A/N: So here's the latest from yours truly. This one's a bit different from what I usually write (more characters/ chapters than usual), so hopefully it's not too horrible. Anyways, this one's going to be 4 chapters, and... here's the first part. Enjoy!

"Niiiick! Slow down! How do you have that much energy?" Maya whines from behind me, stumbling as she tries to catch up.

"Gee Maya, I don't know. Maybe if you laid off the burgers so much, you'd be able to keep up." I tease, grinning. Maya sticks out her tongue at me.

"Why does Mr. Edgeworth's house have to be so far away from all the bus stops, anyways? You know Nick, you should really get a car." Maya complains between gasps. I can't blame her, we've been walking for what feels like an hour, and it's scorching hot out today, too.

"I'm starting to think that Edgeworth's house is far away from everything. When was the last time we saw another house? He probably couldn't stand the thought of having neighbours, so he got a house in the most secluded spot he could find." I remark. "Anyways, that's it just up ahead. He better have had a good reason for calling us out here in this heat."

"You gotta admit though, Nick. It's kind of exciting, isn't it?" Maya exclaimed. "When was the last time Mr. Edgeworth called us out of the blue? And he wouldn't tell us what was going on, either! It's like it's some sort of secret! Could it be some sort of surprise party? Nick, is it your birthday?"

"No, Maya, my birthday isn't for months." I sigh, slightly exasperated. We come to a halt in front of the door. Leave it to Edgeworth to have one of the nicest houses in town. How much is he making as a prosecutor, anyways? I haven't even seen the inside yet, but just from looking at the huge exterior of Edgeworth's manor, I can tell they're paying him too much. It makes my already rather ugly apartment look like a dump. I ignore the stings of jealousy and turn to look over at Maya.

She looks back at me. "What is it, Nick?"

"Uh..."

Come on, do it now! Tell her how you feel!

I'd been grappling with the idea for weeks now. Do I tell her, or don't I? At first I tried to tell myself I shouldn't. She's Mia's little sister, and she's so much younger than me, and she's supposed to be my assistant, there was no way I could hope that she would feel the same way I feel about her. But eventually I came to the realization that Maya matters too much to me, and there's no way I could settle down and be just friends with her without at least giving it a shot.

I came to that epiphany a few days ago, and since then I've decided that I have to tell her how I feel.

At first I thought it would be simple. I would just walk up and grab her by the waist, kiss her, and whisper "Maya, I love you". But pretty soon I realized it wasn't going to be that easy. Every time I tried to tell her something, she was always too busy going on about the Steel Samurai, or burgers, or... anything, really. I need Maya's undivided attention, but every time I try to confess to her there's always something else on her mind, or somebody in the way, or the timing was just all wrong. Three days have passed, and I'm not any closer to telling her than I was before...

Maya snaps me out of my thoughts. "Nick, come on! We've got to get going, so make it quick!"

I sigh. Bad timing strikes again. "Never mind, I'll tell you after. Let's go see what Edgeworth is up to." I ring the doorbell and a few moments later Edgeworth appears at the door.

"Wright", he says, his usual sullen voice present. "You're late."

"Well sorry! It's not our fault that your house is so far from the bus stop!" I retort.

A smirk appears on Edgeworth's face. "You might consider finding a new method of transportation, then. Anyways, it doesn't matter. Come inside, the guests who had the decency to show up on time have been waiting for quite a while."

Irritated but also desperate to get out of the sun, I follow Edgeworth inside, Maya trailing behind me. Inside we're greeted by Gumshoe, Franziska, a girl who I presume is the assistant Edgeworth has told me about(May, I think her name was?) and... Larry? What exactly is Edgeworth up to?

"Uh, Edgeworth, what's going on here?" I ask hesitantly.

"Now, now right. Remember your manners. I don't believe you've had the pleasure of meeting my, er, assistant in person, have you?" Edgeworth chastises me, pointing in the direction of his employee.

"Phoenix Wright," I say, outstretching an arm. She shakes it, respond with "Kay Faraday".

