A darkness could be seen before a spotlight shined down on a certain figure as dramatic music played.

"Thieves…they are a mysterious bunch who go around stealing from others." Jessie said.

Another spotlight then shined down as another figure appeared.

"But some of them can be seen as heroes like Robin Hood or Zorro." James said.

A familiar Scratch Cat Pokemon then joined the duo.

"But we're the best of the best and…" Meowth said before stepping on James's foot as the as the two started stumbling into Jessie as they pulled down a large backdrop.

"Sorry to interrupt…whatever this is…but…" a voice said as Flux was shown to be in a bathtub as he turned off a radio. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THREE DOING IN MY BATHROOM?!"

"Well obviously, you self proclaimed villains are in dire need of our services." Jessie said.

"And since you've been striking it rich in the jewelry business, we figured…" James said.

"You need our help so we can capture a Pikachu from those heroes for you." Meowth said.

"Of course, we're not asking for money. Just a base, some gadgets.." James said.

"A place with its own personal spa." Jessie added.

Flux just sat there as he scowled at the three.

"You nimrods! Don't be stupid. Mr. Flux here is way too busy and important to go base shopping." Meowth said as the trio got into the tub with him.

"You're right. We'll just take the money." Jessie said.

"50 million, nothing more." James said.

"A small price to pay for Team Rocket's rise in the ranks of the Universal Villains." Meowth said.

Flux, however, only replied with one word, two syllables.

"JASPER!" Flux called out.

The wall cracked a bit before it broke into a hole as Jasper walked through the hole as she looked down at the trio, who smiled at her nervously.

"...Off the top floor?" Jasper asked Flux.

"Off the top floor." the UV leader confirmed.

With that, Jasper grabbed the three in a chokehold and carried them out of the hole she had made, Techno looking into the hole. "Those three again? Perhaps we should complain to Team Rocket's HR."

"Ugh…knowing Giovanni, he wants them in our group so he can get in on the Emblem Bracelets without having to pay for them." Flux groaned. "Can you fix the wall, please?"

Techno nodded, using his Mechanize Style to create a steel wall to protect Flux's modesty. "Speaking of the Bracelets, the Multiverse Auction starts today. I trust that everything is in place for your plan to begin?"

"We'll see once we both officially open it up." Flux said as he got out of the tub and started drying off. "It's taken me 2 years to come up with this plan and now I get to see is succeed."

"You're sure you wanna go through with this? You know, you aren't the first person to attempt something like this." Techno said as he provided the man with a suit.

"True, but unlike them, I'm not going to rush in guns blazing…least not quite yet anyway." Flux said as he got changed. "Now go get changed, the show will be starting in a couple hours."

"Look, Jasper right? Can we cut you in on a deal? I mean, you don't have to throw us off the roof." Meowth tried to bargain with the gem as the trio were carried up the stairs.

"Sigh…47 attempts, 47 failures." James sighed.

"What is wrong with that guy? We are offering him quality service and he keeps brushing us off like we're nothing to him." Jessie said.

"Maybe we are. He probably doesn't think we have any worth to him." James said.

"Well we're just going to have to prove it to him." Jessie said.

"Yeah. Then when we get that proof, he'll finally let us in so we can steal Pikachu without worry. And without fear of being carried out by some giant ape who can't get a date." Meowth said.

Jasper just growled and grumbled as they made it to the top floor.

"Look, muscle woman, you've worked for him for a while. How'd he hire you?" Meowth asked.

"I was forced in when my leader went to work under him." Jasper said.

"Okay…pretty sure the boss won't be doing that. Anything else? Come on. We're desperate for advice." James said.

"You want advice…than go take something of value!" Jasper said as she kicked them right off the roof.

"Steal something of value…yes! I've got it!" Jessie said.

"I think we're on the same page." James said.

"Universal Villains, here we come!" Meowth said.

"We'll be back after the blast off!" the trio called out as they disappeared into the sky with a star twinking.

WDO Headquarters…

"This seems like an overreaction!" Mermista called out as she was tied up with Vector, Shuichi and David carrying her out.

"Wow…never seen someone throwing such a fit over failing the exams." Vector said.

"How was I supposed to know that none of this would be like the mer-mystery books? I mean, I found out the traitor that time." Mermista said.

