the sweat i broke into when i realized how old this girl was in 2013 (image id in alt)

here’s why Dual Destinies doesn’t work in my opinion

If you tune in to Turnabout Podcast or frequent this blog, if you can even call it that, you might know that Dual Destinies is my least favourite Ace Attorney game. I bitch about it a lot but, just like with my coup de grâce here, I wanted to gather all my thoughts in a single post. Almost two years after my initial playthrough, I’ve started appreciating some aspects of the game like its outstanding soundtrack and art, but overall my opinion remains unchanged and actually worsens as I increasingly acquaint myself with the series and related works, such as Ghost Trick, which has no right being so amazing *long sentence*. The point is, DD feels like a rushed and messy game which doesn’t hold a candle to its peers. Let’s take a look:

(spoilers ahead!)

Phoenix Who? Dual Destinies marked the return of Phoenix Wright in the courtroom. Whether this was a good or bad decision, it can undoubtedly be traced to the mixed reaction Phoenix received in the previous installment, Apollo Justice. Thing is, DD Phoenix doesn’t resemble a single thing about the original Phoenix. I’m not some sacrilegious Phoenix Wright SiMp with a boner for the trilogy, but this is so inconsistent on so many levels. Let’s consider what Phoenix went through during the trilogy: he lost his mentor, had to defend Maya twice and almost lost, defended a homicidal maniac while being threatened with Maya’s abduction, saw ghosts, including his ex girlfriend who emotionally abused him, grieved over Edgeworth’s departure, more fucked up shit that went down in Bridge, survived multiple physical altercations and incidents like getting beat up by Redd White, zapped by Von Karma, falling from a bridge into a frozen river, and more. Despite all this, his PTSD is never explored. The man literally comes out from all of these situations unscathed, maintaining his anxious demeanor and not changing a single bit. Call it bad writing if you want, I just think that if overcoming all of these instances didn’t help him build an ounce of confidence, nothing would. But then, DD Phoenix returns after the events of AJ surprisingly bold. It’s inconsistent. Initially, I thought this new, “improved” Phoenix was a direct result of Shu Takumi leaving after writing AJ, but then I remembered the AJ Phoenix. That’s a whole other topic of discussion I’m not willing to write about for the sake of this post remaining consistent (unlike Phoenix), but my main question is: what happened to Phoenix? if he came out of the trilogy unchanged but after 7 years turned into a chilled bro with one of his eyes twitching, to just then channel an even more bizarre version of himself in DD, then what happened? It’s never explained. Can it be attributed to Iris, who is never seen after Bridge? Maya leaving? Or did losing his badge and adopting Trucy fuck him up so bad that his brain got fried, because that’s valid in a very American drama series kinda way, but it doesn’t explain at all how he just casually bounces back in DD. He doesn’t get his badge back officially until Reclaimed so it’s not that his return is justified. And no, I’m not accepting the oh it’s because of Athena’s arrival of course! excuse because that’s never explained in full either. If Phoenix’s transition from trilogy to AJ is weird, then his transition from AJ to DD is even weirder because we never get a reason behind his shift. We’ve witnessed him gain experience as an attorney without losing his true self in cases such as Recipe, during which he managed to outsmart Furio Tigre. In that episode, he evolved so much since the first game but was still the restless, uptight Phoenix we met back in the First Turnabout. So saying that he’s just experienced now doesn’t work either. I’ll just settle for an Avril Lavigne explanation at this point

