MIRACULOUS ALLIANCE

EP 12: FEAST HYPER PART 1

"STAY PEACHY!" The Akuma of the day roared. It was a giant bipedal palm tree monster with a freaky, coconut-shaped and bananas hanging from beneath its chin. It was more derpy then menacing, but it was still causing huge damage with his size and giant banana bombs. Yeah, you read that right.

"I think you should make like your namesake, Bombanana, and split!" Chat said as he used his baton to send a banana bomb that was shot at him flying in the air to explode harmlessly there. "How about we give you the slip?"

"Chat, those jokes were old when my grandparents were young!" Ladybug said as she swung her yo-yo and hit the giant banana tree Akuma in the face, making it stagger. It shook its head and roared before the palm leaves that make up its neck spread out like the neck frills of a frilled lizard. It then shot out several of those leaves like sharp projectiles.

"And all you are doing is pissing him off!" Carapace jumped in front of the leaves, held up his shield and spins it in front of him to deflect the leaves.

"Don't you mean Pisang it off?" Chat laughed. The others groaned.

"Instead of joking, please help us find a weakspot where I can put my stinger in, it has thick skin, you know?" Queen Bee said, whom was flying in the air with her newly earned wings, circling around the Akuma to study it.

"Maybe I can conjure a giant gorilla to scare it, because they eat bananas?" Rena Rouge suggested.

"Actually in real life gorillas don't eat bananas in the wild..." Ladybug pointed out.

"Well, he doesn't know that!" Rena said as she avoided being stomped on by one of the creature's massive legs. Thanks god for her enhanced agility.

"Well, it will be as good a time as any for...Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said as pack of bubblegum, the wrapper red with black dots of course, fell from the sky. The thing is the bubblegum pack was huge. Like really, really huge. "Okay, how am I supposed to use it? I don't think the five of us can chew one this big."

"Hey, you are the crazy genius whom figured out how to disable a giant robot akuma with a rubberband, you tell me!" Queen Bee said as she buzzed around the head of Bombanana, whom snapped at her with his jaws like a baby crocodile trying to snag a fly out of the air.

"Just give me a second to think..." Ladybug said as she stared at the oversized bubble gum pack. As suddenly she felt something pulled over her head. She took it off and found herself pulling of a cap that had actual rotating gears and flickering lightbulbs on them. "What the...what's this?"

"A thinking cap!" a very cheery voice sounded. Ladybug turned around to see Pipistrello. "Hiya, Ladyboobs! I know you wanted some training done with me before taking me on missions but I was in the neighbourhood and so I thought that...I could get myself a cheeseburger, wonder about how piñatas hold the secret to life itself and why anyone would sell seashells by the seashore for fifty cents when you can just pick them up themselves. Then I decided to go hero!"

"Well, maybe we can turn this into a bit of training. It is not a particularly troublesome Akuma, it just has us..." Ladybug say.

"Stumped? Get it? Because it's a tree!" Pipistrello said.

"See, she gets it!" Chat said from a distance as he was avoiding being skewered by more of the razor leaves. "Now if you excuse me, I have to leaf!"

"I think we'll have to foil that Akuma's evil schemes!" Pipistrello added.

"Enough with the puns!" Everyone, even the Akuma, said to them.

"Seriously, you and Chat bring out the worst in each other with those. Now, all I need to think on how to use this bubblegum..." Ladybug said.

"I can help with my power!" Pipistrello says as she raises her hammer in the air.

"Are you sure that is wise at this point?" Ladybug asked.

"I got no idea!" Pipistrello said, saying it loud enough and with a wide enough smile, as if she is saying something to be excited about instead of worry.

"Then why are you smiling?" Carapace asked, feeling a bit afraid of what may happen.

"I have no idea!" Pipistrello repeated in the exact same tone. "RANDOM!"

All of a sudden, in a flash of light a panda appears. Yes, a giant panda. Smaller then Bombanana, but still huge. And its proportions were nothing like normal pandas. It was like a cartoon protagonist panda. "That's a panda!" Bombanana said, flabbergasted.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Pipistrello says. "Hey, that's a good name for a low-IQ or slow superhero. You should get a sidekick. We could call him the Flying F***. I see you don't have one, and I would help you provide with one. Problem is I don't have any Flying F***s to give!"

