Turnabout Countdown

Episode 1: Turnabout Countdown is the first episode of the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. It marks the return of defense attorney Phoenix Wright to the courtroom after his disbarment 8 years earlier. Wright must defend the schoolgirl Juniper Woods on the charge of planting a bomb that destroyed a courtroom. It also introduces Athena Cykes as Wright's co-counsel, Gaspen Payne (younger brother of Winston Payne) as the case's prosecutor, and the new "Mood Matrix" game mechanic.

The demo version and the full version of this episode are largely different, with the demo version being non-canon.

Prologue
A man with strange goggles smiled menacingly down at the small metal box in his hands. Wires stuck out from one side of the box, and on another side was a timer readout. The top of the box had a bright red light on it.

Suddenly, an explosion reduced a courtroom to rubble.

Lobby

 * 9:22 a.m.

It was Phoenix Wright's first time in a defendant lobby as a lawyer in a long time. He was trying to hide his nervousness while chatting with Athena Cykes, a lawyer he had recently hired, and Juniper Woods, his client. Also in the room was Apollo Justice, Wright's other employee, who had been in the courtroom when it was bombed. Although he had been injured in the incident, he insisted that he was fine. Cykes enthusiastically assured the group that Wright would win easily.

Trial

 * 9:46 a.m.

The judge remarked nostalgically on seeing Wright at the defense's bench again. The prosecutor, Gaspen Payne, immediately had a verbal row with Cykes, calling Wright "Phoenix Van Winkle", to which Cykes retorted that Payne would lose within ten minutes. Payne followed with his opening statement: During a trial in Courtroom No. 4, a time bomb, hidden inside an elephant doll named "Phony Phanty" that had been presented as evidence, had suddenly detonated. The remote trigger for the bomb had been found on the defendant. The burnt tail of the doll had been recovered, and the defendant's fingerprints had been found on it.



Payne called his first witness: Ted Tonate, a member of the bomb disposal squad. He testified that he had deactivated the bomb before it went into evidence. From the gallery, he claimed to have seen the bomb's timer reactivate. Wright pointed out that this was impossible, since the entire bomb had been hidden inside the doll. Tonate replied that he had heard the timer make a beeping sound to indicate that it had been activated.

Payne then called Woods to the stand. Cykes sensed Woods's fear as she testified about the explosion and the rubble that had fallen on her. Wright knew that he needed to borrow Cykes's ability to hear the emotions of other people. Cykes turned on her Mood Matrix and went through Woods's testimony to find a feeling of happiness at the point at which Woods talked about the rubble. Wright asked Woods about this, and Woods remembered that Apollo Justice had protected her from the rubble, explaining his injuries.

Woods elaborated that she had tried to escape the courtroom, but the bomb had gone off, flinging rubble her way, which was when Justice rescued her. Using the Mood Matrix again, Wright found it odd that, in addition to happiness and shock, Woods also felt grief. Woods explained that she had a "Bum Rap Rhiny" doll with her, but she had realized during the explosion that she had lost it. When she showed a picture of the doll, Wright realized that the tail that had been presented earlier was not the elephant's but the rhino's!

"Phoenix Wright"

- Let's get Ms. Woods that not guilty verdict together, you and me! (And reclaim the legendary title of "Ace Attorney"!)

Prologue

 * Same as above

Lobby

 * December 17, 9:22 a.m.

Trial part 1

 * 9:46 a.m.

Lobby

 * 11:56 a.m.

Back in the lobby, Athena Cykes praised Juniper Woods for being brave in court and at the same time, Phoenix Wright praised Athena for attempting to defend in court by herself and that her ability really helped turn around the case. In the mist of chatting, Wright suddenly wonders where Apollo went off to, in which Woods replied that he is probably still in the lobby or at Courtroom No. 4. When Wright asked why he is in there; Woods explained that she told Justice about her Bum Rap Rhiny plushie during the trial and then Justice and her decided to go back to the ruins to try to find it. However, Woods shortly left the ruins to return to the lobby to rest, but was then called into court to testify again. Before she left, Justice told her that he is staying to find evidence to clear her name. Concern of Justice's injuries and wanting to know if Justice found a new piece evidence, Cykes and Wright along with Woods decided to head to Courtroom No. 4.

Courtroom No. 4

 * 12:11 p.m

Cykes opened the door and asked Justice where he was. As she looked around, she and the others were horrified to find him unconscious next to a blood stained piece of rubble. Athena screamed in horror and the police came rushing to the scene of the crime, making Phoenix and Athena unable to search for evidence to see what caused it.

Trial part 2

 * December 18, 9:34 a.m.

Defendant Lobby No. 5, after the trial

 * 12:31 p.m.

References to other cases

 * In Trial, Part Two, Wright says : (Assaulted in a court of law and losing your memory at that... I know how that feels...). This is a reference to Justice for All's first case, The Lost Turnabout, in which Wright was assaulted by the real culprit.

Trivia

 * To date, this is the only tutorial case that lasted over a day.
 * When Juniper Woods is describing the moment that Justice shielded her from the explosion, Wright says to himself that she is making him out to be some sort of "ancient god," before stopping himself, realizing what he just said. This is a reference to the Sun God from Greek and Roman mythology Apollo, where Justice's English name originates. Incidentally earlier Juniper compared Apollo to the sun -- strong, bright and warm, also referencing his first name.