tossing this canon divergent fic outline i've had in my notes for several years, a sequel to apollo justice/ace attorney 4 set before dual destinies: Apollo Justice 2: Law & Legacy
What exactly happened in the six months between the sentencing of Kristoph Gavin and the arrival of Athena Cykes to Wright Anything Agency? Follow Apollo Justice, Klavier Gavin, and Trucy Wright in a story about friendship, family, and the nature of law and legacy.
Case 1: Turnabout Fortuneteller (November 2026) A fortuneteller known for her accuracy is found dead at the detention center. The suspect is one Kristoph Gavin, who is not very pleased (but will certainly pretend to smile) at Apollo being his attorney. He's suspected because of a history with the fortuneteller, who once told Kristoph that "Justice will be your demise." Apollo grapples with the notion that Kristoph is innocent, and renews his belief in his client.
He worries about Klavier, who has written that he doesn't want to take the case, and is somewhat daunted but prepared to go head to head with Franziska von Karma. After going through some witnesses, including Eva "Evvie" and Elle Inge, childhood friends of the Gavins, they find that the murderer was a detention center guard-- the fortuneteller's sibling, actually-- who confiscated atroquinine from Kristoph's cell and used it to kill her out of jealousy of her self-assuredness, success, and leaving her behind. She doesn't regret any of it, she says... but the shakiness of her voice and the tears on her face suggest that the truth is more complex.
Before Kristoph is taken back to his cell Apollo asks him why he did everything he did. Face blank, Kristoph replies that it's out of his control. Apollo is troubled that there isn't a single lie in the statement.
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Case 2: Turnabout Larceny (December 2026) A Masque deMasque imposter is accused of stealing from a Christmas charity organization and murdering the hired Santa. Due to "family issues," Klavier Gavin turned down the case; the prosecutor is freshly bar-certified Sebastian Debeste, with mentor Miles Edgeworth as an assistant. Kay Faraday testifies as a witness. Because Christmas day is a holiday, the trial dates are December 23, 24, and 26.
On Christmas day, Klavier, Trucy, and Apollo spend time together, meeting up with Apollo's best friend Clay Terran and the Inge sisters. They all exchange stories and have a good time. The Inge sisters seem like pleasant people; though Elle is more shy and Eva is more headstrong, both are kindhearted big sister figures who clearly care about Klavier. After Clay and the Inges leave, Klavier ends up elaborating on his own childhood to Apollo and Trucy, how Kristoph was always preaching good and trust but was quite the control freak even when they were children. Their father was not the best man, and Kristoph often protected Klavier from him. They'd hide out at the Inge sisters' house and all four of them would play together. Klavier suspects that Kristoph's interest in law is because he enjoys having power over others, while also having a 'common enemy' in some other absolute authority-- mirroring how defense attorneys help their clients against district attorneys and the State. However, Klavier stresses, he didn't expect Kris to escalate as far as poisonings and forged evidence and threats. He hadn't expected it to go to the point of threatening his own brother.
"Christmas is a time for family. Even after Kris has done all these horrible things, I still--" Klavier cuts off bitterly, avoiding Apollo's gaze. "He's still my brother. I wish I could make things go back to the way they were."
The imposter was the thief, but not the murderer, so both Apollo and Sebastian take a win.
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Case 3: The Royal Turnabout (February 2027) A bodyguard of a visiting diplomat from Khura'in suspiciously dies, inciting tensions between the nations. Shi-long Lang, an Interpol agent from bordering Zheng Fa, appears with Nahyuta Sadhmadhi as a witness. The Inge sisters stop by again, noting that their flight back to Germany got delayed because of this incident. Eva is a little annoyed, but supposes she'll go visit old friends again. Elle decides to stay home; she says as an aside that Eva doesn't get along with others much because she was accused of killing a neighbor's dog when they were children-- it was never clear if the dog's death was an accident or not, and nobody ever confessed to it. Kristoph stood up for Eva, absolutely certain it wasn't her, and that's why all four siblings are still friends today. Though few people trusted Eva again after that, she was always grateful. Through everyone's help, Apollo establishes the critical link to solving the case (a genuine accident). Klavier, who is finally prosecuting a case in this game, is somewhat jealous of Apollo and Nahyuta's relationship (in the sense that he wants a good sibling relationship to Kristoph again, though maybe Klapollo happens, IDK). Trucy also expresses her wish that she had a sibling, because even though she loves her father, it'd be less lonely. She'd love a sister like the Inges, they seem so close.