"This is getting ridiculous. I am just going to take your Miraculouses now, and blow you all to smithereens, starting with this stupid panda here..." Bombanana said as suddenly, the giant monochrome beast threw up some weird fluorescent rainbow-colored liquid over him. "Gah! What is this stuff? Oh, it's in my eyes...Oh god, I got some in my mouth!"

"Can I borrow that gum? Using my rainbow vomit always leaves a bad taste?" the panda asked Ladybug.

"You know what, yes! In fact, when you're done, can I have it back, I am going to need it for my plan." Ladybug said as she handed it over. The panda chewed the huge piece of gum into a wad. "All right, Pipistrello, bat it at the giant plant monster on my mark. Carapace, Rena, aim for the legs. Chat, a Cataclysm once he is open. Queen Bee, you are on butterfly duty."

"Great, I just love working out these babies." Queen Bee said, looking back to admire her fluttering bee wings.

The panda handed the wad to Ladybug. She ignored the feeling of panda spit on her hands. "Strello?"

"I have no idea!" Pipistrello said as she readied herself, like a baseball player ready to score the winning home run. Even if her dialogue didn't match up what was going on.

Ladybut threw it at her, she sent it flying with a smash of her hammer, firing it at the stumbling Bombanana, making the huge chewed up piece of gum splatter all across him! "Gah! That's gross! Not as gross as rainbow vomit but still. You are all going to pay for humiliating me!" the palm tree Akuma wanted to flare his leafy frill, but he couldn't spread them, because they were stuck on him with the gum. "Er...give me a sec." he said as he tried firing his razor-sharp leafs, but he couldn't. He then tried to fire a banana bomb. However, as he fired it, everyone noticed a strand of gum had connected it to its owner, and it snapped back like a rubberband, the banana hitting his owner in the face, as a ticking sound came from the huge fruit. "Oh crud!" The banana exploded in his face as she stumbled.

Rena and Carapace swiped at his legs and then he fell over. "Timber!" both of them yelled as he fell down with a thud!

"You better move, you better dance!" Pipistrello sung. "Let's make a night, you won't remember
I'll be the one, you won't forget!" The Akuma was knocked out, so the heroes approached it to purify him. "I have no id-"

"That joke doesn't even make sense in this context!" Carapace said.

"That's what's called a running gag, silly!" Pipistrello said as he pinched his cheek.

"This piece of his body is discoloured. I wasn't able to see it since he moved around so much but now..." Queen Bee said as she pointed at a piece of the Akuma's bark-like body.

"I'm on it! Cataclysm!" Chat said as his hand was engulfed with his black destructive energy and touched the spot, which rotted away, turned to sawdust and released a butterfly. "All yours, bugaboo!"

"No more evildoing for you, little Akuma!" Ladybug opened her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize." She then caught the butterfly in it. "Gotcha!"

"Akuma was caught, do you want to give it a nickname?" Pipistrello joked.

Ladybug sighed and released the butterfly. "Bye-bye little butterfly! Queen Bee, you know what to do!"

"I'm on it!" Queen Bee said as she flew after the Akuma. She opened up her trompo and spoke into it. "Queen Bee to Laika, I am tracking the butterfly. Keeping communications open for the duration of the chase."

"Understood, Queen Bee." the voice of Sabrina Raincomprix sounded from the other side of the line. "I'll keep track of your movements."

Queen Bee kept following the magical butterfly at a safe distance. Even purified, the Akuma was no ordinary butterfly. It was a magical species, a by-product of the Butterfly Miraculous' powers. Much faster than a normal Butterfly. Explaining how quickly it could cross the distance once it is set upon a person with enough negative emotions. Queen Bee barely noticed the Miraculous Ladybug going on in the background, but she focused on tailing the butterfly.

No human could catch up with a magical butterfly. Before the heroes were always caught up in the sometimes chaotic aftermath of the Akuma attacks or their lives have become so hectic that they were barely able to follow up on previous akumas. But now, with the help of their new friend, some new powers and some smarter tactics, the heroes would make the most of it.

