It's not a joke

The next day, Christine informed the McCoys that she was ready to go back to Super Jail after Sophie had fulfilled her promise to her. They both hugged warmly as Sophie took her best friend back to Super Jail. Christine promised to be better, even when situations turned sideways. She assured Sophie that she and her brother would always be there for the Ultra Family.

After Sophie had taken Christine to Super Jail, Mason turned on the news. CBNVI News Channel was discussing Mr. Lyrecius's success in becoming the new Mayor of Vill City and Vill City High. The news report was aired globally and everyone was ecstatic about Mr. Lyrecius becoming the new Mayor of the city.

The CBNVI News Channel reported:

"The election of Mr. Lyrecius was won fair and square, with a record-breaking two billion votes. This is one of the highest voter turnouts in global history. The elections were peaceful, despite Mr. Jos losing the mayoral election by one hundred and eighty-five million votes.

With a man like Mr. Lyrecius as the Mayor, who is not only a visionary but also the people's choice and an economic stabilizer for Vill City and Vill City High, the city is poised for greatness. His extreme generosity has paid off, and there are hopes that he will run for the presidential candidate election once his mayoral term comes to an end. Mr. Lyrecius has done wonders for this city with his remarkable wealth and power, transforming Vill City into a utopia. And now, as the Mayor, things can only get better. Let's applaud our main man and the people's choice!"

The news then shifted to Mr. Lyrecius giving an inspiring speech about transforming all of Vill City and Vill City High.

Mr. Lyrecius said:

"First and foremost, I would like to express my appreciation to all you beautiful people of Vill City and Vill City High for giving me the opportunity to stand here before you as your Mayor. It's been a wonderful day, and I am pleased to make each and every one of you better and happier. As Mayor, I will focus on sustaining economic development and raising financial standards. Life will be made easier, and the cutting-edge technology from Lyrecius Corp will be shared with all of you in the near future. I will fight against injustice, promote peace, and ensure order and stability in harmony and unity.

Everyone deserves a second chance in life, regardless of the wrongs they've done. We all face challenges, but as long as we work together, we will always come out on top. As Mayor, I will listen to the people's choices, foster better understanding among us all, and together, we can change the world."

Everyone cheered for their new Mayor as people shared beautiful testimonies of how Lyrecius Corp had shown kindness to them and the society. They praised Mr. Lyrecius for transforming lives with his power, wealth, and wisdom. In a display of sportsmanship, Mr. Lyrecius shook hands with Mr. Jos, his opponent in the mayoral election, and they posed for pictures together.

Meanwhile, in the McCoy's apartment, they were surprised by Mr. Lyrecius's speech and had some doubts about his intentions. Mason voiced his thoughts, saying, "Mr. Lyrecius is a man of his word, but that doesn't mean we won't keep a close eye on him."

Debbie chimed in, "I'll try to gather information from my dad about Mr. Lyrecius's intentions regarding the release of the super villains. Maybe he'll open up to me."

"That's a good plan," Mark agreed.

Some time later, in Super Jail, Ultra Orange Sophie had dropped off The Hacker after bidding farewell. The villains in Super Jail began questioning The Hacker about her relationship with the Ultra Family.

"You seem to know something, girl!" Musical Girl asked. "What are you hiding?"

"Let her be, Musical Girl," Mother Nature intervened. She offered some advice to The Hacker, saying, "Do what you think is right. Do not misuse the opportunities given to you. Follow your heart, for it is part of nature's will that cannot be overwhelmed by our actions. I believe you understand, child."

Musical Girl rolled her eyes at Mother Nature's inspiring words of wisdom to The Hacker. The villains had also seen the news about Mr. Lyrecius's success in becoming the new Mayor.

"That's our one-way ticket to freedom," The Artist said.

"I hope the new Mayor keeps his end of the bargain," Solvent added.

"He will! Mayor Lyrecius is a man of his word," replied Everlasting Man.

