"So you've found me," the akuma sneered, "but it won't matter. As you can see, I have the advantage – at least I know how to throw my own weight around!"

"You might control weight," Ladybug landed down on the bare beside her, "but you sure don't know how to control your pride."

"So," Chat Noir called from below, "are we forgetting the whole sneak attack part, monsieur?"

"Weight? You think I control weight?" The akuma chuckled and held her staffs closer together. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Hang on, I'll be up in a second!" Chat grabbed her baton and, stretching it out, ran forward. Digging the end into the ground she felt the baton bend in her claws and launch her upwards. "Here I come…uh, wait, wait, wait!"

Ladybug watched as Chat flew up – and right over the bar. Desperately he whipped his yo-yo out and grabbed her by the waist, swinging her back up to his side. "What happened?"

"I flew too high, like I'd lost…a few pounds…," they shared a confused glance before facing the akuma, "just who are you?"

"The name is Switcheroo," the akuma answered with great pride, "and as you can see, the city is under my control."

Ladybug looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Even the advertisement for the new Monsieur Liam painting at the museum where Alex's father was untouched. "You're trying to psyche us out. Why?"

"Typical male – of course, once you get the power, you don't bother to look outside the box."

Uh, what?

"Someone has a grudge against a boy, I think," Chat Noir nudged him, "and HawkMoth took the chance to give her the power to take her anger out on all of them."

"But no one is in any sort of danger yet, except for us."

…Unless…Tikki…was she telling the truth?

Ladybug examined the two staffs Switcheroo held. "…One for male, and one for female…you don't control weight! You…you control gender!"

"…Care to elaborate, monsieur?"

"Chat Noir, this is going to sound insane, but she's actually switched us around. I'm supposed to be a leading lady, and you're supposed to be…"

"…I'm supposed to be a boy," Chat murmured, remembering Plagg's unusual behaviour, "but…what kind of lame power is that? So what if we've a little off," she turned to Switcheroo, "if it means that we still have the advantage in combat!"

She charged the akuma, but before her claws could connect, Switcheroo swung down at her, knocking her aside with her staffs. "I can still fight, you idiot!"

Ladybug whipped the yo-yo out and wrapped it around the male symbol. "Listen to me, Switcheroo! Whatever HawkMoth told you, she's just using you to wreak havoc on Paris. This isn't the way to solve your problem."

"Don't talk to me like you don't understand!"

"But I don't understand!"

"But you did!"

What's she going on about?

Switcheroo held tightly to the staff the yo-yo was wrapped around and, tossing the other one above her head, yanked hard on it. Ladybug fell onto his stomach on the beam, letting the yo-yo go. As Chat Noir jumped back up to help Switcheroo tossed the yo-yo aside and caught her other staff. "You don't get it yet. The world is fair now!"

"Fair?" Chat scoffed. "What's so fair about you erasing our memories and changing our genders?"

"Now you boys will know how we girls feel?"

"?" Chat and Ladybug exchanged a glance of great confusion. "Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"All my life, as the youngest and only girl in a family of five siblings," Switcheroo clenched her fists, "I grew up thinking, no, knowing that I was going to have to work harder for less. 'You're just a girl', they'd say, 'just do what you can', 'don't reach higher', 'don't bite off more than you can chew'! Well no more! Starting today, every boy will have to live as a girl, live as the ones under the glass floor!"

…Glass floor?

"This isn't how to accomplish your goals," Ladybug kept his voice relaxed in an attempt to reason with her, "all you've done is switched roles. We don't remember anything about being the opposite gender. Nothing is going to change!"

"No! Now we have the power!"

"Um, no offense but, for your information," Chat shrugged, "if you wanted to make things better, why didn't you just make everyone a girl? Seems to me that way there wouldn't be any boys to take over…and not all boys are the same!"

"Enough!" Switcheroo banged the staffs together, sharp edges forming at the ends. "I'm going to make sure that girls stay in power! Paris is just the beginning – the President, Prime Minister, every Mayor and political leader that's a man will now show the world that women are in control!"

She jumped up, climbing the tower. "I'll grab my yo-yo," Ladybug leapt down to the ground below, "don't lose her, Chat Noir!"

"On it…should I be calling you m'lady, then?"

"Just go!"

Chat Noir nodded and scrambled up the beams, keeping her eyes on Switcheroo until they were nearing the top. The akuma stood on a small flat part of the tower, overlooking nearly the entire district. Chat crawled up beside them and tried to swipe the staffs away, but the spear ends kept her at a distance.

"You're a fool," Switcheroo smirked, "I'll still need boys around. Someone has to pay."

"But I thought you wanted to help other girls? Are you saying that you're okay with turning them into boys and punishing them?"

"To show the world that I mean business, then…yes."

"Man-er, woman, you are out of your mind!" Chat ducked under the spears and shoved Switcheroo back. Ladybug swung up and stumbled over to them. "You do know that HawkMoth is a man, right? Don't you feel bad about being controlled by him?"

"First of all, he's a she now."

"Ugh," Chat shivered, "I wonder how he-uh, she felt about that."

"Doesn't matter. I let her keep her memories, so we can work together, as partners."

"You don't understand the chaos you're going to cause."

"It isn't chaos if I control everything."

"Nothing's going to change this way!"

"Oh, but it will!" Switcheroo quickly evaded them and climbed to the highest point of the tower above. She stuck her two staff into each side of the tip, cackling. "Just you wait and see!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I told you, Paris was just the beginning," Switcheroo jeered, "now, once the light this these staffs – in about five minutes, to be exact – everyone around the world will be switched, and I will have won the war!"

I could really go for a cookie right about now...

Sorry this chapter was a bit late, I was out for the weekend and couldn't get back until late afternoon. Anyway, now we've got the lucky duo fighting against the clock before the entire world is switched around!

Until the next chapter!