Maya greets Edgeworth's assistant with her usual enthusiasm, waving a hand and saying "Hi, I'm Maya!"

Edgeworth clears his throat. "Now then, since you're all here, I'll get to the matter at hand. As you all may know, my new car is being imported soon..."

Ugh. Of course we all know. It's all Edgeworth has been going on about for weeks. 'Oh, it's so much sleeker than the one I have now. Much more fuel efficient, too!' I swear, if he brought us down here just to gloat...

"... And as a result, I have no use for my current one. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I have decided to give it to one of you." Edgeworth concludes.

Just like he was most likely expecting, all of the guests burst out with shouts of "WHAT!" at Edgeworth's announcement.

"Wait, hold on. You're just going to give one of us your car? Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why don't you just sell it?" I ask, incredulous.

"Wright, I don't imagine that you make an awful lot of money with the business you're running, but I ensure you that I can sustain my lifestyle quite well without the small amount of money I would receive from selling the car. Besides, this way is going to be much more entertaining for me." Edgeworth smirks.

"Sorry, 'this way'? What way? What are you talking abou-"

Edgeworth clears his throat again. "If you'd let me finish, Wright. My assistant Kay has proposed an idea to decide who shall receive the car. You will all endure a series of challenging courses to decide who is best-suited to receive the car. Those who perform the poorest in any of the tasks will be eliminated, and in the end only the winner shall remain. He or she who successfully accomplishes all of the tasks will be rewarded with the car. Now then, is there anybody that does not want the car?"

I glance around the room. Nobody says anything.

"Excellent!" Edgeworth grins. "I look forward to seeing you all horribly humiliate yourselves. The first task begins tomorrow, I expect to see you all at Gatewater Land at 12 PM sharp. Don't be late again, Wright."

"Oh my gosh, Nick! This is perfect! You need that car!" Maya squeals as we leave Edgeworth's house and start the long journey back to the bus stop.

"Uh, why? I don't even have a driver's license, Maya." I remind her.

"I know, but you can always just get one! You need it, OK? That way you can... You can take me out for burgers! Whenever I want!" Maya grins, although there's something a bit off about the way she's smiling.

"Don't I do that anyways?" I sigh.

"Well yeah, but now we can do it much faster! Hey, what did you want to talk to me about, anyways?" She asks.

"Well... I... I wanted to tell you that-"

"PHOENIX WRIGHT!" I hear a loud demanding voice and the far-too-familiar sound of a whip cracking, then suddenly I'm on the ground with my head throbbing.

"Wh-What was that for?" I shout to the blue-haired demon standing over top of me.

"No reason," Franziska replies casually, curling her whip around her hand, "I just wanted to get your attention."

I struggle up to my feet, rubbing my head. "Why are you even in this competition? Can't you just buy a car?"

Apparently I asked the wrong question, because in a flash Franziska's whipping me again. At this point Maya's decided to hide behind a nearby tree. So much for telling her how I feel now.

"Foolishly foolish fool! Of course I can buy my own car! I only entered this foolish competition because I want to see you and that scruffy detective squirm." Franziska grinned. "Prepare to be crushed tomorrow, Phoenix Wright."

That girl has some serious problems. I think to myself as I hear her heels click away, leaving me in peace.

"Nick! Are you alright?" Maya's voice calls out to me. I pull myself up off the ground again.

"I... I think I have a concussion." I answer, being only slightly melodramatic.

"Oh come on, Nick! That's quitter talk! You'll be fine, I know it! You're Phoenix Wright, after all." Maya rushes over and hugs me in an attempt to make me feel better. It works; just having Maya so close to me is making the pain start to fade.

"Thanks, Maya." I croak.

She pulls away, grinning. "Now come on, we've got to get home and start training!"

"Training? For what?" I ask as she drags me along.

"The competition, silly! If we want to get back at Franziska, we're going to have to kick her butt tomorrow!" Maya declares with a fire burning in her eyes, which as it so happens is the look she gets whenever she's thinking something crazy.

Oh no. What have I gotten myself into now?