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Past and present collide in GS4's final case, as Apollo tries to save a young artist from a secret of seven years ago--and takes on the court system itself to do it. Phoenix's legacy is passed on in this surreal, hair-raising finale.
Date: October
7,
2025 The case opens with a total trip. A computer screen reading "Mason System" opens up and cycles through several different images, one of which is a scene of two pistols firing on a body suspended in the air. It speaks to you, the player, saying that everything is connected. Will you be able to solve the mystery? The sequence closes with an eerie picture of Kristoph Gavin on the witness stand, surrounded in a bright spotlight. Day 1 The actual case starts at the office, with Apollo trying to write up a record of his last case (over 3 months ago!) while trying to ignore Trucy. She's excited because Valant is holding a live magic show at the coliseum. He'll be performing magic tricks by Magnifi Gramarye for the first time in seven years. As she tries to convince Apollo to go, Phoenix shows up with a trio of tickets for them. He insists Apollo take one. Apollo asks about the "secret mission" Phoenix has been working on all this time, and he admits it's finally time to tell them about it. After all, it has to do with Apollo himself. Phoenix explains that America is about to adopt a new method of running trials: the Jurist System. Six people will be chosen to watch the trial and give the verdict. Because it's a new system, Phoenix has joined part of a committee that is setting up a "test case" to see how well it does. Just a simple murder trial, he says. And by the way, it's tomorrow and Apollo's the defense attorney in charge. Phoenix also gives Trucy a "birthday present" (it's not her birthday, but oh well), which is a small pink envelope with the Gramarye logo on it. He tells her, very seriously, that she can't open it yet. Apollo and Trucy head off to the Detention center, with Phoenix's instructions that they can visit the scene and speak to the client, not that they're likely to get anything out of her. At the visiting area they stand waiting for nearly twenty minutes before realizing that their client is even there, hiding out of view. Though they manage to coax her out into the open, they can't get her to talk (she's busy painting her nails). Trucy even tries pulling out Mr. Hat, but that causes the girl to pass out. When their client comes to, she finally hands over her business card, and they learn her name is Vera Misham. She works at the Drew Studio. Deciding Phoenix was right, and talking to her isn't going to help, the pair head to the studio. It turns out that the studio is also the scene of the crime. Ema is there already, and gives away that the victim is Vera's father, Drew Misham. Vera may not look like a murderer, but the murder was carried out using poison, which just about anyone can do. The poison was discovered in Drew's coffee mug ("Not something you see every day" Apollo remarks). Drew and his daughter were complete recluses, who didn't use email or ever let anyone in the studio. Vera was even in a panic when they tried to arrest her, claiming the outside world would kill her. The only person to see the studio before the crime other than the two of them was a reporter that had been invited in. Ema says she can't tell them any more about that, since the reporter is set to be a witness, but they can look around the scene if they like, as she's busy snacking. Apollo takes the mug into evidence, and discovers a small blue mark on the lip. They also find three paintings, one of which isn't finished, a letterbox near the door, and another painting hidden behind a dresser. The fourth painting looks like a finished version of one of the first three. The other half of the room sports several machines and monitors, along with a drafting table. On a small table in the center of the room they find a picture of Drew and his daughter (several years old), a small, empty picture frame (only 3cm by 3cm), and a red envelope sticking out of a drawer. The envelope looks as if it has been sealed, opened, and then sealed again. The postmark on it is seven years old. They show their finds to Ema. Ema explains that the blue mark on the cup indicates a chemical reaction proving the presence of a deadly poison known as Atroquinine. She gives them some of her solution to test the rest of the room, if they want. After some haphazard spraying, Apollo finds traces of poison on the tiny picture frame. As for the envelope, Ema lets them put it through a special X-ray machine she brought to the scene, so that they can peek at the contents without destroying the seal. Inside is a letter, addressed to Drew, saying "I've deposited the fee of $100,000 into the designated account. Please confirm the payment by mailing me a receipt." That's some serious money. Ema finally gives up the name of the witness, offering them his business card: Spark Brushel, journalist. He mentioned something about going to see Valant's show. Apollo and Trucy head to the coliseum, where they run into Valant. When they ask about Brushel, he remembers the man, saying that when he laughs he smells like mint. He rips up the business card, and though Apollo assumes it's another part of his act, and that he'll put it back to normal...he doesn't. That's the part that makes the trick original. They chat about Valant's show, and he admits that the reason this show is so special is that he finally has the rights to use Magnifi Gramarye's tricks on stage. After Magnifi's death ownership of the secrets passed to Zak, and when Zak disappeared 7 years ago so did the rights. But now he's been declared legally dead, and as such Valant can start using the tricks again. Trucy is especially looking forward to the show. Trucy then shows Valant the Gramarye envelope that Phoenix gave her, and Valant suddenly flips out, demanding to know where she got it. The writing on the back belongs to Zak. But Apollo reminds Trucy they promised Phoenix they wouldn't open it. Apollo and Trucy return to the Detention Center, where they find Brushel trying to interview Vera (with very little success). He's a skinny man with a big nose and a weak chin, and very hyper. As they chat, Brushel reveals a bit of news he dug up: a famous oil painting was recently stolen from its gallery . In fact, it's the one of a giant peach Apollo happens to have in his court record. They go back to the scene and ask Ema about the painting. She gives in: Drew Misham is actually a counterfeiter. The painting they found behind his dresser was stolen, and he was recreating it to be sold. That's also the real reason why she has her handy X-ray machine with her - by using it on the paintings they can see beneath the paint to the guidelines a counterfeiter would have drawn on the canvas. Using the machine, Apollo inspects the paintings, but instead of sketch lines they find entirely different drawings underneath. Beneath the squiggly Picasso-like painting is a scene of two men playing cards. Under the painting of a blowfish is a man pulling a cart. And under the peach painting is a man on a stage, seemingly on fire. Apollo flips out, and lines up the pictures together - each one represents one of the cases he's tried!
