Heartwarming / Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies

"Yes, it's a locket... with a photograph inside. A photo... of my daughter."

Take moments specific to the Phoenix arc, Apollo Justice, or Investigations to those pages, please.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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General:

• The fact that Simon spent 7 years in prison, and nearly loses his life for his mentor's daughter Athena can count as this.
  • While Athena is psychoanalyzing Simon on his motive for committing murder, he insists that he was concerned about her wellbeing even as he set out to do it, trying to rescue Athena from her mother's experiments. It's a lie, granted, but even while Taking the Heat, he still shows he cares.
  • Athena and Simon working together to convict the phantom towards the end of Case 5, catching on to one another's silent cues and even slipping back into a First-Name Basis.
  • Blackquill's comments to Athena in Case 3 about the "person who awaits you" and the person she's worked so hard to save take on a new meaning after you find out that he and Athena were, in fact, both referring to Simon Blackquill himself.
• Juniper Woods gushing (politely) about how kind and brave Apollo Justice is, and how he's like the sun shining on the woodland flowers. That and she spontaneously knits heart-patterned clothing when she talks about him. That's further than most people go for a crush, and it nicely makes up for Apollo's Butt-Monkey status in the previous Apollo Justice game.
  • For good reason, too. Apollo is as banged up as he is because he shielded her from falling debris. And still tries to act as her attorney.
• Everything about Apollo and Athena's bond of trust as partners. It comes to a head when Apollo starts suspecting she may have killed his best friend; he can't bear to mistrust her and puts a bandage over his eye so that he won't be able to perceive her lies, then leaves the agency to conduct the investigation on his own. During the trial, he puts his faith in Phoenix that he will prove her innocence.
• As it turns out, Phoenix did regularly keep in touch with his friends during his seven years without a badge, and they all believed in him despite the circumstances. Maya, Pearl, and Edgeworth even visited Phoenix from time to time. Hell, Edgeworth not only pulled some strings to let Phoenix get his badge more easily, he also went to at least one of Trucy's magic shows.
  • "He might be a stickler for the rule of law, but I have no better ally in this world than him."
  • Not to mention, in the credits scenes, Edgeworth tells the player that he seriously owes Phoenix for catching the Phantom and helping bring an end to the dark age of the law. And he fully intends to pay that debt back.
  • Also, the once-humorless Edgeworth takes part in teasing Phoenix into an "Objection!" at the end of the game along with everyone else. He's come a long way since the first game.
• Athena using her Mood Matrix, especially during Overflow segments. They aren't cross-examinations so much as therapy sessions, especially in Case 2, where the witness was scared out of her mind to the point of hallucinating.

The Monstrous Turnabout:

• The ending of the case. Just... the entire thing. Jinxie gets over her fears, reunites with her now-proven- innocent father, and he finds out his secret identity as The Great Nine Tails is even more popular than ever. He has a whole gathering of fans waiting outside the courthouse for him. And then you get a fully animated cutscene...
  NINE TAILS VALE FOREVER!!!
• Special mentions go to the defendant, Damian Tenma. No matter how hard things get for him, he always puts the well-being of others over his own. This ranges from little things, such as wanting to put on a proper welcome for Apollo when he meets with him at the Detention Center, to much larger things, such as pretending to be possessed by Tenma Taro so that Jinxie wouldn't be found guilty in his place, and creating the Amazing Nine-Tales persona so that he could honor his family's debt to Nine-Tails Vale and fight back against the merger plot without revealing himself to the blackmailer and endangering Jinxie.
  • If that isn't enough, then this ought to do it: when he thinks Jinxie's friends will tease her over her father being arrested for murder, he vows to bust out of jail to teach them all a lesson. Now that is one big Papa Wolf.
  • It's a small thing, but consider the end of the trial, when Tenma is proven innocent, but still continues to pretend he's possessed by Tenma Taro. Apollo can't get why he's acting like that...but then we see he drops the act after Jinxie slaps an exorcism scroll on his forehead. And she apparently did the same thing earlier, when he was in prison. She's the only one he lets free him from his "possession"!
• It goes both ways, too: due to being superstitious and deluded, Jinxie genuinely believes that she's putting her soul at risk by telling others about seeing Tenma Taro... but she tells Apollo about it anyway, because it's vital information that could help exonerate her father. Yes, she is willing to, in her mind, risk her soul being taken for her father's sake.
• Jinxie immediately sees past Simon's "dangerous criminal" facade, notices he hasn't been sleeping well, and offers a charm to help with it. Simon, in his turn, accepts said charm graciously and treats Jinxie kindly.

