Alexi jolts upright from his couch when his cell phone rings, blasting the soothing riffs of A Ninja Marked For Death’s Lullaby.

“Heya, Alexi Plectra, ready for action.”

“Hi, Lexi! It’s Kay!”

“Oh, Kay!” He sits fully upright, yawning. A smile plays on his face like the morning sunbeams filtering in through the window. “What’s up? How’d you get this number?”

“Mr. Edgeworth asked Mr. Gavin for me after the concert. It was a really great show. Thanks for inviting me -- and double thanks for the package of Jammin’ Ninja gear! I showed Mr. Edgeworth the drawings you did of our badgersonas on the card, and he loved it. He won’t tell you that, but he definitely did. I saw him tearing up behind his desk.”

“Duly noted.” Alexi laughs, rubbing his eyes. Klavier would kill to have that dirt on him -- it’s not hard to imagine the look on his face. “Glad you guys liked it. I had a good time talking Jammin’ Ninja with you, even though, uh. Y’know. Everything else happened.”

“Pff, don’t worry about it. The Great Yatagarasu does not dwell on tragedy nor mistakes -- she burns them as fuel for the journey ahead.”

“Wise words, O Great Thief. I am truly humbled to hear them.”

“Hehe, anytime. But, uh, I didn’t just call to thank you, actually.”

“Oh?” Alexi blinks, adjusting his grip on the phone. “What’s up?”

“So… you know how you told me about your mom, right?”

“Yeah. What about her?”

“Her name’s Melodie, right? Melodie Plectra?”

“Y… yeah. That’s her.”

“Oh, good! Well, I told Mr. Edgeworth about the whole thing, and he went and looked into her case -- there’s somebody he wants you to talk to about it. Somebody who wants to help you make an appeal for a retrial.”

“What? Kay, you... are you serious? There’s a lot of variables there, I dunno if…”

“It’s okay! Mr. Edgeworth knows what he’s doing. He says he’s recommended you the best person he knows for the job, and he’s on his way over right now!”

“You-- what?! Oh, shoot.” Springing up, Alexi rushes to throw on a jacket, switching the hand he holds his phone with as he yanks on each sleeve. “Kay, you gotta give me more notice than that next time! Like, I… who is this guy?”

“How the heck should I know? I’ve never met him.”

From the living room, a custom doorbell plays a killer bass riff. Alexi peeks out of his room into the hall, and hisses under his breath. “I think he’s here already.”

“Oh, cool! Don’t worry, Alexi -- the Crimson Badger can face any obstacle before him! You have the blessings of the Yatagarasu’s wings.”

“Okay, okay,” Alexi gives a strained laugh, “talk to you another time. You thank Mr. Edgeworth for me, alright?”

“Sure thing!”

Shoulders sagging, Alexi takes what feels like the longest walk in the world down that hall. There’s nobody good enough to take on Melodie’s case. Nobody even wanted to, not with the circumstances. Kay’s a sweet kid, she really wants to help, but…

Alexi opens the door and blinks. “Hey. You’re, uh. You’re here for me, right?”

“If you’re Mr. Alexi Plectra, then yeah. I mean, unless… do I have the wrong house?”

“N-no, no! That’s me.” Alexi holds a hand over his chest. “You’ve got the right place, my guy.”

“Oh, phew. Well, I don’t know how much he told you before sending me here, but I’ve got a signed council request form right here. I spoke with Melodie earlier today at the Detention Center, and she wanted me to come see you before we move forward with the case-- oh, sorry! I’m getting ahead of myself. My name is Phoenix Wright.” He offers a hand to shake, and a warm smile. “I’ll be defending Melodie in her retrial. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too, bud.” Alexi shakes, grinning as he holds back tears. “Let’s rock.”