"No. You kept accusing others. David got that one. That's one of the reasons he passed." Vector said.

"But why did you guys tie me up?" Mermista asked.

"Cause you called the examiner a blind old hermit crab and tried to attack him with your trident." Shuichi said.

"...Okay, I might've been a bit blinded by anger." Mermista admitted. "At least I still have the experience from Orla Shiply and the Phantom."

"Look Mermista, this organization is the best of the best when it comes to detective work. If you're gonna make it anywhere on that level, you need to show you are worth your chops." David said.

"Plus, don't think your a detective cause you read a few crappy detective books for kids. Me, I learned from watching and reading from the actual greats: Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Scooby Doo." Vector said.

"And it is a miracle that you passed too somehow…" Mermista muttered.

"Vector has his own detective agency. If anything, he's got more experience than all of us combined." David said.

"Yeah. I'm 20. I'm older than you guys." Vector said.

"Okay, not exactly combined, but… Still more than us." David said.

"Sure, rub it in that you all passed and I did not." Mermista said.

"Look. We'll get on the ship, head over to Central City with the others when the auction starts, it'll be fun." Vector said. "Like that dungeon thing a while back, exploring the universes, making memories, getting into trouble…"

"Haaa…maybe it will be a good…" Mermista said before the four saw the shuttle they had borrowed on fire with a familiar face standing there.

"My darling. I set your ship on fire to congratulate your passing that detective exam." Seahawk said.

"Seahawk, you're an idiot." David said with a facepalm.

"What? That I want to support my girlfriend passing her…" Seahawk stated.

"I did not pass." Mermista said.

"Oh….uh…awkward. Well…." Seahawk said before he went and made a run for it.

"Ugh, I'll call a cab." Vector said.

"At least extinguish the flames first!" David called out to Seahawk, who by that point was way out of earshot. "Ugh… Seriously, Mermista. How you put up with a pyromaniac like him, I will never know."

"I get why he does it. The thrill and excitement of watching a vessel you cherish go up in flames as they go below the ocean waves." Mermista said.

"Have…have you actually tried…" Shuichi said.

"Once or twice…just to know what it felt like." Mermista said.

"...Huh. Maybe you two are good for each other." David rolled his eyes. "Anyways, anyone else looking forward to the auction?"

"Yeah. I mean…this is one of the few chances where the universes aren't fighting and just joining together." Shuichi said.

"That's true. I guess I shouldn't be too broken up about failing the WDO Exam." Mermista said. "Gives me a chance to see if there's anything worth buying on display."

"Maybe. If you have the funds for it." David said.

"I'm a princess, David. You know I've got money to burn." Mermista reminded. "I've definitely got more money than what Vector's been trying to make with all his get-rich-quick schemes."

"You know I can just leave you for some seagulls at the port if you want." Vector said.

It wasn't long before the four of them were in a cab headed back to the Galaxy King, ready to go with the group to Central City, the site of the opening of the Multiversal Auction.

"Sorry you didn't get licensed by the WDO, Mermista. At least you tried." Kendo said.

"Yeah, at least I know where I stand in the Detective world." Mermista said. "Thinking about it, there's no WAY I'd be able to keep up with their top guys. I heard some detectives in the WDO have special Mystery solving powers."

"You mean Forensic Fortes? Yeah, only the Master Detectives at the very top of the agency have those." Catra said. "Still, can't believe you wanted to become an agent, Vector."

"Hey, cut him some slack. He promised Hartwin he'd find his lost daughter, right? In order to do that, he had to prove he could be in league with the best of the best." A2 said.

"Yeah…gotta search high and low for her." Vector said. "(Sorry, guys, but it's better that I handle the revelation when it comes up)."

"Anyway, I'm ready to move on from the whole test thing. I'm over flunking the WDO's exam. I wanna focus on what we're going to." Mermista said.

"The Multiversal Auction." Hope said as the Galaxy King entered the Standard Universe. "A multiverse-wide event that let's all 30 Universes show off their wares to the other. They call it an auction, but it's more like the world's largest trade show. All across the universes at multiple sites, we'll get to see the latest events, items and all sorts of things."

"I hope there's a chance to see Partitio again." Klonoa said.

