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Rise from the Ashes
SL-9 Incident
Transcript
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Phoenix Wright
It's been two months since Maya left the office... Two months without a single trial. I've had offers... But none I took. That is... until the day that girl showed up.

Episode 5: Rise from the Ashes is the final episode of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, originally released as an extra episode for the Nintendo DS version of the game. Set two months after Turnabout Goodbyes, Phoenix Wright is brought out of a self-imposed break to investigate a case involving a friend of his mentor from law school, who has already confessed to murder. It spans three investigation chapters and seven trial chapters, and has the player carry more evidence in the court record than in any other episode in the main series of Ace Attorney games. Being made for the DS, this episode features touchscreen-oriented gameplay that allows the player to examine evidence from any angle, spray luminol fluid to see bloodstains, and dust for fingerprints.

The "special episode" designation would be adopted starting from the Nintendo 3DS era of games, but Rise from the Ashes is essentially treated similarly, typically being offered as extra downloadable content in subsequent releases of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In particular, the WiiWare release of this episode was released after the WiiWare release of Trials and Tribulations, in accordance with the original release order.

Prologue[]

Lana stab

A shadowy figure.

The view rapidly darts past the lit windows of a building to reveal the skyscrapers of Los Angeles on a stormy night. Suddenly, the blade of a knife appears, then the silhouette of a figure raising a knife over their head. Just as the figure makes to bring the knife down, they freeze and split into two individuals that are revealed to be in two separate buildings.

The view pans across the city, then a switchblade flies through the air, a vase shatters on the floor, and a Blue Badger doll is seen silhouetted against a window. A hand holding a knife appears and the view slowly pans up to reveal a mysterious woman cloaked in shadows.

Feb. 22[]

Investigation[]

Around 10 AM at the Wright & Co. Law Offices, Phoenix Wright pondered why he returned to the office everyday, despite the fact he had no desire to defend anyone. Even though he had offers, he hadn't taken any case since Miles Edgeworth's. However, on this day, a girl showed up asking for Mia Fey.

Wright told the girl that Fey no longer worked at the office. She then recognized Wright and pleaded for his services for her sister, who had been accused of murder, in court the following day. Reminded of Maya Fey by the girl's trust in her sister, Wright decided to hear her out. She introduced herself as Ema Skye, a junior in high school and an aspiring scientific investigator. Wright learned from her that her older sister had gone to the same law school as his late mentor Fey had, a few years above her.

Wright and Skye went to the detention center to meet his client, Lana Skye. Lana revealed herself as the district's Chief Prosecutor, a fact Wright was unaware of. Stuck in another case of two sisters, Wright listened to her story, but Lana confessed to the crime. She told Wright that the murder had occurred the previous day at 5:15 PM in the underground parking lot at the prosecutor's office. The victim had been fatally stabbed in the stomach; Lana had accidentally cut herself after stabbing the victim. The body had been found in the trunk of a co-worker's car and someone had witnessed the crime. To make matters worse, the victim was a detective, meaning the police would prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

Lana also talked about Mia Fey. She had audited Lana's class during Lana's third year. Lana had been at the top of her class, and she admired Fey for her determination to become a lawyer and they had, according to Ema, shared an "intellectual attraction."

Lana accepted Wright's offer to represent her, but she reminded him that there was no case to investigate, as she had already confessed. Ema insisted that Lana was innocent and she did not want to lose her only family. Nevertheless, Lana ended the conversation.

Ema explained that Lana had once been quite a likable person, but she had suddenly become cold one day.

Ema accompanied Wright to the crime scene. Wright commented that he didn't think his first visit to the prosecutor's office would end up this way. They met Jake Marshall, a "cowboy" in charge of the scene who blocked them from investigating the car. Looking around, they found the wallet of the victim and the ID inside told them his name: Bruce Goodman. They pocketed it and asked Marshall who owned the car. He directed them to the High Prosecutor's Office on the 12th floor. Wright and Ema bumped into Angel Starr, a traveling lunch seller who was visiting her "boyfriend" working in the security room. She revealed herself as the prosecution's witness as well as someone with a grudge against prosecutors.

Wright and Ema headed up to the 12th floor into the High Prosecutor's Office. Edgeworth entered the room and explained that the office and the red car with the body inside of it belonged to him. He also told Wright about his troubles: he was to be the prosecutor the following day, but rumors of dirty tactics in court still shadowed him. He also mentioned that his knife, usually stored in his trunk's toolbox, was the murder weapon.[1] Edgeworth then told them he had received the King of Prosecutors trophy the previous day at the police department, only getting back to his office at 5:12, three minutes before the murder. As proof, he gave them a parking stub. Officer Mike Meekins then arrived and attempted to give Edgeworth a file relating to another case, but Edgeworth dismissed him, merely shooed the officer away.

Per Edgeworth's suggestion, Wright and Ema headed to the police department. Out front, Wright noticed a "dancing machine" and someone dancing by its side. He recognized the machine as the Blue Badger and its dancing companion as detective Dick Gumshoe. Gumshoe told Wright he had been sidelined from the investigation, as only the highest-ranked people were permitted into the Criminal Affairs department. He also advised Wright, in vain, not to take Lana's case. Gumshoe said that there were rumors that Edgeworth wanted to take Lana's position as the chief prosecutor, but he didn't believe them. He then gave Wright a letter addressed to Marshall, asking permission for Wright and Ema to investigate the crime scene.

Marshall recognized the letter as being from Gumshoe by its spelling, and let Wright investigate. He also gave Wright a copy of Goodman's autopsy report. Marshall told Wright he was no longer a detective, but rather just a patrolman, as well as the fact that Gumshoe wasn't working on this case due to his closeness with Edgeworth.

Wright then proceeded to investigate the car in which the body was found. Along with a note in the trunk, Wright found a cell phone on the ground nearby and pressed the redial button just as a phone nearby began to ring. Marshall told him it was Lana's and that she called someone right after the murder. Wright told Marshall that the phone that had just rung was his, but it was a wrong number.

