July 3rd, 11:28am

I-405 Freeway

Middle Lane

Edgeworth threw his head back, sitting in traffic and pent up frustration. No matter how hard he tried, his mind couldn't escape the events of the previous few days.

"Sorry I called you up so suddenly. I know you were at work."

"It's not an issue," he replied. "I needed the break."

If only his mind would agree with the sentiment. If only he could take Kay's advice. She and Gumshoe had been adamant in their suggestion he took off work today.

"I just didn't want to waste the opportunity, you know? I mean, I really thought he was gonna come through for me on this. He's cancelled on me a few times before, but… come on! We've had these plans for months! Does he have any idea how hard these were to come by?" She threw her tickets in the air, arms crossed as they fell.

"I'm a bit surprised you asked me to accompany you," Edgeworth admitted. "I didn't think I'd be the first person to cross your mind."

"Oh course you are, Mr. Edgeworth! I've known you for as long as I have Nick!" He briefly turned to the woman in the passenger seat, offering the briefest of smiles.

Maya Fey. I haven't known her as long as I have others, but her presence brings back fond memories. Though perhaps fond isn't the best word for it… They were interesting times, to be sure.

Regardless, she was a central figure of times recently past. So recent, the idea of such an era being over was a hard pill to swallow. Even if his other relationships had to wither, he was willing and able to let others grow.

Or so he told himself.

"Unfortunate, he wasn't able to join you. Why was it he cancelled again?"

"Oh, right! Um... Nick couldn't go because his daughter is sick. Remember that magician girl? She's so cute!"

Daughter? Magician girl? Who is this?

Edgeworth wasn't given a chance to ask. "But I'm so glad I got a hold of you, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya Fey beamed.

Edgeworth had to focus on the road. He turned away from her. "It isn't often I do something like this. Had it not been for the delay in one of my cases, I would have been forced to decline."

Today was supposed to be Chuck Huld's trial. But yesterday, as Edgeworth had been preparing for it, something had happened.

Something… odd.

"You work too much. Take some time for yourself every now and then!" Maya spoke, though Edgeworth had lost focus.

"No delay in court is a good one, Miss Fey, but even I would have to admit the others were right. I daresay the timing of the matter worked out in my favor." Right as he spoke, the traffic began to inch forward, closer and closer to the sprawling convention center.

"I just wish it didn't mean Nick was standing me up... again. He hasn't been the same, since it all happened. I keep trying to help him, but he won't let me in." Maya said, a little saddened by her own thought.

"I know the feeling. It's the same on my end." Edgeworth spoke from both sides of the matter. "What he's going through is not trivial. He likely believes he's protecting you by forcing you to the side. All we can do at this juncture is lend our support and hope he reaches out."

"I hope he does." Maya stared out the window, having gone from cheerful to utterly sullen.

But the mood didn't last. "I can't wait to see all the exhibits! Do you really think there's gonna be a Steel Samurai game, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I believe such a game was confirmed, Miss Fey. The only question is who will be producing it." Edgeworth couldn't say he knew much about the different companies and their titles, but he would be sure to do due diligence on whoever received the honor. A simple trip to the message board would not be enough. If the game was anything short of a masterpiece, it was a missed opportunity.

An opportunity Edgeworth would not soon forget.

July 3rd 11:50 AM

Expo3 Convention Center

Entrance

"Wow this place is packed. We are going to have so much fun, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya exclaimed, absorbing all of the exhibits, watching as they crowded with excited convention attendants.

"There certainly are a lot of people here. We should have an enjoyable afternoon," Edgeworth agreed, glancing at the various exits. Surely the ticket sellers had been careful to adhere to fire regulation?

"Oh.. this is where they're gonna announce it! But I don't know which room! All that's out there are rumors," Maya complained, thinking back to The Steel Samurai's TV debut, no doubt. "I hope whoever gets it does the show justice. If they mess up the storyline, they're gonna have to hear from me!"

"The Steel Samurai was one of the greatest television shows for this generation. I will be looking forward to how they make such a momentous television series into a video game, even if I've never been much for them," Edgeworth told Maya. She was more expressive about the affair by far, but Edgeworth didn't mind. As hard as he worked, he knew the value of occasionally stepping away all too well. This was far less costly than a trip to Germany.

"Are you looking forward to playing the game like I am, Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya asked, not looking at him as she spoke.

"It seems doubtful at the moment. I'm only here at the insistence of my subordinates, after all." If anything, Edgeworth would watch an online walk-through of the game, or ask Maya about it when she inevitably made the purchase.

