Who's Got The Akuma
Chapter 8: "For My Next Trick"
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic
by Bill K.
"Your father is still away on business," Nathalie reported as she ushered Adrien inside the mansion. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Big surprise," Adrien exhaled. "Suppose the Gorilla could drive me to the movies?"
"Master Adrien, we've asked you not to call him that," Nathalie sighed patiently. "And you really should get your homework finished. Remember, you have a shoot at five, so you won't have time later this afternoon."
"Well, class got evacuated before they assigned any homework," Adrien replied triumphantly, "so that won't be an impediment."
"And your project?"
"Done."
The wail of police sirens passed the mansion.
"All right, I get the message," Adrien turned and climbed the stairs. "I'll stay upstairs like a good boy. See you at five."
Nathalie's eyes followed him up as the teen climbed the stairs. Adrien was truly a fine boy and she hated stifling his desires like this. How she wished she could give in to him more. However she valued her position way too much.
Once in his room, Adrien raced to the windows. Looking out onto the city, the teen could see the police cars racing through the streets.
"Looks like something's up at the city government building, Plagg," Adrien said as he opened his shirt and his black Kwami floated out.
"I suppose you're going to stick your nose into it?" Plagg scowled.
"That's kind of why I have these powers, isn't it?" Adrien said.
"Plus Ladybug might be there," taunted the Kwami.
"And there's that," Adrien leered. "Plagg! Claws out!"
Moments later, Cat Noir was leaping from roof to roof, headed toward L'Hotel de Ville. Extending his baton, Cat Noir would vault across intersections and then gracefully land on the next roof. On one such roof, he scattered a flock of pigeons roosting. The youth thought nothing of it, until he sensed something closing in on him from behind. Glancing behind him, Cat Noir saw the flock of pigeons he'd scattered. And they looked angry.
Flying up on his left was Mr. Pigeon, carried by another flock of the birds.
"Oh, not this loser again," Cat Noir sighed.
As the flock of pigeons dived for him, Cat Noir leaped up into the air. He somersaulted at the apex of his leap, then threw his baton at Mr. Pigeon. The metal rod struck him squarely in the center of his forehead. Mr. Pigeon stiffened and fell backwards like a felled tree, landing with a heavy thud on a rooftop below. Bereft of control, the pigeons instantly scattered. A few landed on the roof by the unconscious Mr. Pigeon and looked him over curiously.
"If The Puppeteer is pulling that out of her bag, she's running low on tricks," Cat Noir muttered as he leaped off toward the city government building.
Feeling like she nearly pulled something in her back and hip, Ladybug twisted in mid-air and avoided the spell of The Magician of Misfortune. The spell kept traveling until it hit something, which happened to be the cornice her yo-yo line was attached to. Her anchor gone, Ladybug hit the pavement. She rolled and bounced to her feet, only slightly worse for wear.
"You don't get away that easy!" The Magician snarled, again sounding like a four year old child. Manon was clearly controlling him directly.
The Magician pointed at her again, but Ladybug swung her yo-yo and threw up a trash receptacle between them that took the brunt of his spell. Again he tried to make her disappear, but her yo-yo swung again and threw a newspaper honor box in the way. Three and four and five times The Magician would try to point at her and each time Ladybug would knock or kick an inanimate object between them to take the spell and disappear in a puff of smoke. And each time she would work her way a little closer.
"STAND STILL!" bellowed The Magician. "YOU DON'T PLAY FAIR!"
"Manon, stop this!" Ladybug appealed to her as she tossed up a planter to be sent away. "Your mother misses you! We all miss you! Don't listen to what Hawk Moth tells you! Come back to us!"
"NO! MOMMY WON'T LET ME HAVE DOLLS! MOMMY WON'T LET ME HAVE ANYTHING!" The Magician roared petulantly. He brought his finger up again, but this time the yo-yo swung down and struck him on the wrist of his right hand. "OW!" howled The Magician, falling to his knees in pain. Ladybug landed before him, ready for his surrender, but just as ready for an attack.
