Chapter 4! Finally out, after many long weeks of work (and procrastination). I got hit hard with allergies this year, and that impeded stuff a little. Little warning now for anyone who needs it: There's some stuff about mental illness and family loss, I don't know what people have gone through.
Reviewer replies!
ElizabethTheLast: Dragonus has a Marinette-style planner with all of the heroes' patrol times on it. They're not spotting him anytime soon. As for Dylan, he had a sort of snake phase like how other kids have a dinosaur phase, and that's basically how he has it memorized. Fun!
Tigerhawk: YES! OMG YES! Finally someone notices! Yeah, I did base the Dark kwamis off of the Beast Warriors (the bottom six the Predacons, the middle four the Maximals w/ an elephant instead of Rhinox, and the fifth row the G1 Predacons). Glad you like it!
Soundwave: Thanks! Yes, the twins and their family is inspired by WandaVision (with the dad being the name of the Jarvis actor in Agent Carter), and yes, that is Jetstorm's line from Beast Machines (one of the best characters imo)
Chapter Four
Maladea
Late night was normally a time when only the lovers, the students, and the insane would be up and about, going about their business. One could say the five supervillains racing silently across the rooftops would fall into the insane category, but they were of a fourth category. The dedicated.
The five Darks stopped for a quick rest at Trocadero, trying to shake the fatigue from their eyes. They were somewhat weighed down by a few items they were carrying. Most notably, the Dark Box and Dark Spellbook under Dragonus's arms. Skinker in particular shot a glare at Dragonus. "It's the middle of the night, and you wanted to do this now!?" he asked, somewhat upset. "Why not wait until tomorrow morning? Or tomorrow night?"
Dragonus sighed. "Believe me, I wish this wasn't as abrupt as it was," he replied tiredly. "But apparently, the kwami of Betrayal can only be healed during a full moon right at midnight. And we're… Alphaux, crunch some numbers for me."
Alphaux did a few quick calculations in his head. "We've got about seven minutes and thirty-five seconds… no, thirty-four, before midnight, and that climb is… about three minutes of that time," he replied. "So I suggest we get our sorry tails up there and do the ritual before we lose our window of opportunity."
"Couldn't you have just portalled us there?" Crocdown asked, annoyed. Dragonus shook his head. "The spellbook said that the Miraculous could not be exposed to any active superpower before being healed. So we had to go on foot," he explained. Iapallidus snickered. "Or by wings, in your case."
Dragonus turned to his cobra friend and smirked under his mask. "Actually, we can do that," the draconian supervillain said as he gave the Dark Box and spellbook to Alphaux. "The spellbook never said anything about modern conveniences," Dragonus added as his nanobots condensed around him, forming his beastial body.
"Hop on," he said, his voice deepened to a growl. The other four Dark Miraculous wielders effortlessly leapt onto Dragonus's beast mode back, and then the five flew to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the four non-beastial Darks gripping his scales tightly, holding on for dear life. Right when they had gotten to the top of the spire and the other four Darks got off of him, Dragonus changed back to his humanoid form.
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Skinker deadpanned, then he yelped when his twin swatted him. "Better late than never," Iapallidus snapped back. "We could be climbing up the side."
Alphaux glanced up at the night sky, checking the moon's position. "We have less than six minutes," the lupine villain said. "Let's do this." The collective mood turned serious as the five Darks cleared a space at the northernmost corner of the Tower's top level to serve as their healing area. The twins stole a table from inside Gustave Eiffel's office, Alphaux sliced off the guard rails with his claws to provide more unobstructed light, Crocdown kept lookout for any authorities or superheroes.
Dragonus, meanwhile, opened the Dark Box and released all the kwamis within. "You guys all know what you have to do," he began, his voice low. "Be ready." The fifteen kwamis nodded grimly, aware of their duty. They spread out into a circle around the table, a few large gaps between them, where the four kwamis powering the Darks would be.
"About a minute and thirty seconds left!" Alphaux announced. Dragonus acknowledged his friend with a nod. "Get into your places, guys," he said. The other four Darks quickly got into place, Alphaux between Rexx and Dactyyl, Crocdown next to Konng and Scrrug, Iapallidus wedged in the middle of Slashh and Tussk, and Skinker between Araccia and Remmy.
Dragonus placed the bowl, the water, the three samples from animals, and the Dark Spellbook on the table, then he relaxed himself. He could feel the moonlight shining on him, the wind fluttering his wings slightly, the chill of the night sinking into him a little. Dark Dragons have always been adept at a little magic, he had once said. Now was his chance to truly prove it.
