| Turnabout Trigger |
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| Shelly de Killer |
| In a sense, yes. A certain someone did indeed hire me to carry out a contract. And that contract did indeed specify that I was to assassinate President Wang... |
Episode 1: Turnabout Trigger is the first case in Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit. It is set about two weeks after Turnabout Ablaze, the final case of the previous game, with this incident happening as a direct result of having solved the case of the international smuggling ring. Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe reunite with Kay Faraday while investigating an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the president of Zheng Fa at Gourd Lake. During the investigation, Edgeworth reunites with an old enemy of his, and later has to investigate the murder of the president's lead bodyguard. This case was created to feel very large and important, like a final case. A demo of the game featuring a part of the case was showcased at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, and later released on the official website.
Acts & chapters[]
| Act | Chapter | Type |
|---|---|---|
| "Beginning" | "Opening" | / |
| "Edgeworth's Arrival" | / | |
| "The Investigation Begins" | Investigation | |
| "Mr. Doe's Testimony" | Argument | |
| "Ms. Lloyd Testimony" | Argument | |
| "Latter" | "A New Development" | Investigation |
| "Reason for Removal from the Case" | Mind Chess | |
| "Bronco Knight's Testimony" | Argument |
Timeline[]
- To edit the information in this table, go to Template:Timeline and edit the information there.
| Date | Event type / related incident | Description | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2019 | Turnabout Trigger | Shelly de Killer attempts to assassinate President Di-Jun Wang, but is overpowered and wounded by Bastian Rook before escaping. | N/A | |
| March 25, 2019 | Turnabout Trigger | Both an attempted and a staged assassination of President Di-Jun Wang during a speech at Gourd Lake. Bastian Rook is murdered during these events. | N/A |
Beginning[]
Wang delivering his speech.
Edgeworth arrives.
The scene on the lake.
- March 25
The president of Zheng Fa, Di-Jun Wang, arrived on his plane at Gourd Lake Nature Park for a most momentous occasion. As a crowd cheered on, the president delivered a speech thanking the prosecutor's office for helping to rid his country of the Cohdopian smuggling ring. However, he said that the battle had not yet been won, and he defiantly declared that justice would prevail over all evil. At that moment, a gunshot was heard. In the ensuing panic, the president's bodyguards rushed to protect the president. Meanwhile, the Chief Prosecutor ordered Miles Edgeworth to arrive at the scene, saying that if anyone could unravel what had happened, it was him.
- 2:46 PM
A newspaper article about the special visit by the president.
By the time Edgeworth arrived, the crowd had been contained in the spectator area. Detective Dick Gumshoe rushed to Edgeworth's side as soon as he saw him. Gumshoe handed Edgeworth a newspaper article that had been written in anticipation of the president's arrival, which included a photo of the president. The two then had a preliminary discussion of the case. The president had been targeted with a gun, but security had been flawless. Edgeworth concluded that the assassination attempt had been premeditated. He also found out that the president had used a private security company to protect him, rather than police from Zheng Fa's government.
The popped Steel Samurai balloon.
A woman from the audience called out and asked what was Edgeworth going to do next. Gumshoe answered by explaining the process of logic that Edgeworth had used. Edgeworth then investigated a Zheng Fa flag and a popped Steel Samurai balloon on the right side of the lakeside stage (relative to the entrance to the spectator area) and found that the balloon had been popped and the flag had a gunshot hole. Edgeworth deduced that a bullet may have been shot from the left side of the audience to hit both objects. However, this could only be confirmed if two gunshots had been fired.
Her identity[]
Just as Edgeworth set out to confirm the number of gunshots, the woman from the audience called out again, and Edgeworth reluctantly decided to talk to her. She introduced herself as Tabby Lloyd. Lloyd told Edgeworth that she had information about the assassination attempt, which caught Edgeworth's interest, but Lloyd refused to give up her information unless Edgeworth gave up information on himself. Edgeworth was undeterred, however, as he would obtain the information by reading into Lloyd's behavior, like outwitting an opponent in chess. He would wait or apologize while Lloyd was agitated, and then she would eventually calm down and reveal information to Edgeworth accidentally. Through this, Edgeworth learned that Lloyd was a reporter.
