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“This is a terrible idea.”
“Sssh, don’t be such a wet blanket, Apollo.” Trucy teased and no, Apollo certainly wasn’t impressed.
Apollo was used to Trucy’s whims and all the more accustomed to her declaring such fits of fancy. When you take into account she was raised by the one and only Phoenix Wright this, of course, appeared absolutely fitting.
And it was all the more logical they were in this predicament exactly because of that man . Thus, there was only one way they could be in Edgeworth’s office ― with Trucy trafficking around through the many folders on the shelves ― without Edgeworth himself (or his sorta-office-keeper Detective Gumshoe) welcoming them, and it’s due to Wright asking them to retrieve a file.
Now, when the honed defence attorney pinched in such a request, Apollo had many questions swimming around his head. Why couldn’t he go to the Chief Prosecutor’s office himself? Why couldn’t Edgeworth visit Wright’s firm ― it wouldn’t be the first time anyway, no? Why would he need such a file this urgently? What even is in this file?
According to Apollo, Wright had never been able to give a straight answer since the first time they met. This request was no exception, as the only reply he received was a mere ‘Eeeh, it’s not that important, but I would prefer to have it come evening. And you two must be the ones to go because… this is a mission only you and Trucy can achieve.’
At that, Apollo almost expected a sincere ‘liar extraordinaire’ to appear alongside Wright’s badge. Trucy, on the countrary, was completely unfazed and just dragged the grimacing attorney along as per usual.
“Trucy, do you even know which case file he is looking for then? I still don’t get why Mr. Wright couldn’t retrieve it himself.”
“I absolutely know which one he is looking for. Believe me, daddy and Mr. Edgeworth are an open book once you interact with them enough. And today they are out together with Gumshoe, Aunt Fran, Big Sister Kay, Big Brother Eustace, Shaunn, Mr. Lang and Miss Verity! They meet up whenever they can manage, which is pretty rare unfortunately considering they are aaaall busy people. So daddy and his rival probably couldn’t get to Mr. Edgeworth’s office themselves today.” Trucy uttered without pause, raising one finger for each mentioned name.
“Trucy, that was a grocery list of names, who are these people?” Apollo frantically asked, swiftly grasping the folders Trucy was haphazardly leaving behind to fix the papers within and place them back where they once were. Apollo couldn’t say he was as well acquainted with the Chief Prosecutor as Trucy was, but it was common knowledge that Edgeworth was very particular about his office being clean and orderly.
“Well, they are actually related to the case file daddy wants us to find!” Trucy begins to explain, while slightly mocking Apollo by making his attorney badge appear behind his ear ― “When did she take it?”. “Daddy told me the whole ordeal was apparently an important event for Mr. Edgeworth and very defining for his career. Yet, it involved no trial, it seems.”
“Wait, no trial?” Apollo questioned, interrupting his reading of a file with a French name ― Engarde ― written on it.
Trucy was already turning around and shifting her weight from one foot to the other, a pensive expression on her face as she attempted to fish the memory of what her father most likely had briefed her on.
“Yep. So… I don’t know the full details myself, but apparently an employee of the Berry Big Circus caused a sort of… erh political crisis for the whole of Zheng Fa? Mr. Lang is an interpol agent and he found the Zheng Fa’s president’s corpse and Mr. Edgeworth had already worked with Mr. Lang before. It’s… pretty messy and it even involved the Chief Prosecutor at the time and the whole Committee-of-Prosecutorial-Excellence.” Trucy summarized lightly, articulating the name of the committee with a stumbling cadence ― Apollo could admit it was a mouthful.