Pain kept him from raising his arm, but it didn't keep him from pointing at the pavement beneath Ladybug's feet. The pavement disappeared in a puff of smoke and Ladybug fell through the open hole. Only a last ditch grab of the part of the street that remained kept her from falling into the sewers below.
"YOU HURT ME!" wailed The Magician. "YOU DON'T PLAY FAIR! I'M SUPPOSED TO WIN! BUT YOU NEVER PLAY FAIR!"
"Manon . . ." Ladybug began, trying to pull herself up from the hole.
"I'M NOT MANON! I'M THE PUPPETEER!" The Magician screamed angrily. "AND I'M SUPPOSED TO WIN!"
He pointed his injured, shaking hand at Ladybug, seeking to make her disappear in a puff of smoke. Ladybug couldn't summon enough leverage to pull herself out before The Magician fired. If she dropped down, there was no telling where she'd land, how fast she could get out and what sort of damage The Magician could do in her absence. But she had to do something quickly.
"Move, Ladybug!" a police officer shouted. He'd come up from behind The Magician, grabbed the villain's arm and forced it up. Hoisting herself up, Ladybug scrambled out of the hole.
Springing at The Magician, Ladybug planted a kick directly in his face. The force sent both him and the officer who had saved her sprawling. The Magician scrambled to his feet, only to be felled again by a spinning kick from Ladybug. Once he was down, the Paris police pounced, wrestling his arms behind him and into handcuffs. Wiping her brow, Ladybug gave a sigh of relief. She went over and helped up the gendarme who had grabbed him and saved her.
It was Sabrina's father, Roger Raincomprix.
"Thank you for the help," she told him as she helped the man up.
"After what you did for me?" he smiled. "And my daughter?" Ladybug returned the smile.
"Yes, yes, everything is under control now," Mayor Bourgeois announced, emerging from L'Hotel de Ville. "Take him away," and he imperiously waved off the gendarmes hoisting The Magician to his feet.
"Wait!" Ladybug said, holding up her hand. She walked right up to The Magician. "Manon, please. We want to help you. Tell us where you are."
"You don't want to help me," The Magician said bitterly. "And I don't need your help. I can still beat you." Reluctantly, Ladybug reached up to remove The Magician's hat and remove the akumatizing influence of The Puppeteer.
Her first warning was the puff of smoke rising up from behind him. The Magician lashed out with his right leg, a kick Ladybug narrowly avoided. The police put more effort into holding him, but suddenly there was no sidewalk beneath their feet. Two officers plunged into the sewers below and a third managed to grab on to the remaining sidewalk. The Magician brought his hands around, his handcuffs disintegrated.
His first attempt to point at her was knocked away when she spun and kicked him in the back of the head. His shot went wild and a Peugeot evaporated in a puff of smoke. Her other leg swung around, trying to knock the hat from his head, but he managed to block it. Twisting like few humans could, Ladybug managed to avoid a second blast that took out a four foot round section of the second floor of L'Hotel de Ville. Using her elbow, Ladybug knocked away a third attempt that went wild. A section of the entrance disappeared and Mayor Bourgeois fell into the basement.
One of the gendarmes fired a stun gun. The prongs embedded themselves in The Magician's chest and he began to shake from the electrical discharge, his power firing wildly and making a car and several sections of the street disappear.
Ducking down, Ladybug crouched and then shot between The Magician's legs. Once behind him, she shot up and spun around, swinging her left arm and catching the brim of his top hat. Her momentum ripped the hat from his head. The Magician of Misfortune instantly reverted to Jean Duparc and sank to his knees.
"Jean!" Ladybug said, crouching next to the youth and supporting him with her hands and body. "Do you remember where The Puppeteer is?"
"Remember?" Jean mumbled in confusion.
"Please, Jean! Try to remember something!"
"I don't remember anything," Jean whispered distantly. He looked around at all of the damage in the street. "I'm sorry. It happened again, didn't it?"
Two Paris police gendarmes hauled Jean to his feet.
"I don't remember anything," Jean told Ladybug plaintively. Her shoulders slumped.