Ladybug only used her wings on occasion. She preferred to fight on the ground and swing around. But Queen Bee she found flying more fun ever since she earned her wings. She would use them more often in combat and in fact was getting adept enough to use them for these chases. Now, she had been trailing the last few butterflies while Ladybug, being the best with people, stays behind the comfort the victim. They hadn't managed to track the butterfly back all the way, but she has been able to keep up with them for several times. "Queen Bee to Laika. Lost the butterfly on the corner where the Avenue Anouck Hautbois and the Rue Benjamin Bollen meet. I have been able to track it for a bit longer this time."

"No worries, Queen Bee. I just marked it on the map." Sabrina said as she held up the digital map of Paris. She put another marker on it. Several markers now adorned it. Several of the red dots were close together. "It is still one step closer to figuring out the location of Hawkmoth's lair."

"All bits help. Thanks for the support Laika. Queen Bee out!" the bug-themed heroine said.

"Laika out." Sabrina replied. "Man, that was so cool."

"Brina? The line wasn't cut yet." Queen Bee said to her friend.

"I'm so sorry about the trouble Ladybug." Mr. Banana said. "I like my job as a mascot, but it is at times hard to keep myself upbeat all this time and my frustrations have been cropping up as of late."

"People are allowed to have bad days, and it is Hawkmoth's fault for taking advantage of that." Ladybug assured him. "You are still everyone's favourite piece of fruit and everyone's favorite mascot despite everything."

"Thank you, Miss Ladybug. I think now this is behind me, I think I'll have less trouble to 'stay peachy'!" Mr. Banana said as he then checked his watch. "Oh dear, look at the time, I have an important dinner and this bit of bad luck has caused me some delay. Bye now!" Mr. Banana then stormed off with more speed than his frame would suggest.

"Well, it isn't the weirdest person whom got akumatized." Rena Rouge said.

"Yeah, that honour goes to Mr. Pigeon. Someone really should look into some therapy for Mr. Ramier. He gets Akumatized every other week." Carapace noted.

"Well, the crisis is resolved for now." Ladybug said as she noticed one dot fading from her earrings. "It is time for us to bug out. I see you later today, Pipistrello. It's not because you helped us handle this crisis now, you are getting out of training."

"Wouldn't dream of missing it, Ladybug!" Pipistrello said. A segment of the ruby heart on her chest started to fade as well. "Well, gotta vamoose! Though it makes me wonder where you find the Vam Moose and how it was able to coin his name as a term..." Pipistrello said as she flew off.

"How much of Jinxx is bleeding into Pipistrello, I wonder?" Rena asked.

"That has nothing to do with the kwami. The Kwami can't influence our personalities. The masks just allow ourselves to show a part of ourselves we tend to hide away. I think deep down Lila just loves to be silly too." Ladybug explained.

"Well it is a healthier outlet then her tall tales, she has come really far. How long before you think we can allow her on the team full time?" Chat asked.

"Hopefully sooner than later. We'll need all the help we can get against Hawkmoth. He is planning something big. It is clear the likes of Bombanana were never expected to succeed. He is trying to keep us on edge. Though I can't rush Pipistrello's process. We can't send the new recruits in danger underprepared." Ladybug answered.

"Luckily we got a leader with a good head on her shoulders." Chat said as he pecked her on the forehead.

Ladybug's yo-yo beeped, and she quickly checked it for messages. "Queen Bee tells me she lost the butterfly but they put another marker on the map. She was able to follow it for longer this time. I guess that is some progress."

"Hey, we'll find that slimeball and bring him in. Don't know how or when, but we will." Chat assured her.

"Maybe so. But we'll prepare for the worst in the meantime. I see you guys tonight?" Ladybug said.

"For sure!" the rest of them said, as they now had to spread out and detransform safely.

As Chat found an alleyway to safely detransform, and would make his way back home as Adrien Agreste. Donning his privacy coat, he could head back into his Uncle Greg's apartment, and he'd be home. It is an odd but pleasant feeling, calling something else but the mansion a home. He walked in through the front door and greeted his godfather: "Hey Uncle Greg. Sorry I'm later, but there was another Akuma attack and I took the long way around to stay clear and...Uncle Greg?"

"What? Oh...hi, sport!" Greg said as he looked up from his phone, which he had apparently been staring at for a while. "I am trying to reach Nathalie for a few days now, we need another get-together but she is not answering my calls."

Adrien thought this through. He hadn't heard of Nathalie since Mayura helped them with Minoscorn. Maybe she was just busy but still..."Perhaps I can try." Adrien said as he took his phone and dialled her number. After a few calls, it cut to voicemail and Adrien hung up. He tried a few more times. "Nothing..." he said. "Should we be worried?"