Information about the case[]
When Edgeworth asked whether Lloyd had witnessed the incident, he used the same technique of biding his time, and Lloyd eventually revealed that she had heard gunshots. Edgeworth then inquired about the content of Lloyd's coverage. He said that Lloyd must have gathered material for her article, and he waited until Lloyd mentioned a tape recorder. Edgeworth jumped on this opportunity to demand that he listen to the tape.
Defeated, Lloyd admitted that she had recorded the speech, along with her own commentary. The recording had caught the sounds of two people talking during the president's speech, as well as two gunshots at the moment in question. This confirmed Edgeworth's hypothesis about the trajectory of one of the bullets. Gumshoe and Lloyd cleared the left side of the audience so that Edgeworth could investigate. Edgeworth noticed afterward that Lloyd had gotten mud on her parka, but Lloyd said that this was not a problem, as she could just flip her parka inside-out.
Investigation of the spectator area[]
Faraday's first photo.
Edgeworth ordered Gumshoe to search through a trashcan in the area. Gumshoe found a bag, which turned out to contain plans for the security of the event, including the surnames of the two bodyguards, "Rook" and "Knight". Gumshoe also found a 6-shot revolver inside the bag. Edgeworth examined the gun to find two empty bullet chambers and a laser pointer attached to the revolver. Edgeworth wondered whether the laser pointer had been used to aim at the president. A surprisingly quick fingerprint analysis turned up nothing.
Faraday's second photo.
Edgeworth turned his attention to a cameraman. Unfortunately, the stampeding crowd had destroyed all camera footage of the event. Just then, Kay Faraday appeared. She revealed that she had taken three photos: one during the speech, another when the bodyguards had sprung into action, and a final photo showing the chaos in the crowd. Edgeworth noticed a red dot on the president's forehead in the second photo, which did not exist in the photo from the newspaper article. Edgeworth deduced that the red dot was actually the laser sight. Edgeworth then examined the first photo and he noticed a red-coated figure with a laser in his hands. The third photo showed the same red-coated figure, who was escaping toward the right side of the spectator area.
Faraday's third photo.
The investigation proceeded to a Samurai Dogs stand, where Edgeworth found a red raincoat hidden underneath and a red button nearby. Edgeworth noticed that the coat's right sleeve was inside out and had a button missing. He concluded that the wearer had taken the coat off in a hurry, though this did not explain why the left sleeve was not the same way. An examination of the left side of the coat revealed a bloodstain. Edgeworth surmised that the wearer had been injured in the left arm, and couldn't fit the left arm through the left sleeve in the first place, which was why the left sleeve was undisturbed.
- 3:27 PM
The red-hooded man.
Gumshoe went to look for anyone who had been injured in the left arm. He found one: "John Doe", an alleged ice cream salesman, whose left arm was bandaged and in a sling. Edgeworth informed Doe about the situation and asked him to testify.
Doe's testimony[]
Questioning John Doe.
Doe argued that, even though the owner of the raincoat was suspicious, it did not mean that the owner was injured. Doe also claimed that he used an umbrella. Edgeworth countered that the raincoat had blood inside it, which meant that the owner was injured. At this, Doe admitted that he had worn the red raincoat during the speech, but that did not mean that he was the only person wearing a red coat.
Doe testified again, insisting that he was just an ice cream salesman who was listening to the president's speech. He said that he was surprised to see the bodyguards take action so quickly just before the gunshot rang out. Edgeworth pressed him on this, and Doe specified that he had noticed the bodyguard on the left side in particular, a "Mr. Bastian Rook". Edgeworth pounced on this, saying that Doe could not possibly have known Bastian Rook's given name, since even the security plans did not use the bodyguards' given names. Doe claimed that he was previously acquainted with Rook, and that his was a name that he would never forget. Edgeworth continued to try to pin something on Doe, but nothing would stick.
