More new heroes show up, and I wonder if anyone out there is willing to create some fanart for the heroes. Just keep in mind that a lot of these heroes are inspired by Cornerverse. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Persona series, Lupin the Third, or any other referenced media.

Forty-Eighth Caper: No Biz Like Show Biz, Stonemarket Clock Tower

Ren chuckled at how quickly various businesses were picking up the superhero hype. From restaurants having menu items like the Queen BLT, the Ladyburger, and even the Rena Ratatouille, to the fabulous Miraculous clothing line created by the mysterious designer MDC, which Ren knew was actually Marinette. There was even a Ladybug and Cat Noir anime, though with some liberties taken due to secret identities, such as Cat Noir's "real" identity being a basketball player named Philippe LeBlanc. Though it was curious that the real heroes were getting royalties in their civilian lives. Ren suspected Gabriel had pulled a few strings in that regard.

Speaking of Marinette, Ren made a stop by the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie Patisserie to pick up two brioches, one for him and one for Sumire, and coffee for both of them. Coffee was one of Ren's simplest pleasures and he considered himself a connoisseur. 'If only I had the right teacher I could become quite the barista. It would make an excellent cover for a Phantom Thief.' He walked up the steps of College Francois Dupont, several familiar faces greeting him and welcoming him back. "Hey, Ren!," Alya called out, "I heard all about your landmark case about the death Count Philippe de Monboisont. It's all over my blog."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "How many blogs do you have?" "At least five," Nino replied, "Her Ladyblog is arguably the most popular." Ren chuckled. "By the way, do either of you know where Sumire is?" "She went to the can," Alya replied, "I think Mari's in there with her." "I hope nothing happens," Nino said, "I saw Lila following them." Ren sighed. "So Lila's back." "Yes, from her 'trip to Achu'," Nino said, using air quotes, "Unfortunately with the increase in class sizes it looks like she'll be a permanent part of ours." A generous donation had been made to Francois Dupont by the Joestar estate, allowing for some renovations and expansions. Joseph's only reasoning was, "Even superheroes need education."

Inside the girl's bathroom, Sumire and Marinette were looking at each other with bored expressions as Lila tried to sucker them in with her fancy tall tales. "Are either of you even listening?," Lila asked incredulously. Sumire sighed. "Look Lila, we're going to have to be in the same class for a while, so why not drop the lies and at least make it bearable for us?" Lila scoffed. "I'm only telling people what they want to hear. Isn't that what you do?" Sumire chuckled. "You really think we're the same? Let me spell things out for you... You're nothing like us. Me, Ren, anyone in that class really, has real fame in some manner. Like how Sabrina's father is a police lieutenant."

She placed a hand on Marinette's shoulders. "And how Marinette here has designed for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale, as well as interning for the Agreste brand. Chloe is the mayor's daughter and stands to inherit ownership of Le Grand Paris. Adrien is the heir to Paris's biggest clothing line and a teen model. Then we have Juleka, Ivan, and Rose who each have musical talents and the latter of which is friends with Prince Ali of Achu. Nino is considered Paris's top DJ, and his girlfriend Alya is a budding reporter with five successful blogs. Mylene is a skilled actress. Kim is a champion swimmer. Max is a high-level genius who even created an AI advanced enough to be Akumatized..."

Sumire then stepped right into Lila's face. "And then there's me and Ren. I happen to be an exceptional dancer and gymnast while Ren is a Speedwagon Foundation intern. Both of us have traveled the world, and done many of the things you claim to have done. Well, except saving a non-existent cat from an airport terminal. You are aware that Jagged Stone has had a pet crocodile for at least ten years, right?" Lila had to admit, that was one of her worse lies. She sighed. "Fine, you made your point. Congratulations... You've beaten me at my own game." Sumire scoffed. "You know, Azula was never my favorite Avatar character, but there is one quote of hers that I feel is appropriate here..."

She picked up her bag and walked past Lila to the door. "Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player." Lila sighed as she leaned against the sinks. "You know," Marinette said, "You didn't have to tell such lies to make friends here." "I felt like I did," Lila admitted, "Back in Napoli, I was basically friends with everyone. The whole school wanted to know the girl whose mom worked as a diplomat." She chuckled sadly. "Mom's not even a real ambassador. She's just a secretary. But even that was enough to get my classmates' attention. When I was told we'd be moving to Paris as part of her work, I wanted to transfer here immediately because I had a crush on Adrien Agreste."