Ema said to Wright that now he probably had all the clues he would need. At this point, Wright confessed it wasn't his phone that had rung, it was Ema's. Ema told him that Lana had called her, but didn't speak much, only briefly mentioning something about a muffler.

Feb. 23[]

Trial former[]

Even moments before court convened, Wright was still confused about the case; there were many bizarre and unclear parts yet unexplained. Lana was as resigned herself to her fate as the day before, telling Wright that he should never "believe" in his clients. Wright commented in response that Lana was a lot like Mia Fey, but with one decisive difference: she was not a defense attorney.

For the first time, Wright entered the courtroom with no Fey sibling at his side to help him. Edgeworth commented that regardless of what others told him, he would choose the judgments he believed were right. He then proceeded to give his opening statement summarizing the accusations against Lana. He then called Starr to the stand. Starr handed out some lunches to Wright, Edgeworth and the judge; an annoyed Edgeworth insisted they proceed with the trial. The judge commented that a member of the police department usually testified first, to which Edgeworth revealed that Starr had once been a fairly well-known homicide detective. Now remembering Starr as the former so-called "Cough-up Queen", the judge told Starr to proceed.

Angel'spicture

Starr's crime scene photo.

Armlock

Starr apprehending Lana.

Starr described the crime details and testified about what she had seen. After some pressing, she revealed she had a photo of the moment before the murder. However, Wright revealed that the photo contradicted her testimony, revealing that it must have, in fact, been taken after the murder. Starr went on to say that the murder had to have been premeditated because Skye was wearing special gloves; however, Wright revealed that it could not have been premeditated as there wasn't a prepared murder weapon, merely Edgeworth's knife, which happened to be in the trunk of his car. To clear this discrepancy up, the judge asked Starr to testify about why she thought it was premeditated. She reasoned that it was why she wore the gloves and said that "the human machine plunged the knife into him over and over again..." In response to this, Wright presented the autopsy report, which showed that the victim was stabbed only once. Starr responded by saying that she saw a red scarf or muffler at Skye's breast that she mistook for blood, hence her thinking that Skye had stabbed Goodman more than once. However, Starr herself proved that that was impossible, as the crime photo showed neither a scarf nor a muffler. She also revealed that she herself had gone over to the car to apprehend Lana; the judge asked her then to testify about that. It turned out that Starr was in the garage's security room visiting one of her "boyfriends" when she first saw Lana attacking Goodman, and that it took five minutes for her to get down to where Lana was to apprehend her. As Wright pointed out, no killer would wait around at the scene of the crime for five minutes. The judge agreed that this was too much of a contradiction for Starr's testimony to convict Lana, and prepared to suspend the trial for the day.

Before he could do so, however, Starr suddenly produced a new piece of evidence: one of Goodman's shoes, which was covered in blood. Edgeworth refused to acknowledge the shoe as legal evidence, pointing out that it had been registered by neither him nor anyone at the police department. However, Starr revealed that one of her former colleagues had in fact carried out all the required paperwork for it to qualify as legal evidence. Wright pointed out a large bloodstain underneath the shoe, indicating that Goodman had stepped on a large amount of blood, yet there was no corresponding bloodstain at the scene. Unfortunately, Starr stated in response that there had in fact originally been bloodstains at the scene, but that Lana had tipped over a drum full of water, washing them away. Upon hearing this, the judge decided that the shoe and her actions in knocking over the water drum were decisive evidence after all and prepared to declare Lana guilty.

Wright had one last objection, pointing out that Lana had mentioned something about a "muffler" in a brief phone conversation with Ema before she was arrested, despite the apparent absence of a muffler on her person or the crime scene. Therefore, the muffler she was talking about must have been the exhaust muffler of Edgeworth's car. Edgeworth claimed that this was irrelevant, but the judge agreed that they should at least check the muffler before declaring a verdict.

Trial latter[]

During the recess, Marshall came to talk with Wright. Marshall said that Lana was indeed wearing a red muffler that day, despite its absence from Starr's photo.

After the court reconvened, Edgeworth was looking rather shocked. The chief of police, Damon Gant, unexpectedly entered the courtroom, carrying what had been discovered in Edgeworth's exhaust muffler: a switchblade bearing an evidence tag labeling it as being part of the "SL-9 case". He also informed the court that another detective had been killed in the evidence room at the police department at the same time, on the same day, but couldn't provide any further details because it wasn't related to the case at hand. Wright showed him the note found in the trunk, which read "SL-9". The knife, a piece of evidence from a case the victim mentioned, had been stolen from the evidence room, the place the other murder had happened. In response, Gant agreed to tell Wright only one thing: the ID number of this second victim. Using the ID number provided by Gant, Wright concluded that the murdered detective was apparently... also Bruce Goodman, as the ID number of the evidence room victim and that on Goodman's police badge were identical. Edgeworth demanded to know why no one had told him about this, only for Gant to reveal that the file Officer Meekins had been trying to give him the previous day would have informed him about the evidence room murder. The judge suspended the trial for another day in order for investigation to continue.

Investigation[]

Battleplan

The SL-9 detective team.

Returning to the parking garage, Wright and Ema tested the area with luminol spray and discovered that there were traces of blood washed away at the scene after all. There was, however, far less blood than would have been expected, considering that a murder had happened there. Just then, Starr came to talk with them. She said she had lied to look more convincing, but she had still witnessed Lana stab Goodman. Starr told them she had been fired after the SL-9 incident, and Goodman had been the head detective on that case. Marshall had also worked on it, but he had been demoted to patrolman. She was only selling lunches so she could investigate more. Starr gave Wright a lunch, and told him to give it to officer Marshall.

Wright went to the evidence room's guard station, but there wasn't anyone there, and the door to the evidence room was locked. On their way back, they met Gumshoe, who said they should meet with the suspect on the second murder.

The suspect turned out to be officer Meekins. He told Wright that he had seen someone suspicious in the evidence room, so he had entered and asked for his ID card. The suspicious person had pointed at him with a knife, knocked him out, then disappeared. Meekins couldn't recognize the person's face, since he didn't know any detectives. Ema suggested that the person could have been someone else, other than detective Goodman. However, Meekins told them that there was a video tape showing what happened, and that was the reason he had been arrested.