“Wait, I remember the murder of president Di-Jun Wang, it was everywhere on the news… it must have been in 2019, before I turned sixteen. No way Mr. Edgeworth was involved in that investigation! So the reason why the Chief Prosecutor and Mr. Wright get along so well is because trouble somehow manages to find them in such insane ways huh. ”
“Polly, you are one to talk. You go to a concert once and a murder happens backstage,” Trucy started to list oddly excited, all the while looking at a whole other shelf and passing the folders for Apollo to check them promptly. “you go to a small village and its mayor is found dead, you visit a renowned academy and attend its mock trial all the while your colleagues find the body of one of its teachers-”
“D-don’t erase your own presence in two out of three of these morbid events?” Apollo shrieked, his arms widening slightly in disbelief.
He should have been accustomed to Trucy’s bluntest of remarks and directness by then ― at times, her sheer honesty reminded Apollo of his own ironic thoughts he mostly restrained in the cage of his mind. But her casual outbursts still managed to throw him off the metaphorical rails more than he would have liked to admit. She was just a force to be reckoned with.
“It’s the W-A-A secret feature. Fate toughens its strongest soldiers by placing many trials and tribulations upon them.” Trucy proclaimed with a dramatic flair, immediately closing a lone manila folder with the visible name of the victim ― a certain Mitciv ― written in capital letters in the first page.
“I certainly didn’t ask for them when I joined and re -joined.”
“Trucy, Mr. Edgeworth isn’t even part of the Wright Anything Agency.”
“He is an honorary member. He watches my shows, so he deserves the spot. I am actually planning a trick which includes his suitca-”
“Trucy, please, try not to anger Mr. Edgeworth by sabotaging his belongings. Again, I think searching through his office this freely is a terrible idea. Did your father tell you anything more substantial about this forsaken case file?”
“Oh, Polly, you consider Mr. Edgeworth too strict. Believe me, as you always say, it’s fine! We are fine! Also yeah, I will recognize the file when I see it.” Trucy reassured in a way that to the defence attorney wasn’t reassuring at all. Especially because, genuinely, the two couldn’t really hide anything from each other and Apollo’s bracelet felt tight at times during this office search.
Apollo considered it strange that it would react to Trucy declaring she knew where the case file was. Mainly since Trucy was already so adept at concealing her feelings while usually being so upfront that she could have just declared she had no clue on how to look for this thing. It left his mind swimming, but Trucy and him had a sort of agreement not to always probe whenever they perceive anything outside of court-related matters unless they can truly tell it could turn out to be crucial.
Apollo and Trucy both appreciated lending a helping hand, but they couldn’t probe into the lives of every single stressed out retail worker, every tired police officer, every frustrated waitress. In regards to people they knew best, it was still a tightrope they were always tip-toeing on, wherein always probing and poking at others’ feelings wasn’t always the best approach ― if the time wasn’t right or if they simply weren’t the best person for the job, it could all tumble down.
Hence, the attorney chose to wait it out, his eyes still occasionally scrutinizing the one girl he felt responsible over.
Time passed and, by the ticking clock opposite to the Chief Prosecutor’s desk, Apollo was pretty sure they had been there for at least an hour and a half. During this time, the defence attorney admittedly found observing the whole sophisticated office pretty entertaining: a mahogany desk furnished with a leather swivel chair, a quill ― “Who ever uses a quill these days?” ―, a PC and a lamp dominated the room; a frame contained one of the gaudiest suits Apollo had ever seen in his twenty-three years of life; a huge bookshelf ― the very one that will now give Apollo nightmares after leafing through so many tomes within ― towered over them; what Apollo could have sworn was a Steel Samurai figure sat on a lower bookshelf along with a showy bouquet ― supported by an even showier vase ― and a ‘King of Prosecutors’ trophy; checkered tiles and two cushy sofas Trucy had been intermittently using filled the too big room. The final touches to such an office were a peculiar chess board with red and strikingly familiar blue pieces and posh curtains framing an enormous window.
Although curious, Apollo felt pretty out of place in such a refined office, more so when he could only compare it to his own desk littered with literally everything he needed to survive the dire task of lawyering ― numerous manila folders and food. Essentially, it was nothing similar to Mr. Edgeworth’s pristine studio.