The crowd had started to become rowdy, and fellow prosecutor Winston Payne impatiently told Edgeworth to arrest Doe. However, Doe then revealed that he had seen another person wearing a red coat, who had aimed a laser pointer at the president. Doe claimed that he had discarded his raincoat in fear that he would be confused with the suspicious individual that he had seen. This suspect had been standing behind Winston Payne. Doe then said he had noticed a something strange about what the investigation had turned up. Edgeworth realized that Doe was talking about Lloyd's tape recording. The two people talking during the president's speech were Winston Payne and the Chief Prosecutor. However, Lloyd was nowhere to be seen in Faraday's first photo. Lloyd was now suspect.
Lloyd's testimony[]
Lloyd insisted that she had been constantly moving during the speech, and that Faraday had simply taken the photo when she was not behind Payne. However, Edgeworth countered that the tape recording and the photo had been taken at the same time. The photo depicted President Wang raising his fist into the air, and Lloyd's commentary in the recording also mentioned this dramatic gesture. This meant that Lloyd had to be the one in the red hood. While the raincoat did indeed belong to John Doe, Edgeworth realized that the red-hooded coat in the photo was, in fact, Lloyd's parka turned inside-out. Lloyd then desperately insisted that she was not the assassin, and she was about to explain her actions when she was suddenly interrupted.
The president's other personal bodyguard, Bronco Knight, appeared. He informed everyone that President Wang was safe and sound. However, Bastian Rook, the head bodyguard, had been killed protecting the president. He was intending on questioning Lloyd, now the prime suspect, inside the plane. When Edgeworth asked Knight for permission to investigate the plane and interview the president, Knight replied that President Wang had handed the authority of the investigation over to the Zheng Fa police. There was nothing that Edgeworth could do to change this, since defying the president would cause an international incident.
Suddenly, John Doe attacked Knight and held a knife to his neck. Knight revealed that "John Doe" was really the famed assassin Shelly de Killer. De Killer admitted that a curious individual had indeed requested the assassination of the president. He told Knight to relinquish investigative authority back to Edgeworth, claiming that he and Rook had a special connection and he wanted to know the truth behind Rook's death. Edgeworth wondered why de Killer would go through the trouble of taking Knight hostage just to allow him to investigate the presidential plane. Edgeworth accepted this development, but he secretly instructed Gumshoe to use the time bought by the investigation to have the police surround the plane.
End[]
Investigation of the plane[]
- 4:15 PM
The real crime scene.
When the six of them entered the plane, they found Rook's corpse on the floor, with his attache case nearby. President Wang was hiding in an adjacent, locked room for security. Edgeworth examined the body to find that the fatal bullet had gone below the armpit, which Rook's bulletproof vest had left vulnerable. However, the bullet was missing. Edgeworth examined Rook's gun and found that it was fully loaded; Rook had been killed before he could fire any shots. After Knight confirmed that all of the bodyguards had been issued the same gun model from Zheng Fa, Edgeworth remembered the laser sighted gun that they had found outside, and he realized that it was of the same model as the one issued to the bodyguards.
De Killer attacks Knight.
Edgeworth examined the president's desk and found a set of documents, which Faraday suggested he should examine. They found an older version of the security plans. Oddly enough, the new plans had the "Rook" and "Knight" switched, as well as eight more bodyguards on the stage. Knight explained that the plans had been changed because, two days prior to the speech, de Killer, trying to fulfill his assassination contract, had slipped by in a bodyguard's suit. When the time had come, he had quickly incapacitated Knight by grabbing his neck. However, Rook had foiled de Killer's attack by twisting and shooting his left arm. This explained Knight's and de Killer's injuries, as well as de Killer's respect for Rook. The plan had been altered so that only Rook and Knight were on the stage with the president, and the positions of two had been switched because Knight could not turn his head to the right.
The president's bulletproof vest was also on the desk, with a bullet embedded in it. Faraday noted that this did not make sense, since there had been only two gunshots during the speech. Edgeworth deduced that Rook and the president had been hit by the same bullet. Edgeworth suggested that the bullet in the president's vest be examined for ballistic markings, but Knight informed him that the bullet was too flattened to make that possible.
De Killer's escape.
Behind the desk was a set of eight security monitors in a 3x3 grid pattern. A stuffed doll and some glass shards inhabited the space where a ninth monitor would go, and Edgeworth wondered whether there was supposed to be a ninth monitor.
