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Chapter Text

It must exist. The second bullet.

The words were barely a whisper on the edge of Phoenix’s consciousness, but he heard them as loud and clear as if their speaker were standing right beside him, channeled by Maya as she had been before.

“What did you just say?” he asked, just to be sure.

Maya only gave him a puzzled look. “Nothing!”

The second bullet must exist, she had said. But where?

Someone took it.

“Wait, Your Honor!” Phoenix shouted, barely aware of what he was saying. “The second bullet! It exists!”

“What?” The judge looked as baffled as ever. “But we’ve just heard proof that it did not exist.”

Something swept through him, a cool mist, and the courtroom was blanketed in fog, yet his words were afforded an unusual clarity. “Someone removed it from the scene of the crime,” his voice said. “The murderer had no reason to remove the bullet, but they had to take it.”

“‘Had to,’ Mr. Wright…?” the judge questioned, trailing off slightly.

“Yes.” Phoenix himself had no idea what he was about to say, but there was no doubt in his mind. “For example, say the bullet hit the murderer. They would have to remove it, wouldn’t they?”

His point made, the fog dissipated, the cold chill leaving his body, and it was all he could do not to collapse over the bench from the sudden loss.

That trial was far from the first encounter Phoenix had ever had with a ghost. Only three months before, he had met Maya and learned that she was a spirit medium, witnessing her power firsthand when she channeled her sister’s spirit during the trial over her murder. Since then, Mia had come to his aid once when he hit a dead end in an investigation, but Maya was still in training, still not fully in command of her power. Although she had tried multiple times to channel Mia during their most recent case, it seemed as though she was too out of practice with her training.

But Phoenix was sure he’d heard Mia’s voice. Was it possible for ghosts to appear outside of channeling, he wondered…?

As he soon found out, the magatama Maya had given him did more than just reveal secrets.

Ghosts, he noticed, were everywhere. At first, he thought it was only the spiritual presence in Kurain Village, the sparse population of mediums and acolytes suddenly crowding the dirt roads and farmlands. But no, the city was haunted too, even more so. It made sense, he supposed. The city had a lot more people, so of course there would be more ghosts.

Research on haunting was limited, the Kurain channeling technique being more focused on manifesting a departed soul in a medium’s body, but Pearl had helped him find a book about it. She didn’t know much on the subject herself and struggled to read, but Phoenix found time in between investigating the case to read parts of the book to her as she eagerly followed along over his shoulder.

When a spirit wasn’t being channeled, it could often be found wandering the world, quietly haunting a person, place, or object it had a strong emotional attachment to. Most often, they could be found haunting people they loved, usually a close relative. It was speculated that this happened when a person died with unfinished business or an unresolved worry. When that business or worry was resolved, the text claimed, the spirit would move on to somewhere called the Twilight Realm where it would rest in peace. This didn’t seem to have any effect on if the spirit could be channeled, but it was possible that spirits who haunted the earth had more turbulent emotions upon channeling and could sometimes display unpredictable behavior.

Later that day in his office, Phoenix thought of the nurse who Maya had allegedly channeled. If she really had been falsely blamed for malpractice before dying in that car accident, he could definitely see that resulting in turbulent emotions. But the text mentioned that ghosts usually haunted people they loved. Why, then, was Ini Miney followed by a ghost who looked like an exact carbon copy of herself?

“Looks like you found the real contradiction in this case,” came a familiar voice from behind him, and if Phoenix weren’t used to his mentor sneaking up on him in ghost form, he might have jumped out of his skin.

“Mia!” he gasped, turning around. Maya was in detention and Pearl was back in Fey Manor, so who was channeling her this time?

A slightly translucent Mia stood behind him dressed in a black blazer and pencil skirt as she had been in life, far different from the undersized medium robes he had grown used to seeing her in.

“A lot more convenient this way, don’t you think?” she said. “This will be a lot less frustrating than waiting for someone to channel me.”