Day 2 At court the next day, Vera is doing her nails again. When Apollo asks if she's all right, instead of just answering she draws out a smilie face on her notepad to assure him. In the courtroom, the Judge is especially nervous: the 6 test jurors are watching the case from a live video feed to the next floor. Both he and Klavier are anxious about putting on a good show (Klavier uses his air guitar animation at least five times in this first trial day alone). Klavier sets up the scene, reporting that Drew was killed by poisoned coffee. Apollo objects right off the bat to remind him it was the cup that had the poison traces, not the coffee itself (there was only a small spot on the lip). The autopsy report is entered into evidence, saying that the victim died between 9 and 9:30, from Atroquinine poisoning. Though the poison is slow acting, it is so deadly that even 0.002 milligrams is enough to kill a person. Vera herself admits to having served the fatal coffee cup. Brushel takes the stand, and testifies that he arrived at the studio around 9 pm. Vera served them both coffee but he didn't drink any, as he was too busy studying the machines on the other side of the room. The moment Drew took a sip from his mug, he immediately fell over and died. Apollo presents the autopsy report - the poison is slow acting and would have taken at least 15 minutes to kill anyone, so he couldn't have falling over after just one sip. Brushel amends his testimony, but he does not take back his statement, standing by his word that the death was instantaneous. He instead changes the subject, saying that even Vera herself admits to serving the coffee. Klavier is amused. He says he should have known there was no way Phoenix Wright would ever choose a "simple" murder case. Brushel continues his testimony, and this time remembers what Drew was doing when he first arrived: he was writing a letter. As soon as Brushel came inside he quickly sealed up the letter in a yellow envelope and put it in the letter box at the door. Maybe it was his last will or something! Apollo presents the red envelope. Could it be this is what Brushel meant? But the red letter is seven years old and addressed to Drew, so why would he put it in the letter box? (which was discovered empty at the scene, btw). Brushel insists the letter was being sent out, as after he finished writing it Drew had to search around for a stamp. Brushel's nose puffs as if he's smelling something: even without the Perceive System it's obvious that he "smells news." He suggests that maybe the red envelope Apollo presented has something to do with the incident seven years ago. He knows something about that, but won't say what. The Trucy System kicks in this time, and when Brushel testifies about how "talented" Drew was, Apollo catches him sweating profusely. Brushel gives up his information: Drew may deal in paintings now, but he used to forge evidence. The letter in the envelope may be referring to payment for some evidence he had forged for someone. Klavier objects, saying that whatever the letter says, it has nothing to do with the case. Apollo fires back that if Drew was dealing with criminals and forged evidence, chances are he has many enemies who might have wanted him dead. But Klavier counters again, saying there's no evidence of such enemies having anything to do with the current crime. Brushel confirms that there was no one else in the room that night but him and Vera. Nothing came or left the room other than him. Apollo points to the letterbox - if Brushel still insists a yellow envelope was put inside, and it was not discovered by the police later, then it must have gotten sent out. They are missing crucial evidence! Klavier objects to the idea that it was crucial. As Brushel continues his testimony he adds that the coffee cup was the only thing that touched Drew's mouth that evening. Apollo speaks up again about the letter. If he were to mail the letter, he would have had to lick the stamp to fix it on the envelope. Maybe the reason the coffee cup only has trace amounts of the poison is because the poison was originally from somewhere else, and it rubbed off onto Drew's tongue, and THEN onto the mug. Brushel's nose starts going again, and the Judge asks him what's up. Brushel admits that though he remembers Drew looking for the stamp, he doesn't remember him finding one. Klavier adds that the police didn't find a single stamp in the studio. Apollo presents the tiny picture frame. Not only does it have traces of the deadly poison on it, but it's just the right size to house a stamp. Klavier falters - Ema didn't tell him anything about that! (Paybacks for case 3, maybe?). Apollo presents the red envelope again. The letter inside asks for Drew to mail back a receipt with the enclosed postage - maybe the stamp came from there. Maybe the stamp itself was the "murder weapon." Drew was known back then for forging evidence, after all. Klavier objects, calling his theory ridiculous. When Trucy tries to stand up for Apollo, he continues to mock them. That's when a voice alerts them from the witness stand: "It's not nice to tease little girls...Klavier." Klavier is startled, and for a moment sees his brother, Kristoph, on the stand. But it's only Ema, having imitated his voice. She claims she's come to save the day. There's one way to test Apollo's theory: they just have to test the letter from the envelope for traces of Atroquinine. She does so, and they find a small smear at the bottom of the paper, just big enough for a stamp. Whoever sent Drew that letter was setting him up to be murdered. But maybe Drew realized that it was a trap, and put the stamp in the frame, returning the "receipt" with a normal stamp. The Judge is convinced, but then Klavier interrupts with a guitar riff. There's a huge contradiction in Apollo's theory, that being how did Drew see through the murderous stamp, only to fall for it seven years later? If he put the stamp specially into the tiny frame because he KNEW it would kill him, how could he just forget about that? Apollo talks through the crime. Seven years ago Drew received the letter with the poisoned stamp. He put it away for safe keeping, and the poison left traces on the frame. Then, seven years later, Drew used the stamp on the yellow envelope, transferring the poison from the stamp, to his tongue, to the coffee mug. If his theory is right, one of these pieces of evidence has to be fake. Apollo presents Drew himself. The only way for Drew to have fallen for a murder plan he originally saw though is if there are TWO of them. The Drew that died is a fake! The real counterfeiter is none other than his daughter, Vera! Klavier rocks out on his air guitar and calls Vera to the stand. Her expression changes for the first time when she sees Klavier, ducking away and staring at him intensely. Klavier doesn't mind - he's used to girls