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Case 4: Turnabout Brothers (March 2027) Trucy learns that she and Apollo are biological siblings after going behind Phoenix's back to uncover details about her mother. In her upset, she runs away from home, which sends Phoenix and Apollo panicking. Phoenix eventually finds her back at home several hours later giving him the silent treatment, but she sets aside her anger when they are both informed the next morning that Kristoph Gavin was found dead in the detention center, and the primary suspect is Apollo Justice. Apollo was Kristoph's most recent visitor: he saw him the day before, and in Kristoph's cell was a note that says "To Klavier: it had to be done." Trucy recalls the first case of the game, where the fortuneteller said 'Justice will be your demise,' and worries. But Apollo has an alibi: he'd actually bumped into Lamiroir while searching for Trucy and stayed with her overnight because he was also angry at Phoenix. In other news, Klavier Gavin does not get a fucking break. He really does not want to suspect Apollo, but there are some things pointing to Apollo, so he has to doubt Apollo to restore his trust and find the truth. Phoenix doesn't have his badge back yet and Trucy isn't a lawyer, so who will defend? Phoenix is still rather collected, to everyone's annoyance. However, he sincerely apologizes to Trucy and Apollo at the detention center for hiding so much from them. Trucy accepts his apology while making it clear she's still upset and may need time to forgive him; Apollo does the same, but ends up spilling details on how tumultuous the past year has been on him, having to do a lot practically on his own while Phoenix gives cryptic advice and little direct guidance. Phoenix is forced to grapple with the consequences of his actions for a bit. He promises to do better, then pivots the conversation into Apollo's defense for the case. It's possible for Apollo to defend himself, but with trust in the legal system being as low as it is, that may cause more harm than good. Phoenix decides to pick his life back up and study for the bar exam again, largely to make things up to Trucy and Apollo. For now though, he cannot defend Apollo, no matter how much he wants to. Someone else will have to prove Apollo's innocence and bring to light the truth. But who? The answer is one Raymond Shields... with Trucy as his assistant, since she doesn't want her brother in trouble. But even with Klavier, the Inge sisters, and Lamiroir as witnesses, the court comes increasingly close to ruling Kristoph's death a suicide. That is, until Elle Inge goes to the trial stand a second time. It's the right thing to do, she says, though she looks utterly wretched and sorrowful, a stark contrast to Eva Inge's fury. Kristoph Gavin was killed by Eva Inge. Eva Inge is sentenced. Trucy tells Klavier and Elle that it's okay for them to cry. That she's a performer too, and she understands how important it is to smile, and that even her daddy says a lawyer should smile when things are hardest... but when things really hurt, it's okay to get mad and cry.
Law is not clear-cut. There's more to a criminal than the crimes they commit, and there's more to a crime than the person who committed it. When someone dies, who remembers them? What will they remember? What do you remember about the people who aren't in your life anymore, but are still around somewhere? Even in an age where distrust is high, people still grieve and find ways to comfort each other. They still try to do better where they can. Klavier praises Elle's dedication to the truth, although he is also saddened by the turn of events. He does not resent her for what her sister did. Similarly, Elle has no hard feelings towards Klavier for Kristoph's wrongs, if Kristoph even did wrong her. It was decades ago, after all-- once Kristoph was arrested, the Inge sisters had drawn conclusions of their own. Eva hadn't actually known if Kristoph framed her, or if he was even involved, or if the dog had died because of an accident on its own. And now nobody ever will. They depart the courthouse together. Meanwhile, as a young girl in headphones approaches Wright Anything Agency for the first time, Trucy, Apollo, and Lamiroir begin their relationship anew. Epilogue interviews: Franziska, Sebastian & Kay, Clay, Lang, various NPCs, Raymond, Lamiroir, Trucy, Phoenix, and finally, the trio of Klavier, Elle, & Apollo at Kristoph's funeral.