"We'll put him in," Lt. Raincomprix offered as Jean was led away, "protective custody - - until this is all settled. We know it's not his fault. The Mayor and the Prosecutor are thankfully pretty understanding about things like this."
"If only I could have gotten him to lead me back to Manon," Ladybug grimaced. "This can't keep going on!"
"I hope you can stop this," Lt. Raincomprix said and Ladybug noticed the haunted look in his eyes. "For everyone's sake."
"Your plan almost worked, Puppeteer," Hawk Moth smiled as he stood over and behind the akumatized child. "Don't lose heart. You still have so many dolls left to choose from." He smiled slyly. "Or I could always get you a doll of Ladybug and Cat Noir, like I first proposed."
"No," The Puppeteer responded resolutely. "I can beat her. I HAVE to beat her. Don't you understand?"
"Of course," Hawk Moth smiled with a predator's grin. "But might I suggest you choose now, before Ladybug and Cat Noir have a chance to rest and regroup?"
"I know," The Puppeteer replied petulantly. Hawk Moth noticed she had two dolls in her hands.
"Antibug? Didn't you already use her?"
"She deserves another chance," the child replied.
Cat Noir was nearing the L'Hotel de Ville, though not fast enough for his tastes. Racing across a roof top, he launched himself into the air as he extended his baton to the street, using it as a vaulting pole. All at once, though, a yo-yo wrapped around the pole and suddenly jerked it out from under him. Lurching forward, Cat Noir plummeted to the street.
Twisting wildly, Cat Noir managed to snag an overhanging street light. He spun once on it to gain control of his momentum, then landed with feline grace on the sidewalk. There was little time to rest, though, as he was forced to narrowly avoid a yo-yo shot that slammed into the sidewalk and kicked up cement dust.
"What's the matter, M'Lady?" Cat Noir asked, turning toward the direction of the yo-yo as he scooped up his fallen baton. "Didn't like that bouquet I got you?"
Then he spotted his foe.
"Oh. Puppeteer got you again, Antibug," Cat Noir said, somersaulting over another thrust of the villain's yo-yo. "We'll have to do something about that."
With inhuman speed, Antibug dived into Cat Noir from above, her foot narrowly missing his jaw. The teen spun to the ground from the effort. Antibug was on him in a heartbeat, lunging for him as she grabbed for his Miraculous ring. Acting quickly, Cat Noir bent up and tried to lock his feet around her neck. But Antibug executed an impossible mid-air somersault over his move and onto the sidewalk behind him. Quickly she rolled to her feet and was spinning her yo-yo in an uncanny impression of Ladybug as he scrambled to his feet.
"I'm more than just a mind-controlled little puppet this time," Antibug smiled devilishly. "Which means I'm more than a match for you now."
"We'll see about that," Cat Noir smiled, rising to the bait.
In rapid fire succession, Antibug whipped her yo-yo at him. Each time Cat Noir deflected it with his baton. Ending the flurry, the pair backed up a step and reassessed each other.
"You don't have a chance," Antibug said, her eyes twinkling from the challenge. "You don't have Ladybug to pull you out of this."
Antibug whipped her yo-yo at him again. Another flurry of strikes came, Cat Noir fending them off each time. Stepping forward increased the momentum and severity of her attack. Cat Noir was forced to give ground until finally he back-flipped up onto a street light and looked down on her.
The yo-yo winding around the street light caused Cat Noir to flinch back. Antibug swung up, seeking to knock him off of his perch. Cat Noir flung himself backward, catching himself on the side of a building with his baton. There was little time to collect himself as the yo-yo impacted with the brick side of the building, sending brick pieces flying and Cat Noir leaping back to the street. Acrobatically Antibug landed eight feet in front of him, her yo-yo in a deadly spin at her side.
Realizing that he'd been fighting a defensive battle, Cat Noir sprang at Antibug. He had the girl in his sights - - and suddenly she wasn't there. Looking back as he tumbled out of the leap, Cat Noir saw Antibug had athletically slid underneath his leap and was already up and launching her yo-yo. Landing and rolling to his feet, Cat Noir was forced to kick the attacking yo-yo away.