Back at the police department, Wright met Gant at the criminal affairs. He apparently was asking the chief of the detectives to do something for him. Talking to the chief, Wright discovered they had searched Goodman's desk and the detective was filling a lost item report on the day of the murder. Gant gave Wright a visitor's ID card and let Wright investigate the evidence room.

The ID card didn't work. In fact, the security guard turned the lock off, so anyone could enter the room. Marshall, who turned out to be the security guard, didn't want to talk to Wright. Wright gave him the lunch he had, and Marshall suddenly was in the mood for conversation. He explained he wasn't at the guard station at the time of the murder, but there was no need of him; the security cameras would register everything that happened inside. Marshall explained what an evidence transferal was and gave Wright a list of the ID numbers of who entered the room the day of the murder. Goodman had entered the room just before being murdered.

Gumshoe was in charge of the investigation in the evidence room, but he was all alone in there. The evidence room was full of lockers, each of which could only be accessed by its owner via a fingerprint lock. Goodman's locker was opened, and Wright could find some evidence: a broken vase that they reassembled to find that a piece was missing, a rubber glove, and a bloody handprint on Gumshoe's locker. There was a lot of blood on the floor, indicating something happened there. There was also a locker with a white cloth sticking out, and a bloody wiped handprint was found there.

Wright went to Edgeworth's office. Wright discovered that one of ID numbers on the list was Edgeworth's, since Gant asked him to transfer a piece of evidence from the room to his office. Edgeworth also gave Ema a fingerprinting set, since she was into scientific investigation.

After going back to the evidence room, Wright discovered that the handprint on Gumshoe's locker had no fingerprints, but the one on the other locker had Marshall's fingerprints. This could be decisive evidence.

Feb. 24[]

Trial former[]

Wright was confused, since the same person was killed at the same time at two different locations. Lana just came back from questioning, and told him the police were also clueless. Wright said he found Marshall's print at the evidence room, so he would be accusing him for the time being.

When the trial began, Meekins was the first to testify. It was proven he entered the evidence room twice, and the judge asked for an explanation. He said that the first time, he put the Blue Badger inside the room. The second time, he went to move the Blue Badger out of the room, but he was confronted by a man who was apparently Goodman. Meekins told to the court the same story he told to Wright on the previous day, then presented a video of what went on, and it corroborated his story. The face of "Goodman", however, was not visible, making it unclear whether the real Goodman was in the evidence room or in the parking garage with Lana. Moreover, the video in fact showed that the rubber glove had become trapped in the door lock, deactivating the fingerprint sensor and meaning that it wasn't necessarily Goodman who had opened the locker. Wright asked to question Jake Marshall, saying that they should hear from him as he was the person in charge of the evidence room, and Edgeworth agreed to the request. The judge called for a recess.

When Wright was talking to his client, Gumshoe suddenly appeared. He brought some files about the SL-9 Incident, the one Goodman was in charge of. Lana had asked him to bring it, showing that she knew more than she was talking about. Reading the files, Ema recognized the SL-9 as being the infamous "Joe Darke Killings". She suddenly ran away crying, and Wright entered the courtroom alone.

Trial latter[]

Back to the trial, Marshall told the court he had entrusted the room to the security devices and had been at a "street-side saloon" (a restaurant, where he was supposedly eating spaghetti). However, Wright presented to the court a print of bloody fingerprints on Marshall's locker belonging to him. Marshall denied that this had anything to do with the case. It was his locker so his fingerprints would be all over it and, "One of them just happened to be at the same place as the bloodstained handprint." Wright hit him back by examining the security tape and pointing out the white coat sleeve Marshall had left hanging out of his locker.

Meekins vs Goodman

Meekins confronting a disguised Marshall in the evidence room.

Marshall called Wright's "bluff" and said the murderer could have put that in, but then Wright told him about the fingerprint sensors and proceeded to pick apart his testimony. Marshall spilled out the truth about what had happened inside the evidence room three days ago; he had disguised himself as Goodman to steal some evidence from his locker. It turned out that Goodman was in charge of the "SL-9 case", a series of murders, the last victim of which had been Marshall's younger brother, Neil. Jake had been unsatisfied about the outcome of the case, and had wanted to investigate while there was still time.

Wright was initially pleased to have uncovered the truth behind what had happened in the evidence room that day, until Edgeworth pointed out that Wright had just indirectly proven Lana guilty of Goodman's murder, since it was now obvious that there had been no murder in the evidence room. The judge was about to declare his verdict, but Ema suddenly broke into the room. She went off to try to help, but she couldn't do anything. Wright, however, managed to turn things around by pointing to the bloody handprint on Gumshoe's locker. As he pointed out, if Jake had left the handprint, it should have been on the Blue Badger, not on Gumshoe's locker, which was behind the Badger and out of reach. Wright pointed to the unidentified fourth person that had gone in the evidence room and indicted them as the true killer, since Goodman could not have accessed the evidence room by himself (Jake having stolen his badge) and the amount of blood in there was far too much for what could have resulted from Meekins' injury. Edgeworth replied that they couldn't investigate the holder of that badge, however, owing to the individual's high rank.

At the end of the proceedings, Jake Marshall asked Lana Skye to look him in the eye and tell him she didn't intentionally present falsified evidence during the trial of Joe Darke. She admitted that she had, and this started a riot in the courtroom that forced proceedings to be suspended again.

Investigation[]

Back at the Wright & Co. Law Offices, Ema revealed that Neil Marshall had died saving her from Darke, leaving the evidence necessary to convict the killer, and that it was her own testimony that had helped to seal Darke's fate. Talking to Ema, Wright discovered that Lana had been a detective two years ago, and that she had become Chief Prosecutor after SL-9. Wright decided to talk to Lana, discovering she shared an office with Gant and that all of the people related to this case were related to SL-9. Wright couldn't believe it was a coincidence.