Phoenix tried not to think about how much secondhand embarrassment Mia might have endured from watching him over the last several months. “Have you been following me the whole time?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted. “I spend most of my time with Maya, but I’ve been checking in now and then. Good work on that case back in February, by the way.” Phoenix didn’t miss the slight wince in her smile. “But I didn’t come here just to chat. You can see the ghost following Ini Miney, can’t you?”

Phoenix nodded. “I can see a ghost that looks exactly like her, but according to the photos on file, no sign of the nurse who died. You’d think she would haunt her sister, especially as they were in the accident together…”

You can let it kill the prosecutor in you or you can let it help you grow. With bitter regret, he forced the memory out of his mind, focusing on the case at hand.

“Keep thinking about it,” Mia said, back to the encouraging smile. “You’re on the right track. So, how are the preparations?”

He had collected a lot of evidence and information, hopefully enough to prove Maya’s innocence. If he remembered correctly, Mia had a few Psyche-Locks of her own. At least it seemed she didn’t need to be channeled for those to be broken.

As it turned out, the identical-looking ghost had been an amazing clue. The woman calling herself Ini Miney was, in fact, her sister Mimi, the nurse who had supposedly died and who Maya had tried to channel. With help from Maya’s aunt Morgan, she had disguised herself as a channeled spirit in order to kill the doctor who blamed her for malpractice and frame Maya, since Morgan wanted her out of the way so that Pearl would become the next Kurain Master.

Observing the sad look in Mia’s eyes as she processed her aunt’s betrayal, Phoenix was relieved that Pearl had agreed to channel her today. Although he was sure that Mia would join him at the defense bench even if she wasn’t being channeled, he would rather spare Pearl from hearing him accuse her mother.

He realized, somewhat belatedly, that he had been correct in thinking whoever died in the accident would haunt her sister. There had clearly been a deep bond between them. Still, no matter where he looked, there was no sign of the ghost he longed to see most of all.

Edgeworth had at least been thinking of him. The note he had left proved as much. But surely there was someone, something, someplace in the world important enough for him to stick around?

Had he even cared about Phoenix at all?

Phoenix would keep looking, just in case.

“You wouldn’t understand, Mr. Phoenix Wright,” said Franziska von Karma, her statement ringing with accusation. “I have to see ‘him’ again, one more time.”

“‘Him’?” Phoenix asked. If she wasn’t referring to her father, then who?

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m sure you know to whom I refer… Miles Edgeworth!”

The name uttered by von Karma lashed at Phoenix like a whip. Miles Edgeworth? Why would she bring him up? What did she care about the former student her father had tried to frame for murder?

Instinctively, Phoenix’s eyes darted around the snow-covered plaza, searching for any hint of a ghost as Maya continued to question von Karma about the past she and Edgeworth shared.

“Right again,” von Karma said. “Miles was like a little brother to me.”

Yet despite how close they might have been, no ghost appeared to haunt her. It seemed as though Phoenix wasn’t the only one Edgeworth had forgotten.

On March 21st, 2018, he finally found the ghost he’d been looking for.

Chapter Text

“Please wait, sir!” Detective Gumshoe pleaded, begging von Karma not to fire him. “If I don’t get this month’s pay, I’ll starve—”

“Quiet!” She silenced him more effectively in one word than she could have with her whip. “If it weren’t for traitors like you…”

“‘I would’ve won.’ Is that what you want to say?”

Phoenix almost couldn’t believe it. Finally, more than a year later, Edgeworth had decided to see how those closest to him had been faring since his death.

The ghost stepped out from around a nearby corner as if he’d manifested only yesterday. “It’s been a long time… Wright.”

Pearl tugged at his sleeve, her eyes wide. “Is this Mr. Edgeworth?” she stage-whispered. Phoenix nodded, cataloging the young medium’s ability to see Edgeworth’s ghost along with the many interactions he’d had with Mia and Maya over the last nine months in which he’d acted as an interpreter. Mia was with Maya right now, looking after her in whatever awful place de Killer was keeping her, but once he got the chance, he would need to investigate this further.