“Apollo Justice 2: Dual Destinies”: circling back to Apollo Justice, Phoenix wasn’t the only inconsistency between the two games. There were a lot, actually. Firstly, the Mason System? What ever happened to that? AJ made such a big deal out of it, pigeonholed Phoenix into that storyline and then placed it as a centerpiece in the middle of Succession in a way with which you’d think it was here to stay. In fact, it could have been used to explain the shift in Phoenix’s personality. Imagine: Phoenix Wright’s comeback after the Mason System’s huge success. If they simply acknowledged the Mason System, not even incorporated it into the game, it could act as a reason to explain Phoenix’s newfound confidence. But instead it’s nowhere to be seen. Then we have, Phoenix being a horrible dad by hyping the fans who are into incest by never informing his own daughter and his protégé that they’re siblings. Where do we even start with this one? First of all, why? I want to know, it’s so annoying. @Capcom why? So that’s never addressed, the magician stuff all gets thrown out the window for an entire game, and as a result Trucy becomes... a nuisance? Can you imagine if they ever did that to Maya in Justice for All ? After spending a game as our trusty assistant, she’s now just there. Oh, but it was Trucy who took us to the Yōkai Parade in Nine Tails Vale, haha she’s such a quirky character <33 !! Yeah. Other stuff I can think of? Oh yeah, fucking Apollo Justice himself. Granted, he’s a main character in Dual Destinies despite his lacklustre role (and that says a lot), but again, such a missed opportunity for character development. He’s sandwiched between other characters such as Phoenix and Athena and unnecessary storylines (i’ll get to that in a bit) to the point where a lot of the choices in the narrative feel unsupported. Unlike Phoenix, he was always kinda annoyingly aggressive during trials, but his confidence boost between his own game and DD feels very unwarranted. If anything, Succession must have broke him, not made him bolder. Again, it feels inconsistent. What happened between the two games? Yeah, having the ceiling bash his head in was hilarious a great opportunity to explain why he turns into Shadow the Hedgehog in DD, but instead of that, he gets sidetracked after the second case and then just returns out of nowhere to be like I’m back, with a band-aid over my eye to show that I’ve been through a lot ! Sir, the victim in the fourth case is your childhood bestie - emote accordingly you piece of shit. Just... garbage, I can’t.

The Mistreatment of Athena Cykes: I’ve written this, which covers mostly everything I want to say, but... this was literally the absolute worst time to introduce a new protagonist. Even worse is the fact that she’s a playable female attorney, which we’ve never had before (apart from Mia) so her receiving the short end of the stick feels a bit coincidentally anti-feminist? idk I don’t want to be that bitch, but it sure as hell feels that way. I mean, add to that the atrocious outfit, that she specialises in emotions because she’s a girl and she’s always in her feelings UwU, and the fact that she can’t handle a single case on her own and needs papa Phoenix and step-bro Apollo to come to the rescue (I’m writing Pornhub titles now), and you’ve got yourself horrible writing for a female character. Why is she a damsel in distress? Why is she given 0 agency? She’s not allowed to handle a single case on her own and before we even know it, she’s suddenly turned into a plot device in Turnabout for Tomorrow and needs to be rescued once again. As much as I love her serendipity and can-do attitude, Athena shouldn’t have been introduced in DD. There were way too many unresolved plot holes from AJ to introduce a new main character, and she ultimately gets crushed under the weight of 130910293 other storylines. She and Apollo don’t share character development well because DD needs to develop one character at a time, apparently. And, as established above, the development is very shitty. Athena’s entire backstory depends on the mysterious new prosecutor’s fate, like we’ve never seen that before. Having the new attorney have a special connection with the prosecutor who is an antihero becomes very redundant the fifth time around, and then it happens again in SoJ, like ??? It’s really frustrating to think about the potential Athena had as a new face for the series. She reminds me a lot of Justine Courtney, another female character who is called upon from the team of writers only when the plot needs a device in order to move forward. Need a babysitter for Trucy in SoJ? Athena’s got your back! Need a central character to pin it all on in the final case as an obvious red herring? Justine Courtney’s on it fellas! *sigh*