Suddenly, as Trucy and Apollo were both seated on the two couches with a pile of folders by their side, a loud ping echoed in the room. At that, Trucy suddenly sprang up, read a message on her phone and, before Apollo could even ask any sort of question, she fished out a file from her hat. It had TA-4 written on it.
“Here, Polly, help me put these files back together, I have the one we need.” Trucy added, her back already to Apollo as she strolled towards the bookshelf.
Apollo let the file in his hands fall ― the name Dahlia Hawthorne differentiating the cover from the others ― and remained still with his mouth slightly agape for around half a minute before he allowed his chords of steel to bloom.
“WHAT? Where - no - WHEN did you get it?” Apollo screamt, getting up and pointing at her in utter confusion.
“Oh I just found it! Hop, hop, Polly, we need to get back to the Agency pronto!” Trucy chortled and stuck her tongue out as a bonus and Apollo was almost ready to tear part of his hair out.
“Trucy, you can’t tell me you have had that file for the whole time and forced me to stay here for so lon-”
“You will understand it all in due time. Trucy legally promises!” The magician sings-songs and Apollo ignored, for the sake of his health, the need for ‘legal promises’ of a signed contract.
***
Trucy hopped down the hallway, a cheery glint in her eyes adorning her face. Apollo, on the other hand, felt tired and nostalgic for his bed and a pillow. It took them roughly another half an hour to place everything where it supposedly belonged ― Apollo still wasn’t sure if the folder named ‘Copy of SS-5 case files’ was on the left or on the right of ‘KG-8’ and, at that point, he didn’t want to know.
They stopped right before the Wright Anything Agency’s door, where Apollo could see the lights were oddly turned off. He clearly remembered both Mr. Wright and Athena claimed they would have stayed there until late.
“Polly.” Trucy called out, her gloved hand already on the doorknob but her eyes suddenly focused on the defence attorney.
“Umh?”
“I am happy you are back with us.” Trucy admitted, leaving Apollo stunned for a second. As he regained his composure, he started to inevitably smile.
“Despite all the troubles,” Apollo emphasizes, his gaze dropping on the file Trucy was holding. “I am happy to be here as well. Mr. Wright and Athena are great and I am improving as a lawyer thanks to them.”
Apollo could picture, in the back of his mind, a silhouette of a blonde man with a suit and glasses, a whispered ‘Evidence is everything’ throbbing against his skull like a terrible headache. Apollo suddenly felt a wave of nausea, remembering what happened just a couple of months before in court with him almost subconsciously emulating his previous mentor’s ways.
Trucy was the one to snap out of it, dragging him right in front of the firm’s door and smiling brightly.
“Well, then, all that’s left is… THIS!”
Apollo was stunned as confetti fell down on him and party poppers burst, flecking the whole office with a pleasant cacophony of colours and sounds. A loud, heartfelt cry raised immediately after the door was fully open.
“WELCOME BACK TO THE WRIGHT’S ANYTHING AGENCY, APOLLO!”
“WHAT?” Apollo yelled, not able to contain his surprise, and at that many people present laughed, as if they expected such a reaction.
Apollo briefly scanned the room and his first thought was crowded , as the office was littered with familiar and a couple of unfamiliar faces. Furniture was moved in order for the center of the room to be pretty bare and so garner ulterior space, but the office wasn’t that big in the first place and Trucy and her father’s clutter was still present but just limited to one corner. They somehow still managed to pick up from who-knows-where a high and big enough table to use as a sort of makeshift stage and the desks and cupboards pushed to the sides were covered with white tablecloths and food. ‘WELCOME BACK, POLLY’ and a stylized version of him with a huge forehead ― Apollo was certain who the guilty party was ― were drawn on a banner hanging from the ceiling. Finally, Charlie, looking healthy as ever, was adorned with tiny attorney badges made of cardboard.
“Oh, Apollo, is everything alright? Did the Steel Samurai in Edgeworth’s office get your tongue?” Wright started, earning a look that could have killed a weaker man from the Chief Prosecutor in question.
