"We should be approaching Nao's point of capture soon." Victoriya said as he group proceeded through the school building to head to another outside area, Mark more ahead of everyone by a little.

"It seems you were spot on about Mark, Hope. He does carry a sense of frustration within himself that what Black is doing is his own fault." Maxwell said.

"Yeah. It's not like him to get this negative towards himself. I mean, this is low key compared to last time, but…" Hope said.

"Last time? What happened last time?" Noel asked.

"During a certain crisis in the Demon Universe, Mark took a big attack head on and fatally injured himself. This was back when he only just awakened to more of his angel abilities, and his other half was in control of his body." Hope said.

"Yeah, I remembered when I first saw that. He was acting like a total maniac." David said.

"Ira joined our side eventually, but after he and Mark took that hit, we had to go inside his mind and fix him. But it wasn't pretty in there. All the bad experiences he had were eating on his mind. He doubted himself, extremely. He thought that it was better if he died. He wanted us to leave him behind. Thankfully we were able to pull some extreme therapy and wake him up." Hope said. "But that period? It was one of the times he was at his worst."

"Yeah, I think a lot of us can relate. We've all had those worst days." Ethox said.

"He'll be fine. He's just trying to make up for what Black is doing right now. I mean…seriously." Jexi said, pointing to portraits of said god. "This guy seriously has no taste."

"Honestly, the guy seems to have a big ego, probably to make up for something." Simon said.

"Well… He is a god, so it is to be expected. But this guy, he's got a bigger ego than Flux, Theodore and Ghetsis combined." David said. "Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating about Ghetsis. The guy is a full-blown monster through and through. Leia can attest. She had to deal with him. Twice."

"That last one still feels like a random pick to be honest." Jexi said.

"I was running out of people to compare Black to." David said with a nervous sweat drop.

"Still, even after the villains pulled that stunt in China, surprised they haven't tried anything yet." Hope said.

"They're probably waiting till we end up getting all the bracelets so they can swipe them up in one go. That's what I'd do." Nami said.

"Yeah, especially after seeing Alear and Emblem Marth in action." Ajna said.

"You don't seem to be stressing an eventual attack by them if that's the case." Soren said as he appeared.

"We've dealt with them lots of times, and we've been able to deal with all of their antics to get one up on us." Hope said.

"Don't get cocky. While it's true Flux hasn't pulled out a major win, given all of the losses, as well as Connor's actions on the Starfall Islands and the recent events in Shanghai, he's going to be desperate for some kind of win." Jexi said.

"You guys are not gonna let the Starfall Islands thing go, are you?" Connor asked.

"No we are not." the group said collectively.

"Not all of us." Ace said.

"Great…" Connor sighed as Hope patted his shoulder in reassurance.

"You'll get used to it." Hope said.

"Hey, what happened, happened." Ace said. "You made up for it in the end."

"He still ended up corrupting every major database in every universe." Shuichi pointed out. "If anyone outside our group ever found that out, they would not be as forgiving as you are, Ace."

"Alright, I get it." Ace said. "But constantly reminding him of it, isn't exactly helping either."

"Don't worry Ace. If anything, what happened a couple months ago helped me. I made the mistake, and now I gotta live with it. If anything, it's gonna help me be a better Hero-for-Hire. I mean, despite my screw up, you guys still asked me and my team to come along on this treasure hunt. So that means you don't really hate me for what happened."

"Sure. We'll go with that." Ranma said.

"Anyway, you got nothing to worry about. No way that moron of a supervillain even knows what we're doing." Connor said, unaware of the transmitter on his back.

In a certain ship, a certain group listened…

"Oh yes. We're way too simple for that." Flux said.

"I don't get it, boss. They got five of those Bracelets already, why can't we just take 'em all right now and go for the final two after?" Spinel asked.

"Several reasons. First, we don't know where the remaining 2 are. Plus, this is a solid strategy. We allow them to collect all seven bracelets undeterred. Then when it looks like they're about to wrap up, we pull off the grandest of heists and snatch them all up as well as that girl's ring." Flux said. "Besides, if we act now, they'll just be more defensive about them in the future."