"Mh..." Greg put his finger to his chin, as if in deep thought. "I know Nattie can take care of herself. But as an old friend, I am worried...I best make a call to a few other people first." Greg said as he grabbed his phone again and dialed a number.

At his house, the Gorilla was cooking up a dinner as he heard his phone go off. He grabbed his phone in one hand as he kept stirring in a pot with his other hand. He grunted inside the phone as he heard Greg's voice. "Hey, Gerard. Now, I am not disturbing you, am I?" the Gorilla grunted again. "Big date tonight? Ok, then I'm not going to take up too much of your time. I'm just wondering, have you seen Nattie as of late? I haven't been able to reach her for a few days." The gorilla makes a few more grunts. "Sick? That's what she said?" The Gorilla grunts some more. "Gabriel said that? Oh well, I'm best going to check up on her. Enjoy your dinner date Geri and thanks for your time. Adrien says 'hi!'." Greg said. The Gorilla grunted and cut the line.

After that, the Gorilla put his brew on a low fire to keep it warm. His doorbell rang as he straightened his tie and let his date in. "Evening, Geri...Oh, that smells good. You are really going to spoil me today, aren't you?" Sebastien Sangré, Lysander's uncle, came in. "I could use a good pick me up after today. But no way I'm going to let being akumatized ruin this." The gorilla grunted and showed him the dinner table, which had had decorated. "The good silverware and flowers? Really, now you're just showing off." Sebastien joked. The Gorilla shrugged and Sebastien sighed. "It's so corny but endearing I guess." The Gorilla grunted again. "Love you too, you big lug."

Back with Greg and Adrien, after hanging up the phone. "Gerard says that Gabe told him Nattie's sick. Now, we best go visit her and bring her some of my home-made chicken soup. Should help her out." Greg said as he grabbed his jacket and grabbed his car keys. "You coming, Triple-A?"

Adrien pulled the hood of his jacket up again. "I'm coming!" Adrien said as he followed his uncle. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut. It was a familiar sense of unease. Sure, Nathalie was sick, but why didn't she call them? She was busy but she had promised to stay in touch, after reconciling a few days ago. Maybe Nathalie was too sick to call? He hoped that she was all right.

Adrien has never been at Nathalie's house before. He knew she had one, but he never had even once visited her there. Mostly perhaps because Gabriel prevented him from interacting with her outside of a professional capacity. Being the Personal Assistant of a huge fashion tycoon like Gabriel Agreste was probably a job that paid well, so Adrien was a bit surprise that the little cottage they arrived at looked so simplistic. Cozy, but simplistic. Greg and Adrien walked up to the door and rang the doorbell several times. Each time they waited for a few minutes. No reaction. "You think she isn't home?"

"Maybe..." Greg said as he then eyed the mailbox. It was stuffed with letters. "She didn't take her mail." he grabbed a few letters from them, which included a few bills. "Nattie would never allow herself to get behind on paperwork and bills, even if she was sick."

Adrien had to agree. Nathalie always had everything prepared to the tiniest detail for Gabriel, no way he could imagine her slacking off or getting sloppy in her personal life. Not that he thought about it, he couldn't remember Nathalie ever having taken a sick day in her life. Nathalie didn't get sick and he felt stupid to only think of it now.

The uneasy feeling from earlier. He also recalled why it felt familiar. It was just like when Mayura was missing. Did that mean something? For some reason it gave him a headache when he tries to think about it. That was kind of worrying, because it had to mean something but he couldn't focus long enough to find out what. Must be the stress and emotions he felt as of late.

He put the feeling aside for now, as he and Greg went around. All the doors were locked but they tried to look through the windows. Adrien even climbed up a few drainpipes to look through the upper floor windows (he told a half truth to his uncle of having experience escaping from his room by climbing out). But no sign of her anywhere. "I can't see her anywhere." Adrien said, worry apparent in his voice.

"I best call the police." Greg said as he grabbed his phone. He waited a few seconds when he found Adrien trembling. "Hey sport, don't panic. It is not your fault."

"People I care about either get hurt or they vanish...just like mom." Adrien said.