Blackquill & Fulbright - The Ultimate Bromedy: Jesus. Before playing the game, if you told me Dual Destinies had a prisoner prosecutor and a secret agent detective, I’d probably not play it. Because it sounds like a work of surrealist fanfic. For me, these two concepts just say: ‘We’ve run out of ideas so let’s try something different, but we’re still gonna maintain the classic Ace Attorney tropes like the new attorney and prosecutor having a muddled past.’ Newsflash, group of writers I can only envision struggling around a big table with pencils in your mouths: it’s not who the prosecutor and detectives are, it’s the tropes you implement on them that make everything feel so damn repetitive. Beyond that, how does it even make sense for a prosecutor to be a prisoner? They briefly go on a tangent trying to explain it by saying oh it’s the Dark Age of the Law but by that point I had heard that phrase/excuse so many times that it just meant [blank]. Like literally [blank]. Blackquill is the unique prisoner-prosecutor because [blank]. Do you understand my frustration? I don’t think you do. I am a man who requires logic, explanations, fucking reason. Having the Dark Age of the Law be the equivalent of the Purge does not explain shit. Anything can go down - its a free-for-all ! Just like with every other issue I’ve outlined in this post, this could have been very easily fixed. Have Klavier be the prosecutor (for continuity purposes, not because he’s a good or well-written character or anything like that) and have Athena visit Blackquill in prison throughout the game because of the burden she feels after the details surrounding Metis’s murder fail to make sense as pointed out by Aura. That way, you’ve got a prosecutor who isn’t a literal prisoner, and a scapegoat for the final case. Blackquill’s entire shtick doesn’t make sense to me. Is he a prisoner, an emo, or a samurai? Why does he look like a skunk? Why does he pretend to be homicidal and violent until proven otherwise? To protect Athena? I think not. And then, his counterpart, Bobby Fulbright. Was this the writers’ effort to make fun of a foreigner’s view of an American? Because he’s the most stereotypical American thing I’ve seen since Redd White. The happy-go-lucky, can-do attitude drenched in red, white and blue, loud and aloof. It’s giving... I don’t even know what it’s giving. Fine, I’ll play along with the fact that you made the game’s detective the main villain (even though you already did the whole “unsuspecting character villain” thing with the main baddie in Investigations 2, two years prior). Fine. But at least make it good. At least execute it well. Similar to Blackquill, there’s a lot of questions surrounding Bobby. What’s with his design? What’s his motive? Why did he stick around after Metis’s death and literally forced himself into every possible Athena-related situation? Where’s Ema Skye? Did he eat her? What does he really look like? Is he a cyborg? How did he make that huge leap at the Space Centre? Perhaps the worst offense here is the final twist being that Fulbright is like this maniacal mastermind who can get away with everything because how?? Oh yeah ! He’s in control of his emotions ! ... I... I’m at a loss for words. You’re telling me the final piece of evidence to put Fulbright away is the fact that he couldn’t possibly feel happiness or anger or whatever the fuck when testifying ? That’s literally a textbook definition of a sociopath. A lot of stuff in the universe of Ace Attorney doesn’t make sense, but trying to make a gimmick out of literal psychology must be in the top 3 list. How did other twists work in the past? Well, Manfred Von Karma’s crime came to light by slowly unraveling bit by bit of the DL-6 incident as the final trial proceeding came to a close, and Matt Engarde’s twist took place mid-investigation for the sake of explaining it and establishing everything. Meanwhile, Dual Destinies waits until the very last minute to spring Bobby’s twist onto us and then... just goes with it? Like... please explain in a coherent way the what, the how, the when, and most importantly the why.

Cases that Make You Go Zzzz... Ok so I guess this is an area which can be the most subjective because of how people experience the cases, the order they played the games in, etc. I fully get it, a big part of why I dislike Stolen is because I played it outside, in the UK weather, at a bus stop. However, looking past sentiment, a lot of the DD cases suffer from lacklustre writing. Let’s take Monstrous, for example, which coincidentally is my least favourite case in the entire series (DGS is really trying it though). The villain is revealed in the opening cutscene and, mama, that was a choice. The characters are serving nothing. Phineas Filch and Jinx Tenma are so annoying, 0% helpful, no personality, no anything. In my first year of university I remember one of my creative writing tutors saying that if I’m bored to read my own work, then other people will most probably be bored too. I think the same applies here: would the writers ever want to speak to someone as dull and irritating as Filch and Jinx? I struggle to believe that. And yeah, we’ve had characters like these in the past, like Moe the clown, Ron Delite, hell even Lotta Hart could be grating at times. But other characters would balance them out, like Desirée, Gumshoe, dare I even say Regina motherfucking Berry. When all the characters in a case lack any personality, constantly scream out their lines, and fail to keep the player’s attention, it’s an issue. AA characters are usually allocated a single trait which can then be applied to their dialogue and reactions. April May is a sexy sweetheart with a barbaric side which only comes out when you anger her. Good. Lisa Basil might very well be a robot so you want to keep talking to her in order to find out. Better. The mysterious Adrian Andrews is keeping her darkest secrets hidden and knows all about the TV Studio drama but won’t tell. Excellent. Hugh O’Conner is 25 masquerading as 18. No, no no no, stop immediately. And it’s not just him. Aristotle Means is a Grecian statue, Solomon Starbuck suffers from depression, Bobby Fulrbight is constantly one-note. Juniper Woods... holy shit can I not stand her. Why did they even make an effort to push her into the forefront? So that Apollo’s already limited screen time is riddled with even more unresolved storylines, like an unnecessary love interest? Why was she a bitch at the academy and then, after everything is cleared up, goes back to her crocheting, Fairy Pokémon self? Almost all the characters are one-dimensional (with some notable exceptions like Norma DePlume and Myriam Scuttlebutt, to who I should recommend my chiropractor because they must be exhausted after carrying the episodes they’re in on their backs). They lack flavour, they fail to entice, they’re not memorable. And AA cases are character-driven, meaning absolutely no one would ever think oh boy, I can’t wait to play the next case so I can find out what the murder method is ! No one. The characters fail to support their own cases, which are already quite dull. The murders aren’t interesting, there’s no drive to solve them. The establishments/settings are too out-there, apart from academy because they’ve never done a school before but even that they managed to botch somehow. The trial proceedings are ok, I guess, because of shenanigans like propping Athena to look like Constance Courte, but meh. Perhaps the worst thing about the cases however, is the fact that the writers decided to remove the option to investigate every area. Why would you even think of doing that. In the trilogy, in cases which might not have been the best like Big Top or Stolen, there was always something to look forward to when you thought about Maya and Phoenix’s comments on irrelevant stuff in the background. The ladder vs stepladder debate, how Phoenix always curates the items, Charley the plant, Maya’s gluttony. These little details shaped the characters and the narrative in such a subtle way, and in the end we felt like we’ve known Maya since birth. In Dual Destinies, that doesn’t even exist. It could have been yet another easy solution to an issue such as Athena and Apollo not receiving enough character development.