Turnabout Reclaimed:

• The end of the case. Marlon Rimes has already broken down in court and Blackquill has presented decisive evidence against him, to the point where he has stated that he deserves the death penalty. However, Phoenix stops the Not Guilty verdict to prove that Marlon was actually trying to save Shipley's life, not kill him. Not only is Marlon sentenced to rehabilitation instead of prison, but Sasha tells Marlon to come back to the museum after his rehab. In The Stinger, it's revealed that Marlon has indeed returned to Shipshape Aquarium and is taking Shipley's role in the new show.
  Phoenix: You still have a lot to offer, Mr. Rimes. Live your life and never give up... for the sake of those who are gone, as well!
  Marlon: I... I promise to make up for what I've done... even if it takes me my whole life! Mr. Wright... Sasha... Thank you!
  • Plus, with Marlon's personal interest in Sasha throughout the case, refusing to testify in order to prevent her from being accused, it's subtly implied that the two are now in a relationship.
  • Also, the reveal that the first Ora was not euthanized, but is alive at another aquarium. Again in The Stinger, her innocence proven, Ora is reunited with Orla at Shipshape.
• Norma DePlume's transformation to one of the aquarium's most trusted benefactors. When the TORPEDO system is revealed to be operating illegally at the aquarium, she goes to get some bigwigs to change the laws surrounding the system. And to think she initially wanted to expose Shipshape Aquarium for conspiracies about Orla.
• At the beginning of the second investigation phase, when Phoenix, Trucy, Athena, Apollo, and Pearl are all at the office. Each offers their assistance in turn, including Pearl, who is meant to be on a vacation of sorts, and Apollo, who has previously rankled at taking a backseat in this particular case, insists he will be at the office if he's needed, watering Charley. Phoenix's response?
  Phoenix: I've got some good kids, here.
• Near the end of Turnabout Reclaimed, there's a very cute video of Azura Summers singing with the orca. It's evidence that shows Marlon is able to command the whale, and it lets us see that this orca has a chipped tooth, but it's damn adorable too.
  • The end of the case in general is a huge moment of heartwarming. You'd be hard-pressed to name another case in the series with a resolution as positive to everyone involved as this one.

Turnabout Academy:

• The friendship between Juniper, Hugh, and Robin is so thick you can see it quite literally. All three of them are perfectly willing to falsely accuse themselves of murder (any student at their school with even the smallest criminal record is instantly expelled) to protect the other two.
  • Also, this might be more "fridge heartwarming", but the above circumstances eventually give Simon Blackquill the opportunity for an easy victory. First Robin Newman confesses to the murder, but then Juniper tries to protect Robin by confessing...and if Simon had taken Juniper's confession, he would have won, since Juniper is the defendant and Simon's job was to try to prove her guilty. Instead, he dismisses them as meek little mice trying to protect each other, and he turns down the easy win. Of course, he also turns down Hugh O'Connor's confession protecting Juniper.
    • The real reason that he dismissed their claims is because he did the exact same thing for Athena 7 years earlier.
  • There's the animated cutscene, where we see the flashback to the three of Robin making their "proof of friendship", three bands that they all wore through everything. The flashback happens during Hugh's cross-examination, where Athena proves to him that Juniper and Robin still care about him, and that he cares about them as well. Robin and Juniper show that they're still wearing the bands, and Hugh (who, up until that point, had been the typical snobby student) shows he's also wearing his and breaks down crying.
    • The fact that all 3 of them use their Friendship Trinket as a security blanket whenever they're distressed, reaching to grasp/touch them as if their friendship bond makes the scary less so.
  • Myriam becoming a part of Juniper's friendship group at the end of the episode, especially considering she had always wanted to be a part of it.
  • When Athena is analyzing Hugh's Mood Matrix, he spins some Blatant Lies about how he'd used a body double for the mock trial and thus had no alibi for the time of the crime. The last part of his testimony has him saying "Juniper is innocent!" while there's an image of a smiling Juniper with handcuffs breaking off of her wrists. Not only is the image itself incredibly heartwarming, but Athena picks up that Hugh feels incredible happiness centered around it, proving that even though he thinks Juniper hates him, he still cares for her and wants her to be free.
    • To put his happiness into perspective, the testimony is a Happiness Overflow segment. Overflow occurs when the subject is feeling an emotion so intense, it drowns out any signal from all other emotions. That's how happy Hugh is feeling.
• Robin's Unsettling Gender-Reveal, besides being hilarious, is also this: She's just so darned happy about it that's it's easy to feel her joy in finally having that thing off her chest (metaphorically and literally - that brace didn't look comfortable).
• Near the end of the case, with a seemingly perfect alibi, Professor Means brutally lashes out at Athena, placing great emphasis on how it will be her fault that Juniper will be found guilty and that she also brought up false charges against Hugh, making her think she is a failure as a lawyer and forcing her into a Heroic BSoD. But, just as Athena is about to be lost in her guilt, Robin, Hugh, and Juniper all stand up for her. Sure, she did reveal their dark, personal secrets and cast suspicion on Hugh, but in doing so she saved their friendship, which was about to fall apart due to said secrets, and now they're going to put their trust in her like she did in them. This, combined with encouragement from Apollo and Simon (in his own way, of course), rekindles Athena's spirit, allowing her to fight back.
• At the very end of the trial after Juniper is declared not guilty, Blackquill gives her a heartwarming piece of advice for her road to becoming a judge:
  Blackquill: Proudly serve Prof. Courte's memory. Do not let her death be in vain.

The Cosmic Turnabout:

• This line becomes one in hindsight once Athena's connection with the space center is revealed.
  Athena: "Oh, Ponco! I've missed you!"
• During the first day of the trial, the defendant Solomon spends most of the time resigned to end up in jail, until Apollo gives him a Rousing Speech about how much he meant to his late friend Clay, which makes him determined to make it into space once more. Which he does in The Stinger.
  • It's all the more heartwarming when you think about the implications behind Clay's admiration for Solomon. Most people think of Solomon as the hero behind "the HAT-1 Miracle," but aren't aware of how much the experience traumatized him. Clay did know about it, since he worked alongside the man for years and knew about Yuri's plan involving Solomon's anxiety medication. And it didn't change his opinion at all. He still recognized Solomon as a hero and had the greatest respect for him.

Turnabout for Tomorrow:

• Athena tearfully congratulates Solomon Starbuck for his "not guilty" verdict even though she has been accused of the murder in his place and is being taken to jail.
• Phoenix is all alone, as Apollo has taken a leave of absence, Athena is arrested, and Trucy is off investigating the Space Museum. He even laments it in his inner thoughts, and is saddened because the office is so quiet. All of a sudden, Pearl arrives, and brings him a letter from Maya, complete with the picture she drew of him in Justice for All. She talks conversationally, and remarks that she hopes Pearl can keep him company. It picks Phoenix out of his funk, and it almost makes him wonder if Maya had some kind of telepathy, and knew he needed cheering up.
  • Pearl also notes that Maya is getting sick of the vegetarian diet that her training has been keeping her on. Phoenix offers to send her some of her favorite burgers, to which Pearl notes that the delivery man would have to climb over a tall mountain just to get Maya's food to her. Phoenix's response?
  Phoenix: Well... then she'd better give him a good tip.
• While it can be considered as more heartbreaking than heartwarming, Apollo's retelling of how he met Clay can count.
• Also both heartbreaking and heartwarming, strangely, is the scene where Apollo accuses Athena of murdering Clay. Not because of the accusation itself, but because of how the conclusion was reached and the accusation performed: When Apollo begins to suspect Athena, he's so tormented by the very idea of her murdering Clay that he puts a bandage over his eye to suppress his lie-detecting power. As more and more proof of Athena's guilt is uncovered, he gradually loses faith...and then realizes that the only person who can clear up his doubt is Phoenix. He then comes clean about his suspicions in court and all but begs Phoenix to prove him wrong. It's clear that suspecting one of his friends is tearing him apart.
  Apollo: I want to believe in Athena.. I really do. But what is faith without doubt? That's why.. I need to question her guilt! So that once the truth comes out, I can really, fully trust her!
  Edgeworth: Hmph. It seems your junior partner has just showed us what trials are truly all about.
  Phoenix: I believe you're right.
  Edgeworth: We prosecutors painstakingly question every detail in pursuit of the defendant.
  Phoenix: While we lawyers believe in and defend our clients to the end.
  The Judge: When both sides go all-out against each other, that's when we discover the truth.
  Edgeworth: Precisely. And when the battle is over, we will understand the true meaning of trust. That is exactly what trials are about, wouldn't you agree?
  Apollo: Yes. I couldn't ignore the seed of doubt that was growing inside me. So I decided I needed to face it head-on! No matter what the truth is that's waiting ahead, I won't be afraid!
  Phoenix: Mr. Justice... I vow to dispel every last bit of doubt in your heart!
  Apollo: Good! Because I want to believe in Ms. Cykes again!
  • For that matter, there's something sweet about former ice-king Edgeworth saying that the aim of a trial is for the defense to convince the prosecutor (or the prosecutor to convince the defense) to trust him.
• Phoenix telling Athena while visiting her in prison that she isn't just a subordinate or client: she is his friend.
• Just after Athena breaks her black psyche locks.
  Phoenix: It's alright Athena, I'm right here. You're safe.
  • Just after that, the Judge responds to her saying that she saw a man,
  Phoenix: Quiet, Your Honor! Go on, Athena.
• Proof that Phoenix is a good father: When Aura takes the people at the museum hostage, his immediate thoughts are to hope that Trucy is safe and does everything he can to keep her from getting hurt.
• Simon finally being acquitted and having his shackles removed.
  • NintendoCapriSun put it best in his LP of the game:
  NintendoCapriSun: ...How must that feel to think that you're going to die tomorrow... You have to spend seven years knowing the date of your death, slowly getting up to that point, getting all the way up to where you're one day away from it, knowing it's been coming for seven years, knowing the exact day - and then you get to that last day, and then suddenly, boom; it's gone, like, you don't have to worry about it anymore? I can't even begin to imagine how he must feel right now. That must be the most amazing feeling ever.
• Although it's in the middle of a rather tragic scene, Simon shows his true colors when he takes the stand. His expression and demeanor don't waver but his suppressed emotions begin going out of control the longer you cross-examine him because he's fighting back against having to expose the truth of the UR-1 Incident to protect Athena. This grim, callous prosecutor you've spent the game battling and debating with but otherwise know very little about cannot hide that inside he is a good person and does not want to burden Athena's spirit any more than it already is.
• After you prove Simon and Athena's innocence and are putting Fulbright/Phantom on trial, Simon reaches out to Phoenix. They both acknowledge the role they (unintentionally) played in bringing about the Dark Age of the Law, and vow to work together to undo the damage they have helped wreak. It really shows how far the two men have come (both professionally and personally), and how their relationship has gone from a somewhat rough rivalry to a deep respect and appreciation for each other. And for the icing on the cake, at the end, Simon joins Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena for a celebration! Talk about character development!
• Trucy's brief comment that while she was taken hostage by Aura Blackquill, she spent a large amount of that time putting on magic shows for the other hostages to help keep spirits high and hope alive.

Epilogue:

• The scene at Themis Legal Academy, where Hugh resolves to retake the entrance exam work his way to becoming a lawyer honestly this time.
• The post-credits scene: Solomon finally makes it back into space on the HAT-3 rocket, with Apollo, Athena, and Phoenix watching from the control room; Simon from a nearby hill; Edgeworth from his office; and Aura from her prison cell. The entire control room erupts into cheers when Solomon confirms he's okay, with Phoenix simply watching and smiling.
  • And then there's Phoenix's last line:
  Phoenix: Through the years, I've seen as much joy as heartache, honesty as deceit. But just as Mr. Starbuck was able to escape the harsh pull of his fears and despair... I believe that hope and friendship can lift us all up towards a brighter tomorrow.

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