It was only then that Phoenix noticed the man behind Edgeworth. He was of a similar height, wearing a double-breasted trenchcoat and a hat that partially obscured his face, but couldn’t hide the keen interest with which he followed the conversation. Phoenix had the feeling he’d seen this man before.

“How dare you show your face to me without a shred of shame upon it?” von Karma yelled, gripping the whip tightly in her left hand. “You’ve soiled the von Karma name and dragged it through the mud. Run away with your tail between your legs like the ill-bred dog you are!”

“Are you talking about the von Karma family creed?” Edgeworth asked, and the ghost behind him let out a snicker. “‘To be perfect in every way…’ Then let’s hear it, Franziska. How are things going?”

Phoenix had never known anyone else to be able to see ghosts, with the exception of Maya whenever he lent her the magatama so she could talk to Mia. It was possible that Pearl had a similar magatama of her own, but as far as he knew, Franziska von Karma’s only meaningful interaction with the Fey family had been to prosecute Maya’s trial nine months ago. By all accounts, she shouldn’t have been able to see Miles Edgeworth’s ghost.

“Keep your assumptions to yourself!” she continued to yell. “I haven’t given in yet! I won’t lose! This case is mine! I’ll never hand it over to you! Never!” Done shouting at her brother, she turned to face Phoenix. “Mr. Phoenix Wright! I will see you tomorrow… in court. It will be a clinical lesson on the meaning of ‘total victory!’”

And with that, she was gone, heels clicking against the floor as she stomped away.

“Still the same wild mare she always was,” Edgeworth muttered.

“Maybe so,” the man behind him whispered, almost to himself. “But far tamer than her father if Phoenix made it out of that circus trial unharmed.”

It struck Phoenix then where he recognized that man from— a friendly smile whenever he came over, a game of fetch with Missile while Larry tried to copy Miles’ homework, dropping Miles off at sleepovers and picking him up the next day. A crime photo Phoenix had mistakenly dug out of his briefcase instead of an incriminating letter, not noticing what he’d taken out until Maya stopped him from showing it to his client. This was the ghost of Gregory Edgeworth, haunting his son as he had presumably been for the last sixteen years, and the lack of response told Phoenix everything he needed to know.

Somehow, despite all he’d been led to believe, Miles Edgeworth was alive.

After Phoenix said some things he regretted immediately, they discussed the case, and Phoenix came to understand the relationship between Adrian Andrews and the ghost he could see haunting her. The woman she had followed into the entertainment industry, Celeste Inpax, had committed suicide, leaving Ms. Andrews adrift without a driving purpose and leading her to attempt suicide herself. Phoenix understood the feeling better than he cared to admit.

He and Pearl finished their investigation and went back to his apartment for the night, though Phoenix wasn’t sure how much he would be able to sleep, especially after hearing from de Killer over the radio that Maya was starving. Just to be certain she was still alive, he asked to hear her.

“Ask my sis!” was all Maya was able to say before the connection was cut off.

Of course. Mia had been with Maya the whole time and might know where she was. “Mia?” Phoenix chanced, glancing around. She did have a way of sneaking up on him. “Are you here?”

“If Mystic Mia is here, I want to see her too,” Pearl whispered.

Taking the magatama out of his pocket, Phoenix held it out, and Pearl clasped her small hand over his. Mia’s ghost materialized in the darkened living room before them.

“Oh, good, I can talk to both of you,” she said. “I have a message from Maya, so come, ask me anything you want about her.”

From what Mia had been able to observe as a ghost, Maya was safe, locked up alone in the dark cellar of a mansion. De Killer really did seem to be a man of his word. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but he wore a monocle and had a line of stitches down his face.

“That’s all I was able to see,” Mia concluded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to Maya. Just before I left, she picked up some sort of card with a shell emblem and I think she’s going to use it to try to escape.”

“Oh, tell us if it worked!” said Pearl, squeezing Phoenix’s hand anxiously.

Mia nodded. “I’ll be back for the trial tomorrow. Both of you, try to get some sleep, okay?” And with that, she faded away into the shadows.