DD’s Biggest Offense: It’s that there’s way too many stuff for it to handle. The game is literally trying to manage 329832 different stories all at once, in the span of 5 cases and one DLC case. Here’s a list: Phoenix returning as an attorney, Athena’s introduction, Apollo’s career, Apollo and Trucy being siblings, the Mason System, the Dark Age of the Law, Blackquil being a prisoner, how Athena and Blackquil know each other, the hostage take-over at the space centre, the Phantom, Edgeworth’s return, J*niper Woods’s crush on Apollo. It would be nonsensical to think that you could cover all of these to their full extent in a single game. It’s foolish, unrealistic. And, as a result, a lot of these storylines come out as half-baked. We never find out what the Dark Age of the Law is, how it came to be, why it’s here, how it affects cases, why is it important? It’s hyped up for 5 cases, the characters constantly reminding us that it’s around, but then... nothing happens. Nothing is explained, nothing comes of it. If Bobby is the game’s villain, who is completely unrelated to the Dark Age of the Law, then how does taking him down in the final act signal the end of this dark era? If it’s such an imminent threat that never affects us or gets resolved, why is it there? It’s just [blank], remember? The main cast doesn’t get enough time to shine or develop either. As established above, Phoenix, Apollo and Athena’s roles are shrouded in questions and plot holes. As a result, we don’t really care about these characters, and when the final case of the game rolls around and is like oh no, Athena is going to get sentenced to death if you don’t defend Blackquil properly! I was like ok I don’t really care babes, sorry. Looking back, defending Edgeworth, trying to save Maya from Shelly de Killer, finding out Godot was the culprit, Kay losing her memory; all of these moments were so gut-wrenching because the previous cases put in the work in order for the player to care for these characters. God forbid anyone touch a hair on Maya’s head because *growls*. But when I’ve seen Athena for like 2 seconds of gameplay and Trucy hasn’t been around for the entire game, the robot take-over feels so unreasonably dire, like so anti-climactic. Why should I care? You haven’t put in the work for me to care, why should I?