Greg felt a stab going through his chest. He felt Adrien's pain. "Listen, they'll find her. They have to. Nattie's a fighter, so wherever she is, she'll be fine. She will come back to us." He put an arm around his godson. "Remember what Doctor De la Mer said. The bad things happening is not because of you. It is not because you don't deserve happiness, because you do deserve it, more than anyone. The fault is at the hands on whomever was dumb enough to mess with our family."

He felt his inner Chat boiling up. The urge to claw the person responsible's eyes out and a cataclysm to their balls for good measure. He then remembered that he and his friends were superheroes. He needed to talk to his friends. Between Sabrina's support, Alya's blog and five (maybe soon six) heroes patrolling, it would help a lot. No way the one responsible is getting away with this. That person better watches his or her back.

Hawkmoth tried to ignore that strange shudder down his spine as he focused on the glasses with the Amok he was still holding in his hands. The Amok was intact so he was able to recreate Feast exactly as it was. "I wish I could make a change to the Sentimonster's look the normal way. A giant frog is not something I would have picked."

"You were not the one whose feelings were tied to the original Amok so of course you have limited control in how you can shape or guide it, you stupid bugger!" Duusu moodily snapped.

"You better only speak when spoken to, you defective kwami!" Hawkmoth snapped. "Now...Let the experiment begin." Hawkmoth opened his hand and one of the white butterflies came flying in, ready to be infused with his dark energy.

"I am not sure if this is a good idea. You can't know how powerful it is, you may not be able to fully control it..." Duusu begged.

"Silence! I am not losing control! Never again. Too many things have spiralled out of control and a giant frog monster is not going to be one of them." Hawkmoth said. "I order you to be silent unless I specifically ask you to speak, understood?" Duusu sighed, hung his head and nodded. "Excellent. Now...fly, little Akuma and evilize this beast!" he said as the Akuma flew into the glasses of the Amok.

A purple butterfly mask appeared over the face of the giant frog creature. "Feast Hyper, you are powered by my desire for victory. You will be given even more power than before. You will do anything to win. You will do anything to obtain the Miraculouses. You will obtain them all!"

The frog creature opened its maws to speak its first world: "MIRACULOUS!" before it was engulfed in a burst of black and purple oily energy.

Nathalie was curled up in her cell hugging her legs. They would come for her. That is what she keeps telling herself. Her disappearance would be noticed. The heroes or the police, it didn't matter, she would be found. She had to keep telling herself that, or she would snap. She doesn't know how long she has been trapped inside this cell by the madman. But she would not give in. She would keep strong. She had to be...Because when this was all over, there would be a lot of people depending on her. Greg, Emilie...Adrien. She could not bend, she could not break.

It was then that her head started to hurt like hell. Like her brain was on fire. A holographic butterfly mask appeared over her eyes, but it flickered. How can that be, she didn't attract a butterfly. Wait...She sees visions. Of her Sentimentel Feast, of Hawkmoth. How can this be? Is he trying to Akumatize her Sentimentel? Could that even be done? It still hurt, like someone was trying to rip out a part of her body. The Amok...it is still tied to her to a degree. What would it do to her if he succeeded? How much would she be influenced? But she would not obey him. Greg didn't when he was Akumatized.

Would it even work the same? But this may be a chance, an opportunity. She wasn't found yet, but maybe, just maybe...she could use this. She could work with this? It was the only chance she got at the moment. Even if it failed, she'll make sure that a lot of attention is drawn, which she'll need. So Nathalie let out a defeated sigh...and embraced the pain.

TO BE CONTINUED

ARTIST'S COMMENTS

After going through the sheer terror of the past few days, I've finally recovered enough to finish up a chapter. My father has been hospitalized. Cancer...doesn't have long. I have been out of it for a few days. But I am encouraged to keep doing the stuff I like, to not lose myself.

The return of Pipistrello! You all have been waiting for this one. And honestly, so was I.

Second, we see how Sabrina is coordinating with the heroes.

Nathalie's dissapearance is noticed and people will start to take action.

I revealed Mr. banana's identity in my universe as Lysander's uncle. And he is the boyfriend of the Gorilla.

Finally, Hawkmoth is experimenting with Akumatizing the Sentimentel/sentimonster and it may not turn out the way he wanted.

Anyhow, hope you guys enjoy. Don't forget to fav and comment.