"You think he'd be interested in this kinda thing? I mean he is a merchant, but he's probably still busy revolutionizing the Steam Engine back in Solistia." Vashyron said.

"One can dream can't they?" Klonoa asked.

"Well the Steam Universe is on our road map. Maybe we'll be seeing it there." Jexi said as they soon started touching down in Central City.

They departed to see a number of people from many different walks of life walking around and looking over many rare and interesting things from many different worlds.

"Wow! Even in Central City, things are bustling." Titanica said.

"Well, it is the capital of the Standard Universe." Nami said.

"Looks like Emblem Jewels are on the shelves too… well, I guess that's to be expected. Flux's new company is sponsoring the Auction this time around." Hope said.

"Well, they were a big selling point in the last few months. I even saw a few people back home with these things." David said.

"Yeah, Asahi is one of them." Takeshi said.

"Oh yeah, speaking of Asahi, have you had a chance to talk to her after the Demon Election?" David asked.

"No. She's been busy with some big deal. Won't even tell me what it's about." Takeshi said.

"I see. Well, I guess it was to be expected." David said.

"It's okay, though. It's just me and her, so we barely have time for that kind of talk." Takeshi said.

"Hopefully you'll be able to talk to her soon, dude." Dan said.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Takeshi said.

"So, what's with these lineups? Fire Emblem? Superpowers?" Issei asked.

"Oh, they're different series the jewels belong to. Flux did it as way to try and get people to collect them. Fire Emblem are warriors from that series. Superpowers are superheroes and villains from the DC and Marvel universes, Gemstone Fighters are martial artists from Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters and Mortal Kombat along with a little Dead or Alive. And Super Smash Bros is their fighters." Sunset explained.

"Man, Amadeus and the Universal Villains must be making mo-ney off these things." Makoto said.

"No kidding. They're treating him like some bigshot CEO nowadays." Jexi said. "You guys sure we aren't in an alternate universe?"

"Nope, we're still in the Color-Verse. But while it's great Flux of all people is finding success as a businessman, I still can't shake the feeling that there's still some parts of him left that are evil." Hope said.

"Funny. You went through a similar phase when he was trying to make himself look good. You kept accusing him at every turn." Sabo said.

"Well…to be fair, he did eventually prove he was still evil." Hope said. "But yeah, I'll keep it to gut feelings until I find evidence."

"He's got Techno on his side now. It's not gonna happen." Izuku said.

"Sorry, but he's just a big jerk. He keeps calling me Hopeless. Never has he used my actual name." Hope said.

"You just can't let things go, can you?" Glimmer smiled.

"Can't help it. Once an evil maniac, always an evil maniac." Hope said.

"Loosen up a little. If he's up to no good again someday, we'll stop him like we always do, but for now, he's the most popular guy anywhere." Adora said.

"Yeah, and it's low-key driving me nuts. I'm gonna scream if I see his face one more time." Hope said.

"Uh…then you're probably not gonna wanna look at the screens." Sonic said.

"The broadcast is starting." Genis said.

"What broad….oh you gotta be…" Hope said seeing Flux and Techno on screen with Magenta Voice.

"Hello and welcome back to our coverage of the Multiversal Auction. I'm Magenta Voice. Today I'm joined by the top leading men behind Flux Industries, Amadeus Flux and Techno Flux." Magenta said.

"Great to be here as always." Flux said.

"Now…I understand you two helped to make this even a reality." Magenta said.

"We did. We are all about togetherness and we wanna bring some joy to others' lives. We even hire those who have been cast from society and give them homes and jobs at our company." Flux said.

"And I understand you have new line ups for your Emblem Jewels?" Magenta asked.

"That's right. A few limited edition ones will be displayed at a few stands in multiple locations so snag one up before they are going, going, gone." Flux said. "Though we have been getting a huge boon since someone recently wanted to become our spokesperson."

"Someone actually wanted to help that guy? Who would be foolish enough to get their hands on that…" Mineta said.

"So it is with a great honor that I introduce you all to….Miss Asahi Toramoto!" Flux said as a woman walked onstage.

"Asahi? She's the spokesperson? That was what that deal was?" Takeshi asked.

"Wow….so…why pick her for this task?" Magenta asked.

