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Hours after the gavel swung down to condemn Adrian Andrews, Phoenix Wright disappeared. If you asked Maya, she’d say he “pulled an Edgeworth”—nobody could find him, most assumed he was dead.
She knew better. She knew where he lived. She had keys to his place! But he never simply came home like she had hoped. The police wasn’t much help, and Edgeworth seemed to genuinely believe the worst. The few days it took her to recuperate from the starvation meant he had a head start.
He left a note behind. I’m sorry. Please don’t look for me. Take care of yourself. I‘m sorry I couldn’t. Love, Phoenix. She sighed, reading it over for the thousandth time.
She didn’t know where to go. Maya sat in the office, tapping her fingers on the desk, struggling to figure out what to do next. She clasped her hands together, asking for strength to any god that would listen. It was like she was the only living person in the world at that moment. A chill passed through her. Mia? Perhaps. It didn’t really matter anymore.
Maya closed her eyes, concentrating on the essence of his spirit. She didn’t want to believe for a second he was dead, but… if he was, this had to be closure. A long, long pause—nothing. When channeling someone truly dead, Maya lost all her senses. Instead, she felt the tension in her shoulders, and saw the way tears managed to blur her vision once her eyes opened. Her heart ached, but knowing he was at least alive would have to do.
That was her routine for months on end. It involved a lot more crying than she would care to admit.
Then, she had a lead. It had been three years, and she had a lead.Turns out, half the prosecutor’s office never stopped looking for Phoenix Wright either.
“We could find him!” she insisted, sitting uncomfortably in one of Edgeworth’s velveteen chairs.
“We could find him. You are the only one who can bring him home.”
Maya followed the instructions, her heart racing at the chance to find out where he’s been. She waltzed right into some seedy restaurant, ordered the first thing on the menu, and sat quietly at the bar. They didn’t even bother to card her, she noticed.
A man plopped down next to Maya, eyeing her.
“What’s fresh meat like you doing in a place like this?”
Maya stared daggers at the stranger. “I have some business to attend to.”
“So how much is this “business”? Can I get in on it, or?”
“Leave me alone,” she replied firmly.
“Hey, I won’t bite.”
A pair of hands slammed on the counter from the opposite side. “I will.”
“Wh–”
“Don’t disturb the customers again, or else.”
The men glared at each other, but, after taking a hard gulp the offender decided it was for the best to leave her alone. Both turned to leave, returning to whatever bustle was happening before.
On instinct, Maya reached out to take the hand of the person behind the bar. Despite him being disheveled, she knew one thing from the way he couldn’t look her in the eye.
“Nick…?”
He stopped in his tracks, skittishly turning to face her. If she didn’t grab him, he probably would have bolted.
“Please, Nick. Talk with me for a while.”
“I don’t think…”
“It’s all I’ve wanted for years. Please.”
He never could say no to her.
“I really hoped you wouldn’t come,” Phoenix said, sitting with her at a booth. “How did you find me?”
“The police noticed you renewed your law license every year.”
“Ah, serves me right for being that careless.” He didn’t know how to feel. “Even if I don’t deserve to be a lawyer, it was a pride thing, I guess. Anything else you know about me?”
“You’ve resorted to being a professional gambler.”
“And pianist. But, something like that.”
“I guess you’ve taken to drinking…?” Maya said, looking at the bottle he brought to the table.
“Huh? Oh!” Phoenix looked taken aback. “No no, it’s actually grape juice.”
“I know you’re good at bluffing, but,” Maya squinted at the very wine-shaped bottle. “You really think you can fool me with a lie like that?”
“Here, try it,” he said, offering her the glass.
“You know you shouldn’t give me that,” Maya said.
“You don’t turn 21 for another sixty-two days,” he quipped. “So I’m giving you juice.”
“…Is that right?” Maya took a sip. It was sweet, if a little tart. Definitely juice.
“I hope you know a decent enough guy to not try and get you drunk.”
“I meant the birthday.”
“Oh, yeah. Guess it is.”
She stared at him, trying to read the expression on his face. “Why do you have the days until my birthday memorized?”
Phoenix looked away again. “I used to count how many days I had left with you until you had to go off and be the Master. Not that I even know if that’s how it works.”
“Not anymore. I gave the title to Pearl a while ago.”
“…What?”
“She deserved it more than I ever did.”
His face fell.
“That’s just… wrong,” Phoenix said, somewhat angry. “Of course you deserved it. Not that I don’t believe in Pearls, but that was literally your birthright, wasn’t it?”
Maya stared at him, doubt in her eyes.
“I don’t even deserve to be talking to you, Maya. Andrews got convicted and it’s my fault. You’re wasting your time.”
“We paid her bail, Nick,” Maya said forcefully, trying to convince him it wasn’t wholly his burden to bear. “She’s appealing. It’s not perfect, but… because of the circumstances, she’s going to be okay.”
Phoenix processed her words, slowly regaining the faintest glimmer of hope.
“And if you’re blaming yourself, it’s because of me, too. I’m the one who was stupid enough to get kidnapped.”
“Maya, don’t—”
“I used to think those days, starving in a creep’s basement, were going to be the worst days of my life. But… you—your whole running away thing—you made it so hard to even exist.” She wanted nothing more than to selfishly throw herself into his arms, to assure herself this wasn’t just a dream. But Maya stared, letting her words sink in. He never really stopped thinking about her after all this time.
“Why do you want me around if all I’ve done is hurt you?” he finally asked. If his new profession was any indication, his poker face was so much more impressive than she remembered.
“Because it hurts so much more when you aren’t with me,” Maya insisted.
“Don’t.”
“I’m not giving up on you, Nick. No matter what.”
“I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you,” he tried to repeat.
“You never gave up on me,” Maya said, leaning in with a fire in her eyes. “So I will never give up on you! But I’m tired of chasing you down.”
Phoenix reached out to take her hand, trying to understand why she would go through all this for him.
“If I stop running, I need your help.”
“Always, Nick.”
“Let’s take down the bastard that got us in this mess,” Phoenix said, squeezing her hand a bit tighter.
Maya just smiled.
Sometimes, miracles can happen. They just take time.