staring at him. With some coaxing, Vera confesses that SHE is the forger, working under her father's name. The letter was sent to her, and she is the one that put the stamp in the frame. The Court goes nuts, and the Judge calls a recess. In the lobby, Vera confesses to Apollo and Trucy again that she is the counterfeiter. Her father was an artist, and ever since she was very young she would paint with him. It was then that he realized she had an amazing gift: she could copy anything he showed her. And not just paintings - ANYTHING. That's when he started selling her forged works. They're called back to court, but before they go, Apollo asks her about the pictures hidden beneath her forged art. Vera admits that her father already knew about Apollo, and was always talking about Phoenix Wright and his law office. He's gathered all sorts of information on them. He also seemed especially happy to hear that someone was practicing law out of Wright & Co. again. Court comes to order, and Vera takes the stand. She still seems unnaturally concerned about Klavier. She testifies that the red envelope was indeed for her, and the job it mentions was for her first forgery that wasn't a painting. She didn't realize that the stamp was poisonous, she only took it because it was pretty and she liked it. That's why it was in a frame. After that job was finished, she and her father closed themselves up in the studio and stopped taking visitors. Now she paints picture books. Apollo asks to hear more about the stamp itself and why she liked it so much. Vera says that it was an anniversary stamp, and had on it a picture of some famous magicians she liked. They broke up right after the envelope incident, which made her very sad. Apollo asks if it was, by chance, a stamp featuring the Gramarye Troupe. When she confirms, Klavier suddenly leans over his desk, sweating. He demands to know what evidence it was that Vera forged. When Vera admits it was a page from a book he becomes even more agitated, and asks if it was a journal, with the Gramarye logo on the back. Apollo objects, telling Klavier to stop harassing the witness, as she's answering all his questions willingly - there's no need to yell at her (by now Vera's so nervous she's taken to biting her nails). But then Klavier yells at him, asking if Phoenix really told him nothing about the case seven years ago that cost him his lawyer's badge. The forged evidence that got Phoenix disbarred was a page from a book with the Gramarye logo. Startled, Apollo turns to Vera and asks to know who it was that hired her to make that evidence. Vera admits she met the person only once. She stares at Klavier for a long time, and finally tells them, "the Devil." Suddenly, she falls back from the witness stand, flopping limply to the ground. Court is emptied. Vera is admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital for Atroquinine poisoning. And this is where things get interesting. The screen goes black, narrator tells us, the players, "There is one more court record on the long journey towards the truth. We must go there in order to know everything."
7 Years ago, April 19th. Phoenix Wright is in the Defense Lobby preparing for court, nervous as he was his first day. He's been given a case just the night before and has almost no knowledge of the case and evidence. All he has in the court record is a color photo of the crime scene (an old man in a hospital bed, with a pistol nearby), and the autopsy report (the victim was killed between 11:00 and 11:30 pm, shot in the forehead). Phoenix's client shows up - a tan man in a reddish-pink magician's costume (he looks suspiciously like 4-1's victim). His name is Shadi Engimar, but on stage he goes by the name Zak Gramarye. The man he's accused of killing is his master, Magnifi Gramarye. Though Phoenix is a little unsure about the case, since he knows so little about it, Zak assures him that everything will be fine. In fact, it would be "impossible" for court to find him guilty today. He seems to be the most confident client Phoenix has ever had. His daughter Trucy is with him. Phoenix has also heard that today's prosecutor is new. He's supposedly a genius, but by Phoenix's recollection there's a new one of those every year. Before they go into court Trucy hands Phoenix a note. She says that someone outside gave it to her to give to "the spiky-haired old boy in blue." Phoenix glances over it - it looks like a page ripped out of a book, and almost reads like a suicide note. He's not sure what it means so he tucks it away and heads to court. The prosecutor of the case is none other than 17 year old Klavier Gavin, younger brother of Defense Attorney Kristoph Gavin. And first on the stand is Dick Gumshoe, who's especially eager to best Phoenix this time. He sets up the case: Magnifi Gramarye was shot 6 days ago in his hospital room. For the past year he'd been hospitalized due to cancer, and also suffered from diabetes. His doctors said he only had about three months left to live. As for the motive, Gumshoe says that Zak was ordered by Magnifi himself to do it. Before the murder Zak received a letter from his master, which is entered into the court record. It instructs Zak to come to his hospital room at 11:05 pm, and use the gun Magnifi himself had already prepared to shoot his forehead. The end also mentions, "You have a reason you can't refuse." From the sound of it, Magnifi was blackmailing his own student into murdering him. The murder weapon was a pistol, discovered at the crime scene. Phoenix presents the crime scene photo, which shows a clown doll next to the bed - it also has been shot in the forehead. It's possible Zak shot that, and not his master. After all, the note doesn't say who to shoot. Klavier suggests that Zak merely shot one after the other, but Phoenix then presents the murder weapon itself: it's one of the pistols Zak and Valant use in their magic show, and it can only fire one shot at a time. And like Magnifi's letter says, "I've prepared the gun." There's nothing about Zak having to prepare a second shot. Klavier admits that much, but he's also got a witness. Court is adjourned for 15 minutes so the police can investigate the clown, and Klavier can get prepared. In the lobby, Zak isn't prepared to tell Phoenix what the "reason" mentioned in the letter is. But he does say that when he arrived at the hospital room, Magnifi was merely asleep, and there were TWO pistols on the table. He even admits that he almost shot Magnifi like the letter said, but then he backed down and shot the clown instead. The sound woke Magnifi and they spoke for a few minutes, but he won't tell Phoenix the content of that conversation, either. When he left he took the first pistol with him. Back in court, the bullet has been removed from the clown, but they didn't have time to match it to the murder weapon. Instead, Klavier's