Drabble 27
An Icy Emergency
Part 1: A Damsel in Distress
"Someone should tell Hawkmoth to get some new material," Cat Noir said over his chattering teeth, the ice transformation made his suit more insolated, but even it was at its limit this time. "This is the third ice villain he's done so far."
"Fourth," Ladybug corrected. "You forgot Stormy Weather. And fifth if you include Santa Claws."
"Yeah, but aside from the Christmas theme, he wasn't very icy," Cat replied before he had to dodge to the side to avoid getting hit by a blast.
The most recent villain, calling himself Subzero, seemed to have powers similar to Glaciator's, minus the ice cream. He looked like a cross between Old Man Winter, and a college professor, and used what used to be a pointer for lectures but was now an ice wand. Before he'd gotten the full Akuma makeover, he was a paleontologist who specialized in speculation about the Ice Age and had recently given a lecture on the subject. After a less than stellar performance, he was now determined to prove his theory of survival of the fittest by causing a second one and turning anyone who got in his way into ice cubes.
You know, a typical day in Paris.
Cat spared a worried glance at the statues scattered around the area, seeing the frozen images of the terrified faces of his classmates. His class had come to listen to the lecture, with the only exception of Jack, who claimed he had time traveled to the actual Ice Age once, and therefore had nothing to learn.
Thus far, nothing they did could get close to villain, and not even the ice forms of their costumes were keeping them from getting buried in the snow that was constantly piling up the longer the fight lasted. They couldn't keep this up for much longer.
"Looks like we could use a little luck right now, M'lady," Cat Noir said as he barely dodged getting turned into a popsicle once again by ducking for cover behind a car.
Ladybug nodded in agreement, and threw her yo-yo into the air with a cry of "Lucky Charm!"
She then had to yelp and dodge to the side as an entire massage bed fell from the flash of light created by her power.
"Somehow, I think it'll take more than a massage to get this guy to loosen up," Cat Noir said dubiously, staring at the bed that was now sunk into the snow.
But Ladybug's eyes lit up, and she spoke in an urgent whisper, "No, Cat, it's a sign that we need another Miraculous from the Great Guardian. Can you stall for time while I go get it?"
Cat opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a shout of "Gotcha!" rang out through the winter wonderland.
Both heroes snapped their heads in the voice's direction, but it was too late for Ladybug to dodge, and she and the bed were both enveloped in a block of ice.
"No!" Cat Noir yelled, but it was already too late.
Subzero sneered as he stalked closer. "One down, one to go," he said sinisterly.
Cat Noir shot him a poisonous glare, but thrust his hand into the air with a cry of "Cataclysm!"
The black magic coated his hand, and he reached out to free his lady.
"I wouldn't do that," said Subzero in a singsong voice. "You'll destroy her along with the ice."
Cat tensed at his words and searched the villains face for any sign of a trick, but the villain only showed smug satisfaction.
He couldn't risk it.
With a cry of frustration, he pressed the Cataclysm to the car he'd been hiding behind, turning it to dust.
Subzero grinned at his apparent victory, but before he could do anything more, a glowing purple butterfly appeared in front of his face, and from the one-sided argument Cat could hear, Hawkmoth was not thrilled that Ladybug's Miraculous was now out of reach behind at least a foot of ice.
Taking advantage of the villain's distraction, Cat Noir bolted.
He needed back up, and fast.
After transforming back, Plagg gave him directions to the Great Guardian, Master Fu's home. Even if Ladybug could no longer act upon her Lucky Charm's message, he could still do something about it.
He was honestly surprised to see that Master Fu ran a massage parlor, but that certainly explained the bed Ladybug had conjured up.
When he stepped inside, he saw the kind old man who'd given him his powers give him the gravest look he'd ever seen despite being covered in a pile of blankets to keep himself and his Kwamii warm.
"It seems Ladybug has fallen," he said solemnly.
Adrien shook his head firmly. "Not yet. Subzero can't reach her Miraculous so long as she's in the ice. We haven't lost yet."
"But if she's in the ice, there is no way for her to cleanse the Akuma and reverse the damage," said the little green Kwamii huddled beside Fu.
"Before she was frozen, Ladybug's Lucky Charm said to come here," said Adrien. "She said we could win this with extra help, and I have to try something to free her."
Fu nodded. "The Lucky Charm never fails," he said. "Come."
With that, he pulled himself free of his blanket pile and walked over to an ornate gramophone sitting on a nearby dresser. Pressing a series of buttons, it opened to reveal a beautiful jewelry box with several drawers and sections, each with a different piece of jewelry set inside.
Adrien stared in fascination. In the top section of the box, he could see the Fox and Bee Miraculouses Ladybug had used to gain allies, as well as the spaces where his, Ladybug's and Hawkmoth's Miraculouses should be placed.
Still, he had no idea where to even begin in picking out a new ally. How was he supposed to know which one to choose?
Looking at Master Fu, he said, "I need something that can melt Ladybug's ice without hurting her. Do you have any suggestions?"
Fu tapped his chin thoughtfully, before reaching towards the back of the box to select a circlet with a small red stone in the shape of a coiled dragon.
"The Dragon Miraculous has the most incredible firepower of all the Miraculouses," he said as he placed it into a smaller jewelry box. "Flames that can burn as hot as the sun, or be as gentle as a candle in the dark."
Master Fu handed the box to Adrien. "Do you know who you will entrust it to?" he asked.
That also gave Adrien pause. Most everyone he could trust had been frozen when Subzero blasted his class. Including Chloé, the only person he knew the identity of that Ladybug had trusted a Miraculous to. He didn't even know where to begin in tracking down Rena Rouge or Carapace.
Who was left that he could trust?
The answer dawned on him, and a smile spread across Adrien's face.
"I know just the guy," he said.
A/N A special thanks to Kamen Rider Chrome for letting me ramble and come up with this. I'm sure you all know where this is headed. Originally, I wanted to make it all one chapter, but it was getting far too long. So now, you get a three-parter to look forward too.