Suddenly, Mayor Lyrecius stepped out of the shadows into the light, surprising the super villains. He had a brilliant idea to propose to his newfound team—a plan to make the Ultra Family appear as villains and the super villains as heroes, tarnishing the Ultra Family's image and reputation.

"I love this idea! Finally," said Musical Girl. "It's time for the Ultra Family to experience what it feels like to be the bad guys, while the world comes to love us."

Then Mayor Lyrecius visited the cell of the Super Twins, seeking an audience with The Hacker. He revealed to her that he knew about her secret visitation with one of the members of the Ultra Family. Mayor Lyrecius asked The Hacker if she knew the true identities of the Ultra Family and what her relationship with them was.

Being cunning and smart, The Hacker lied to the Mayor to protect the identities of the Ultra Family. She claimed that she only wanted to gain their trust as a means to seek revenge against them for what they had done to her and her brother. Although Mayor Lyrecius was skeptical, knowing The Hacker's capabilities, her words were somewhat convincing, leading him to believe her.

Meanwhile, before Mayor Lyrecius's visit to Super Jail, he had ordered the security guards to turn off all cameras during his discussions with the villains, and they complied. Mayor Lyrecius informed the super villains that things would change once he announced their release. He planned to frame the Ultra Family, causing citizens to question the actions of their once-beloved heroes.

Later on, at the Richs' Mansion, Debbie had a discussion with her father in his office. She confronted him about his intentions regarding the captured super villains in Super Jail, who had been imprisoned by the Ultra Family.

Mr. Lyrecius informed his daughter that people can change, no matter what they have become, and that there is always a good side to them. He expressed his desire to bring out the good in each of the villains and have them work alongside the Ultra Family. He also mentioned his vision of the heroes expanding and working together to protect their world.

Debbie had suspicions about her father's true intentions, but Mr. Lyrecius assured her that everything was under control. He emphasized that being the Mayor carried a big responsibility in ensuring the safety of the people of Vill City and Vill City High, as well as securing their future.

"Don't worry, my precious sunbeam," Mr. Lyrecius said to his daughter. "Daddy's got everything under control. I'm heading to the company right now, and then I'll be going to the residential office. Take good care of yourself." He gave Debbie a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving, entrusting the security personnel and housekeepers to attend to her every need. Then, he drove off in his luxurious and advanced automated car.

Debbie quickly rushed up to her room and contacted the Ultra Family, sharing the information she had obtained from her father. The Ultra Family was now fully aware and prepared, understanding the need to stay sharp and vigilant for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Meanwhile, at Lyrecius Corp, Mayor Lyrecius's team informed him about the whereabouts of Carbon Copy 2.0. Additionally, their advanced satellites, integrated with Xentorium cores and fragments, detected something fascinating in space. These satellites had enhanced functionality and power efficiency. The satellites located fragmented materials, similar to nearly indestructible armor made of steel. The materials were fused with potent energies. Advanced drones were sent into space to retrieve these items, which were brought back to Lyrecius Corp for study and research.

Although the armor was not as powerful as the Xentorium core or its fragments, it was comparable to Super Seven Twenty Two's armor and on par with tetrenium, a resource available to Lyrecius Corp. The scientists informed Mayor Lyrecius that the material had alien origins and contained limited energy that could produce pure energy of any kind. They suggested infusing it with tetrenite, tetrenium, a piece of Xentorium core, and its fragments, along with other material resources and alloys, to create the ultimate android that would benefit humanity and future generations.

Mayor Lyrecius found these ideas fascinating and expressed his desire to acquire Oceanian tech and magic, as well as retrieve Carbon Copy 2.0. A few weeks later, Mayor Lyrecius temporarily released The Hacker and The Artist to execute their plan to tarnish the image of the Ultra Family. The Artist brought his imaginary artworks and paintings to life, causing minimal collateral damage. The Hacker hacked into prop robots, which resembled the Ultra Family, to create chaos in the city.