supposedly "irrefutable" witness is ready. Phoenix isn't impressed - he's seen plenty of "irrefutable" witnesses in his day. A young Valant takes the stand, just as grandiose as ever. He testifies that he also received a letter, same as Zak's, except that it asked for him to arrive at 11:20. When he arrived Magnifi was dead, and he called the police. He also claims to have shot the doll like the note said. Phoenix presents the murder weapon again. If it was already used to kill Magnifi and can only carry one shot, how could Valant have shot the doll? There must have been TWO pistols there that night, and one was taken from the scene. Klavier's witness isn't so perfect after all. Klavier objects, and has Valant testify again, this time about the time of death. Magnifi's death was confirmed as being at 11:10, because of his IV drip. The needle was pulled from his arm when he was shot, and since the new solution was added at 11:00 that night, they were able to determine how much time had passed from the time that he died to when he was found, based on the amount of solution left in the bag. Since Valant called the nurses in at 11:20, they were able to determine that Magnifi had died ten minutes earlier, thus, 11:10. Valant remarks that it's very lucky they were able to do so, otherwise he might have been a suspect. Yellow - the color of the medication - has always been his lucky color. Phoenix objects, pointing out that according to the crime scene photo, the medicine is green. Klavier argues that it's in a blue bag, and the combination is what makes it look green. The medicine itself is still yellow. But that only helps Phoenix's case: how would Valant know what color the medicine was before it was in the bag? It's possible that Valant saw it before it was in the bag. Maybe he even added extra to the bag himself, to trick the nurses into miscalculating the time of death! Klavier objects - there's no proof he did such a thing. But Phoenix presents the crime scene photo, which shows an empty syringe on the table next to the gun. Every night at eleven the doctor gave Magnifi a syringe of insulin for his diabetes. Assuming he didn't use it (as he was expecting to be shot), why is the syringe empty? Valant could have used the syringe to inject more solution into the IV bag. The Judge is mostly convinced, but before he can adjourn the court for further investigation, Klavier interrupts. He presents Magnifi's journal, which the old master had been keeping ever since entering the hospital. The last page reads "whether this account continues or not is up to him." Magnifi intended to keep writing in his journal, if Zak was not able to kill him. But the journal stops there, which means he must have died just before Zak showed up. Phoenix hesitates a moment, noticing that the journal is missing a page. Is Klavier really so new that he wouldn't have noticed it? He presents the notebook page Trucy gave him earlier. The page appears to be a continuation of the diary, written AFTER Zak left. It indicates that Magnifi was next expecting Valant to end his life. And since it is the last page, it implicates HIM as the murderer. Klavier objects, as if he expected Phoenix to present that very page. He quickly asks the Judge if he can call a special witness, related to this piece of evidence. Though confused, the Judge agrees. Phoenix has a very bad feeling about what's about to happen. Called to the stand is Drew Misham, artist. He admits that he knows something about the "missing page" Phoenix has just presented - in fact, he's the one he made it. He confesses to having forged the evidence as per a client's request, though he had no idea it was going to be used in a murder trial. He even leaves a mark on all his work to confirm that it's his. Klavier informs the court that he received a tip the day before that the false evidence would appear, and here it is! Phoenix is attempting to fool the court with a forgery! Phoenix of course objects, saying he had no idea the evidence was forged. But Klavier is quick to retort, pointing out that he is the one who just presented it. And how can Phoenix tell the court he presented evidence he got second hand from his own client's daughter? The Judge shakes his head, deeply disappointed. He informs Phoenix that an inquiry will have to take place to determine what punishment is enough for this offense. Distressed over the turn of events, Drew asks for Phoenix's name, and promises to remember him. Zak is called to the stand. Phoenix, in a desperate attempt to save his client, accepts responsibility for the forged evidence and insists that Zak can't be sentenced based on what he did. But Zak still isn't worried. He tells the Judge that you can't pronounce a man guilty if he doesn't exist. Zak laughs, and disappears into thin air. The court goes crazy, and immediately men are dispatched to search for the missing defendant, but he's gone. A verdict is never given. In the aftermath of the trial, Phoenix is called into a hearing with his fellow lawyers, and after some debate he is stripped of his lawyer badge for having submitted intentionally forged evidence to court. And here's where things get REALLY interesting. Older Phoenix appears, revealing himself as the narrator from the beginning of the case. He tells you, the player, that the case seven years ago is still casting a shadow on the present. There are many mysteries left to solve. Who killed Magnifi? Who forged the note, and where did Zak go after he disappeared? The Mason System is loaded again, and Phoenix explains that he created this "game" to help bring the truth forward. There are 4 keys in the past, and 4 in the future. You'll need all of them in order to solve the case and find the truth. He also reminds you that he has his own tool, like Apollo's bracelet - the Magatama. Let the game begin. The Mason System is set up as a pair of computer screens, each with four "chapters" (one screen for the past, one for the future). The four future chapters start out as question marks. I'm going to describe them chronologically here, but it's not necessarily the order you're supposed to play them.
7 Years ago, Wright & Co. Law Offices Two weeks after having his badge stripped, Phoenix talks to Trucy in his office. Now that her father has disappeared, and her mother was already dead, she has no one. Phoenix offers to take her in, and she agrees. She immediately decides that he ought to make a new office. Now that's he "fired" he should start a more interesting job (law sounds boring). She introduces him to her Mr. Hat. Phoenix asks about her mother, and Trucy tells him her name was Thalassa. She has a picture of her in her locket, which she shows to Phoenix. She's a lovely brunette (the blue-clad magician pictured in the Gramarye stamp Vera had). Trucy tells him that her mother disappeared during a magic trick and didn't come back.
