This is just a one shot I've thought of after remembering a certain event in T&T.

Title: Never Lost Once, Huh?
Author: Ben Credable (PI)
Raiting: PG
Pairing: Phoenix/Maya near the end.
Summary: Apollo learns from Trucy that Phoenix Wright, the undefeated poker champion, actually lost his first match against a certain person, way before he came into the profession. Using his ability to percieve, he seeks to find out who this person is.

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"Boring." That's all the young defense attorney has to say as he flips through the channels, trying to focus his mind on something. "There's nothing good on," he whined, and turned the TV off. It has been well over two months since his last case, and Apollo was going mad with cabin fever. Sir, there were times when he help out Trucy with a few stage magics at the Wonder Bar, and Mr. Wright with a few odds and ends around the office, but nothing as exciting as it is in the courtroom.

He let out a sigh as he fell back into the sofa, feeling his mind dull with the silence around him. He just wants something exciting to happen.

"Polly!"

"Gah!" Justice fell off of the sofa in shock as the silence was broken by Trucy's shouting.

"Polly," the young magician shouted again from behind the door. "Could you open the door? My hand's are full at the moment!"

"Okay, Okay," Apollo replied, standing up and reaching for the door. On the other side, he saw...well what looked like a wall of brown paper bags stuffed with groceries, the only things he could see were Trucy's tophat and her arms wrapped around the bags in a vice bear hug. "T-Trucy? Why are you carrying all of those bags?"

"Daddy wanted me to go shopping while he's playing at the Borshe Bowl Club." She said, her voice slightly muffled by the paper bags. "Could you grab a few, Apollo? I could bearly climb the stares with these bags!"

He abliged by taking a few of the bags off the top, allowing Trucy to see. She smiled, saying "Thank's, Polly-wog!" He sighed. He hated when she called him 'Polly-wog.' So he didn't figure something out in court right away, and she rubs it in his face.

Once the groceries were set in, the two sat down on the sofa. Perhaps this was a good chance to sweep away the boredom, Apollo thought. "Um Trucy?"

"Yes, Apollo?" She replied, gving him her undevided attention.

"I know you told me once how your, um, your dad, was able to go seven years without losing a game of poker...but...I still find that hard to believe, even with your help. I mean, isn't poker basically a game of chance?"

"Well," she stared, thinking for a moment. "Daddy might be exagerating when he said he never lost once."

"Why's that?" Apollo asked.

"Well....you see, he told me once that there was only one person in the world who could have ever beaten him at poker."

This is interesting. "So he's not undefeated."

"Oh no, he is undefeated during his profession. Just....his first ever game of poker he lost."

"To whom?" Apollo asked eagerly. This was indeed knews to him!

"I really don't know, Polly," Trucy said, with a look of dissapointment. "Whenever I ask, daddy get's a little tense. Like...something's bothering him."

Tense, huh? Trucy must has spotted a habit of Mr. Wrights. Perhaps he should have a talk with Mr. Wright and find out who this mysterious poker player is.

"Trucy, I'm going out for a while. Will you be alrlight?"

She smiled, tipping her tophat. "Don't worry about me, Polly. I can take care of the office."

Great, Mr. Wright...here come's Justice.

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It was close to 7 o'clock when Apollo got to the Borsht Bowl Club. He thought back on his first trial, and how he lost his mentor, Kristoph Gavin. It has been a long time since that trial thought, and he already laid it to rest.

Stepping inside, he was greeted by a familiar face, and a quick flash.

"Gah!" Apollo shouted, rubbing his eyes. "Hey what's the big deal?!"

"Dah," a familiar female voice said. "Welcome to Borsht Bowl Club, where only colder that club...is....you!!" Apollo reconized the voice right away as the waitress/card deal of the club, Olga Orly. The woam removed her Russian waitress attire, revealing her card dealer get up. She scowled at Apollo, apparently remembering what he did to her at the trial.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked, no longer using her fake russian accent.

"I-I just came by to play a game of cards with Mr. Wright," he stammered, taken back my the woman's venomous outcry. "I-I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you in court."

Olga scowled at Apollo for a moment, but then scoft and smiled. "Whatever. What's done was done. You'll find Mr. Wright down in the Hydeout.

"Th-thanks," Apollo stated, and walked on by, heading down the stares. Sure enough, Mr. Wright was sitting at the table....playing Solitare.