“Apollo, c’mon, chin up and cheer up!” Athena added, lightly tapping his cheek with her now useless party popper.
She and a few others had a sunflower crown on their heads and, promptly, Athena picked one up from a nearby table and placed it on the dumbstruck Apollo’s head.
“I-, ermh, why this? Not that I am not grateful, I am just-”
“Oh Polly, you party pooper,” Trucy pouted, flicking Apollo’s hair to make her statement even more pronounced. “okay, so, it’s a bit late admittedly, but I wanted to organize it right and inviting everyone required a bit of planning from both sides, you know?”
“You organized all of this?”
“Glad to see you so stunned, it made all of this worth it! And yes, daddy and Athena were very worried once you left so suddenly, you dunce.” Trucy declared, although a softer look in her eyes betrayed that she knew it was a tough time for him. “I was worried too-”
“I am sorry, it was-” Apollo stammered, attempting to find the words he knew that wouldn’t come ― nor were they the ones to use in such a context, where a party had somehow been thrown for him.
Luckily, Trucy saved him again, as she did time and time again whenever she assisted him in court.
“Really, who would be my assistant and guinea pig otherwise? Polly, your reactions are just the best for it! Stay here a bit more, would you?” Trucy teasingly requested, breaking the atmosphere and prompting a groan out of him.
He was aware Trucy most likely knew. Heck, Trucy’s perception was probably better than his own, even if she frequently said otherwise. This was her way of being earnest about ‘sad things’, because she is one tough cookie but still needs to find strength with a bit of a mask of her own. But, especially, she loves seeing others smile. This was her odd way to make Apollo know she was there for him and the attorney couldn’t not be glad.
At that, however, Apollo zeroed in on the weird contraption of tables and curtains he had eyed previously. He almost cursed his ability to put two and two together.
“Wait, don’t tell me the stage is there so-”
“Eheh, sometimes, you are sharp! Hey, everyone, do you want to see my assistant and I bless this evening with a few magic tricks?” Trucy asked and the whole crowd declared their consent.
Apollo could even see prosecutor Blackquill and Mr. Edgeworth agree and what could he do if not resign to his fate? With a roll of his eyes, he still picked a small snack from the table before Trucy literally dragged him on the makeshift stage. What everyone could see, however, even without any ‘magical’ object, was how the attorney was earnestly smiling.
BONUS
The party lasted from what felt like a whole day. Apollo was glad many people he had come to know through his attorney career had made time for such an occasion: Judy Woods had greeted him with a warm smile and a knitted scarf as a gift along with her friends Hugh and Robin; Starbucks had sent Wright a message through Yuri Cosmos ― nobody seemed to understand why the director had Wright’s number ― remembering to always attempt to be FINE; Jinxie talked while intermittently hiding behind a glass this time around, but she seemed truly happy to be there and somehow even the mayor Damian had managed to attend; Eldoon was present and was responsible for a good supply of noodles ― someone must have paid him, but Apollo had no idea who could have done it ― and Vera Misham was quietly sitting, happily drinking a milkshake when Apollo came to greet her.
The striking figure of Prosecutor Blackquill sure stood out now that he didn’t have chains holding him down and, once asked about Aura, he said that Edgeworth had recommended a certain Fender to defend her. He visited her almost every day, just like she did for him. Considering everything that happened with her, Apollo was certain she would never bend down and, once back home, she would be happy to (affectionately?) mistreat Clonco once again.
However, there were two other highlights that left the attorney with something to certainly remember this event by. Lamiroir called him directly and congratulated him on his return ― Apollo felt a strange but pleasant warmth fill his chest at that, same as all the times he had heard Lamiroir singing and he still had no clue why that happened so often. Such an event was coupled with a certain prosecutor gifting him a bouquet, playing and singing on stage and asking him to celebrate later with a small lunch together ― Prosecutor Gavin was still a glimmerous fop and Apollo absolutely accepted the invitation just for the promise of free food.