7 Years ago, Defense Lobby Phoenix pays a visit to the courthouse, and there finds the familiar Mike Meekins hanging around Defense Lobby #2. Meekins doesn't seem to really remember him. In fact, he's no longer a patrolman. After having misplaced 4 reports in 3 days he was canned, and now works as a court bailif. He was one of the men searching for Zak the day he disappeared, and chased him into this very room. But he vanished! Phoenix tries to ask him more about this, but two Psyche Locks appear. Phoenix uses the magatama, and pries the story out of him. Meekins chased Zak from outside the courtroom. Zak disappeared around a corner for a second, and when Meekins caught up Zak ducked into lobby 2. But when Meekins entered the room himself, only Trucy was there. Phoenix figures out what happened: Zak ran, and when he disappeared around the corner, he must have ducked into a different room. The "Zak" Meekins saw when he rounded the corner was actually Trucy's Mr. Hat. Then Trucy and Mr. Hat ducked into lobby 2, and by the time Meekins followed, she'd already put Mr. Hat away. Trucy was part of the plan all along - Zak always meant to disappear that day.
7 Years ago, Drew Studio Phoenix visits the studio run by the man who unintentionally ruined him. Around the studio, Phoenix can see a red envelope and a stamp of the Gramarye. Drew still feels awful about what happened in court, and talks for a bit about how he started forging. When Phoenix asks him about whoever hired him to forge the diary page, he clams up and two psyche locks appear. Magatama time! Phoenix deduces that Drew is protecting someone, that being his daughter, the REAL forger. Drew admits it. He says he never met the client - only Vera did, and when the person left, she was smiling openly for the first time he'd seen. Vera is a very shy, sheltered child, after all. She was even almost kidnapped once, which is why she's so afraid of leaving the house, and thinks everyone outside is bad. Drew brings Vera out for Phoenix to talk to. It takes Phoenix a while to get a reaction out of her, but when he mentions the Gramarye Troupe she warms up immediately. She says she and her client talked about them for a long time. He even gave her her a present that protects her outside, which is what gave her the courage to go out and see the Gramarye Show live. But she can't talk about it, because he told her that if she did, the magic would wear off and she'd be vulnerable again. Two psyche locks appear (You can't break these locks until after you've visited the future, but I'll describe them now anyway). Phoenix presents a bottle of nail polish, like the one Vera has on her desk. Vera reluctantly admits that it's the magic charm she was given. He then presents Kristoph Gavin himself as the one who gave it to her, also true. Vera says that at the moment he gave it to her, she felt that he was something extraordinary. He's either an angel, or a devil.
7 Years ago, Detention At the detention center, Phoenix meets with Valant. Valant had thought that Zak's disappearance would be seen as a confession to his crimes, and that he ran away to avoid the verdict. But it seems that people now suspect Zak did this only to protect Valant, the real killer. He still hasn't been cleared of suspicion. But Valant is confident that now that Zak is gone, he'll be the one to inherit Magnifi's tricks, and will be able to live very well off his show. Phoenix asks him about the "reason" Magnifi mentioned in his letter that was strong enough to almost get both his students to commit murder. 4 psyche locks appear (you should be able to break these after talking to Zak in the future, even if you can't break his locks). Phoenix shows the magatama to being the unlocking process. He asks Valant if the Gramarye tricks are dangerous, and when Valant asks for proof, he presents the pistol used in the murder. Of course in the show it's only supposed to be a trick, but both guns are still capable of firing bullets. Accidents could happen. As proof, he then presents the locket which shows Trucy's mother, Thalassa, and then the stamp he saw at Doboruko Studio of her in a magician's outfit. Thalassa wasn't just Trucy's mother, she used to be part of the show. And she died during a trick Valant and her husband Zak performed. Valant admits that much. But he asks what that would have to do with Magnifi, and for that Phoenix presents Thalassa's profile. She was Magnifi's only daughter. Of course he would have known. Valant breaks down and confesses. Thalassa was the assistant to their Zak and Valant show. During a rehearsal, they practiced the trick where both men shot at her with the trick pistols. But something went wrong, and she was actually shot. To this day they don't know whose gun fired the bullet that killed her. After that, the relationship between the three was of course very strained. Magnifi never let them forget, and that was the leverage he held over them to orchestrate his death. Valant still insists that he did not shoot Magnifi in the hospital. As Phoenix leaves, he thinks to himself that the Gramarye are all dangerous people, and that he has to protect Trucy from them.
Present day, Borscht Bowl Club (just before Turnabout Trump) Kristoph and Phoenix are just wrapping up their dinner meeting. After Kristoph leaves and Phoenix is preparing to actually play a song, Shadi shows up, along with Brushel. It takes Phoenix a while to recognize him as being Zak. They chat for a while about Trucy and how she's doing, but when Phoenix tries to ask him about Trucy's mother Thalassa, he won't talk about it. Zak shows Phoenix the real page from Magnifi's diary, which he obtained the night of the murder. It's signed by Magnifi himself and says that he leaves all his magical secrets to Zak. But Zak has a letter of his own - a pink envelope with his own last will, signing the tricks over to Trucy. Not that he wants to see Trucy. He came tonight to challenge Phoenix to a game of poker. The night that Shadi hired Phoenix as his lawyer seven years ago, they played poker, and Shadi lost. It was only his second time losing ever, the first having been to Magnifi himself. It was a test of his, and now he wants to confirm what he first thought back then. When Phoenix tries to probe further, 3 locks pop up. But Zak does mention that he recognizes Kristoph from somewhere. He says he's a dangerous man. Phoenix challenges the psyche locks. He asks about Thalassa, but Zak doesn't want to talk about here. Phoenix presents the Gramarye Pistol, saying that he knows about the accident that killed her. Zak confirms. It turns out the poker test has to do with a "power" that certain people have. Magnifi had it, and so did his daughter, Thalassa. Now Trucy has it. Phoenix says he knows one more person who might have it, and presents Apollo's profile. He doesn't remember Apollo's name at the time, only that he's a new lawyer working for Kristoph. Zak doesn't believe it at first, but then Phoenix presents to him a photo he happens to have of Thalassa (he doesn't get this until further in the future, oddly enough). The photo shows Thalassa sitting at a table with her hands folded near her face. She's wearing a pair of bracelets, one just like Apollo's. Zak breaks down and explains more about the "Perceive" power. It responds to a person's nervousness, and reads their body language. Though this is part of any magician's act, the Gramarye family had an extra power for it, which is amplified by the bracelets. If Apollo has the power, it would mean he's part of the family as well! Brushel, who has been researching the family and the cases surrounding them for some time, confirms that Thalassa was married before meeting Zak, and that her first husband was also a performer. Apollo must be her child from that first marriage. Apollo and Trucy are half siblings. Phoenix promises to tell them when the time is right. Zak goes on to describe the "test" Magnifi set up for his students the night of his death. He had left two pistols, and two notes with instructions for Zack and Valant. When Zak arrived, he couldn't bring himself to shoot Magnifi, so he shot the doll instead. That was the right choice. When Magnifi awoke, he told Zak that he would pass all his tricks on to him. If he had left without shooting the doll, the test would have continued to Valant. If he had killed Magnifi, his tricks would have been lost forever. Zak then left with the pistol. Zak apologizes to Phoenix for having involved him in their mess. As soon as they've finished their match, he intends to disappear again. But when Phoenix tells him that Valant, after all these years, still can't clear himself completely of suspicion in Magnifi's murder, Zak decides there's one more thing he has to clear up. He writes out a letter of confession and gives it to Phoenix, declaring that he killed Magnifi.