"It really is amazing, Magenta. When we started selling online, first day, she orders not one, not two, but seven. Seven jewels in one single day." Techno said. "And all of them were high quality ones at that. True we expected a few collectors but this girl…she is a true inspiration to the word…hero."

"No joking. She's gone out and publicly used the jewels to take down small time thugs, a few terrorists and even an escaped supervillain, won't say which one to avoid copyrights." Flux said.

"Wow, Takeshi. Your sister has been leaving tracks." Leia said. "Take…." she said, seeing him scowling. "Okay, you're seething with anger. Got it."

"So tell us…how did we…inspire you…to be a hero?" Flux asked the girl.

"It's a long sad story, actually." Asahi said. "Several years ago, my parents lost their lives in a failed demon summoning. A while after that, my brothers and I tried to use necromancy to bring them back to life. But since we were all just a bunch of kids at the time, it went about as well as you would expect."

"Oh cruel fate. Those horrible demons." Flux said. "Taking revenge for your dead parents…like Batman, only a woman and more kickass."

"To put it bluntly, yes. Not only that, but one of my brothers is now comatose in the municipal hospital, and the youngest in a living doll-esque state. To be honest, it was hard to stay sane seeing a disheveled family all around you. I only have one brother left now, and…things haven't been the same for us since." Asahi said. "We are both working ourselves half to death just to make ends meet, you see. I felt helpless not being able to protect my family when it mattered the most. That was…until I heard about these Emblem Jewels.'

"Yes. Though my genius, I was able to construct these jewels that grant you the powers of legendary fighters, villains, heroes, etc. And I can guarantee that it is with these that you all be the kind of person you desire." Flux said. "Asahi, your story has touched both mine and my descendant's hearts deeply. So…we'd like to ask if you would participate in something more than just being our spokesperson."

"Oh? You are certain of this?" Asahi asked.

"We at this time would like to announce that on the last day of this event, we'll be holding a special live demo to show the performance of our product that has touched all of your lives. We would like you, Miss Asahi Toramoto, to be part of that. You will be compensated of course. Plus, my descendant is as much a genius as me. He could fix both of your brothers." Flux said.

"Ah…well…I could certainly try." Techno added, elbowing his ancestor. "(Please refrain from making promises we don't know we can keep.)" he whispered.

"(Relax, you're from the future! Just…I don't know, invent something!)" Flux whispered back. "The demonstration will occur at the end of the Multiverse Auction. We have to keep the time and location secret for now, corporate spies and all, but we'll be sure to livestream the event if you can't make it! Actually it'll all be livestreamed, so not sure why I'm saying you can't make it. Anyway, it'll be amazing." he said.

"You heard it here, folks! Be sure to stick around for the end of the auction as we prepare for the live demonstration of the hottest new trend around…!" Magenta Voice said before all the screens started fizzling. "The Emblem Jewels…."

"Hey…what's going on here?" Flux said back in the studio as they saw all the screens fizzling before a figure appeared.

"People of all the worlds…you've lived in mundane boredom for too long." a figure said before a spotlight shined on him, revealing themselves as Jack. "It's time to spice it up a bit."

"Wait…that guy…he's with the…." Magenta said.

"The Phantom Thieves." Flux said.

In the city, everyone who was watching could see this occurring.

"Hope, your bro's causin' trouble again." DW typed.

"I knew he couldn't resist. A big multiversal trading event where some of the rarest items are being sold and presented?" Hope smiled. "There was no way he was gonna pass up the opportunity to have a little fun."

"It's been since Reality Check's last ride in Lyoko since we last heard from 'em." Vashryon said.

"I know it's been awhile since any thief with style has treated you all to a proper calling card. Everyone rejoice. Cause the Phantom Thieves are going for a big score. Our target…is the Multiversal Auction." Jack said.

"We heard all about how big of a deal this thing is. So we thought we'd come and make things a bit more interesting." Mona said.

"A grand spectacle to witness with your own eyes." Fox added.

"Hell yeah. Nothing you can do to stop us." Skull said.

"Shame you won't see it coming. We know what we'll be hitting…but none of you will." Panther said.

"Least…not until it's too late." Joker said.

"Save the date, Phantom Thief fans…cause we…are…back." Jack said.

"And we are out!" Oracle said as the feed was cut.