"Some of them seem pretty attached to their bearers, though. They can't seem to come off." Techno said.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, the issue would be how we even pull this off." Flux said. "EMP's would be effective in shutting down their mechanical and robotic members, but most of the group are organic. If only there was a way to…" Flux said, dodging a Duskull as it flew by.

"Disparia…" Techno said. "We talked about your ghost Pokémon companions."

"You said I was allowed to bring travel companions, my lord." Disparia said.

"Yes, and I also recall asking you to leave them in the storage room." Techno said.

"He's right. Not like we've got a use for them." DaDan said. "Just a bunch of…ah!" he said, seeing a small creature in a floating pot with two green hands and a face on said pot. "What the? Did Sinistea get a makeover or something?"

"No. It's a Poltchageist. It's a species from a remote area in the east." Disparia said.

"Poltcha… like Matcha tea? That doesn't seem threatening. Just uh…" DaDan said as he felt drained before collapsing. The group saw some of the matcha had gotten on him as his life force was being drained into Poltchageist.

"DaDan!" Techno said in alarm. "Disparia, tell Poltchageist to be more careful! If that got onto the wrong person…" he said, before stopping. "Wait…I believe I've had a stroke of inspiration."

"Ah…then we're on the same page." Flux said. "This…is how we get the upper hand. Ian!"

"Yes sir?" Ian asked.

"We're going to the Shinto Universe. Get kimonos and shamisins, as well as masks. Oh…and have the League go to this location." Flux said, handing him a map.

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"Nothing major. Just a Dark Temple storage area." Flux said.

"Got it!" Ian said as he headed off.

"So…it can drain the lifeforce from anything?" Flux said.

"Not anything. It has to come in contact with matcha. Be it from eating, licking or even getting it on the skin." Disparia said.

"Perfect. What I like to hear." Flux said.

"I'll inform Photon of our idea. I'm sure he'll be able to help us get this strategy off the ground." Techno said. "But first…I'm taking DaDan to the medical bay." He said, picking the still unconscious boy up and carrying him out of the room.

"You know, those heroes will come after us and probably attack the moment we snatch those things." Buggy said.

"Oh I'm well aware. That's why I sent Toga to get us a little…insurance policy." Flux said.

"The Hero Alliance will never be going to Elyos." Jasper smiled. "We'll take their prizes and go there ourselves."

"Not quite, but not too far off either. We'll replicate this process. Succeed where Theodore could not. In fact, succeed where Thomas could not." Flux said smiling.

"Thomas Flux? You mean…he's real?" Eggman said.

"Oh yes. Quite real. My own father saw him once. The true son of the 23rd Flux Family." Flux said.

"True son? You mean Theodore was just his placeholder?" Boba asked.

"Not just Theodore. All 5 of Thomas's siblings are not true Flux's. They were clones created by Thomas's birth mother so she could take over ASG for expelling her for her research." Flux said.

"But, as we know during the Inheritance war, Ishihara exposed Theodore and got him fired, preventing that." Jasper said.

"Oh…so naive…Theodore wasn't the only one inside that company but he was the only one to make those big moves to try and outdo his siblings within." Flux said. "All cause Thomas did not want to try and take it over himself."

"But you're going to use the Emblem Bracelets to surpass him." Hawk Moth said. "With them fully activated, you'll be able to create weapons based on their design, even entire armies."

"That's only if we can figure out how they work. For that, I need to analyze the full set as well as the ring." Flux said. "But with what we have planned to get them, that won't be a problem. All we need to do is be patient."

Back with the alliance, they soon reached the soccer field where in the center was a girl with green hair trapped in a cage where kickoff would be.

"That's gotta be Nao." Cure Starlight observed. "And that Akanbe would be close by somewhere. If I recall, it should be a goal post."