Closing Statement: There’s some stuff I’d like to mention before finalising my autopsy report of Dual Destinies. The 3D is absolutely abysmal and looks lazy. Yes this was 2013 DS era, but fuck do they look ugly. Couldn’t they have opted for cel-shaded Wind Waker-style graphics? Trying to emulate the original sprites in 3D form was a very bad move, it’s so distracting and takes away from the charm of the game. Secondly, my Turnabout Podcast co-host and soulmate has managed to convince me that Reclaimed is actually a decent case. It is a decent case. But it’s plagued by the game’s stink and the rest of the horrible decisions analysed above. As a solo outing, it’s really good. As a DLC to a bad game, it manages to outshine the rest while it sinks down with the ship. Monstrous feels like a crazy one-off adventure and that should have been the DLC, with a few added characters and some more pizzazz. As such, Academy could have been an establishing first case after the tutorial and Reclaimed could be DD’s crown jewel. So yeah. With that out of the way, this is it. I’ve spent my entire day writing this, I think this is everything I have major issues with. Recently, I’ve tried replaying Academy but I got easily bored so I stopped. I guess part of the reason I played it back when I did was either the fact that the pandemic had just started or because I was eager to see what happened next in the overall story. As bad as Apollo Justice was, a lot of its writing felt very much like Shu Takumi’s work, so I trusted it. It might not have been a game for me, but I do understand how people like it and I have fond memories of it. Dual Destinies on the other hand, doesn’t have that privilege.

idk if you're into like fever and stuff but how about some feverish edgeworth/wrightworth :0)

Yessiree! :D

With little a snz as a treat

     As much as it broke Phoenix's heart to see his husband ill, this was the one occasion he could see that signature smile Miles gave him whenever he brought something he needed. There was a warmth in it, how it mixed so well with the way Miles’s hands wrapped around his mug of tea, how he looked so tired and unwell before but fought through that to show Phoenix his appreciation. After years of living together, Miles even found himself seeing a romantic aspect in having a cold, even when Phoenix was too worried to effectively dote on him.

“Are you absolutely sure you wouldn’t rather be in court right now?” Miles asked hoarsely before taking another sip from his mug.

“And miss taking care of you?” Phoenix kissed his husband’s warm forehead, hiding his dislike of the heat with a soft smile. “Of course I’m sure. Athena can handle the case, and I have plenty of sick leave to spare.”

“You should save some for yourself, you know.” Miles sniffed. “What with you needing to kiss me every time you come in the room.”

“I’ll be fine. I hardly ever get sick.” Phoenix planted a small kiss on Miles’s lips, as if he were inviting his husband to watch him not catch his cold, in whatever way that would work. 

“But when you do, you’re in bed for days.” Miles acknowledged once his lips were free. “It’s hardly a fair exchange, your affections for my cold.”

“If I do get sick, which I doubt I will, you give me all the kisses you want. You’d be immune, right? So you can kiss me all you like, no problem.” Phoenix thought he had a pretty solid argument to stand with.

“Knowing you, you’d be so out of it, you wouldn’t remember half of those kisses.” Miles took one last sip of his tea before setting the mug gently on the end table next to his glasses sitting just as neatly folded as his handkerchief accompanying them. “I’m still not seeing a deal here.”

“You worry too much for someone sick in bed.” Phoenix tsked and sighed through his nose.  He checked the alarm clock beside him. “Looks like it’s been at least four hours. Do you think you’ll need to take any more medicine, or are you good for the day.”

“Considering it’s only been good for clearing up the noisier symptoms and hardly anything else, I think I’ll live if I wait until you turn in for tonight.”

“So it did nothing for your throat or your head, huh? And definitely nothing for your fever...” Phoenix frowned. “You’re sure you’re okay adding that  bad cough to it? Among, well, the other thing.” Still as easily flustered as ever.

Miles found a small comfort in the pink of Phoenix’s cheeks almost matching his own.

“Maybe that ‘other thing,’ is just what will get me through the evening, love.” Miles suggested with a teasing grin. Even though his own tastes differed from his husband’s, the words left a sensation on his tongue that had him feeling as if he had just said something filthy. It would have lingered longer if he had more warning time to savor Phoenix’s anticipation as that ever recognizable tickle crept in on him. “Hu’ussSSHCHH! HrrRSSHHOO!” So his nose went right in for the kill, not wasting any time on quieter, warning-type sneezes. However, considering a genuine fit for him during a cold was, funny enough to him, uncommon, there was really no need for such a warning.

“Ah! Bless you.” Phoenix tensed up, completely abandoning his brief thought to potentially stand up off the edge of the bed and retrieve a fresh cooling patch from the fridge. He relaxed himself enough to hand over his husband’s handkerchief with at least some composure. “You know, when I saw you in court for the first time, I thought you’d be using only handkerchiefs, or at least not only having them as a last resort when you’ve gone through nearly every tissue box in the house.”

“That was what you were thinking when we met again?” Miles raised a brow as he carefully tended to his nose. “I’m not at all surprised.”

