>>725508668
>>725509181
There was no return to the status quo. Maya went back to Kurain because she's supposed to be the village's queen or something, Phoenix was incriminated, lost his job, spent the next seven years plotting his revenge and got an acoptive daughter. He then got replaced briefly as the franchise's main character by a neurotic midget with a shrill voice.

At this point they can't give Phoenix or Maya an spouse, even though it's clear that they both went their separate ways and the SoJ cases firmly establish them as not a couple, because fans would universally hate it, but it's the logical choice.

It would've been nice to have them become a couple at the end of AA3, but then they would've had to make Pearl the next in line for Kurain Village's throne which kind of shits on the entirety of Maya's storyline and the events of AJ would've been very different.

Now Edgeworth is another thing entirely. There is zero excuse to keep him single after all that time.