Present day, Prison Shortly after the death of Drew, Phoenix visits Kristoph in prison. The man is as enigmatic as ever. He tells Phoenix that though he remembers Zak Gramarye from the case seven years ago, he never dreamed that Shadi Smith was really him. Speaking of that old case, Kristoph confesses he never thought Phoenix would lose his badge over the mess. He was one of the lawyers that participated in Pheonix's hearing, and was the only one who objected to the allegations against him. He asks Phoenix if it was that which made him suspect him of the forgery. Phoenix confesses that he still isn't sure. After all this time he still doesn't really understand Kristoph at all. Phoenix asks Kristoph about why he killed Shadi, but 5 BLACK psyche locks appear, which he has has no chance of breaking. But he does notice a yellow envelope on Kristoph's table before he leaves, and Kristoph giving himself a manicure (this is where you get the nail polish that Phoenix uses in the past to get to Vera).
Present day, Drew Studio Phoenix visits the crime scene of Drew Misham, and there meets Brushel, who has been pursing the mysteries of the connected cases for many years. He says that Drew confessed to him that he felt watched, all the time, which is how Brushel has felt himself. Perhaps Phoenix, too, has felt watched...? He wonders if that is the reason Zak didn't contact him at all until recently, as the two of them had been friends ever since the disappearance of Thalassa. He interviewed Zak at the time and they started working together after that. He even came up with a theory of his own, that there was a secret love triangle between Zak, Valant, and the lovely Thalassa. Brushel also details that Thalassa was married to another performer before Zak. She had a child before Trucy - what could have happened to him? The Gramarye's have a great talent, after all, and there's a good chance the boy has it, too. Brushel gives Phoenix a picture of Thalassa (the picture with the bracelets that Phoenix shows Shadi, several months before now).
Present day, Sunshine Coliseum Pheonix pays Valant a visit before the debut of his new show. When he tries to ask Valant about why he had to wait so long for this, 2 psyche locks appear. Phoenix tells him that even though it's been seven years and Zak has been claimed legally (and literally) dead, Valant still can't perform Gramarye's tricks - he presents the letter Zak left for Trucy as proof. SHE owns the tricks now. As for Magnifi, Zak confessed to that as well, as Phoenix proves by presenting his second letter. Valant's psyche locks break, and he tells Phoenix that the confession is a lie. Magnifi was still alive when Valant came. But Valant couldn't bring himself to shoot his master, and started to leave without doing anything. That's when Magnifi stopped him, and told him that he'd already passed his tricks on to Zak. Valant failed his test. Phoenix asks if it really was Valant that killed Magnifi after all, but Valant reminds him there was still one other person in the room with the pistol: Magnifi himself. As Valant left the hospital room, he was in shock. He stood outside in the hall, devastated by the knowledge that his career was probably over. It was then that he heard the gunshot, and when he went back into the room, Magnifi was dead. He killed himself. And that's when Valant committed an even greater sin - he tried to set up Zak for the murder. He even realized ahead of time that the note was a test, that Zak had to have gotten the same one. He had intended from the beginning to kill Magnifi and frame Zak so that he would be the one to inherit Magnifi's magic. Though he didn't go through with the murder itself, he did resume his plan to frame Zak. He tampered with the IV unit and set the gun on the table out of Magnifi's reach. Phoenix thanks him for telling him the truth after all these years. Before he leaves, Valant says there's a chance that "she" might still be alive...
Present Day, Prison Phoenix goes back to Kristoph's cell, but he's not there at the moment. He grabs up the yellow envelope left on Kristoph's table and finds the Gramarye stamp there. A quick sprits of Ema's scientific solution reveals traces of Atroquinine poisoning around it. Finally, Phoenix has the proof he needs - he even takes a look at the note inside. But before he can leave with the letter, Kristoph returns, and notices it missing. He politely asks Phoenix to give it back, which he has no choice but to do. Kristoph smiles, and tells him that Vera probably won't live much longer.
The Mason System is completed, and Phoenix returns. He says you now have seven years worth of clues to go off of. The real trial is about to start. You're the only one who can find the truth.