“No, not like that.” Phoenix waved his hand nervously. “I meant, that’s what I would have thought about you. Er, I mean, I did think it, but in a conversation with Larry after a few too many drinks, not actually in the courtroom.”

“You somehow managed to make that worse,” the emphasis placed on the word triggered a fit of coughs before Miles could continue, “sweetheart.” 

“J-Just get some sleep. I’ll grab something for your fever.” Phoenix stood up, paused, and looked back to his husband in bed. He smiled as Miles closed his eyes, taking that to mean he complied, and left another kiss on his forehead, ‘for the road,’ so to speak. 

If Phoenix was lucky, Miles would recover quickly and he would remain unscathed by the cold. If he was luckier, Miles wouldn’t initiate a conversation regarding what Phoenix and Larry discussed over a decade ago.

By the time Miles was back on his feet some days later, with only the occasional sniffle, Phoenix found no such luck in either department.

Epilogue 2

Miles Edgeworth, I think to myself, rejects change unlike any other man I’ve met. Despite the fact that it has been over a decade since he last saw me with this face, he carries himself with the same stiff poise at thirty-four as he did at twenty.

“Ms. Yew.”

“That’s not my name,” I drawl, idly studying my plain and trimmed nails. Lana was such a conservative dresser. Simple to maintain, but awfully boring.

“I don’t believe you’ve told me your real one,” Edgeworth replies stonily. “So if you’ll pardon my rudeness, I will address you as Calisto Yew for the time being.” He raises an eyebrow, as if to goad me into objecting. What a ridiculous man.

“I suppose I can put up with that for now,” I reply.

Edgeworth clears his throat. “Now that that’s been settled, I wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“And if I have no interest in answering your questions?”

“You will.” At this, I can’t help glancing up. Edgeworth’s face hasn’t budged an inch, but there’s a surety to his tone. It’s almost smug. “One way or another, I will get answers.”

What a cocky son-of-a-bitch. I laugh, loud. It’s not as full-bodied as it was the last time I went by the name ‘Calisto Yew’, but that’s harder to pull off when you’re cuffed to an interrogation table. “Ask away, then. You won’t like my answers, I can tell you that.”

“We’ll see.” That damn smugness again. “First question: how did you manage to relocate twelve prisoners- one of whom was meant to stay in solitary confinement- all the way to Germany?”

We were starting with this? That incompetent American police force hadn’t changed either, it seems. “Simple: your sister released them.”

Edgeworth’s eyes widen slightly, but he keeps himself in check better than I had expected. “Explain?”

“I meant exactly what I said. Agent von Karma arranged for the transfer of those twelve prisoners to a private institution in Germany. The details couldn’t be revealed to just anyone- Interpol business, you see. Management kindly kept the whole affair under wraps.”

I watch with amusement as the cogs click into place. “I see. You impersonated my sister in order to make use of her connections without anyone asking questions.” He pauses, finger to his temple. “And that’s why, despite your proclaimed grudge against the Von Karmas, you left her unscathed for the duration of the game. You couldn’t risk people noticing her absence and therefore looking into the disappearance of those twelve prisoners.”

I can’t help but grit my teeth. He wasn’t supposed to figure that part out. “Grudge? What are you talking about?”

“Oh don’t play the fool, Ms. Yew. It doesn’t suit you.” Edgeworth smirks, ever so slightly. “The survivors of your game were more than happy to elaborate on your supposed ‘revenge quest’. It was a trivial matter to make the connection between that plan and the old estate.”

Daryan and Alita had blabbed, huh? I knew I should have killed them when I had the chance. “Don’t be ridiculous. A grudge against the Von Karmas? I’ve hardly met any of them, aside from your sister. And you, I suppose. Would you say I have a burning desire to exact revenge against you, Miles Edgeworth?”

“Not quite. But that does bring me to my second question: how did you discover Manfred von Karma’s involvement in your smuggling ring?”

If his first deduction was a blow to my expectations, this was a blow to my ego. I can’t feign ignorance to this question- I know he’s seen my reaction. “Define involvement.”

“I believe I was supposed to be the one asking questions?” Edgeworth replies wryly. “But if you need proof- investigation may be a better term. He had been looking into your cocoon smuggling operation for a few months before he was arrested, and left ample documentation of his findings in his family home. Of course, being the paranoid and meticulous person that he was, no one knew about his investigation until long after his death.”