Heading to the police department, Wright met Marshall at the entrance. Marshall told him why he had his suspicions at the SL-9 conclusion and what had happened to the people related to it after it was closed. He also told Wright that Gant, not Edgeworth, had been the one responsible for the evidence forgery.

King Neil

The photo at Gant's office.

After entering the police department, the chief of the detectives told Wright where the chief of police's office was. When Wright arrived there, he found Gant reading a list, which was promptly stuffed at his desk. Gant showed him a picture of himself, Lana and Neil the day of Darke's last murder. After that, Gant simply kicked Wright out of his room.

Wright met Gumshoe, who was serving coffee at the detectives' meeting and reading the SL-9 Incident files during break time. He gave Neil's autopsy report to Wright, and also told him a bit about the happenings of SL-9. He said any detective ID card could unlock the chief's office, but letting civilians in there would result in a loss of job. Goodman's ID data had been deleted the day he died, and Gumshoe wouldn't lend his own.

Wright decided to visit the prosecutor's building once more. At room 1202, he found Edgeworth writing a letter, which was quickly dropped onto the floor. Edgeworth told Wright why he had come back to his office, and that the evidence list of SL-9 was strangely half as long as the normal ones. He told the story behind the prosecutor trophy, and said that the halberd part of it was removed due to Gant's request. Ema sneakily picked the letter Edgeworth was writing, and she read it out loud. It was a letter of resignation.

On his way to the police department once more, Wright met Starr at the underground parking lot. She told him that Lana was probably being used by Gant to take control over the prosecutor's office. She said everyone liked Lana, but she suddenly became cold.

Wright met Gumshoe again and showed him Edgeworth's letter of resignation. Worried about Edgeworth's future, Gumshoe lent Wright his ID card and followed him into the chief's office. When Wright found a safe, he tried to unlock it by submitting the unknown person's ID; it worked. Inside the safe were the last piece of the vase and a piece of cloth. When Wright examined it for fingerprints, he found out they were Ema's, but he didn't tell her about it. Wright also picked up the list Gant was reading the first time he got there. In the back of the list was a drawing, possibly the crime scene drawing Ema had made. Just then, Gant surprised them. He told Ema to stay for questioning, asked for Gumshoe's ID card and kicked Wright out of his office again.

Back at the detention center to talk to Lana, she said she had indeed stabbed Goodman, but she could be doing it for someone else. Wright suggested "Gant", and she agreed. Wright proved to her that Gant had participated in the evidence forgery, and she told him that Gant had asked her to dispose of Goodman's body. She had then hidden Darke's knife and asked Ema to keep it safe. It was because of her that Marshall had gone into the evidence room. Lana asked Wright not to pursue the issue any further in the court, then left.

Feb. 25[]

Trial, first session[]

Wright was alone in the defendant lobby until Edgeworth came by. Edgeworth said that if it was proven that the last ID was Gant's, Lana would be found guilty. Wright said he was going to make Lana confess the whole truth, and that Edgeworth should help him uncover what had really happened during the SL-9 Incident. Edgeworth said he would think about it.

Before the trial could start, Gant had a proposal to make. He wanted Lana to be the first to speak, and it was accepted. Lana confessed to the murder once more, wanting the trial to end and even forfeiting her right to have an attorney. The judge agreed, and was about to give his verdict when Edgeworth objected, claiming he hadn't proven the defendant guilty yet. Something must have happened behind the scenes to make the defendant suddenly confess again. He called Ema to the court to testify, but Lana objected. Lana's objection was overruled, and Ema testified about the time she witnessed Neil's murder.

Ema told the court that she had been waiting for her sister in her office that night when Darke had burst into the room and taken her hostage, but Neil had come in and saved her. She had then seen Darke raise his knife and stab Neil in the chest. Although it had been dark in the office, lightning had flashed at that moment and burned the scene into her mind. Ema said that Goodman had questioned her after the incident; she had been too traumatized to talk, but had drawn a picture of the scene.

Emasdrawing

The completed drawing.

Wright then realized that he had had Ema's drawing all along: it was on the back of the evidence list found in Gant's office. Ema recognized it as her drawing, but Edgeworth was shocked and asked Wright where he had found that list, since only prosecutors should have access to it. Wright and the judge both concluded that the evidence list Edgeworth had used in the SL-9 trial had been incomplete, the missing half was the part Wright had found. Wright then proposed that Edgeworth's half of the list might have more of the drawing on it. Linking both lists, the rest of the drawing appeared: the Blue Badger's head.

Questioning Ema further about the drawing, Wright realized that there was a contradiction; it apparently depicted Darke raising a broken knife to stab Neil, but the victim had suffered a single stab wound, so the weapon should not yet have been broken when Ema saw it. Wright concluded that the weapon Ema had seen was actually the halberd from the King of Prosecutors Trophy, which would make the man holding the knife Neil, not Darke.

Ema then remembered something: upon seeing a man raising his knife, and believing it to be Darke, she had panicked and pushed him away in an attempt to save Neil. It was then that she had seen the Blue Badger. Edgeworth said Ema must be mistaken, since the Blue Badger hadn't even existed yet at the time. Wright concluded that Ema must have seen something resembling the Blue Badger, and he realized that the vase in the chief's office could be made to resemble its head when seen from a certain angle. The jar had been knocked away in the struggle, and Ema had seen its silhouette as it flew through the air. However, the jar was located in Gant's side of the office, which changed the location of the murder. Edgeworth said that body had been found in Lana's side of the office. Wright said it must have been moved and there must have been a reason for that.

Jar message

The message on the jar.

Remembering that Ema had pushed away the man with the knife, Wright finally realized why Lana had wanted to stop the trial, but it was too late to turn back. There was a suit of armor in Gant's office holding a sharp sword. In a tragic moment, Wright showed the court that Ema had accidentally pushed Neil onto the suit of armor, killing him. In light of this revelation, Ema passed out from shock. Lana interrupted the trial, saying that there was no conclusive evidence of Ema killing Neil, but Edgeworth said that there was still the possibility that the victim had left a message. Wright realized that he had one piece of evidence that might contain a message from the victim; the same jar he had presented earlier. The trail of blood on its surface was a written message that had been wiped, but some spots had remained. Wright concluded that the victim could only have written the murderer's name, and connected the dots to recreate the message: "Ema." It appeared that Ema had really been the one who had killed Neil.