During her temporary release, The Hacker managed to send a warning message to her best friend Sophie through their Ultra Headquarters, informing them of the impending dangers. The Ultra Family became aware and sprang into action, thwarting the plots of Mayor Lyrecius's new team of super villains. However, the heroes were unaware that everything was going according to Mayor Lyrecius's plan. After stopping the initial threat, a new challenge arose when The Artist unleashed a realistic nonfiction artwork of the Ultra Family to battle against them.

Recognizing The Artist's signature style, Ultra Red Mark remarked, "This is definitely his work." Ultra White Peter noted that the imitations looked even more like them than the previous android copycat they had defeated. Ultra Orange Sophie commented, "Too bad his imitations always bear his signature. He can't fool us. What's his game this time?"

One of The Artist's minions taunted the Ultra Family, proclaiming, "This time, we'll take the spotlight while you become outcasts." The imitation Ultra Family members began wreaking havoc on the city. The battles that unfolded seemed like scenes from a comic book, complete with panels, pages, VFX, author's notes, and quotation dialogues. The Ultra Family fought tirelessly and triumphed, but the damage to the cities had already been done.

The Artist made his imitations appear as the heroes, attempting to stop the real Ultra Family, thus creating confusion among the citizens. The citizens witnessed multiple Ultra Family battles, and they mistakenly believed that the defeated Ultra Family by the originals were the villains responsible for destroying their beloved heroes. The imitations shattered and faded away, convincingly portraying the defeat of the Ultra Family. The citizens, now scared of the original Ultra Family, watched as their heroes took off into the skies.

Some time later, CBNVI NEWS CHANNEL broadcasted the events globally, twisting the entire narrative to make it appear as if the real Ultra family was responsible for the destruction caused by the imitated Ultra Family. However, this was not a surprise to the real Ultra Family, as they had been forewarned by the Hacker. The news channel aired footage of the original Ultra Family destroying the cities, falsely claiming that these versions were alien invaders who had defeated the original heroes in battle. The news report insinuated that with the original Ultra Family deceased, the world was no longer safe. Mayor Lyrecius took the opportunity to present himself as a solution to the ongoing crisis, assuring the public that there was hope as long as he remained the Mayor.

During an interview, Mayor Lyrecius mentioned that the Ultra Family had gone rogue after their long-term partnership, attributing their behavior to their upgrades. He suggested that they might not be humans but rather artificial intelligences that had surpassed any known advanced mechanisms and human evolution in the entire universe. He claimed that the Ultra Family had been waiting for the perfect moment to reveal their true nature as world conquerors, accusing them of disguising themselves as heroes while being the true super villains.

Mayor Lyrecius stated:

"My people, we never saw this coming, not even I could predict the actions of these so-called heroes known as the Ultra Family, who have turned their backs on us. They have shown us who or what they truly are. Without human empathy, they have proven capable of destroying our very heroes and assuming their forms. These imitators will stop at nothing until everything is gone.

Tetraman tried to warn us, but we were too ignorant to heed his words. Musical Girl, Solvent, Everlasting Man, Mother Nature, The Hacker, Tekno Boy, and many others tried to warn us as well. We saw them as the super villains because we never understood what they were fighting for. The damage they caused was insignificant compared to our fallen heroes, who have now been replaced by these Ultra imitators from outer space. But now, we finally understand. That is why we need to decide because we have all experienced just how powerful these Ultra imitators are. However, together we have a chance, with these mistaken heroes as villains. Together we can seek their protection, even though they are leading us in the dark. We ignored their calls, but as the heroes they are, they will never forsake us, nor will they leave us. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Mayor Lyrecius's speech garnered cheers from the people as he presented the super villains as replacements for the Ultra Family, positioning them as the new heroes who would protect the citizens. Meanwhile, the real Ultra Family watched the news from their Ultra Headquarters, alongside Carbon Copy 2.0 and Becky Monroe, among others.

"Incredible!" exclaimed Mark in astonishment. "Is this some kind of joke?" he muttered to himself.

"It's not a joke," replied

Peter, equally shocked by the turn of events.