"You're breathing hard, Cat Noir," Antibug said, smiling Chloe's evil cheshire smile. "Oh, if only Ladybug was here."
"I wish she was here, too," Cat Noir replied confidently, elongating his baton into a staff. "But not for the reason you think."
Attacking with the staff in an eye-blink, Cat Noir swung to try to knock Antibug off of her feet. Each swing was blocked by her yo-yo and each thrust gracefully avoided. She was too busy to attack, but he wasn't able to touch her with the staff.
"This is taking too long," Cat Noir thought. "I've got to end this before she pulls her ace."
Swinging away from L'Hotel de Ville, Ladybug pondered the two things that were weighing most on her mind: Where was Manon, and how could she dissuade her parents from moving to China? The two problems tugged at each other, giving her mind no peace and no ability to concentrate.
"I wish Cat Noir was around to talk to," she thought as she hooked her yo-yo on a far cornice. "He may be a little full of himself, but I seem to think better when he's around." She thought more. "No. I'm more comfortable when he's around. Like we're Yin and Yang. It's the opposite of how I always feel around Adrien. I wonder what that means."
A figure waving to her from a rooftop caught Ladybug's attention.
"Well if I'd known I could make him appear just by wishing, I'd have wished him up to help with the fight against The Magician of Misfortune," Ladybug smiled to herself.
Swinging over to the roof top, she landed several feet from him. Cat Noir seemed genuinely pleased by her arrival and she steadied herself for the leering line he inevitably greeted her with. When it didn't come, she was momentarily thrown off-balance.
"I just took out The Magician of Misfortune," Ladybug reported. "Have you encountered anyone of our old foes?"
"Not recently," Cat Noir replied. "But I have been digging around and I think I'm on a trail that might lead us to The Puppeteer."
"You are!" Ladybug exclaimed. "That's wonderful!"
"See that building in the distance?" Cat Noir said, pointing to the west. Ladybug squinted as she looked. "I think she might be holed up there."
"Which building?" Ladybug asked, concentrating on the west side of the city.
"That gray stucco to the left of that grove of trees," Cat Noir answered from behind her. "Don't you see it?"
"No," Ladybug said. "Maybe you have better eyesight than I do. Lead me to it."
"It's there," Cat Noir insisted. "Maybe you can see it if you stand up on that ledge."
Following his advice, Ladybug stepped up on the brick ledge surrounding the roof. But she curiously misjudged the position of the ledge. Her foot slipped forward. She lost her balance and pitched off the roof into space.
Acting from instinct, Ladybug shot her yo-yo out and snagged the chimney of the building opposite that one. Her line drew taut and she swung toward the building long before she hit the pavement below. Looking back to see where Cat Noir was, Ladybug got the surprise of her life. Cat Noir was plummeting toward her, his baton elongated into a staff and held behind his head like an ax handle. The hero in black swung the staff at her and only a spinning twist in mid-air allowed her to avoid it. Her yo-yo shot out again and caught a terrace. She swung and then somersaulted to the ground. Turning, she found Cat Noir landing about eight feet from her.
"Is he under The Puppeteer's control?" Ladybug wondered silently. She stared into the cat's eyes of Cat Noir's mask. Then she leaped backward, avoiding an upward slash with the staff.
"You can't avoid me forever, Ladybug!" Cat Noir chuckled.
"No, he's not controlled. That doesn't sound like Manon," Ladybug thought as she dodged another swing. Her yo-yo shot out offensively, but Cat Noir leaped over the strike. "It can't be Princess Fragrance or Simon Says! He's too focused!"
Backing to keep distance between them, Ladybug didn't realize where the curb was. She stumbled and fell backwards, sprawling on the sidewalk. Cat Noir took advantage, leaping at her with staff in one hand and claws extended on the other. And in that moment, Ladybug realized who she was fighting.
"Copycat!" she gasped.
Continued in Chapter 9