Gant then spoke up and told Edgeworth that since he had secured Joe Darke's conviction with what was now shown to be unreliable evidence, this (and Lana's earlier admission) brought the last two years of conviction into question. This set off another riot in the courtroom, forcing the judge to call a recess.

Trial, second session[]

During the recess, Gumshoe handed Wright a book called "Evidence Law". It contained the two rules when submitting evidence to the court, with a message from Lana: "if you want to take HIM on, you're going to need this book".

Back to the court, the judge told Edgeworth that after the trial he would be harshly penalized for his actions in the SL-9 Incident. Furthermore, it was revealed that Edgeworth would not be permitted to call any further witnesses or present any more evidence, as he was no longer considered trustworthy. Since this left the trial in danger of ending without a verdict, Edgeworth allowed Wright to call any remaining witnesses to the stand, and Wright decided to summon Gant.

Wright proved Gant was part of the evidence forgery, but the latter claimed he wouldn't be the accomplice of anyone, not unless he had something to gain out of it. Although Wright accused Gant of forging the evidence to cement his promotion to Police Chief, Gant denied this, claiming he was already in line for the promotion anyway. Edgeworth agreed, but Wright pointed out that after the SL-9 Incident, he had Lana promoted to Chief Prosecutor, where she was firmly under Gant's thumb. Gant had been manipulating Lana to have complete control over the prosecutor's office for two years.

Wright pointed out the last ID number remaining in the ID number records, suggesting that Gant was the owner of the unidentified number, and that Goodman had accompanied Gant then. He suggested Gant had killed Goodman there, then hidden the body in the trunk of Edgeworth's car and asked him to transfer an arbitrary piece of evidence to the prosecutor's office. This way, the body could be handed to his accomplice, Lana, at the parking lot.

Gant declared his right to not testify, since his position as Chief of Police gave him the right to do so. He left the court, leaving Wright in despair as he had no conclusive evidence pointing towards Gant. Edgeworth suggested they could hear one more testimony in absence of evidence, so Wright called Lana to the witness stand. Just then, Gant came back. He warned Lana that, if she agreed with Wright, her sister would be found guilty of Neil's murder. The judge called the second recess of the day.

Edgeworth explained about Gant's right of refusing to testify, noting that if Gant exercised it, he would not be able to testify in his defense even if he wanted to. Meanwhile, Ema, having recovered, was both happy and sad. Now she knew why Lana had changed so much, but claimed it was her fault Lana had changed in the first place.

Trial, final session[]

In the court, Lana testified about her relationship with Gant, denying the blackmailing and controlling theory. She said she had done it all by herself, including moving the body. She said she had done so because there were broken jar pieces on the floor, which would have led back to Ema. However, Wright pointed out that Ema's name was written in blood on the jar. If the jar had been broken by the time Lana found it, no one could have written Ema's name on it after it broke.

Lana testified that she had cleaned the pieces, and because they were large, she claimed to have cleaned the blood off them all. However, Wright told Lana that there was one piece she didn't find and clean. It had been found in Gant's locker, meaning he had arrived at the scene before her. Despite encouragement from Wright and Ema, Lana hesitated, insistent on hiding Ema's involvement. At this, Wright had an epiphany: maybe Gant had fabricated the scene before Lana's arrival, and Ema wasn't actually guilty of anything. Edgeworth agreed, noting to Lana that the only way they could uncover the truth was if Lana testified about what she really saw.

Finally relenting, Lana admitted to seeing Neil impaled on Gant's suit of armor. Thinking that Ema had pushed him there, she had panicked and asked Gant to help with altering the crime scene. As proof, she had taken a photo of Neil and the armor, which Wright found in the book on evidence law Gumshoe had given him earlier.

Gantscenephoto

Lana's photo.

Looking to the photo, Wright realized where the piece of cloth he found had come from. He couldn't cross-examine Lana, though, because he was interrupted by Gant. Gant claimed Wright had decisive evidence proving who the real murderer was, referring to the cloth, and demanded that he present it to the court, but Wright denied having any such evidence. Angered, Gant insisted that Wright had stolen the conclusive evidence from his safe. The judge, realizing that Gant had essentially confessed to concealing evidence, declared it a scandal.

At this, Gant confessed to arriving to the scene of crime prior to Lana and tampering with it, wanting to use the set-up scene to blackmail Lana. He admitted to having cut a piece from Neil's clothes, as insurance in case he was ever accused of murdering Neil. Gant subsequently demanded that Wright submit the evidence, which he did after having Gant confirm that he had indeed cut it out from Neil's jacket. Gant goaded Edgeworth and Wright, pointing out that Ema's fingerprints were on the cloth, thereby proving that she had murdered Neil, much to Ema's shock and Lana's anger. Lana furiously denounced Wright, calling him a monster; however, Wright, remaining calm and composed, assured Lana that the trial was not yet over despite Gant's continued gloating, with the police chief declaring that he would file criminal charges against him and ensure he would be unable to practice law again. In response, Wright declared that the cloth from Gant's safe did indeed reveal the identity of Neil Marshall's killer, but also proved that it was not Ema, as it contained a glaring contradiction. To prove his point, he presented Lana's photo, noting that while Neil's shirt was heavily bloodstained, the cloth did not have a single speck of blood on it. It was therefore impossible for Neil to have been impaled on the sword when Ema had pushed him; more likely he had fallen to the ground and and hit his head, knocking him unconscious. The piece of cloth from his vest could only have been cut off prior to his murder, and the only person who could have done so would have been the first person to arrive on the scene, which Gant had already admitted was him. Wright taunted Gant with the irony of the situation; by acquiring his "insurance", he instead proved himself to be the real killer.