"If that's the case, this might be easy. I mean, what's a Goal post Akanbe gonna do, just stand there and let us repeatedly hit the-?" Nemo asked before the Akanbe itself appeared, landing on the ground. And it didn't look like a regular soccer net at all. It was human shaped, and had bat-like wings made entirely out of the string used to make the net attached to its arms.

"Akanbe!" it roared.

"Okay… I'll take that back." Nemo said.

"That's not how I remembered!" Cure Starlight exclaimed.

"I feel like Black flipped the script on that one!" Zi-O added.

"Well it's still just a goofy looking monster! It'll fall all the same!" Megumin said, launching a grenade its way… before it suddenly used its wings and jumped into the air, taking flight as it flew over their heads.

"What the-?!" Vashyron said as they avoided another dive bomb, and also its attempt to capture them in its net wings.

"Of course the giant clown monster flies." Kazuma said. "Why wouldn't it fly? It's not like we'd prefer things to be easy!" he said, taking out a bow.

"Guess we'll have to chase it down! Houki, let's go!" Cure Starlight said, taking flight.

"Roger!" Houki replied as the two flew after the Akanbe.

"I'm going too." Tanya said. "Cure Peace, was it? Ready your final attack, but don't use it until I say so."

"Huh?! B-But I won't be able to hit the Akanbe when it's so high up!" Cure Peace said.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you hit your mark." Tanya said, taking off into the air and joining Houki and Cure starlight. "Let's clip this oversized clown's wings."

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Cure Starlight replied. "Houki?"

"This monster won't outrun me!" Houki said with her katanas ready and dashed towards the Akanbe, dodging its attacks until she was right behind it and rapidly slashed its wings to pieces.

"Akanbeeeee….!" it yelled falling high out of the sky and straight towards Tanya.

"Alright Peace, now! Fire your final attack! The Akanbe is dropping right towards my position!"

"What the hell is she trying to hit?!" Nemo asked, knowing Tanya was in the line of fire.

"Me, you idiot!" Tanya said.

"WHAT?!" some of the Fatebreakers asked.

"Tanya, that's crazy! Cure Peace's Element is lightning! You'll get fried!" Kazuma said.

"At least send me instead!" Gunvolt added. "Unless… you're also immune to electricity?"

"Only one way to find out. I won't probably be killed because these girl's powers only kill monsters. But let's see if it works." Tanya said as the Akanbe was getting closer, aiming to body slam her as it was falling. "Now hurry it up, Peace! Zap me!"

"B-But..!" Cure Peace worriedly said, concerned for what might happen.

"That's an order, Precure!" Tanya barked.

"Just do it, Cure Peace. Tanya knows what she's doing… I hope." Hibiki insisted.

"Okay… here goes!" Cure Peace said, raising her right arm and making a peace sign. A bolt of lightning struck her hand from the sky. She then spun and pointed at Tanya, making peace signs with both hands. "PreCure! Peace Thunder!" she called, firing it off as the attack sailed towards Tanya.

"Lord, in your name, let me harness the power of divine lightning to purify the fiend standing before me." Tanya prayed, activating her Type-95 and raising her rifle to the sky as the lightning was channeled straight into her Bayonet, surging through her body. As it circulated through her body, the magic conducted right into her rifle and was primed to fire.

"Holy crap! She conducted Cure Peace's attack!" Kazuma said.

"She knew it wouldn't have enough range to reach… so she acted as a lightning rod to give it the punch it needed!" Cure Sunny realized. "Crazy, but it's working!"

"Naotora, get ready to receive it!" Tanya said, aiming her rifle at the falling Akanbe. "For my own sake, I'm glad this didn't fry me to a crisp… but this is going to hurt you a lot more than it did me!" she declared to the monster as she fired her Peace Thunder enhanced spell shot as it hit the Akanbe and pushed it back up to Cure Starlight and Houki.

"Houki, move your blade bits around my leg! One drill kick should do it!" Cure Starlight ordered while rotating her PreBrace with her right leg glowing.

"Okay, go for it!" Houki complied, deploying her wing bits as they circled around the descending Cure Starlight with her glowing foot lunged forward.