"Kinda different from what we saw with B4." Rebecca said.

"So, should we do anything to stop them, or…?" Frosta asked.

"Nah. Let 'em do their thing." Hope said.

"Huh? You're not going to stop your own brother?" Noel asked.

"I've never been able to stop him once. Like at all. No one has. So, think it's best to just stay completely out of it." Hope said.

"Ditto. We'd just get in the way." David said.

"Or at least, we may end up overcomplicating things." Sachiko said.

"And besides, we're here to enjoy the Auction and take a break from all that 'Fate of the World' stuff. We can just leave Jack and his crew be. Odds are we won't even cross paths while they're stealing and we're sightseeing." Hope said.

"Hope, when you say it, I feel like that's what's going to happen." David said.

"Okay…what if I say we will cross paths? Will it make it less likely for it not to happen?" Hope asked.

"Never change, my man." DW typed.

"Well, if we're not going after the thieves, then I suggest we go on with browsing the auction." Mark said. "We all need a break. God's orders, as suggested by me."

"He's right. We all need this." Kurochi said. "After what Takeshi went through in the Warp, the Trinity War and after seeing that broadcast, him especially."

"Yeah…" Takeshi said, trying to get his mind off his sister being a spokesperson.

At the studio, everyone was packing up as Flux and Techno were heading out.

"And all the pieces are in play." Flux said. "Told you they'd jump in."

"Color me surprised." Techno said. "I was under the assumption that they'd take the underhanded route and keep things private. A mistake on my part."

"Sometimes an announcement can be underhanded, my dear descendant." Flux said. "They say they'll take the auction, but I know what they'll really target." he chuckled.

"Hmm…ah! Dark Garden." Techno realized. "I'm starting to see where you're going with this."

"Yes. We don't even have to do that much until the last day. I was even able to convince my brother to lead the Lost Thieves against Dark Garden as well." Flux said.

"Then what will we be doing?" Techno asked.

"Establishing an alibi, my friend, while our…hired hands…do the dirty work." Flux said as he started to laugh.

"In that case, if you don't mind, I'd like to do some browsing of my own." Techno said. "I'm close to a breakthrough on a…personal project, and perhaps something here at the auction may be what I need."

"Personal…eh, sure, why not. Being seen in public will help with that anyway." Flux said.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to bring you back a souvenir." Techno said as he headed off.

"Hmm…think I'll complete a few personal projects of my own during the time we have." Flux said as he also headed off.

"Wow…that was amazing!" Emma said.

"Thanks. Phew…always hated doing stuff like that." Jack said.

"So we're really going to be targeting an auction?" Noir asked.

"Not quite." Jack said.

"The auction is just a cover for our real targets. We'll be attacking…Dark Garden." Crow said.

"Wait, seriously?! We'll be goin' after the other Sponsor of the auction?" Skull asked.

"Yes. Seems someone didn't pay attention to the briefing." Ray said.

"But still, it's the biggest criminal organization in the entire underworld. Why would you wanna mess with these guys?" Queen asked.

"Well, as you know, I've been in a slump lately scrounging up ideas. I heard a rumor at a cafe recently. The seven treasures of Dark Garden, seven of the founding branches have their own secret treasures hidden in their main bases. And Oracle was able to get blueprints to all of them. So while most of their forces focus on the legal and illegal auctioneering…" Jack said.

"We'll be targeting their bases and stealing their treasures!" Mona said.

"Yeah. He gets it." Jack said.

"You know, this is going to be netting us a lot of enemies and we already have the police on us." Norman said.

"I know…but it's not just for us and fame, okay, maybe a little for fame, but it's also…for them." Jack said pointing towards the children that were rescued from the farms during the Crusades.

"I see… you want to provide relief for the children." Fox said.

"Yeah. It was rough when it was 15. But now we got hundreds of them from the other farms too. Luckily the older kids are helping the younger ones, but we need more. That's why we're going for those treasures." Jack said.

"Okay…then let's do it." Joker said.

"Good…we move out in 3 hours." Jack said.

In a dark location, a certain figure was loading his quiver with arrows.

"Seems the time has finally come. Dark Garden…" Arthur said as he stood tall. "You will finally be taken down a peg." he chuckled.