Panicking, Gant declared that he could not be convicted of murder with this evidence, claiming that its legality had been invalidated when Wright refused to present it earlier. Wright admitted to having withheld presenting the cloth, but presented the copy of "Evidence Law" Gumshoe had given him. Wright and Edgeworth proceeded to outline the two rules of evidence law: no evidence can be presented without the approval of the police department, and any unregistered evidence presented must be relevant to the case in trial. Wright explained that he could not have presented the evidence earlier because it did not meet either criteria at that point - he had taken the cloth from Gant's safe without police approval, and it had been impossible to prove that it had any relevance to the case until Lana's photo was presented just a few minutes prior. The cloth's relevance had been proven when Gant publicly admitted to arriving at the scene and personally cutting it off, which at the same time gave the cloth the Chief of Police's personal approval as conclusive evidence. Finally defeated, Damon Gant broke into a fit of hysterical laughter while clapping slowly, before speeding up to a rapid rate before collapsing.

Gant admitted to having orchestrated both incidents, past and present. Jake had hounded him endlessly over SL-9, and even managed to convince Goodman to get involved. When Jake stole Goodman's ID card, he approached Gant to make a report, and while both men were in the evidence locker, Goodman requested that Gant reopen SL-9. In a panic, Gant grabbed Darke's switchblade knife and silenced Bruce Goodman, before calling Lana to help him get rid of the body and cover up his involvement in Goodman's death. In his haste, Gant had left the broken jar, Darke's glove, and his bloody glove print behind. Gant bid the judge farewell, noting that now he had Wright and Edgeworth around, things would run smoothly.

Lana was called to the stand. Wright informed her that Ema's murder of Neil had been disproved, and that Gant had betrayed her from the beginning; it was time for her to come clean about all the corruption she helped Gant with. Lana agreed, and Wright apologized to her that he couldn't absolve her of all her alleged crimes. She jokingly praised Wright for his high standards before thanking him and Edgeworth for striving so hard to uncover the truth. The judge noted that Lana would be charged for being Gant's accomplice (even though she had been blackmailed), but declared her not guilty on the charge of murder.

Aftermath[]

Skye hug

Lana embraces Ema after returning to her old self.

Although Lana had been declared not guilty, Ema was disappointed that Lana didn't seem to notice her role at all. To Wright and Ema's surprise, Gumshoe revealed that he had brought Lana out of custody so she could speak with Ema. Lana apologized to Ema, admitting that by trying to hide her younger sister's "crime", she had turned away from her sister and everyone around her, and forced herself to turn a blind eye to the misdeeds she did under Gant's orders. Ema forgave her, knowing that Lana would return to her old self one day.

Lana gave Ema the first book she had ever bought, "Scientific Investigation". Wright and the others went to a recently opened restaurant to commemorate, until Gumshoe revealed that in order to bring Lana out of detention, he had bribed a guard under Wright's name, much to the latter's chagrin.

After the trial had ended, Edgeworth expressed fear that he would possess the same evil as Gant. Because of this fear, Edgeworth had disappeared and left behind a note which reads, "Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death." However in actuality, he had left the country to discover what prosecuting meant to him.

Name[]

  • The name of this episode is a reference to the mythological bird that rises from its own ashes from which Phoenix Wright's given name is derived. It could also be seen as a reference to Wright resolving a closed case, thereby allowing the truth to "rise from the ashes" of a "dead" case.
  • Rise from the Ashes is the only English episode title in the entire series minus Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles that does not contain the word "Turnabout" in its English name. The exceptions in the crossover are due to the game's adoption of the Professor Layton games' chapter structure (with the exclusion of English Turnabout), while the episode titles from Chronicles are generally literary references, most often referencing the titles and naming format of Sherlock Holmes stories.

Development[]

References to and from other cases[]

  • When Ema asks Phoenix if he was the "coffee boy", she may be referring to the coffee-loving prosecutor (formerly defense attorney) Diego Armando.
  • Examining the ladder in the Underground Parking Lot will show dialogue of Phoenix falsely correcting Ema by saying it's not a 'ladder' then him thinking to himself "(This all seems so horribly familiar somehow...)" referencing Maya saying, "Look a ladder!" when examining the stepladder from Turnabout Samurai.
  • The evidence room contains the metal detector and fishing pole from Turnabout Goodbyes, as well the bug sweeper that Dick Gumshoe would later go on and use in Farewell, My Turnabout.
  • A picture of Maggey Byrde in her police uniform can be seen inside Detective Gumshoe's evidence room locker; Byrde is a fellow police officer whom Gumshoe has a crush on, and first appears in The Lost Turnabout.
  • Edgeworth's office contains the suit he wore during his first murder investigation and his court début inside a glass case.
  • Edgeworth's office also has two objects on a windowsill; a bouquet of flowers, and a Steel Samurai statue, both with a tag from "Wendy" on them.
  • Damon Gant's safe was a product of KB Security, a company that appears in The Stolen Turnabout.
  • Dick Gumshoe uses the back of a flyer about to write a note to Miles Edgeworth. The flyer seems to be about Trés Bien, as it is mentioned as a recently opened French restaurant. The flyer is (much like the restaurant itself) extremely pink, and it is possible to make out a figure on the flyer that strongly resembles Jean Armstrong. The new restaurant eventually fell on hard times and became a crime scene in Recipe for Turnabout.
  • Examining the ID number on the back of Wright's attorney's badge will initiate a conversation between Wright and Ema where he tells her that said if he lent his badge to anyone they would be found out immediately, because of the ID number. However, in Bridge to the Turnabout, the exact opposite happens—Wright actually does lend his badge to someone else (Miles Edgeworth) without anyone finding out.
  • After Wright points out Angel Starr could not have seen Lana Skye stabbing Goodman multiple times, Angel says that she believed "no one could ever mistake ketchup for blood". However, in Recipe for Turnabout, a ketchup stain on an apron is mistaken for blood.
  • At one point after the possibility of Ema Skye killing Neil Marshall is brought up, Wright says in his monologue: "We certainly can't get dead people to testify." However, in Bridge to the Turnabout, a deceased person does end up testifying.
  • Miles Edgeworth was asked to transfer a blue screwdriver that was evidence in an incident labeled "AI-16" and resolved half a year before the events of Rise from the Ashes. Wright found a similar blue screwdriver in April May's hotel room during Turnabout Sisters, which incidentally also happened half a year earlier. However, it is not made clear if it is the same screwdriver or case.
  • When Damon Gant catches Phoenix Wright, Gumshoe, and Ema looking through his safe, he says, "I happened to look out a window and saw a stray dog run right into a pole. Just then I thought of a certain detective.". Not only is this a jab at Gumshoe's intelligence, but it may also be an anachronistic reference to Gumshoe crashing into a telephone pole during Farewell, My Turnabout.
  • During the second recess of the final trial day, Gumshoe tells Wright he's decided to work at his law office. This ends up actually happening a year later.
  • In Turnabout Corner, while examining the car in the Meraktis Clinic's garage, Apollo Justice states that he once read a report about a case that Phoenix Wright worked on many years previously. In said case, there was a piece of cloth shoved into the tailpipe of a car that turned out to be a vital clue in solving the case. Justice goes on to say that he is reminded of that case whenever he checks out a car, and hence always checks the tailpipe. This is a reference to this case, namely Lana Skye's wrapping of Darke's knife in her muffler/scarf and placing it in the muffler/tailpipe of Edgeworth's car.
  • The design on the floor of Damon Gant's office is based on the design of the prosecutor's badge, which later made its first appearance in Turnabout Visitor.

