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It was a lovely day outside - the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Phoenix Wright was in the hospital, yet again. He seemed to have either the best or the worst luck of anyone he knew. This occasion was a bit more mundane than eating a necklace filled with poison or falling off a flaming bridge into the rapids of a nearly freezing river, just a simple car accident. Traffic accidents happened every day, and if it wasn’t for the number of times he had ended up here, none of the staff would have remembered this incident at all. It was getting to the point where he was acquainted with a few of the ER nurses. Phoenix liked to joke that he should get a punch card, every fifth visit free or something like that.
Regardless of the situation’s frequency, he was still being made to stay at the hospital and rest.
“We just can’t believe you don’t have a concussion after hitting that streetlight, so we’d like you to stay for observation.”
That’s what his doctor, a man with dark skin and all his teeth intact, had said. His name was slipping Phoenix’s mind, but he definitely remembered his face and personality- kind yet professional.
That’s how he knew that the man in his room now, pale, with pink hair and half his teeth missing, was someone else entirely. Just watching him made Phoenix start to feel like bugs were crawling across his skin, probably because the mysterious person wouldn’t stop scratching himself. The guy was obnoxious and unnerving, and gave off a faint odor of something sour, but he had dealt with much shadier characters before. He didn’t mind putting up with him until a nurse could track him down and bring him back to his own room.
That is, he didn’t mind as long as it was just him who had to deal with the mysterious ‘director’. He seemed to escape quite often, but luckily it never took long for him to be found.
He was alone when the door to his room opened, and behind it stood his fifteen year old daughter, Trucy, as well as his… new hire? That sounded right. His name was Apollo Justice. Despite being a grown man, he was quite similar in size to Trucy.
“Hi Daddy! How are you feeling?”
Phoenix brightened. Somehow Trucy always managed to cheer him up. “I’ve been better.” He turned to Apollo to explain. “I got hit by a car last night. Flew through the air and hit my head on a lamppost, but I just have a sprained ankle.”
Apollo had a look of incredulous disbelief on his face, and seemed as if he were about to say something when that pink haired stranger burst in.
“Trucy! You’re back!” Phoenix felt all his muscles tense. This guy was a serious creep, and it was obvious from the way he talked about women. Other patients, nurses, doctors, visitors, it didn’t matter who she was, the ‘director’ felt some inexplicable urge to voice his opinions on each of them. Phoenix would have liked to place himself between the strange man and his daughter, but due to his condition, it would have been quite painful. Even if he wasn’t as intimidating as he’d like to be, it had always sent a clear warning to those he had clashed with before.
“Oh. Hello, Director!” Trucy smiled. She truly lived by the Grammarye creed, a performer to the end.
“It’s so good to see you again. Hmm… Have you come to get a check up?”
“No, I’m just visiting.”
“Hmm. Yes. Are you sure? You don’t need any areas examined?” He grinned, showing off his missing teeth.
Trucy drew back from him a bit. “Um, I’m alright! There’s no need for that!”
“Hey Director Hickfield. Why don’t you go check on some other patients?” Phoenix was ignored.
The phony ‘director’ simply stepped closer, moving past Apollo and wiggling his fingers at Trucy. “Someone as young and pretty as you… hmm… I think you should get thoroughly examined. Hmm, yes. I don’t mind.” Trucy stepped even further away until her back hit the wall. ‘Hickfield’ didn’t slow his approach.
Ignoring the pain that shot up his leg, Phoenix got out of bed as quickly as he could.
“Really, that’s okay. I’m perfectly healthy. Could you give me some space, please?”
“Hmm… but how can you be so sure? Yes, I think I’ll check for you.”
“I’m fine. Please don’t touch me.”
Phoenix quickly came over so he was standing just a few feet back, directly behind the false director, who was extending one hand to grab at Trucy. The other hand was scratching away. Phoenix grabbed one shoulder of the stolen labcoat and turned the other man around.
The pink haired man shifted his gaze to Phoenix, still itching at his armpit. “Y-”
He could only get out the first consonant before a fist collided with his face.
Phoenix had picked up a few skills during his disbarment. It was a necessity, especially when you had to play poker against people who were occasionally intoxicated. It didn’t happen often, but things had been known to get out of hand from time to time. It was fair to say that by now, Phoenix knew how to throw a good punch. He knew to keep his wrist straight, to keep his thumb untucked from his fist, to use his whole body to provide momentum.
So when his punch connected with its target, it ended up being quite effective.
His knuckles slammed into the conman’s jaw, the sensation of bone against bone not being entirely pleasant. ‘Director Hickfield’ reeled backwards, which in this case, was closer to Trucy, who shrunk away from him. Phoenix quickly grabbed his labcoat by the lapels and tossed the man through the air in the opposite direction. The descent was quick, and the imposter slammed into the ground with a thud. The throw was a move that had been taught to him years ago, by his mother. It was a technique that had been passed down generation to generation, dating all the way back to the old country. The Susato Toss was its name, and Phoenix was a natural. However, the ‘director’ still wasn’t giving up. He got up on his hands and knees and crawled forward from his spot on the ground, making a beeline towards Trucy. From his position on the ground, it would be easy for him to see up the girl’s skirt if he got much closer. Phoenix saw red.
He flew forward and slammed his knee into the perverted pretender’s side, knocking the wind out of him. Unfortunately, Phoenix hadn’t had the foresight to choose which knee he used more carefully, so he found he was putting all his weight on the injured ankle. His eyes started to water as he stumbled back, and he felt as though he could cry- were it not for the urgency of the situation. The pink haired fiend crumbled and fell to the side, his arm buckling beneath him.
Luckily, it seemed this is all it took for the fraudster to back off.
“Yeouch! Goodbye, Trucy!” He scrambled out the door. To where, Phoenix didn’t care, as long as it was a good distance away from his daughter. Careful not to put too much weight back on his foot, he shut the door and locked it. He raised his eyebrows with a look of concern at Trucy, a wordless ‘ are you okay?’ She nodded, and he sat back down on the bed. The two of them were almost telepathic, it seemed.
Apollo stared, shock plastered all over his features. Trucy seemed to have recovered, and was straightening her hat.
“So, what were we talking about again? Oh, yeah! Apollo, I have a job for you…”