Unfortunately, Maya’s escape attempt failed, both Mia and de Killer reporting the following morning that she seemed tired. But even more unnervingly, de Killer mentioned that he was sending Phoenix a “present” to give him an advantage in the trial.

That “present” turned out to be him shooting von Karma on the steps of the courthouse. She was alive and in stable condition, according to Edgeworth who had shown up to take her place, but between worrying about Maya and now von Karma’s shooting, Phoenix could hardly focus. Mia could have been possessing him for the entire trial and he might not have noticed.

It looked like the card Ms. Andrews was carrying would be relevant after all— she’d taken it from the crime scene while tampering with the body, and from what Edgeworth was saying, it was the calling card of an infamous assassin whose name was all too familiar.

Since Detective Gumshoe was being let go, it seemed he was volunteering to help Phoenix at his office. He didn’t like the thought of the already underpaid detective replacing Maya, but it was nice to have him around, especially when he needed an expert on electromagnetic interference. So far, however, Edgeworth had been helping him a great deal, tracking down the vendor of the giant stuffed bear and making arrangements for him to talk to the suspects after visiting hours as well as putting together the rescue team for Maya.

It was already after ten PM when Phoenix went to the detention center to hear the truth from Matt Engarde. Pearl had wanted to follow him, but she collapsed from exhaustion, so he had Gumshoe watch her while he went alone.

Edgeworth was waiting for him outside the detention center when he saw the true face of his client. He and the ghost at his shoulder wore matching grim expressions. “Let’s talk elsewhere,” he said, leading Phoenix to his car.

Once they’d arrived at Edgeworth’s twelfth floor office, Phoenix collapsed on the couch, head in his hands. As Edgeworth busied himself making tea, the ghost appeared to sit next to Phoenix, though he couldn’t feel the couch dipping the way it would if a living person sat there.

“I’m lost,” Phoenix finally admitted. “What am I supposed to do?”

They shared cups of tea as they discussed the answer Edgeworth had found in his year abroad, the ghost of his father watching from a respectful distance with a proud smile.

At any given moment in the trial, Phoenix was expecting Maya to appear at his side as a ghost, but with Mia going back and forth between them, he was able to direct the rescue team. Edgeworth helped him extend the trial, and by the time von Karma arrived with the final evidence to prove that Engarde had violated his contract with the assassin, Maya’s location was surrounded, and turning her over to the rescuers was a simple matter.

“When I was alone at the detention center, that’s the first time I really saw myself and who I am,” Ms. Andrews told them after Engarde’s sentence was pronounced. “And today, when the two of you used your combined strength to convict Matt…” She pressed one hand against her chest, finally smiling. “I felt like I had finally been saved.”

The trial had been a harrowing ordeal, and Phoenix had spent much of it worrying how it reflected on him as a person and as a lawyer, but seeing a genuine smile on Ms. Andrews at his teamwork with Edgeworth made all the struggles feel worthwhile. The ghost of Celeste Inpax behind her seemed to agree, lighting up like a cluster of fireflies.

“I am really happy that you two were in charge of this case,” Ms. Andrews continued. “I really don’t know how to express how I feel at this moment… This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable with myself, with who I am. Thank you so much, everyone!”

And like fireflies flying away, Celeste scattered, fading into bits of light and disappearing.

As betrayed as Phoenix had felt by Edgeworth’s disappearance, he was grateful above all else for how things had turned out in the end.

“I had fun tonight,” Edgeworth said, getting up to leave the dinner party. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Wait!” Phoenix followed him to the door, just managing to catch him before he left. “I just want to say… Thanks, Edgeworth. You really saved me out there.”

Edgeworth scoffed, a faint blush on his face. “If anyone should be saying thanks, it should be me, Wright.”

Words clearly wouldn’t be enough here. There was only one thing Phoenix could do to express how he truly felt. Stepping forward, he leaned closer to Edgeworth, breath ghosting against the other man’s lips for a moment before Edgeworth closed the distance between them.