"Begin," he commanded. The assembled kwamis took a breath, then began to recite the beginning of the spell in their language. "Kra Bl'off. Kra Mir'adata. Kra El'drade," they chanted, human villains and Dark kwamis alike. Dragonus winced a little at his friends' pronunciation of the words, but he returned his focus to the spell. Gently, he moved Blobbo to the bowl, placing the pink kwami right next to it.
"Iudfwlv dqlplv yhwhuhv yxoqhulexv dxwhp uxuvxv rshv surglwlrqlv ruwxp," he spoke, the spell flowing like a song from his mouth. "Zkdw krsh gr zh kdyh qrz zkloh wkh dxwrerwv vwloo ghihqg lw." Golden gossamer threads flowed from his fingers, then twisted into runes that imprinted themselves on the side of the bowl. Dragonus poured the water from its container right into the bowl, then added the samples from three animals: bat fur, an octopus tentacle, and a komodo dragon scale. Dragonus flicked his claws toward the samples, which then melted into the water, turning it a poisonous green.
"Drink it all, Blobbo," he said softly. "It'll make you feel better." The blobfish kwami did as he was told, first taking a long sip, then drained the bowl. His pink body started to glow green as the potion took effect, the other kwamis and supervillains turning away from the bright glow, Dragonus watching intently. "You are no longer wounded, Blobbo, but at the cost of your original form. Now, you are much more capable to hold the power of Betrayal in you. You are Blobbo no longer. Now, rise, Dennos, kwami of the Dark Miraculous of the Eldritch Chimera!"
Once the light cleared, the kwami that had once been Blobbo yawned, now green-skinned, with bat wings and a komodo dragon tail, tentacles flowing off of the head sort of like hair. His now reddish-brown eyes sparkled as he looked around. Dennos took in the sight of the assembled kwamis before him, and said, "You guys really do care."
The fifteen kwamis with no wielders all squealed and rushed over to Dennos, greeting him warmly and commenting on his new look. The five Dark supervillains all glanced at each other and smiled.
"Dragon Down."
"Back to the Den."
"Submerge."
"Fangs In."
"Crawl in Logs."
The five Darks dropped their transformations, and their kwamis hurried over to Dennos, Vorath in particular quite happy to see his little brother finally healed.
"Blo- I mean, Dennos," Vorath began. "Do you remember everything?" he asked. Dennos nodded. "Of course, Vorath," he replied. "Thank you, all of you, for helping heal me. I know I might look a little different, but it's still me." Howll floated closer to Dennos. "You remember what happened to you?" she asked.
Dennos grimaced a little. "Clearly," he replied. "It… hurt. The pain was incomprehensible, but the worst part is that I was completely and totally aware of my suffering. Of what happened then, and what happened afterward. I can't believe the Order wouldn't heal me, they thought I was a monster…" A tear dropped from his eye. "And then I was locked away, more than I already was. I couldn't feel anything except the pain. And then the fights broke out…" He looked at Remmy and Slashh, who sheepishly turned away and muttered apologies.
"The Order made their choice," Dennos decided. "It's time we made ours. I'm glad to be free. I'm glad to be healed." The chimerical kwami turned to Andrew and bowed his head. "Thank you, Dark Guardian," he said respectfully. Andrew smiled and nodded. "It was my pleasure, Dennos. And I think you'll get to experience what it's like to have a new wielder."
Dennos took a deep breath. "As long as the new wielder is nothing like my previous wielder," he replied. Andrew nodded. "Oh, she won't be. You and her are a bit alike."
Quickly, Andrew and the other four Darks transformed back into their villain forms, Dragonus casting a Dark Miraculous Dragonus from a Drago Charm he had summoned, returning the top level of the Eiffel Tower to normal.
A little later, Andrew opened the Dark Box one last time before he went to bed, looking at the alterations the Box had made to adapt. The formerly pale pink part of the pyramid for Blobbo had changed to a poisonous green, the blobfish insignia to a mixture of octopus and komodo dragon, and the rounded blobfish dangle earrings had turned to green tentacle shaped earrings, the suckers outlined in black.
"Amazing," Andrew breathed. Vorath smiled. "The Box is somewhat intuitive, boss. If there's a change in the kwamis, the Box changes accordingly," he explained. Then Vorath got a faraway look in his eyes. "I had dreamed of this moment for so long," the draconian kwami began. "I had hoped that my wielders would try and help, but none of them were strong enough. Either that, or too selfish. Or too complicit with the Order to try. Andrew, you're my strongest wielder, and I truly am in your debt for helping Blobbo."