Day 3 Court resumes, and though everyone feels bad about it, they have to continue without the defendant herself present. She's still in the hospital and could die any time, and they don't want the case to end without a verdict. But Apollo is confident. Phoenix told him the entire story the night before, and now in his court record he has Kristoph's nail polish, the Gramarye Stamp, and the yellow envelope Drew sent out the night he was killed. (That's right, he's not supposed to have the yellow envelope) Klavier declares that Vera's being poisoned by the same substance that killed her father is evidence of her guilt. She couldn't bear the weight of her sin, and decided to kill herself. But Apollo objects, suggesting that she was merely another target. Klavier challenges him to tell the court how she was poisoned, and by who. Apollo chooses to answer the first question, and presents the nail polish. Vera had the same bottle. And like they all saw in court, Vera was biting her nails just before she passed out. Did anyone check her fingernails? Klavier is silent. He seems to have been struck speechless by the appearance of the bottle. The Judge then asks for Apollo to say who it was that tried to kill Vera, and Apollo presents Kristoph's profile. He's the one he got this bottle from, after all. Klavier quickly objects - his brother is in jail, and couldn't possibly have killed anyone. But Apollo points out that the nail polish could have been poisoned long before that. Maybe even months and years ago. The Judge asks that Kristoph be pulled from prison to appear as a special witness in the trial, and Klavier is forced to agree. After a recess, Kristoph takes the stand. He greets Apollo pleasantly and congratulates him on how well he's doing. Apollo shows him the bottle of nail polish, an expensive, popular brand called Ariadoney. Kristoph admits that he's a big fan, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. He even turns to Klavier, asking why he's been brought out here at all. When Klavier tells him that Apollo is accusing him of murder, he asks Klavier what he thinks of that. Klavier can't answer. Kristoph begins his testimony. Being in prison, he had no opportunities to administer poison. Vera probably killed her father and then herself. As Apollo presses, Klavier objects strongly each time. Even Trucy notes that he's being especially tenacious - nervous, maybe, since his brother is there? At the end of his testimony Kristoph adjusts his glasses, saying that it's ridiculous to accuse him of murdering Vera, unless Apollo's also accusing him of murdering her father...? Apollo's Perceive zooms in on Kristoph's hand, where a faint scar is visible across the back of his palm. As the tendons of his hand constrict tensely, for a moment it looks like there's a skull's face formed in his skin. Apollo accuses Kristoph of tensing up, to which Kristoph calmly replies, "Does that mean all nervous witnesses are guilty?" After all, it's not like Drew wears nail polish. Apollo presents the Gramarye stamp. Though the method of poisoning was different, it was the same substance. Kristoph reminds him that Brushel had said Drew was "looking for" a stamp. The Gramarye stamp was in plain sight, so that means Drew didn't initially intend to use it. That's a pretty poor excuse for a murder weapon, if Drew only picked it up by chance. He scoffs at Klavier for not being able to see through such a weak bluff. Klavier pounds the wall. "I wanted to believe in you," he admits. He points out that in his answer, Kristoph said he couldn't have known when Drew would use the stamp. But that's besides the point, since the only thing that matters is that he DID use it, and it WAS poisoned. Kristoph glares at him, but then goes back to Apollo. What motive could he have to kill Drew? Apollo and Trucy confer for a moment. Usually motive is one of the first things Kristoph would have mentioned. The fact that he's only falling back on that now might mean there's an opening somewhere they can take advantage of. Apollo presents the red envelope. The the stamp was sent in the first place through a letter between client to craftsman. It was never proved seven years ago who ordered the forgery Vera made. Klavier objects: who would order such a forgery if not the lawyer who presented it? Apollo reminds Klavier that the stamp is seven years old, so the motive for killing the Mishams is probably just as old. Whoever ordered the forgery must have been trying to tie up all lose ends and silence everyone involved by killing them. It's a clear motive. The court falls eerily silent, and Klavier points out that Apollo has just proved Phoenix Wright had the most motive for committing the murder. Apollo objects. Not only did Phoenix get the evidence from Trucy, he didn't even take Zak's case those seven years ago until the night before the trial. He had no time to have forged anything. Klavier is shocked. He had no idea Phoenix had that little time. Apollo goes on to say that Zak even had another lawyer on his case, who was fired in favor of Phoenix. In fact, it was Kristoph Gavin! Kristoph strongly denies it. Apollo threatens to check the old court record, but Kristoph tells him he can't. Council is only logged into the court record the night before the trial. The Judge confirms - there will be no record of Kristoph having ever taken Zak's case. Klavier, leaned over his bench and sweating, haltingly asks Apollo if he has any proof. In fact, he nearly begs him, despite the disapproval of his brother. He declares that he can't carry on if his doubts aren't cleared. Apollo assures him that he can prove it, and though Kristoph is still scornful, Klavier is reassured. He promises to trust Apollo. The Judge asks for proof connecting Kristoph to the murders. Apollo presents the yellow envelope. Kristoph objects immediately, unlike 4-1 holding nothing back. He admits that Apollo can't possibly have the real letter, because he already CAUGHT Phoenix trying to slip it out of his room. It must be a fake. Apollo agrees - this is not the letter from Kristoph's room. He tells the court that when Phoenix visited Kristoph's cell, he was wearing a spy camera in the pin on his hat. Though he wasn't able to get the letter itself, he recorded its presence among Kristoph's things, and even took a picture of its contents, and of Ema's solution indicating the presence of poison on its stamp. The letter Apollo has now is a reproduction of that letter. Kristoph loses his temper, and insists to the Judge that such evidence is in no way admissible in a court of law. Klavier watches silently. But the Judge agrees - the evidence is not admissible. And since Apollo has no other evidence to present, he's about to pronounce a verdict. Klavier finally interrupts them. "Now I know what the audience must feel like at the end of the show, when they're calling for an encore," he says. Something has been bothering him these past seven years, and now he knows why. Kristoph growls at him to stay quiet. He's clearly upset - he wouldn't want to say anything he'd regret. Apollo quickly pounces to add his own advice: "Don't forget what's most important to you!" But Klavier assures that he hasn't. Despite