Suddenly, de Killer, satisfied with the progress of the investigation, decided to make his escape. Even though they tried to stop him, he fled using the emergency exit before he could be apprehended. He left behind his calling card, but he kept the identity of his client secret. However, it was obvious that he wasn't the one who had killed Rook.
Taking over the investigation[]
- 4:45 PM
The balloon before it was shot.
Afterward, Di-Jun Wang arrived on the scene along with two other bodyguards. He had been following Edgeworth's investigation, but he forcefully demanded that Edgeworth leave the investigation to the Zheng Fa police, as had been intended before de Killer's intervention. He had Knight confiscate all the evidence that Edgeworth had gathered. Edgeworth, unwilling to back down at that point, decided on a careful negotiation, just as he had done with Tabby Lloyd. When the president displayed his defiant bravado, Edgeworth would back off and let Wang continue to speak until he revealed crucial information.
Edgeworth asked to confirm that the investigation was going to be handed over to the Zheng Fa police, being careful to emphasize that he was just asking for confirmation, and letting the president have his say. Wang told Edgeworth that being on his plane was tantamount to being on Zheng Fa soil. Edgeworth then asked why Wang was taking away his investigative rights. He deduced that the president was attempting to claim extraterritorial rights inside the plane. This left Wang unsettled, and he admitted that Edgeworth was correct.
Validity of extraterritoriality[]
Edgeworth asked whether the president was being somewhat forceful in his declaration of extraterritorial rights. Once again, Wang was forceful at first, but then said that it was not forcefulness, but rather, his authority as president, which he claimed gave him the right to arrest Lloyd. Edgeworth said nothing, while Wang explained that Lloyd was the only suspect because the shooting had happened outside the plane.
Edgeworth then moved to question the validity of the president's claims. He carefully explained that he simply wished to save Lloyd from the false charges being laid against her, but Wang insisted that international law was unshakable on this matter. Edgeworth disagreed: the gun had come from outside the plane, so the extraterritorial laws did not apply to the investigation. Thus, Edgeworth retained his investigative authority and all evidence was returned. He asked for the president's testimony on the incident.
President's testimony[]
Wang testified that he had seen his bodyguards rush out in front of him, and then he had heard a gunshot and a red balloon bursting. However, Edgeworth told him that a Steel Samurai balloon, not an ordinary red balloon, had burst. Knight explained that the red balloon that was supposed to be there had burst, so the bodyguards had hastily borrowed a Steel Samurai balloon from "a poser" and converted the pants into a makeshift balloon. The president added that he could not see the balloon clearly because the wind had caused the flags on the stage to flutter and obstruct his view. Edgeworth realized that this completely changed his deductions on the first bullet's trajectory. The shot had to have come from the stage, where Knight was standing. Faraday's photos confirmed that the flags had been fluttering at the moment of the shooting. However, the bullet's trajectory also meant that Knight could not be the assassin, since he had shot away from the president.
Edgeworth considered the fact that Knight had shot the balloon. He deduced that the positions of the two bodyguards had been changed so that Knight could shoot a balloon despite his inability to turn his head to the right. He also remembered that the plans had been changed on the president's orders. Knowing that the shooting had been premeditated, he realized the reason behind all of the suspicious events that had occurred prior to and during the shooting. The whole assassination attempt was a setup. Knight had shot twice toward the balloon to cause a panic in the crowd and make it seem as if one of the bullets had hit the president. The bullet in the president's bulletproof vest had been faked, prepared beforehand to "prove" that the president had escaped death. This could be confirmed by testing the bullet for Rook's blood. Lloyd had been part of the plot as well, as the "assassin", but she had not actually fired any shots.
Wang suddenly let out all of the air he was holding inside him, revealing himself as a gluttonous and chubby man, a far cry from the muscular figure that he had posed as before. Knight, however, was not willing to give up, and he pointed out that the audience would have seen him shoot the balloon. Edgeworth responded that Knight could have just used his attaché case to hide what he was doing. When Knight demanded evidence for Edgeworth's story, Lloyd spoke up, revealing a laser pointer, despite Knight's attempts to intimidate her. Three days prior to the president's speech, the Zheng Fa embassy had asked her to come to the event wearing a red hood, and aim a laser at the president's forehead, in exchange for a special interview with the president.