His show as an assistant also worked out without any props burning or his own clothes somehow vanishing without a trace, so that was a plus. Trucy had almost used the guillotine against him and he was lucky enough his protests had worked for once.
Now, they were softly unwinding, with most of the guests having already left. The few remaining were Wright, Ema, Athena and Trucy and two other women (Kay and Franziska, if Apollo remembered correctly) who were chatting just and Edgeworth who was quietly sitting on the sofa. The latter was drinking his tea ― Apollo suddenly remembered the many tea sets in his office ― with a familiar case file in hand.
“Oh, Mr. Edgeworth, did Mr. Wright go through that case file already?” Apollo asked, trying to be casual in front of the intimidating Chief Prosecutor.
Apollo knew he shouldn’t have felt this jittery ― he witnessed this man’s office and it had a Steel Samurai figure and a table solely present to place a loud chessboard on it for justice’s sake ―, however he still commanded respect, especially after the trial of just a few months ago against Apollo’s mentor.
“Hello, Mr. Justice. Take a seat here besides me, if you don’t have any other matters to attend to.” Edgeworth replied, resting the empty teacup on the coffee table.
Apollo complied, trying to sit in a composed manner and crossing his arms for added confidence.
“I am going straight to the point, since I don’t know when Franziska will demand me to bring her to the airport,” Edgeworth said, as a light turned on inside Apollo’s brain and reminded him Franziska had been working with Interpol for quite a few years and was always traveling. “this case file is actually for you. Or rather, Wright suggested we could use it as a distraction so that Trucy could keep you occupied for a couple of hours. It being in this room now, however, is due to it possibly being of use to you.”
“To… me?” Apollo inquired, scrunching his eyebrows.
“Why would the Chief Prosecutor hand me a file about the assassination of the late president of Zheng Fa?”
“Yes, you are now Wright’s junior partner, as is Athena. But unlike her, during that trial against your younger colleague, you stumbled upon… a specific crossroad. The dire path called ‘doubt’, so to speak. I don’t talk about this particular case that often, since the few trials mentioned here weren’t even mine to prosecute at the time.” Edgeworth cleared his throat and Apollo could feel a sort of lingering pride after these words. “But I was also doubting many matters at the time. Especially about my career as a prosecutor. Should I continue pursuing my current role? Should I turn and begin to grow infinite faith in any client, as Wright always attempts to have? What would be the best approach for me? Those questions plagued my mind, although I luckily found an answer. Hence why, since I see you stuck in a similar crossroad, I want to lend this to you so you can give it a thorough read. I have already spoken to Wright about it, of course. And this copy of the file doesn’t contain some information that people who weren’t involved should never come to know. And it mostly has a few… notes of my own. I am pretty certain you consider yourself pretty secure now, but such doubts aren’t so easily dispelled and this could be of aid.”
Apollo was sort of starstruck, gingerly holding the case files Edgeworth had just physically handed to him. The attorney could see the Chief Prosecutor’s lips forming a soft smile ― even if Apollo could perceive Edgeworth wasn’t accustomed to such an expression. His glasses softened his usual piercing look and made him look closer to how Wright usually describes him to be.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Edgeworth! I will hold onto it and read it carefully without ruining it, I swear!” Apollo yelled, which made all the remaining people turn to look at him ― he is pretty sure Franziska lightly rolled her eyes with Kay slightly nudging her with a smile.
“Don’t worry, Polly Polly, I have ruined a tea cup of his recently and he is as amiable as ever!”
“Kay, you did what.” Edgeworth hissed while turning around, with the people who knew him best unsuccessfully stifling their laughter.
With them arguing, Apollo plopped on the couch with the case file in hand and a determined look on his face. Most of the notes were about the culprit, his relationships, his tormented situation and how he somehow still found a place to belong.
Apollo’s grip tightened and his face set, more determined than before.
“Watch out, Mr. Wright, Athena, Trucy and Mr. Edgeworth… because Justice will return, his chords of steel and determination better than before!”