December 31st, 2027

"I'm a bit surprised you managed to arrange all of this in the five days, Wright." Miles mumbled sipping on his wine glass.

"No kidding, usually I'm terrible at this kind of stuff but after that trial, I felt like we needed this. Like everyone needed this. I'm just glad Maya and Franziska could make it down here in time."

He smirked. "Yes, my sister has complained greatly about the hassle of holiday travel. I'm sure that you will be feeling her anguish when this is all over."

Phoenix groaned. "That whip looks like it has been reinforced with something. I don't want to start the New Year off with bruises, Edgeworth."

"I'm afraid it can't be helped. You're overdue for some kind of injury aren't you? It's been over a year since you got hit by that car."

"Heh, I think Apollo kind of took the hit for me when the courtroom exploded."

Miles nodded pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "You are a bit of a hazard to have around. I didn't want to be the one to say it."

"Oh gee thanks, Edgeworth. You're a friend I can count on." Phoenix sighed looking around the room. "There are a lot of good kids in this room."

"Hmph, kids. You know we're not ancient right?"

"I know but we're the oldest and over the years we've looked out for them at some point."

Miles turned to look at the other patrons filling the ballroom of the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Von Karma." Apollo said nervously, holding out his hand.

"Hmph, fool. Your hairstyle is foolish. I bet you take after that foolishly foolish defense attorney in the foolish blue suit who foolishly made me deal with the airlines during the holidays."

"Uhh...I...well..."

Trucy grinned. "That's right Ms. Von Karma. Polly is definitely daddy's little fool!"

"Trucy, you're not helping..."

Franziska smirked. "You shall not scold her you foolish little man. I look forward to crushing you in court when I return to the prosecutor's office next spring."

Apollo gulped. "You're...returning?"

She quickly grabbed her whip and narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you really expect me to leave this pathetic court system in the sole hands of my foolish little brother, Miles Edgeworth? Hah! Laughable."

"Little? But isn't he...OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW"

Trucy gasped looking at Apollo on the floor. "At least that will blend in with all your other bruises, Polly."

"So...you have three different stomachs?" Athena asked.

"That's right! One for burgers, one for dessert and then for everything else." Maya explained happily. "But I may have to add a fourth stomach for wine."

"I'm so glad you finally got to meet everyone, Mystic Maya! Miss Athena and Mister Apollo have been fantastic since I've met them." Pearl smiled.

"Well of course they're cool! Anyone that hangs out with Nick is bound to be cooler than him."

"Nick?"

"Yeah, that's his nickname! He doesn't let you call him Nick?"

Athena rubbed her arm a bit. "I uh, still call him boss usually."

Maya snorted. "Pft. Well you can't keep doing that or his head will get way too big for its own good. If you're at the agency, you're family!"

She nodded picking up a glass of wine. "It's really nice to have family. The agency is great."

Taka suddenly flew past, knocking the glass out of her hand. "Hey, what's the big idea, Simon?"

Blackquill smirked. "Have you forgotten that you are not at the age of legal consumption?"

Athena frowned. "Oh come on, its new years! I was old enough in Europe."

"I'm afraid that will not cut it, Athena." He shoved a glass of apple cider in her hand.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Mystic Maya this is Mister Simon Blackquill."

Maya grinned. "Right! Simon the samurai, I've been so excited to meet you. You look like someone right out of the steel samurai."

Simon blinked. "I...yes. It's a pleasure to meet you Master Fey." He said giving a quick bow.

Pearl giggled madly. "Oh what a gentleman!"

"Ach, Fraulein! It's not nice to waste the present I brought for you."

Ema snorted and quickly pelted another snackoo at him. "Don't think that just because you bought me this bag that meant I wasn't going to throw them at you. In fact, the fact that I didn't buy these gives me the perfect excuse to throw them at you."

Klavier frowned looking at the snackoo floating in his glass of wine. "You should consider making a new year's resolution that includes being nicer to your boss, ja?"

"I'll be nicer to you when you make a resolution to become less of a fop."

"I'd move mountains for you fraulein detective. As long as I get my kiss at midnight."

"Ugh, you're shameless Klavier Gavin."

"Danke."

"It's almost midnight, Wright. We should get on with it before someone gets murdered in this room."

Phoenix laughed. "I wouldn't count it out. We are at the Gatewater after all."

Miles chuckled softly before clearing his throat loud enough to get the attention of the room. He gave a nod towards Klavier and the younger man nodded in return before heading over to the piano.

"I didn't know Klavier could play piano..."