The ex-attorney turned from his game as spotted Apollo. He grinned and waved him over. "Apollo! Didn't expect you to come to a joint like this."

"I'm in the mood for a game of cards, and was wanting a challenge," Apollo lied.

Phoenix smirked, clicking his tongue. "Apollo, lies do not become you. What's your real reason for being here."

Guess he can see right through to me, he thought. "Okay, Mr. Wright. Trucy told me a little something about your poker win records, that is actually wasn't perfect."

"Hm," Phoenix stated in mock surprise. "I thought it was clear that I never lost one."

"I'm not talking about during your profession, Mr. Wright, but before that...perhaps...when you were a lawyer?"

Phoenix smiled that smile of his. "I'm afraid I don't quite get what you're talking about, son." Apollo bracelet tensed around his wrist. I knew it!

"Mr. Wright, who was it that taught me about my powers to percieve the truth?"

"Me, I guess," Phoenix answered.

"So you know you can't hiding anything from me as well, right?"

"Possibly."

"Even so, you still won't tell me about this person, the only person to ever defeat the undefeated Phoenix Wright?"

"Now what's the fun in just telling you when you can find out yourself, Apollo?"

Okay, so he's gonna play hard ball huh?

"Mr. Wright, who is this person who bested you at poker?"

Phoenix looked Apollo in the eye, and Apollo could have sworn he saw something...a memeory from long ago.

"That person...I hardly see much of any more."

While he spoke those words, Apollo tuched his bracelet, feeling his mind coming into focus. He could see Mr. Wright's face clear as day. But nothing was changing when he spoke. Focus....it's lower....his hands, in his pocket....why are they alway in his pocket....he's fumbling something in there....when he mention "that person." That's it!

"Gotcha!!" Apollo shouted. It was clear now. What was in Mr. Wright pocket? A momento from the person who bested him. "Mr. Wright, when you mention 'that person' you fumble for something in your pocket. Tell me, what is it."

Phoenix smiled, and for the first time, he pulled his hand out of his hoody pocket. In his palm, was a small glowing green jewel, beautiful in design, and for some reason, very familiar to Apollo.

"This jewel," Phoenix began to explain. "...is an item I recieved many years ago, during a special case. It was a special amulet from someone dear to me...and I keep it with me to this day. She is the one that won against Phoenix Wright, back then Ace Attorney."

She? Then in dawned on him, the one who had been at Phoenix's side during his trial. "This...belong's to your assistant, Maya Fey?"

Phoenix nodded, and Apollo saw a small tear in the corner of his eye. She must mean a lot to him, Apollo thought.

"She's living her own life now, but we keep in touch from time to time. But still...there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss her by my side."

"Mr. Wright...?"

Phoenix didn't respond right away, adrifted in his momeries of burger joints and debates over ladders and stepladders. He smiled, "Maybe, one day. We'll all go up to visit her one day, and you'll know just how special she is."

Apollo smiled, feeling that the two of them have bonded in some way. "Yeah, I would like that."

"And I'm sure there's someone there that would 'love' to meet with you," Phoenix added, chuckling.

W-What's that chuckling suppose to mean?! Apollo thought.

"Anyway, are you here to get me nastalgic, or do you want to play a game of cards?"

"Oh! Uh, sure!" Apollo said, sitting down on the other side. And then just remembering he was in the same spot where Smith was brained....he shuddered and delt out the cards.

Last edited by Ben Credable (PI) on Thu May 15, 2008 6:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hey, these guys really stayed in character, so to speak. Great job so far!

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Hey, good fic ^_^
I remember seeing a comic with Wright holding the magatama in his pockets. thats where you got the idea, right?

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Yeah, I immediately thought of that card session too..
And I theorised that Phoenix's 'nervous habit' would be clutching his magatama. Or possibly something to do with his hair. This is why he keeps his hands in his pockets and his hair covered, obviously. So he doesn't give anything away when he's doing his poker-face acts.

Only thing is, it seemed that Phoenix quit/was fired from that job after the murder. So he wouldn't have been working there after 4-1.

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Yeah, that was basically the inspiration for the last part. At first I was wanting Apollo to find the Magatama himself and try to break Phoenix's Psyche-locks. But then I began to realize....Phoenix would more than likely never leave it behind since the...

i remember playing T&T and seeing that scene when Maya said that they were playing for money.
i thought that you wrote it really well and it fits in with the characters even using Apollo's bracelet to find the truth.