"Think of it more as repayment for putting up with me when I was younger," Andrew replied, then chuckled. "Lord knows I was cringy." Vorath chuckled a little. "Well, you were ten at the time. And eleven. And twelve. We all do stupid things in our youth."
The two sat in silence for a moment as Andrew flipped through the Dark Grimoire, which ended when Andrew jabbed his finger at a picture of Blobbo. "The spellbook hasn't updated itself," he muttered in confusion. Vorath shrugged. "I don't exactly remember the last time something like this happened, but I think the grimoire changes after the first transformation of the reborn Miraculous."
"Well, looks like we have something to look forward to," Andrew replied. He closed the book and quickly changed for bed, unaware that the power the spell of rebirth had unleashed that night had been felt by four active kwamis, three in one place, the last in another.
Tikki looked out into the night, her face grim. She turned to her wielder, who was sound asleep and blissfully unaware of what had happened. Tikki was almost jealous; Marinette didn't have to deal with her mistakes coming back to bite her as much. This one, Tikki's monumental mistake, definitely would come back to bite her. She had always known, deep down, that it was a bad idea not to heal Blobbo when he was hurt. At the time, with what his wielder had done, she had convinced herself the Guardians made the right choice, but now that Blobbo was healed, - and by Dragonus - there would definitely be some problems.
Tikki could vaguely recall how Blobbo's power worked. The simplest plan right now is to hope Dragonus can't find anyone to use it, she thought. Because that power could tear everything that Ladybug and Cat Noir stand for apart.
"Nooroo, you seem… fidgety," Gabriel commented when his kwami poked out of his jacket for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Tell me, what's wrong?" he ordered. Nooroo gulped. "Dragonus has done something rarely done before," the butterfly kwami admitted against his will. "He healed a kwami."
"I healed Duusu when I fixed his Miraculous," Gabriel replied, bored. "What does that have anything to do with it?" Gabriel's glare forced more confession out of Nooroo. "The kwami he healed was hurt itself," Nooroo continued. "Not the Miraculous associated with it."
Gabriel glanced out the window of his office. Ever since Dragonus had introduced the other Darks to the city, there were ripe negative emotions in the city, but the Dark Miraculous villains seemed to take a particular pleasure in ganging up on his akumatized and beating them into the dirt. He had ideas of trying to akumatize one of them, but the sheer unpredictability of them and their actions prevented him from acting on it.
"So, another Dark could be… released? With this new, fixed Miraculous?" Gabriel asked. Nooroo nodded. "It's completely inadvisable, though," he added hastily. "Too dangerous; they seem more loyal to each other than anyone else."
Gabriel looked out into the night again. "If I get the chance, I won't pass it up, Nooroo," he vowed. "If I can get one of them… imagine. A warrior who could actually get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous!" Gabriel was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Nooroo turn to the side and mutter under his breath, "You won't stop with just theirs."
The next day, after everyone else had gotten home from school and another akuma attack stopped, Ladybug and Cat Noir landed atop the Eiffel Tower for a quick rest. "Was Plagg acting a little… strange?" Ladybug asked her partner as the two of them leaned on the rails of the Tower. Cat Noir shrugged. "Not really," he replied. "He seemed to be eating a little more cheese than normal, but I thought it was his appetite."
"Tikki was acting a little strange," Ladybug admitted. "Like she knew something, but I didn't press any further. It seemed to be a little stressful to her." Cat Noir stroked his chin. "Maybe we should ask them, just to be sure. I don't want to get surprised if we get jumped by another Dark villain."
"Admit it, this is just an excuse to talk without the masks up," Ladybug teased. Cat Noir smirked playfully. "It doesn't matter if you have the mask or not, Bugaboo. Both faces are purr-fect," he punned. Ladybug giggled a little, then the two transformed back, Tikki and Plagg materializing in front of them.
"Okay, you two," Adrien began as he tossed Plagg a piece of Camembert. "We have a feeling there's something you're not telling us." Marinette gave Tikki a cookie. "If it's a little traumatic, we can talk about it," she said reassuringly. "We just want to make sure you're both okay."
Tikki and Plagg shared a glance, then sighed. "Would you prefer the short or long version?" Plagg asked tiredly. Tikki elbowed him. "I think Dragonus might have healed the kwami of Betrayal and might use his power against us," she said. "It's a dangerous power, and while I hope there isn't anyone he can give it to, we have to be very cautious. The last person to use it nearly caused a war between two allied city-states."
