The trial begins, and the god of prosecutors immediately shows off his immense prowess.

Will the defense be able to prove the guilt of the real culprit? And how will they do it?

Phoenix and Maya go to see the Berry Big Circus show headlined by magician Max Galactica. The next day, they discover that Max has been accused of murdering the circus' ringmaster, Russell Berry, though Max states he is innocent, as he was discussing his salary with him. After meeting Berry's daughter, Regina, Phoenix and Maya hear about the crime from Gumshoe, who claims that Max's ability to fly places him as the prime suspect as only the victim's footprints were found. Finding that most of the staff seem to also suspect Max because of his cocky attitude, they hear from Moe the Clown that Max allegedly hit Ben the ventriloquist with a bottle the other day. While looking through Berry's office, they find the contract that Max had mentioned to be dated a week prior to the meeting. Phoenix threatens to drop Max's defense, prompting Max to confess his strained relationship with the other performers, convincing Phoenix to change his mind. Phoenix ends up chasing a monkey to one of the performer's rooms, where they find a bust of Max and a diamond ring, which allegedly belongs to Ben's puppet, Trilo. Speaking through Trilo, Ben claims that he saw Max heading to the crime scene on the night of the murder, but Phoenix points out that he would've had to see the ringmaster too. Trilo rebukes Phoenix, saying he wasn't the only witness to the incident.

During a Hero of Heroes Grand Prix event held at a hotel, one of the actors, Juan Corrida, is murdered, with the current Nickel Samurai actor, Matt Engarde, accused of the crime. Just after learning about the murder, Phoenix is contacted by someone known as Shelly de Killer, who reveals he has kidnapped Maya and will only release her if Phoenix can get Engarde acquitted within the trial's first day. The next day, Phoenix interviews Engarde's manager, Adrian Andrews, and investigates Corrida's dressing room. Just before the trial the following day, Franziska is suddenly shot by a sniper hired by de Killer, prompting Edgeworth, who has returned from his long absence, to take her place on the prosecutor's bench.

Following a hole-filled testimony by Armstrong, Phoenix suspects that the murder Kido witnessed was actually a reenactment which took place after the actual murder.

Gumshoe reports about Gale's corpse and the "soul" he saw, which Phoenix reveals was a brief fire that he saw, as the train's cars were actually rearranged just before the takeover.

While Iris is brought in to work on the trick lock, Phoenix finds a charred letter instructing someone to channel someone, along with a talisman Elise was carrying.