"It would be quite ironic if he couldn't."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to Phoenix and he ran a hand through his hair nervously, but whatever Klavier had begun to play was soft and soothing.

"Well, I want to thank everyone for being able to come in such short notice. A few people in this room have had a pretty rough week." He looked over at Simon, Athena and Apollo. "And it made me want to see all of you again, at the same time. You all entered my life at a different time, under different circumstances but have impacted it as much as the next person. We've had some pretty good times together but...mostly bad times due to our professions. I want you to take a very good look around this room and realize that everyone in here, has gone through something similar to you. Some of you even share the fact that you've been wrongfully accused of something but most important is that we've all lost someone very important to us and sometimes by the very people we thought we could trust."

"At some point, we've all felt that we were alone in our pain but looking at this room, I'd say we're anything but alone. Some of you are related by blood, some by other means." Phoenix hesitated and took a quick glance at Trucy and Apollo. "But the truth is we're all family; one very big dysfunctional family."

Miles lead the group out to the courtyard with a bouquet of different colored balloons. "Everyone is going to take a balloon for someone they want to honor." He explained. Athena and Simon were the first to step up.

"This is for my mom..." Athena whispered grabbing the yellow balloon. "And this is for Bobby Fulbright and the other potential victims of the phantom we don't know about yet." Simon added taking a white balloon.

Next up were Apollo and Trucy. "These balloons are for my daddy and Clay." She smiled grabbing up the two red balloons.

Ema followed them and grabbed up a light purple balloon. "This is for Neil Marshall." She looked over at Klavier who hesitated before grabbing a dark purple one. "This...is for Constance Courte, Drew Misham, Vera Misham and whoever else Kristoph Gavin managed to hurt."

Maya smiled when she and Pearl stepped up next. "It's kind of wild to believe that we've know you for ten years Mr. Edgeworth. We've really all come a long way." She grabbed two pink balloons handing one to Pearl. "These are for Misty and Mia."

As Phoenix walked forward, Miles smirked and held out the blue balloon to him. "So predictable, Wright."

He laughed. "What can I say? It's my favorite color. This balloon is for all the victims from our cases and Diego Armando."

Miles looked up at the sole green balloon that remained in his hand as Franziska moved next to him, grabbing his hand. "And this is for Yanni Yogi and my father."

They all held out their hands letting the balloons fly off simultaneously. Phoenix walked off briefly and returned with another set of balloons, only these were all black.

"Alright, everyone break into groups based on who caused you pain." Once everyone was in their designated groups, Phoenix handed each group a black balloon. "These people tried to hurt us, tried to break us but in the end we beat them. They may have taken a lot from us but we're all stronger then they'll ever be. And because of us, all of us working together, they can't ever hurt us or anyone else again."

Simon drew his katana from his belt pointing it downward towards the black balloon. Athena and Apollo also gripped onto the handle with him. "The Phantom." They thrusted the katana into the black balloon popping it and then passed it along.

Klavier and Trucy were the next ones to take it. "Kristoph Gavin."

Pearl carefully took the sword in her tiny hands, while Phoenix helped her to steady it. "Dahlia Hawthorne and Morgan Fey."

After their balloon was popped they passed it to Ema and Miles. "Damon Gant."

Miles held onto the katana, walking over to the final black balloon. Franziska slowly put her hand on top of his with Maya's hand following soon after. "Manfred Von Karma."

They stood together in silence for several minutes before Simon spoke up. "I...look forward to repeating this next year."

"...I really love all you guys!" Maya yelled.

"Are ya'll gonna stand out here and freeze all night or are we gonna take ourselves a family photo?!" Someone yelled from the doorway.

Phoenix and Miles laughed softly. "We'll be there in a second, Lotta."

The group filed back into the Gatewater ballroom. "Short people in the front, ja?"

Apollo shot a glare at Klavier. "Very funny!"

"What? It makes for a better picture, Herr Forehead."

"Simon Blackquill, do you intend on having that beast in this photograph?"

"VonKarma-dono, Taka is my companion; I will not have you referring to him in such a matter."

"Wright! You better not flash that badge in this picture."

"Oh come on, I haven't gotten to do it for seven years. I have a lot to make up for."

"I really love your robes!"

"Thank you! You girls have to come to Kurain Village sometime and get some of your own!"

Lotta sighed as she looked through her camera. "Yankees." She mumbled. "Alright now, enough of all that hoot and hollerin'. Everyone say Happy New Year."

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"...now let's get the hell out of here before another murder takes place."