"Pretty Cure! Final Starlight! Drill Kick!" Cure Starlight shouted as she drill kicked the Akanbe right through it and landed on the ground as the bits returned to Houki and the Akanbe exploded to nothing. Nao's Smile Pact then fell from the sky of the defeated Akanbe and landed on Cure Starlight's hand.

Tanya and Houki landed on the ground, securing Nao as she fell out of the cage and to the grass, the others joining them.

"Nice work! How'd you know you wouldn't be fried to a crisp when Yayoi zapped you?" Nao asked Tanya.

"Simple. Your brand of Final attacks only truly defeat monsters. It did hurt, but I knew it wouldn't kill me unless your friend actually wanted me dead." Tanya said.

"I don't think she wanted you killed." Cure Happy sweatdropped.

"One of these days Tanya, you're gonna get yourself killed if you act crazy like that constantly." Nemo said.

"And yet I haven't killed myself yet, have I?" Tanya smirked back.

"Point is, we freed Nao. And with her on our side, Black's starting to lose his edge." Hope said.

"Black… he's the one who trapped me and the others, right?" Nao asked.

"Yes." Geiz nodded. "With you now freed, all that's left is Cure Beauty, AKA Reika Aoki."

"Here, you're gonna need this to fight with us." Cure Starlight offered the Smile Pact. "You up for some payback?"

"Yeah. Pretty Cure! Smile Charge!" Nao called out as she used the powder puff to transform into Cure March.

"Intense courage, a straight-up bout! Cure March!"

"Alright. Like Gaius pointed out, only one more member of this team is left. Any idea where Black might've stashed her?" Vashyron asked.

"If I recall in Cure Beauty's first fight, it's against…" Cure Starlight sighed in annoyance. "The Mirror Akanbe, and his annoying clone strategy."

"I know what you mean. We'll deal with that when we find Reika." Cure March said.

"Okay, what do we know about her?"

"Well, she's our school's student council vice-president, she's intelligent, and she's part of the archery and art club." Cure Sunny answered.

"Hmm…I think we should check the auditorium." Cure Peace said. "She might be there."

"Worth a shot." Cure Starlight noted. "But if that place got turned into a hall of mirrors, prepare for some headaches."

"Hopefully it won't be like that. Now let's go. One more and we're gonna face Black." Zephyr said.

"What about Mark?" Erica asked.

"Jexi said he'll be fine, so let's trust his word." Hope said.

"You better be right about this." Zi-O replied. "Mark can't fight in peak condition with that mental block hanging on his back."

"Well…let's just hope there won't be any unwanted surprises from this next Akanbe." Scarlet said.

Elsewhere…in White's domain…

"Ah…this is nice." White said as she sipped some tea as she lay in bed. "Can't remember the last time I could unwind like this."

"Uh…White?" a voice asked as Cream, Cyan and Blue stood by.

"Not to intrude but…some mortal went and forced themselves here and wanted to see you. Says it's important?" Cyan said.

The figure then arrived, revealing to be Woz. "Greetings, Color Gods." He greeted with a bow. "May I have an audience with the one called White?"

"Uh…since you're standing in my part of the domain, I suppose you can." White said a little surprised. "Been awhile since a mortal actually got themselves in this space. You're the second one, after the original Golden God."

"If you're wondering how I was able to come here, well… I have my ways." Woz replied, showing the Color Codex book.

"So then why have you come? If you were able to breach White's domain to come see her, there must be a reason for it." Blue inquired.

"Yes… we have much to discuss. Especially the ones called Black and Mark Anarchy." Woz replied.

"Black?" White said as she set her tea down. "What has my brother done now? Wait, let me guess, he's trying to subjugate the universes…again."

"Ah, so you are aware, especially in your current condition." Woz noted.

"Me and my brother were the first gods ever born to keep balance between light and dark. Our lifelink lets each of us know what the other is doing." White said. "As for Mark, you're curious about his resurrection."

"Of course." Woz nodded. "Please explain."