“So how did I manage to find out?”

“That was my question, yes.”

I suppose there was no point in keeping this secret to myself any longer. “People talk. Especially when a name as infamous as Von Karma’s is the subject. I only found out about his snooping a few months after his death, when it was too late to exact revenge the usual way.” I lean back in my chair, sighing dramatically. “The evidence I planted was meant to make people believe he was assisting the smuggling ring, not uncovering it, but it seems I underestimated your deductive skills. Congratulations, Edgeworth.”

Another faint smirk. “It was my pleasure. And I’m sure you’ll be happy to know I’ve uncovered the reason you chose those twelve prisoners as well.”

“What?”

“It was difficult to make the connection at first,” Edgeworth continues, as if I hadn’t spoken. The nerve of this man! “But once we looked into their individual backgrounds, it was fairly obvious.”

I scoff. “Obvious? Don’t get too cocky now.”

Edgeworth doesn’t even have the decency to reply. Instead, he pulls out a manila envelope and begins to read excerpts from it. “Alita Tiala and Furio Tigre both had ties to powerful mafia families in their respective regions. Yanni Yogi and Cammy Meele were known for providing discreet transport and travel assistance. Redd White and Dee Vasquez were early participants- it’s how they boosted their fame and fortune. Daryan Crescend and Luke Atmey had crossed paths with you in the past during their detective work, and the latter was willing to look the other way as he committed his own crimes. Mimi Miney was struggling after the death of her sister and turned to your operation to get back on her feet, and the same went for Matt Engarde after his release from prison two years ago. Morgan Fey was chosen not for any former connection, but because she would be a useful ally if you needed the power of a medium during your game. And finally, Lana Skye would have had the most authority and simultaneously the least presence in the house. You could cover any knowledge you had about the game as anecdotes from Ema Skye, and using Lana’s identity also continued the redd herring of Phoenix Wright’s connection to the others.” He stops to push up his glasses. I can hardly breath from my rage. “Well? Did I miss anything?”

I stare back at him in silence, unwilling to give him anything else.

“I see. Thank you for the confirmation.” He puts the folder away.

“You can believe what you want. You’ll never know for sure,” I manage to say, pulling up a sneer.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ms. Yew. I’m absolutely certain of this.” As he sits back up to face me, I catch a glimpse of something green in his hand before he slips it into his suit pocket. “If I could ask one more question, we can finish here.”

“Well, if we must.”

“I’m afraid so. Final question: why put in all this effort? Why go to such lengths to set up an elaborate, risky, copycat competition when you could have just killed your targets at any time?” He leans in slightly, eyes gleaming with desperation. “Why make it a game?”

I laugh, high and resounding from the bottom of my heart. Now this, this I could answer and leave him dissatisfied. I know he will never accept my words, despite them being the absolute truth. “Because it was fun, of course!”

I imagine in response to Miles waking up in that hospital room thinking everyone's dead when they're not, that Phoenix and Franziska and Gumshoe burst on in, and Miles is just so confused and is just "I don't understand. Did I succeed this time? It doesn't feel like it so what... why...?"

(( o H BOY FUCK YOU ))

Miles stares at the ceiling, counting the tiles. He stillhurts all over, but maybe the task of counting will distract him sufficientlythat he can slip out of reality and once again be able to forget that everyonehe loves is dead and gone.

That an accident took away everyone whilepurposeful intent has never been able to take him.

Frantic slaps of footsteps sound down the hallway, drawingclose to the door, but he doesn’t stir. None of it matters. Not anymore.

“Edgeworth!”

That voice… no… no…. But he looks over and his heartstops.

Phoenix stands just inside the doorway, arm in a sling and aBand-Aid above his eyebrow, but otherwise fine. He steps out of theway and Franziska hobbles in, halfway supported by Gumshoe.She’s in a hospital gown and Gumshoe’s head is bandaged within an inch of itslife. But they’re there.

He’s hallucinating. He must be. They’re dead. Hesaw the news; they’re dead and gone and….

“Scruffy!”

And next thing he knows, Franziska is beside him and has hishand in hers and is pressing it against her cheek. And Miles can feel it.He can feel her skin and its warm and….

“How…? I thought… I thought I survived…. Did… Did Isucceed this time?”