Maya sighed, about to reply, when she locked eyes with a boy barreling in her direction.

The boy didn't stop, not even when he hit Maya. He was in such a hurry, he didn't even stop to apologize.

"Be careful! You hit a cosplayer," an older boy-who appeared to be in his teens-shouted as he too ran over.

"Cosplayer?" Maya froze, eyes going wide. "Did he just-"

"What did I tell you two? You can't go to any of the exhibits unless I'm there with you!" A middle aged man ran up to the boys, panting. "Remember our rules!"

The smaller boy looked back at Maya, seemingly noticing her for the first time. "Sorry, Miss."

"Oh, it's okay," Maya piped up, smiling. "You excited to be at the convention?"

"I am!" His smile was so big, Edgeworth could see a missing tooth in the back of the kid's mouth.

"Come now, Miss Fey. We should leave these children to their guardian." Edgeworth nodded to the older gentleman, who froze.

It wasn't long. Maybe only a second. But it didn't go unnoticed.

Do I know this man? He looks familiar.

"Let's go boys, there are still many exhibits we haven't seen yet." The man told the two children, a more insistent edge to his voice. Before Edgeworth could comment on it, the three strangers were gone.

"What's wrong?" Maya asked when she saw how Edgeworth watched the older man. He couldn't shake the feeling there was a connection there.

"I... believe we may have met prior to this encounter. I've definitely seen that man's face before," Edgeworth answered, still trying to recall where he may have met the man and why he looked so uncomfortable around the prosecutor. Had he been a witness in one of Edgeworth's early trials?

"Let's go try out some of the games on display!" Maya changed the subject, bright expression full of slightly forced excitement. She always did have a talent for lightening the mood.

"I had no intentions of trying out the games, Miss Fey, but if you wish to attempt some of them, don't let me stand in your way." Edgeworth told Maya, much to the medium's delight.

Without another word, Maya took off, leaving Edgeworth to run after her lest she get lost in the crowd.

When Edgeworth and Maya had reached the display, Edgeworth had begun to realize that the crowd was getting smaller. People were disappearing into conference rooms left and right.

"Ooh! I wonder which conference is about to start. It must be one of the bigger companies." Maya told the prosecutor, who had started playing the game he had chosen. It was a simple matching game, requiring little concentration on Edgeworth's part.

"That's not surprising. The majority of the people attending this convention are seeking new games, after all. I wonder..." Edgeworth trailed off.

"You know, Mr Edgeworth. There's this one gaming company called Capsul hitting the markets. They've only had one game so far, but I heard it was a big success! Big enough for them to get a conference here, I mean."

"..." Edgeworth had heard enough about gaming companies from work, to be honest.

"I heard a rumor that they could be getting the rights to be the creators of The Steel Samurai game."

"That would be an interesting choice. Didn't you say they were a small company?"

"But that's why they're getting the title!" Maya insisted. "Global Studios has never gotten along with Hakari, and the last time they worked with Gasé, their game came with a major bug! They had to release an official apology, put a free patch online… it was a nightmare!"

"I can imagine."

"The studio's had enough of the major companies. They're gonna invest in a smaller brand to get more leverage on the project."

That argument sounded like it'd been parroted from a message board, but Edgeworth played along. "I suppose we can attend this conference. Where would we find it?" Edgeworth sighed as the game over sign appeared on the screen. Apparently, he hadn't matched the candies correctly.

"Awesome! Conference hall here we come!" The two set down their controllers and looked around.

Maya was the first to spot something they could use. "Hey! This desk has a bunch of maps on it. Want one?"

"Yes, please."

-"Map of Convention" added to Organizer-

Edgeworth found the directory, seeking out the room given to Capsul. It was on the other side of the building.

"We'll have to hurry."

"Got it!" Maya ran off, leaving Edgeworth in the dust.

He sighed. In the end, they got there just on time.

July 3rd 12:30 PM

Expo3 Convention Center

Conference Hall No. 13

"This is one of the biggest crowds that Capsul has ever had for a conference! We have a lot of exciting activities planned: game news, announcements, and even a game trailer of a brand new, soon-to-be-released game!" the Capsul spokesperson announced to the crowd. A room of a hundred plus people cheered, clapping loudly.

Edgeworth, however, remained skeptical. This had to be the smallest conference room at the convention. It looked like the company had barely qualified to be on the list.

"Maybe they'll show us a trailer for The Steel Samurai game," Maya quietly said to Edgeworth, who warned her not to interrupt, before turning his complete attention back the spokesperson who was on the stage.