At this point, Wang had no choice but to admit that he had faked the assassination attempt because of declining popularity. He had wanted to look like a hero to his people. However, de Killer's appearance meant that somebody had tried to make the fake assassination real. Wang also mentioned that the plan didn't involve Rook, since he was an honest man and refused to even cooperate with the plan. So, the president had instead entrusted the plan to Knight. He wondered why Rook's life had been taken, when the whole thing was fake. He said that Rook was an outstanding bodyguard, even though he wasn't from Zheng Fa, and that he had the president's utmost trust and true regret for his loss. Knight, however, had a very different opinion of his co-worker, saying that Rook had run away from the president's proposal, while he had agreed to it.
Knight intended to take over the leadership of the president's bodyguards and concoct more perfect plans like the fake assassination. Edgeworth pointed out that his "perfect plan" had failed, but Knight insisted that his plan would have succeeded if Rook hadn't died. He admitted to shooting the balloon but said that the real assassin had fired the second shot. Since de Killer intended to attack the president with a knife, he argued that the real assassin was Lloyd.
Knight's testimony[]
The shooting of Rook.
Knight claimed that Lloyd had tried to assassinate the president using the gun that had been found in the trash. Edgeworth pointed out that the gun in the trash had been fired twice. This pointed to the conclusion that the real killer had planted the gun in the trash to implicate Lloyd. Edgeworth argued that Knight had fired a third shot at Rook inside the soundproofed plane, while Wang was in the security room. The president admitted that he had been hiding under his bed, covering his ears, and had not even turned the power on. Even though the assassination plan was fake, he had been terrified at the sound of gunshots. Knight had taken this opportunity to kill Rook. When Knight asked for evidence of this, Edgeworth argued that, since there was no chance to throw out the fatal bullet out, it had to be somewhere in the cabin, other than the president's bulletproof vest, which had already been ruled out. He remembered that one of the surveillance monitors was missing, and he realized that it had been struck by the bullet. He called a search while Knight pleaded with the president to stop the investigation. Wang, however, wanted to know the truth behind Rook's death. A broken monitor with a bloody bullet inside was indeed found, and forensics confirmed that the blood on the bullet was Rook's and the fingerprints on it belonged to Knight, but also that the ballistic markings on the bullet matched that of the pistol found in the audience, which had a laser scope attached to it.
Knight's logic[]
Knight manipulating the gun.
Knight argued that the ballistic markings matched the gun, so there was no doubt. Faraday suggested that perhaps something was wrong with the "decisive evidence", and Edgeworth began to question the gun. He remembered that Knight had an opportunity to tamper with his evidence, and he realized that Knight had switched the gun from the trash with his own gun by transferring the laser sight from one to the other. Knight continued that the bullet that killed Rook had been fired from the gun from the trash. However, Edgeworth now knew that this was not true.
Knight insisted that Edgeworth had no evidence for his claims. However, Edgeworth once again presented the gun with the laser sight, and he said that he could just check it for fingerprints. While Knight had handled the gun, there should not be any fingerprints on the bullets. However, Knight had to load an extra bullet into the gun to hide the fact that it had fired three times. Therefore, fingerprints on the bullets would prove that the gun belonged to him. Confronted with the evidence, Knight furiously twirled his gun until it flew up and sent a cascade of souvenirs crashing on his head. Apparently, he hated Rook and was jealous of his position. He wanted to be the leader, and he hoped that he would finally get promoted to head bodyguard. He insisted that his assassination plan was perfect.
Aftermath[]
- 5:12 PM
After the arrest, the president made another admission. He had realized that Knight was brimming with hatred for Rook and he was anxious about asking him to go through with the fake assassination. Knight had probably sensed the anxiety in the president, which had given him the impetus for murder. Edgeworth told Wang that the fake assassination was still a crime. Wang apologized for this and said that he had to take responsibility for his actions. Before he left, he told Edgeworth, Faraday and Gumshoe that he would be staying only for a little while longer, and that if any of them wanted to visit Zheng Fa, they would be always welcome. Meanwhile, Lloyd was cleared of all suspicion of murder. However, she was still responsible for being an accomplice to the fake assassination attempt and for giving false testimony about the incident.