Kristoph demanding that he stop, Klavier addresses the court: the night before Zak's trial, it was Kristoph himself that warned the prosecution Phoenix would be presenting fake evidence in court. Kristoph knew about the forgery long before anyone else. In a brief flashback, Kristoph approaches his brother the night before the trial. Though they should have been fighting each other in court the next morning, Kristoph admits he didn't want to have to fight his own brother in his first trial. Instead, he would give Klavier some information: Phoenix Wright would be presenting false evidence. If Klavier were to contact a certain witness ahead of time, he would be able to catch him. On the stand, Kristoph regains his composure. He tells Klavier that he's deeply disappointed in him, but he might as well talk. He was supposed to be Zak's lawyer, but before accepting him, Zak made him play a game of poker with him. He lost, and Zak refused him as council, choosing instead to pick Phoenix Wright. He was outraged - how could Zak fire him in favor of Phoenix, a second rate lawyer? Over a poker game, of all things! He declares, "Only death is befitting of such a man." Apollo asks if that counts as a confession, but Kristoph is quick to correct. He still refuses to admit anything. He's only testifying that he doesn't forgive those who have wronged him. He is perfect. Klavier laughs at him from the prosecution bench. "Perfect? Don't lie to yourself. You've been living in fear all these years!" Apollo takes up the fight. He says that Kristoph's failure to kill Vera and Drew seven years ago drove him to keep all the related parties under strict attention. Brushel, Drew - all of them felt his watchful eye. And when Zak finally reappeared, Kristoph killed him, too! Apollo glances to Trucy. Though Phoenix told him everything the night before, Trucy probably didn't know that her father had been alive until a few months ago. But Trucy isn't phased. She brushes off Apollo's concern and says they'll talk about it later. Apollo continues to outline his view of how the crime was committed. Kristoph wanted to win a big case, and that's why he tried to become Zak's lawyer. He hired Vera to create the evidence he would need in court to win. To make sure that Vera wouldn't be left behind to talk, he sent her the poisoned stamp with the message of his payment, and also left with her the poisoned nail polish. But then Zak refused him, so instead he passed off the faulty evidence to Phoenix, and warned Klavier of it ahead of time. All to ruin Phoenix and Zak, and at the same time eliminate anyone else who might have proved it. Kristoph is unmoved. He calmly asks if he can go back to prison now, since this is a waste of his time. When he looks to his brother, Klavier admits that he has no evidence connecting Kristoph to the murders. Apollo objects. Kristoph killed Zak - the only possible motive would be to shut him up. Kristoph objects himself, reminding that he killed Shadi, not "Zak." To him, they were different people. And he has no reason to testify as to why he would want to do that, because this isn't his trial anyway. He didn't kill Drew. He didn't try to kill Vera - it was Klavier and Apollo bullying Vera that made her bite her nails and ingest the poison. If she dies, they're the ones responsible. The Judge has to admit that they've gotten very far off track. This is still Vera's trial, after all. It's just about time to end it. Kristoph gloats over his apparent victory. After all, neither side has any decisive evidence that Vera is innocent. Klavier stops him. Sure, decisive evidence used to be necessary...but not now. Now, the Jury will decide. Six average citizens will view all the evidence, and decide themselves what the outcome should be. "Decisive" evidence isn't needed at all. Kristoph is outraged - what can a group of simple-minded pathetic fools do? It's the LAW that matters, it's EVIDENCE that should decide, not some lazy, inferior "riff-raff." Once he's finished his tirade, Klavier reminds him...the jurors he just insulted are watching them, right now. They have been all along, through a closed circuit video camera at the back of the courtroom. Apollo adds his own salt to the wound: "This was all Mr. Wright's idea, by the way." Kristoph completely loses his shit. He screams and breaks down utterly, ranting that he doesn't accept such a system. Only the law is absolute, not pathetic laymen dirtying his perfect logic. But the Judge says that it's not the evidence that's necessarily important, it's the truth, and how we come to it. Klavier taunts his brother, saying that his kind is no longer needed in the new justice system. Apollo, meanwhile, takes his turn at being speechless. Kristoph is hauled off, and the Judge turns to you. All that's left is for the jury to decide. The screen turns to static. Phoenix is back, speaking not to you, the player, after all - he has been speaking to the jury all along. The Mason system IS the Jurist System. And now, as jurors, it's time to vote the outcome. Juror #6 raises a question. In the juror's handbook it says that a juror should not be someone connected to the case. Phoenix tells her not to worry about it and vote for the truth. He gives them a glare: "I'm expecting the right answer." A hand with a bracelet reaches out, and chooses Not Guilty. On October 9th, the first ever jury trial of Japan is concluded. As the verdict is read, the crazed laughter of former defense attorney Kristoph Gavin fills the courtroom. The next day, Apollo and Trucy visit Vera at the Hickfield Clinic; she's just woken up after 48 hours of being in a coma. Apollo and Trucy both cry in relief to see she's all right. She draws each of them a picture to thank them for their help. Vera also tells them that she's ready to face up to what she did, and that she dearly hopes that she'll be able to apologize to Phoenix to his face one day. Trucy, meanwhile, admits that she knew all along her father was still alive somewhere in the world. She was the one that helped him escape seven years ago, after all. And though he's gone now, she's glad that she still has her Papa, Phoenix. Vera asks if Trucy wouldn't mind bring out Mr. Hat again, which she gladly does. Meanwhile, Phoenix is back at the office, meeting with someone. Someone who has recently regained all of her memory (the Serenade from case 3 plays in the background). She asks Phoenix if he knew all along who she was, and that's why he chose her to be a part of the jury. Phoenix won't say. Instead, he asks if she intends to tell Apollo and Trucy that their mother, Thalassa, is alive and well as the popular singer, Lamiroir. Lamiroir says that she will, when the time is right. But for now she's overjoyed to see that both of them have grown up so well. Phoenix assures that until she's ready, he'll continue to look out for the both of them. They've become his reason for living. Phoenix then asks if she'll ever reveal the full secrets of the Gramarye family and their mysterious bracelets. Lamiroir hesitates to answer. For now, she's just happy to be alive. The credits roll, and thus ends Apollo's first adventure. |
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