"Mark went off to the dimension of the Unmei Force to assist with a crisis. He helped them succeed at the cost of his own life. Mark Anarchy is one of the few pillars that keep stability in this crazy multiverse. I had no choice but to resurrect him." White said.

"And while you are recovering, Black seeks to try and claim a world for himself. Mark seems to blame himself for the chaos, so he is taking his frustrations out on Black's minions. Some members of the alliance fear that he will not think straight when they confront him." Woz said.

"Hmm…that is a possibility." White said. "I don't doubt his abilities when fighting Black's minions but…he would definitely die were he or any alliance member actually faced my brother head on."

"That is true." Woz noted. "I actually go by another name, Black Woz. And I happen to have a counterpart named White Woz. The actions of the latter however, upset the balance of the Kamen Rider timelines."

"So you and the original Riders in your time defeated him." Blue surmised.

"Correct." Woz confirmed. "And in the end, I absorbed White Woz. He is a part of me, after all."

"Wait… if you absorbed your White counterpart and are now coming to us to report another wrongdoing of black…" Cream said before realizing. "You mean to tell us the solution your suggesting, is for White to absorb Black, just like you did?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" White said, banging her fist on the table.

"I apologize." Woz bowed. "That was not my suggestion to you. I'm sure you have your reasons."

"Absorbing Black would be the same as death. We'd neither be Black nor White and both universes would collide and wipe out their inhabitants." White said.

"And though Black may misbehave, he is still White's twin brother. Black Sheep of our order he may be, but White still cares for him." Cream said.

"I'm well aware of Black's faults. I'm also aware that he might not ever change. But…I don't want to imagine a reality without him. I refuse to do so!" White said as she cried a bit.

"...I understand. You truly cared for him." Woz noted. "If only we could figure out what was wrong with him from the beginning."

"Unfortunately, there is nothing wrong with him. White is light and Black is darkness. They keep the universes in balance. Black, in all honesty, is just jealous so many of us have more…vibrant worlds than him." Blue said.

"Maybe we should give it to him, if possible?" Woz suggested.

"Give him what?" Cyan asked.

"Worlds he called his own."

"Worlds he…you wanna suggest us actually giving him worlds from our universes?" Blue asked.

"If there's worlds you do not need, that is." Woz replied.

"It's true Black doesn't have the majority of worlds as we do. But…" Cyan said.

"Woz, was it? We'll take your idea under consideration…for now." White said.

"As you wish." Woz noted. "Although… there is something else that caught my attention. Black's influence was able to create most of the enemies of the Magical Girl Universe. The Bad End Kingdom for example. If it were not for him, the Pretty Cures won't exist."

"Yes. Black has always tried to take that one a number of times since it's the weakest. Although, despite that, he has yet to claim a single world there." White said smiling. "Because there are forces there he can't comprehend. It's also the same reason I put everything I got in those heroes."

"I see." Woz mused. "An interesting development, in my opinion. You cannot have good without evil, or light without darkness, or even white without black."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand. If they actually managed to ever kill my brother and even nullify my lifelink with him…" White said as the room shook. "I'd erase every last one of them."

"Do not worry, balance must be kept in check." Woz noted. "But if someone were to break that balance…well… I'm sure you know what happens."

"The end of all." White said. "But…that's not a concern since I don't see my brother actually taking over that world anyway. In all honestly, his chances right now…it's about 33 percent."

"So you're basically playing games with him in a sense?" Woz guessed.

"We've been playing games since the dawn of time. Although, the one who wins in the end…is me." White smiled.

"I see." Woz noted. "Though it would be interesting if, and I mean IF, Black wins for once."

"Maybe so. Maybe it would finally cut down his ego for once." White chuckled.

"This has been an interesting conversation. I'd leave now, but I think I will stay here for a while…" Woz created a Dimensional Veil beside him, showing the Alliance and the Rebellion heading for the next area to save Reika. "And observe their progress."

"Well…this will be fun." White said as she went back to sipping her tea.

Woz chuckled in agreement. "Indeed it will."