Edgeworth then said that the case was still not over. There was one question left open: who Shelly de Killer's client was and why he wanted the president dead. De Killer's request wasn't carried out, though Edgeworth was glad that it didn't grow into an even more serious incident.
The case made news all over the country. It was reported in the media that Edgeworth would prosecute in Knight's trial. Everyone heard about the case, and everyone was talking about it, but the game had only just begun...
Continuity[]
Gourd Lake[]
The episode takes place at Gourd Lake. After making The Captive Turnabout, the developers wanted to have the first episode take place in a place that had ties to Edgeworth, and arrived at Gourd Lake, where Turnabout Goodbyes took place.[1] There are several references to locations at Gourd Lake Nature Park involved in Turnabout Goodbyes, including:
- Larry Butz's Samurai Dog stand - While interrogating Wang, it is revealed that there was a stand of Samurai Dogs at Gourd Lake with a Steel Samurai balloon, with the runner of the stand being a "happy-go-lucky fellow", a description that likely refers to Larry Butz himself.
- A signpost indicating that the boat rental shop is 70 yards away while 50 yards in the other direction is a museum dedicated to Gourdy. Both Edgeworth and Gumshoe are not particularly thrilled in remembering the former location, or the events that transpired there.
Other[]
- Winston Payne continues his tradition of technically appearing in the first episode despite not having the opportunity to prosecute a trial, though he plays a slightly larger role compared to his near-cameo appearance in Turnabout Visitor, as he is revealed to have been in conversation with the Chief Prosecutor at the time of the incident, and this fact is used to move the investigation forward. This would be his last appearance in the series by order of release, as the tradition would be passed on to his relatives and expy from Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney onward.
- Among the images projected by the plane's security system, a one-horned Taurusaurus plushie can be spotted; the true importance of said doll will only become clear by the time of A Turnabout Forsaken and Turnabout for the Ages.
- During his breakdown, The Thinker clock (from both The First Turnabout and Turnabout Sisters), a Blue Badger doll, the Captain Ugo piggybank (from Turnabout Airlines), and even the bloodstained box of Samurai Dogs which was crucial in Turnabout Ablaze, all fall on Knight's head. It may or may not be a subtle hint to the black market auctions dicovered later on.
In the unofficial localization, if Edgeworth presents the wrong evidence when revealing the location of the bullet that killed Rook, Knight will mock Edgeworth by asking if he has decided to join Troupe Gramarye.
Cultural references[]
- When trying to assert the extraterritorial rights of his private plane, president Di-Jun Wang shouts, among other things "This! Is! Zheng Fa!"; this a reference to the film 300, namely the infamous exchange between a messenger and King Leonidas (Messenger: "This is blasphemy! This is madness!" Leonidas: "Madness?... This! Is! SPARTA!").
- In the unofficial localization, when examining the gas masks in the presidential plane, Kay comments about the Jammin' Ninja, mentioning a villain with a "poison-tongue" called "Saimon Kowal". This is likely a reference to British television judge and producer Simon Cowell, who is well known for his sharp-tongued criticism towards contestants.
- In the unofficial localization, when pressing Tabby Lloyd on the last statement of her Rebuttal, she will note that Edgeworth has "a grin on his chin like the Cheshire Cat," to which he will respond by calling it "frumious nonsense." Both of these are references to the works of Lewis Caroll, with the former referencing the 1865 children's novel Alice in Wonderland and the latter referencing the short poem Jabberwocky contained within the 1871 novel Through the Looking Glass.
Notes[]
- Despite de Killer's signature shell design being clearly visible on his "ice cream salesman" clothing, neither Edgeworth nor any other law enforcement officer on the scene seemed to recognize it. This is odd considering that Edgeworth was able to instantly recognize the design on one of the assassin's calling cards in Farewell, My Turnabout.
- Knight is the only character in the series to survive being struck by The Thinker clock, though he would still be killed afterward, becoming the first culprit in the series to become a murder victim.
References[]
- ↑ Ash (2016-08-01). "Portraying Mitsurugi Reiji's Conflict and Various Parents & Children (2011)". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