Cultural references[]

  • When Ema and Wright find Goodman's ID card and examine the ID number on it, Ema states that she thinks letters would be better than numbers for IDs, and suggests "YABADAB" as an alternative for Goodman's. This may be a reference to Fred Flintstone's catchphrase "Yabba Dabba Doo!" in the animated television sitcom The Flintstones, which also received a live-action film adaptation in which, perhaps coincidentally, the surname of the lead actor who played the role of Fred Flintstone was also Goodman.
  • Following Angel Starr's initial testimony, Ema tells Wright that the damage she had done to their case was "just a flesh wound". This may be a reference to the same line spoken by the Black Knight after having both his arms cut off by King Arthur in the comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
  • After examining the tag on the rubber glove found in the evidence room, Ema expresses her confusion over the word tag before going on to list examples of similar sounding words, including "xag". When Wright questions whether "xag" is a real word, she responds, "do you challenge me?" A confused Wright then wonders to himself whether they are playing "some sort of a word game now?" This is a reference to the word game Scrabble, where players can challenge the legitimacy of an opponent's played word at the risk of forfeiting their next turn.
  • When Jake Marshall is questioned about Neil Marshall, he remarks about his brother, "I got the looks, but he got the brains." This may be a reference to the 1986 Pet Shop Boys song "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", in which the chorus partially goes, "I've got the brains / You've got the looks".
Phoenix_Wright_-_Boot_to_the_Head

Phoenix Wright - Boot to the Head

  • A new reference was added to the script in the 3DS version of the trilogy. If the player presents incorrect evidence when trying to connect Chief Gant to the murder of Detective Goodman, the Judge berates the defense by saying "Don't "oops" me! Maybe this boot to the head will knock some sense into you." This is a reference to this viral video, which is a Phoenix Wright rendition of the "Last Will and Temperament" skit by The Frantics.

Notes[]

  • Case5art

    Selection screen art from iOS and recent versions of the game.

    Unlike the other episodes of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, no episode selection picture is unlocked from beating Rise from the Ashes in the Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS versions. However, one is unlocked in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD on iOS and was reused in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam.
    • In the Brazilian Portuguese fan localization, both for handheld releases as well as the console and Steam ports, a different episode selection art is unlocked. Namely, the key visual for the case, used as promotional art for the Nintendo DS release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
  • The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy version of the case significantly decreases the flashing that occurs during Damon Gant's breakdown.
  • Rise from the Ashes is the only episode in the original Phoenix Wright trilogy to not star a Fey as a main character.
  • Rise from the Ashes contains a rare moment in which evidence presented during a testimony gives a unique response but does not progress the storyline. Specifically, if the strip of cloth is presented on the last day during Gant's first testimony, he will deny it any relevancy to the case (according to the second rule of evidence law) and the testimony will return to the beginning.
  • With the exception of Japanese title, Rise from the Ashes is the first episode (and so far the only one in the main series) to not have the word "turnabout" in the name.
  • In the Italian version, Lana's scarf is said to be designed by a stylist called Marmy Hitta, in order to preserve the ambiguity with the word marmitta ("muffler/tailpipe"). In the Spanish version, Lana's scarf is said to be from the brand Scapa, in order to preserve the ambiguity with tubo de escape ("exhaust pipe"). In the French version, the scarf is made out of skin/leather (écharpe en peau) to keep the ambiguity with pot d'échappement ("tailpipe").

Evidence Law[]

Main article: Evidence Law
  • The front cover of the evidence law book given to Wright by Lana appears to have a chick (as in a young chicken) sitting at a desk wearing what seems to be a deerstalker hat and holding a large smoking pipe. The back cover has another chick on it wearing a mortarboard, holding a stack of books and welding a pointer of some sort. The text below it seems to read "© piyo", implying that the book was published by a company named "piyo".
  • Ema is handed a book that seems to be made by the same company, as it too has a chick on the cover. However, it is about forensic investigation and the chick appears to be using a magnifying glass to examine something while still wearing the deerstalker. There is a fingerprinting set beside it. It is red as opposed to the blue evidence law book. This was the first book that Lana ever bought. It has a picture in an envelope inside it of Lana as a detective and a younger Ema (wearing her sister's hat) both saluting in front of the Police Department.

