helplessly.
The carefree smile stretching across Larry's face somehow made one of Miles's eyelids subconsciously twitch in irritation. "Aww dude, you're no fun at all! No wonder you don't have a kid!"
Miles chose to wisely ignore Larry from now on.
"So...I have..." Began the 25-year-old adult Phoenix, dazed as a deer caught in headlights.
"...a kid...?" Little Phoenix finishes, tilting his head childishly to one side.
Trucy giggled. "Tee hee! That's right!" Suddenly a hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped in a mixture of realization and delight. "Oh! Wait! Wouldn't this mean that now I have three daddies?!" Without missing a beat, the hyper girl began bouncing on her toes again, a huge happy grin pasted all over her face. "Yes! Three daddies! One small cute daddy, one super young daddy, and my one-and-only daddy!" She hopped up and down excitedly. "This is soooo amazing!"
Little Phoenix soon also felt surprisingly happy the longer he watched the joyful girl bounce around, so he started grinning and getting excited along with her. 25-year-old Phoenix was so shocked he looked like he'd lost a part of his soul. The original adult Phoenix could only laugh weakly at his daughter's antics and at the various overwhelmed expressions shown on the time travelers' faces.
The magician stopped abruptly and swivelled around to read the time on the clock. She gasped again, but this time with urgency. "Uh oh! Time to go!" She approached 35-year-old Phoenix and went on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. In the next moment, Trucy was seen dashing out the door and shouting goodbyes to everyone. "Buh-bye daddy! And you too, other daddies! And you too, Uncle Edgeworths and tiny Uncle Larry...!" Very soon, her energetic voice faded rapidly down the building's corridor.
All was unnaturally quiet in the Wright Anything Agency after she left. Unexpectedly, little Phoenix was the first one to break the silence.
With his hands on his hips and chest sticking out proudly, he stated, "I'm just glad that my future daughter can make delicious pancakes."
Nearly everyone but Larry sweatdropped at his comment.
"Yeah! Totally dude! I agree!" Larry added in with a wobbly smile and his signature thumbs up.
"Seriously? That's all you're going to say to all this?" Miles deadpanned with a disbelieving 'are you kidding me' look.
"Yup!" The other two boys cheerfully replied without a worry in the world. Miles grimaced and looked pretty much like he wanted to give up reasoning with children for the next decade.
'Huh...I almost forgot how random and carefree I was when I was a kid…' 25-year-old Phoenix thought amusedly as he stroked his chin and pondered on his current circumstance. 'So I have a daughter, huh? At least she seems like a nice girl.'
'You know what? I get it. I finally get how Edgeworth sees me and Larry now. I totally get it now.' 35-year-old Phoenix thought, eyes half-lidded with a sheepish sweatdrop while experiencing secondhand embarrassment at his kid self's reaction.
Despite everything, the tension in the room had finally disappeared when Trucy entered. The older Phoenix and Edgeworth shared a relieved glance with one another that what had originally started out as palpable murderous intent had miraculously resolved to a tentative truce between their younger selves.
'I don't know how, but somehow nothing ended up being destroyed. For a while there, I was convinced that at any moment I would need to break up a nasty fight between those two—especially considering that they are the worst possible versions of us. Sheesh! How did we manage to avoid total disaster anyway? Hmm...' The veteran defense attorney paused as he thought back to the beginning of the hour when this whole fiasco started. It took another moment before he jaw-dropped in realization and complete shock. 'Wait a minute…it was Larry who first broke their fight with his comment about their age! Wow...I...I can't believe Larry saved my office...'
Save data file?
Yes
No
...
Yes
Progress saved.
Evidence: Charley's Pot
Playing Card
:I don't think anyone knows this, but I actually have a playing card stuck in my pot. It ended up there one day when Trucy was practicing her magic.
Profile: Charley's Office Corner
Charley
:It's just me, Charley.
Phoenix Wright
:His journey to where he is now in life was a long one. I've been there with him through the good and the bad. From his clumsy rookie years to his countless successes throughout his career; from the periods of unemployment and uncertainty to the cherished moments of raising a daughter. Through frustration and tears, through trials and triumphs—I've seen them all here in this modest corner of mine. I'm proud of him and what he's become.
Trucy Wright
:She is the life of this office, and that's something coming from a living plant. She tried to turn my leaves bright pink when she was younger for a magic trick, but Phoenix got mad at her and told her to leave me alone. I didn't mind being her guinea pig for her tricks, but I don't think pink leaves would help me photosynthesize well.
Apollo Justice
:A loud fellow who shook me to my roots when he first demonstrated his 'Chords of Steel' indoors. I think Phoenix adopted him shortly after they met. Compared to Trucy, he is much more grounded and responsible. He always remembers to water me even when everyone else was too busy or simply forgot. He seems sad lately. I wonder why.
Athena Cykes
:The newest adoptee into the family. Bright, cheerful, peppy, and practically the human embodiment of a rainbow—she actually reminds me a lot of Trucy when she was younger. I wonder how many more kids Phoenix is planning on adopting? She also has an odd little voice with her all the time. I think it's some kind of robot with feelings? It's hard to explain because I'm not very good with electronics. I'm just a simple plant, after all.
Maya Fey
:She's the lady who tried to drown me, once, back when Phoenix was still a rookie. I know now that she was probably new to taking care of a plant, but back then I swore she was using me to hone her water torture techniques. I recently saw her again, which was a pleasant surprise. She doesn't frequent the office anymore and I've been missing her optimistic presence. I think Phoenix misses her, too, but he doesn't like to show it.
Mia Fey
:Hey, Mia. You're here again, aren't you? You're always hanging around the office with me even though spirits like you should've departed long, long ago. I know I can't talk to you, and you can't understand me, but I've always appreciated your company as much as you have appreciated mine. Thanks for picking me up from the store and bringing me into this ever-expanding home of yours. It had been a wonderful ride, but of course you would know since you're always watching out for them.