Franziska winces, shoulders shaking. Phoenix looks startled,eyes going a bit wide at ‘this time’. Gumshoe swallows, keeping a hold ofFranziska to support her.

“No… No, you didn’t and thank God you didn’t!” Shemanages, tears starting to leak from her eyes. They’re wet on his fingers,another bit of evidence against what he knows to be true.

“But I saw…. the tunnel collapse; there were no survivors!You… you can’t be alive!”

Franziska hiccups and Phoenix finally pipes up. “It wasa bit touch and go, but we were in just the right part of the train. No one gotout unscathed but we’re alive.”

“Kay and Maya too, sir! They’re still bedridden, though.Technically Ms. von Karma shouldn’t be-.”

“Shut it, Scruffy!” Franziska snaps before turning back toher brother. Her mouth opens but she can’t make any words come out. Miles triesto say something to fill the space, but his vocal chords won’t cooperate eitherand instead of words a sob erupts from his throat. 

He thought he lost them. He thought he lost everyone.

There’s more frantic footsteps. “Ms. von Karma!” Anurse bustles in. “I’m terribly for the disturbance, but Ms. von Karmaneeds to get back to bed and back on fluids!” She looks over and clicks hertongue.

Miles glances down and notes a spreading red stain on Franziska’shospital gown.

The nurse gestures at Gumshoe, who obediently guides areluctant Franziska from Miles. “No! No don’t you dare! I’ll dock yourpay, Scruffy! Scruffy!” Her threats are ultimately hollow, the tripover made her dizzy and weak and she’s easily carried away.

Phoenix cracks a small, sad smile at Miles, pulling up aplastic chair and sitting. He offers his hand and Miles is all too glad to takeit. He needs to know he isn’t dreaming or hallucinating. That this is real.

“How’d you know I was here?”

“Sebastian Debeste? He told us.” Catching the question inMiles’ eyes, Phoenix continued. “You apparently called him… before….He’s the reason you’re still alive, Edgeworth. And once he found out we were inthe same hospital, he and who was it again? Judge Courtney? They let usknow.“

Miles doesn’t remember calling anyone, though he doesn’tremember the attempt itself either. He doesn’t remember a lot. And… and ifthey’re alive and he’s alive then that may be something to worry about.

Phoenix gently squeezes his hand.

Not right now though.

Maya lingers washing her hands (she had no idea that soap could look so expensive). She’s now done this once, she can be confident and competent for a little while longer. She returns to the main area of the house. “I’m going to begin.  This shouldn’t take long.” She pulls out a bundle of herbs and paper, sets it alight, and begins.

You are not welcome here, Manfred von Karma.

You are dead and your presence is not accepted.

You are powerless, you are insubstantial, you are rejected.

This house is defended against you.  These people are defended against you.  You have no place here.

She adds, in the same language,

You’re a motherfucking piece of shit and I will obliterate you if you come anywhere near Franziska von Karma or Miles Edgeworth ever again.

Maya’s finished in less than half an hour, but suddenly she’s dizzy and exhausted, worse than the first time.  “Hfff, done.  Can I get a cup of water?”

Franziska and Miles don’t do much while Maya works. They tried to work on tidying up other rooms, but then Franziska noted Miles just staring at the ground not moving and decided a better use of her time would be grounding her brother. They stay quiet, but keep their hands interlocked, squeezing periodically throughout the half-hour to remind themselves that the other is there.

They only let go once Maya says she’s done. Franziska nods at Maya. “Again thank you. And yes, I’ll get you water. I’ll be back in a moment.” She returns with two glasses, both clearly from different sets. She hands one to Maya and the other to Miles.

Miles looks between the glasses with a frown and a concerned glance at his sister. Franziska shrugs. “I don’t have any complete dish sets anymore. Again, I should’ve purchased new ones years ago.” Saying it aloud makes it sink in how much it’s going to take to get the house back in order. The money isn’t an issue, she has her inheritance and her own salary, but the time and effort....

It almost makes her wonder if the house is even worth it. Then again, like hell is she being run out of her own house. Von Karmas don’t fold.

“I don’t know whether either of you have eaten recently, but the kitchen is comparatively unscathed and the dining room has ample intact furniture. A quick,” oh fuck she doesn’t know what time of day it is, “meal can be made. If you’d rather sleep: Miles, your room is untouched, and Maya, I can quickly put a guest room in order.”