Miscellaneous luminol detection[]

Main article: Luminol

Like the metal and bug detectors conceived before it, the luminol spray can detect blood in places that do not advance the plot. For example, a bloodstain on a large cactus in the guard station leads Phoenix Wright to believe that someone had a rather unfortunate accident there. Another bloodstain can be found on the floor of Edgeworth's office. Upon finding it, Wright and Ema wonder what could have caused it, with the two thinking that maybe it was caused by Edgeworth having a nosebleed or slapping someone. At this, Wright finds himself picturing Gumshoe's cheerful face. There's also another optional bloodstain in the emergency phone at the Underground parking lot, which does not get permanently marked in the Parking Lot Floor Plans. The final optional bloodstain can be found in Gant's office, near Lana's desk, which is said to be from the SL-9 Incident.

Alternate ending[]

If Wright presents the cloth the first time he's asked to (i.e., before Gant admits to cutting it off Neil Marshall's clothes), he fails to tie Gant to the evidence forgery, instead proving Ema to be Neil's murderer. Lana is subsequently declared guilty.

Typos and errors[]

  • In his court record profile, Detective Gumshoe is described -- like in other cases -- as being "in charge of the initial investigation", which isn't true in this particular case.
  • When meeting Lana for first time in the detention center, her court record profile describes her as "The degendant" instead of "The defendant". This is fixed when her bio is updated upon discovering her wounded hand.
  • Upon returning to the detention center after meeting Lana for the first time, examining the guard will cause Wright to observe that "He's frozen in fear of the frigid Ms. Lana", even though Lana is no longer in the visitor's room.
  • Despite already learning his name, when greeting Meekins in the detention center his name will be displayed as "Officer".
  • Presenting the Attorney's Badge to Gumshoe will lead to Ema saying "I wish had a badge...", instead of "I wish I had a badge..."
  • During the second trial day's recess, Ema runs away. However, she is shown by Wright's side during a courtroom panoramic view before she reappears later on. This error is corrected in the iOS port of the game.
  • During Damon Gant's first testimony on day 2, Wright is given the option to choose what question to ask him about the murder in the evidence room. One of the options is "When the victim was died" instead of "When the victim died".
  • When the luminol is first added to the court record on day 2, Wright thinks to himself, reminding the player on how to use it. He says "(Choose Sprey so I can do it.)" instead of "(Choose Spray so I can do it.)"
  • Examining Edgeworth's car on the second or third day leads to a conversation about the model; Ema says "Your supposed to know these things!", when the word "You're" should've been used instead.
  • When Gant gives you the ID card and leaves during the 2nd day's investigation, Wright will think to himself. However, Ema's mouth moves when Wright is thinking, as if she were speaking.
  • During the conversation that occurs after pressing the first statement in Jake Marshall's first cross-examination, Wright thinks, "This guy has a flare for the dramatic, but it isn't going to do him any good", when the word "flair" should have been used instead.
  • Presenting the Unstable Jar or Evidence List to Lana will lead to Wright showing the Unstable Jar and Strip of Cloth. He also claims that the cloth is evidence in the SL-9 Incident, even though the link has not necessarily been proven at the time.
  • In the second part of the third trial day, Phoenix discusses the photograph Starr took at the Prosecutor's Office, saying "This was a not a photo of the body being stuffed in the trunk to be taken away.", when the additional "a" should be omitted.
  • During the second trial latter for the final day, after revealing that Ema Skye's handprints were on the Strip of Cloth and using the court record to examine it, she and Wright would respond to whose fingerprints were on it, even though it was already revealed that it was hers.
  • In the iOS version of Trilogy, when proving Damon Gant as the killer, Phoenix says “The killer you!” Instead of “The killer was you!”

Corrected in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy[]

  • During the cross-examination of Damon Gant on Feb 23rd, Gant criticizes Miles Edgeworth for not reading the file brought to him by Mike Meekins. When Edgeworth claims the file had nothing to do with his case, Gant explains "the victim's name was written write on top of the report."
  • Upon finding the fingerprints of Jake Marshall on an evidence locker, Wright says, "This are decidedly different from Detective Gumshoe's prints."
  • After the Chief disallows Phoenix and Ema to investigate Chief Gant's office, Ema says "Well, what are we wating for? Let's head to the Chief's office!"
  • In the first part of the third trial day, Phoenix describes the true nature of the SL-9 Incident, saying "In the next instant, the jar was hit and flew threw the air".
  • In the latter part of the third trial day, the judge at one point has his claims proven wrong by Edgeworth and Wright. After his "breakdown", he says: "Hey I'm not the one on trail here!"
  • When confronting Lana in the Detention Center about the truth of the SL-9 Incident, Wright says "The only party who could have possible investigated that evidence was..."
  • As the judge is about to penalize Wright for accusing Gant of murder without evidence, he says "This...is an affront to a senior officer in our nation's law law enforcement agency.".
  • When Lana Skye opposes Wright's accusation towards Damon Gant, she tries to convince Ema by saying, "Defense attorneys make up the he most foul lies to defend their clients."
  • During the credits, Maya Fey briefly appears in Kurain Village talking about what she is doing after the events of Turnabout Goodbyes. She is then called away by an unseen individual for training. However, this person just refers to her as "Maya" rather than the usual Kurain Village title of "Mystic Maya".

Other languages[]

  • French - Phoenix renaît de ses cendres (lit. "Phoenix rises from the ashes")
  • Chinese - 復甦的逆轉 (Fùsū de Nìzhuǎn; lit. "Reborn Turnabout")
  • Portuguese - Renascer da Reviravolta (lit. "Rebirth of the Turnabout")
  • Russian - Дело из пепла (lit. "Case from the Ashes")

References[]

  1. Edgeworth: Not only that, but she stabbed him with my knife.
    Ema: Wha.... Whhhhaaaat!? Mr. Edgeworth! Your knife was the murder weapon!?
    Edgeworth: To be more specific, it was the knife kept in the toolbox in the trunk of my car.
    Phoenix: Um, Edgeworth? Are you sure you didn't do it?
  2. Hsu, Janet (2014-10-31). Ace Attorney Trilogy - Surprising Tidbits You Never Knew! Capcom Unity. Retrieved on 2014-11-02.
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