"The first game we are going to talk about today is the sequel to one of our very first full-length games. The game you all know and love… Turnabout Lawyers!" The Capsul conference spokesperson announced to a happy crowd, while they dropped a banner revealing the game's cover art.

Edgeworth couldn't relate to the excitement. What on earth was this game even about?

"I don't know much about this game," Maya echoed his thoughts, quietly as to not disturb the people that were sitting beside her.

Edgeworth was about to reply when the Capsul spokesperson started speaking again. "We weren't expecting to get a sequel approved so soon after the first game, and boy did our employees work hard to get it out in time! Now, to thank you all for making his life's dream a success, coming to the stage is company owner Noland Richards!" the spokesperson said, waiting a few second. But much to the spokesperson (and the crowd)'s surprise, Noland Richards did not come to stage.

Well, this is embarrassing. Edgeworth already regretted giving this company his time. Especially when he could have gone to a more organized presentation instead.

Still, it went against his nature to walk out on a performance. So he let them finish.

"Um…" the spokesperson coughed, clearly confused. "It appears that Mr. Noland Richards cannot come to the stage at this time... so please welcome the writer for both installments of Turnabout Lawyers, Miss Amy Riter!" the spokesperson announced, to piecemeal applause. Perhaps the audience was thinking the same thing as Edgeworth.

Still, Edgeworth remained polite as a tall woman with short, messy hair was welcomed to the stage. As she went into her explanation of the various inspirations behind the two games, Edgeworth came to realize that Turnabout Lawyers was something of a visual novel, in which players experienced a fictionalized version of the legal world. Some things were actual legal practices taken to a satirical extreme, while others were just plain ridiculous. Edgeworth could only cringe at the thought that some people may base their perceptions of law enforcement off this game. Who on earth would play such a thing?

As the lady began to take questions from the audience, Edgeworth began to realize that Maya had already slumped in her chair over: if this company were given the rights to The Steel Samurai game, they would have said so long before now.

In effect, the entire conference was a colossal waste of time on both their ends. Edgeworth was relieved when it was finally over.

July 3rd, 1:30pm

Expo3 Convention Center

Conference Room Commons

"Sorry about that," Maya apologized as they were walking out. "I really thought they were gonna get it."

"Perhaps we should stick to more credible sources of speculation in the future."

Maya bristled. "I'm not a gamer! How was I supposed to know which sites had good information?"

As they were having their conversation, they overheard two people from Capsul shouting in the corner. One was the lady who had spoken on stage. The other was someone neither the attendees recognized, a lady with colored hair and a delicate face.

"...Find him? How on earth could I have found him? I was covering for him on stage the whole time!"

"I can't believe… isn't like him to miss this… know how important this is?"

Edgeworth couldn't hear them all that well, but he was sure he could wager a guess when it came to who they were talking about. Not that it mattered much.

All throughout the conference, Edgeworth had tried to relax. This was a day meant for him to be taking a vacation. And yet for all his efforts, his mind kept coming back to that one piece of news.

The fate of that one witness.

"Well, how about you pick the next event we go to?" Maya suggested, bringing Edgeworth back to reality. "Seeing how badly I screwed up, we should probably-" She cut off at the sound of a growl.

"What was that?"

Maya clutched her stomach, looking sheepish. "I… didn't eat much of a breakfast before coming out here."

"And I take it you want to find something for lunch?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow, pulling out his wallet. "Is it reasonable to guess you're going to want burgers?"

"Yep!" Maya beamed, hands flying together in front of her chest. "You know me so well."

I know what that man says about you, at least. The stories recounted to the prosecutor were amusing. While Edgeworth always figured there was some form of truth to the tale, he hadn't been entirely sure what to expect.

Edgeworth smiled against his better judgement. "Very well. Let's see what this convention center has to offer."

July 3rd, 1:43 pm

Expo3 Convention Center

Food Truck Area

After a short line, Edgeworth and Maya sat down with their wildly overpriced burgers. Much like movie theaters, the convention had prevented people from taking food in at the entrance so they could pull this stunt. Legalized price gouging, all of it.

As they were eating, Maya rattled on about her expectations for The Steel Samurai game and her hopes for an eventual Pink Princess spin-off. Unfortunately, Edgeworth was cynical enough to believe The Nickel Samurai was a more likely choice, if only to redeem the character after its show received a sudden cancellation. The move had received a lot of fan backlash, but what else could the studio have done? They had no other choice at the time.