"What girl doesn't?," Marinette admitted, "But other than me and Chloe, it's all just a celebrity crush. The two of us are the only girls who know a side of him other than the model in the magazine." Lila nodded, conceding the point. "Anyway, when I learned how many talented kids were here I panicked. Sumire has a point, what chance does the daughter of a minor diplomat have of getting noticed among such teen celebrities? I suddenly felt like I was a normal-sized fish inside a small pond in a garden. I thought telling tall tales was my only chance of standing out. It didn't help that Mom's rarely home due to the importance of her work."

"And briefly working with Hawk Moth to get Ladybug killed?," Marinette asked, still a little raw about that. Lila sighed. "Not my best moment. But I'm way too used to people fawning over me, so when someone tries to lecture me I get defensive... Maybe too much. But the second time I got Akumatized, I realized how terrifying it can be. I just wanted to stay home after that first instance, lay low until people forgot about Volpina. But on Heroes' Day, I suddenly found myself going from being angry at a parade dedicated to Paris's heroes to suddenly being in the streets of Paris in front of Joker and Violet... With no way of knowing how. And that thought terrified me."

"Hey, we've all been there," Marinette said, "Well, except for me and Adrien." Lila laughed. "No wonder you two hooked up. Like it's the two of you against the whole world." 'Not anymore,' Marinette thought. "Anyway, if you really want to be friends with the class, then I know a great way to start. Remember what Sumire said earlier about Rose, Juleka, and Ivan being musicians? Well, they're starting a band with Juleka's brother Luka, and they wanted me to design their outfits." Lila's eyes lit up. "I do have a talent for designing accessories. Maybe I can help?" Marinette smiled at Lila's sincerity. "Definitely."

As it turned out, Lila did know at least one celebrity, being best friends with Rebecca Rossellini and having gotten some design tips from her. With her and Marinette working together, the new band Kitty Section was getting an amazing look that was truly unique. They even started entering a contest set up by music producer Bob Roth. Unfortunately, the contest was a setup designed to steal music and designs from aspiring young artists. Violet was in hiding in Bob's office as he used the editing software. "And here I thought drug dealing was the lowest crime...," she muttered, eyeing the familiar plaque on Bob's wall.

"And he had the City Heritage Plaque for the Stonemarket Clock Tower," Sumire said to Ren. The two of them were with Kitty Section, Marinette, and Lila as they confronted Bob about the plagiarism. Bob was warning them off, but Lila stepped forward. "Well if this unique song and costume set really is an XY original, perhaps he'd be capable of replicating it on live TV?" XY, real named Xavier-Yves Roth, seemed willing to try, but Bob cut him off. "Admittedly XY can't really make his own music, but I'll be sure to have the artists who developed this piece arrange a public contest at a later time. We'll get back to you."

As he led XY away, Ren frowned. "He's trying to buy time." Sumire sent a covert text to Marinette. "We need to take him out today, but he has a private military company on his payroll. Not a large one, but we'd need several heroes to push past them." Marinette considered her options. Luka and Juleka were already heroes, but she felt that the rest of Kitty Section deserved a shot at retribution. In fact, so did Lila, since she put a good amount of work into this as well. Marinette gave a determined nod. "Everyone, I think it's time we show Mister Roth that his actions have consequences." Lila raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"YOU'RE LADYBUG!?," she called out in shock. They were all in Master Fu's massage parlor, and Lila just got the shock of her life. She gave a reserved chuckle. "No wonder you called me out on claiming I was your BFF. You hadn't even heard of me before that day." Meanwhile Fu had gotten the Miraculous Box. "Normally I would advise against using the Miraculouses for the purpose of revenge. But it's clear that if Mister Roth is not stopped now, he will only steal from more people and bring them great suffering. And sometimes dark methods are needed to deal with dark forces. Just be sure not to let such actions consume you." "Of course," Marinette replied.

Fu nodded. "First, Ivan." He handed Ivan a nose ring. "This is the Miraculous of the Ox, which grants the power of Fortification, and the ability of super strength. Rose..." He handed her an anklet. "This is the Miraculous of the Pig, which grants the power of Sensation, and the ability of enhanced smell. And finally, Lila..." He handed her a familiar brooch. "This is the Miraculous of the Butterfly, which gives the power of Transmission. Considering it was previously used by Hawk Moth, I assume I don't have to explain its ability." Lila was confused. "But doesn't it create supervillains?"

"That was only because of Hawk Moth's intent," Fu clarified, "The Akumatization ability simply grants ordinary people special powers based on various factors. In the hands of a benevolent individual, it can create extra heroes to fight alongside the Miraculous Holders." Nooroo appeared when Lila held the brooch. "One of my previous holders, Alan-A-Dale of Robin Hood's Merry Men, made great use of this power to help the people rise up against King John." Lila remembered how upset XY was when his father said he had no talent. "Then it's time that gift was returned to the people."

Bob was already sent the calling card from Joker and Violet. "Bob Roth, we are the Phantom Thieves Joker and Violet. Today we will steal the Stonemarket Clock Tower from your possession." Bob immediately contacted the head of his PMC. "Yes, I want these thieves dealt with as soon as they make their appearance." Up above, Ren and Sumire grinned. "We ready?," Sumire asked. "Definitely," Ren replied, "W Boiled Xtreme, Reign in the Shadow!" "Be The One, Shine your Light!" They quickly transformed into Joker and Violet. "Okay, heroes," Joker said, "Your turn."

Marinette, Luka, and Juleka nodded. "Tikki, Spots On!" "Sass, Scales Slither!" "Roaar, Let's Prowl!" They quickly changed into Ladybug, Viperion, and Tigress. Tigress then turned to the others. "Okay, you guys ready?" Rose nodded. "Okay, me first! Daizzi, Tussle!" Her clothes changed into a pink jumpsuit with small pockets, and while her mask didn't have a snout she did have adorable pig ears. "Okay," Rose said, "From now on I'll be called... Um... Oh, Truffles! You know, cuz pigs love truffles!"

Tigress laughed at her best friend's childish innocence. "Okay, my turn," Ivan said, "Stompp, Stampede!" The dark blue ox-themed super suit resembled a wrestler's outfit. "Now I'm Oxenfree, the gentle giant superhero!" They all turned to Lila. She took a deep breath before exhaling. "Okay, here goes... Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!" Her outfit was different than Hawk Moth's for sure. Instead of a full face mask she only had a papillon mask, her purple outfit resembling a two piece suit, and a derby hat manifested to match the cane weapon standard to the Butterfly Miraculous. "Sweet," Lila said, "Paris might have feared Hawk Moth, but now that Monarch is in town, butterflies will no longer be feared."

"Stupid dad!," XY called out, "I could make my own stuff if I really wanted to! But no, it wouldn't sell to the public! Well Jagged Stone makes all his own music and he's the number one chart topper! It was only because of you that I was able to temporarily dethrone him, Daddy Dearest!" "That's a lot of anger you're harboring," came a young girl's voice. XY whirled around and spotted the costumed girl. "Who are you?" "The name's Monarch," the girl said, "A recently debuted superhero in league with Ladybug. We caught wind of your father's illegal actions. And judging from your emotions, it seems you don't really like what he's doing."

XY nodded. "I could work my own way up the music charts if my stupid old man would just give me a chance." Monarch smiled. "You should know my powers are identical to Hawk Moth, but where he created Villains, I can create Champions." She held out an Akuma. "So what do you say, XY? Want to help us expose your father?" XY considered it, then nodded. "You bet I do!" He held out his hand, and the Akuma flew into his XY pendant necklace. "Then it's time to start the show, Soundwave!," Monarch called out as XY started to glow brightly, "Let the world see your true talent!"

Bob soon found himself running as the heroes dealt with the PMC forces, and easily wiped the floor with them. Soundwave's powers let him boost other people's speed and health using music, as well as emit sonic pulses that could be used for either offense or defense. He could also ride along walls using a special pair of electromagnetic skates. Bob quickly rushed into his office and grabbed the plaque, hoping to run off with it. "Yoink!," came Violet's voice as she snatched the plaque right out of Bob's hands.

Bob soon found himself tied up by Joker. "It's over for you, Bob. The police are going to be very interested as to why we're targeting such a high-profile media producer when he seemingly hasn't done anything. After all, we have a reputation of only stealing from criminals. And I think they'll find both the plagiarism evidence and the private army rather suspect. But hey, that's what you get when you steal culture. And music is culture. Stealing that is an even lower crime than peddling drugs. So think on that." And with that, the two thieves made their escape.

Goro was reading the paper with a front page spread involving Bob Roth's arrest on several charges, chief among them numerous plagiarism lawsuits. "And it seems he's also been targeted by Joker. He seems to be gravitating to Paris for some reason, much like he did San Marino last year." He looked through his files, labeled "potential criminal Stand users". One file was of a woman who looked almost exactly like Emilie Agreste, but the file indicated that her name was Amelie Graham de Vanily. "How long before Joker targets you, I wonder?"

Next time, Amelie arrives with her son Felix, acting a little surprised at her twin sister's mysterious return. Adrien, Ren, and Nino are a little suspicious of Amelie's motives, especially when Ren senses Stand energy emanating from Felix, which is identical to his mother. Together, Joker, Cat Noir, and Carapace decide to investigate the real history of these sisters. Read and review.