"...And if we don't get to play as the Pink Princess at some point, I'm going to complain every chance I get! Pearl's with me."

"Hmph. The Steel Samurai will undoubtedly be the main character. Any inclusion of the Pink Princess will be limited to a side role at best. Regardless of your love of the Pink Princess, you have to acknowledge that the Steel Samurai is the superior lead, and should remain so throughout the upcoming series."

"What?" Maya pouted. "He can have his few games in the sun, but there are too many good characters in Neo Olde Tokyo for them to be limited to one main character. What are they gonna do after…"

Edgeworth stopped listening when he saw them. That man from earlier. Why couldn't Edgeworth remember his name?

"Excuse me, Miss Fey." Edgeworth stood, making his way over to the mysterious man and his two children. They didn't see him approaching.

Had this man really been a previous witness? The more Edgeworth thought about it, the less likely the possibility seemed. The trench coat seemed to suggest a detective of some sort, but Edgeworth couldn't remember working with the man. And he didn't remember any criminal who looked like him…

He was almost at their table. He was about to call out when-

The crowd reacted before Edgeworth knew what was happening. The screaming, the running… and the alarm emitting from inside the building. A high pitched shriek that tore through the ear. Edgeworth was torn between running towards and away.

Without thinking of anyone else, Edgeworth felt himself drawn into the chaos. He fought against the crowd, pushing his way through the door. The source of the fleeing came from a conference room. A large one.

Odetnim's.

Edgeworth gave the matter no further thought. Without knowing what was happening, he shoved his way into the giant ballroom, shouting over the noise that he was a prosecutor.

No way was it a fire. He would have seen the smoke by now if it was.

He knew before he glanced up, somehow. Maybe it was just the sort of life he led that let him jump to such a conclusion.

But as his eyes took to the ceiling, a camera flashed. When the light cleared, all was revealed.

Then came the stench. And Edgeworth was certain.

Rotting flesh. There was nothing like it.

Organizer:

Profiles:

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Description: Me. What else can I say? Currently High Prosecutor for my local district.

Maya Fey

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Description: Once a legal assistant, Miss Fey is a spirit medium set to become the village leader of Kurain. Called me out of the blue for the sake of attending the Expo3 Convention together.

Amy Riter

Age: 29

Gender: Female

Description: Sole writer of the Turnabout Lawyers games at Capsul. Richards was her boss, and very involved in the creation of the game.

Noland Richards

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: Owner of Capsul gaming company. Was meant to give a speech at the convention, but never showed up.

Evidence:

Prosecutor's Badge

Type: Other

Description: My badge. It allows me to do my job, and is to be kept in my pocket at all times.

Map of Convention

Type: Other

Description: Shows all areas available to the public at the convention. Capsul was in room number 13, while Odetnim occupied number 2.

A/N's: PTV and RJ put this chapter together. Both writers (plus AA) wish to leave notes on this chapter.

PTV: So this chapter is a bit shorter than the last few. Thank goodness, am I right? We're back to splitting them up if they get unruly.

Oh, and sorry for the wait, everyone. Life is busy for everyone involved, but we definitely want this case to be written as soon as possible. My goal is to have all five cases done before July 2019 (when everything happens). That means finish this case by the spring (?), the fourth case over the spring/summer, and the fifth case is gonna be huge, so it gets the whole year to be completed.

All this to say that while updates may be slow, we do have some idea of what we're doing. RJ's already forging ahead on the latter half of the beginning, and I'm trying to plan out a fourth case to put in the outline. I'll have to swing back and help RJ out later.

Speaking of RJ… you want to say anything?

RJ: Yes, thank you. Got so happy when I received your PM, PTV, saying it was ready and we could add notes. This update we were able to reveal the mystery character that was mentioned in the author notes of the previous chapter, so will be looking forward to the readers reactions to seeing her in the story. Writing Miles Edgeworth and Maya Fey together at the gaming convention is so fun! Thanks for the help, it's always great when we can get on and write together.

AA: Personally I'm more curious about how many references the readers get. Probably all of them, they weren't too difficult. Still, a case like this gives us plenty of room to make meta jokes. And I always enjoy that. Anyway, school has been crazy for me, which is why only PTV and RJ wrote this segment, but I really hope to be able to get involved for the next few.

PTV: Don't feel bad, AA. You've already been able to help us with the next part. There is one character, especially, we'll benefit a lot from your services with. But until that's up, I hope everyone enjoyed, don't forget to review, and we'll all see you on the far side! Happy Halloween!