"It can do that?!" Marinette and Adrien asked in disbelief. The kwamis nodded solemnly. "You wouldn't believe how little it can take to turn the best of friends into the worst of enemies," Plagg added. Tikki sighed. "We need to make sure that, if Dragonus was able to find someone to use its power, you could at the very least try to resist it," she said. "The power strikes the weakest points of someone's personality and uses that to make the target betray their allies."
"Looks like we got our work cut out for us," Adrien said. Marinette nodded. "I guess it would be like fighting off an akuma. Just don't let your willpower fail," she replied. Tikki and Plagg shared a look, the same thought running through their heads. Our owners still have their flaws, some unresolved problems. The only thing we can do is hope Dragonus can't find anyone.
That evening, Lila was curled up on the couch in her apartment's living room. Her mother was out for a late work night, - again - so she was at home by herself. Luckily, she wasn't bored. One of her father's favorite movies was playing on the TV, the Italian dub of Karate Kid. The first time she had seen it, she'd been completely captivated and wanted to do everything the Karate Kid himself had done. So Lila enrolled in a martial arts class and quickly advanced through the belts, becoming a black belt only three years or so after she first joined.
Lila kept all of her dad's favorite movies, almost all of them being underdog sports stories, either history based or fiction. When she had asked her father about it, he had simply said, "Not everyone is born with everything in their favor, mi bella. This is proof that hard work and determination can best even the people with everything in their favor. If you want something, work hard towards it with that same determination, and you will always succeed."
She felt the tears pinprick the back of her eyes as she remembered the last thing her father said to her before he got into that car crash and she lost him forever. "I wish you were still here, papa," she said quietly under her breath as the first tears dripped down.
A knock came from the sliding door leading out to the balcony. Lila glanced over, and wiped away her tears when she saw her other favorite person in the city leaning on the glass. Grateful for the distraction, she paused the movie and opened the door for the supervillain.
"I still don't know how you manage to get anywhere without anyone seeing you, let alone here," Lila said as she went to grab some sodas. Dragonus chuckled. "Illusions," he replied simply. "Courtesy of Rena Rouge… and Volpina, I might add." The draconian supervillain stretched and plopped down on the couch right as Lila got back with the sodas, taking off his helmet.
Lila had always been fascinated with Dragonus, even more so than Hawk Moth. She had the slightest hunch that Hawk Moth was Adrien's father, but never acted on that hunch, mostly because she didn't want to be asked how she knew, and also to have Hawk Moth help her to her own ends. But with Dragonus… there was something about him that she really, really liked. It could have been the luminous golden eyes under that visor, the dark brown hair that she had to resist every urge to ruffle playfully, or maybe even the way his suit and scales felt under her hand.
This wasn't the first time Dragonus had shown up at her place. The first time had been a day or two after the latest Heroes' Day battle, when he had seemed down in the dumps and wanted to talk to someone. Lila wasn't sure why it was her, of all people, he came to, but she had gotten some snacks and the two watched a movie together, and Lila could feel the bond beginning to blossom.
He had shown up at her apartment a couple times afterward, and one of them would always end up falling asleep during the movie, the other enjoying the company.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd decided you liked hanging out with your supervillain friends more," Lila said in the middle of the movie. Dragonus smiled and put a gloved hand on hers. "I've been busy, yes, but I wouldn't ever push you aside completely," he replied after he took a swig of his soda. "I try to make time for all my friends, but our little meet-ups, my dark princess, are some of my favorites."
Lila felt the blush creep on her cheeks when Dragonus finished. "I like them, too, you know," she replied. "It's strange, really. There are these two boys I really like, and then there's you. I really like you, too, but there is a bit of a divide between us…" Her cheeks flushed again when Dragonus gave her a small peck on the forehead. "Let's try and bridge that, then," he said, a smile on his face.
"In all honesty, I didn't just come for a movie and some snacks," he continued as he dug a small, triangular box out of a hidden pocket on his suit and handed it to Lila. She ran her hand over the dark wood, the clawed design on the top face of the box glimmering in the low light. "It's a little early for a ring, don't you think?" she joked. Dragonus laughed a little. "Well, they are earrings."
Curious, Lila took the box gingerly in both hands and opened it, and almost dropped it when a green light shone out of it. "What is that?!" she yelped in surprise as the light condensed into the hybrid kwami. Dennos seemed to inspect Lila, quite curious about the teenager in front of him.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," Dennos said politely. "You're quite lucky, you know. You're my first wielder!" he added happily. Lila blinked in confusion. "Wait a minute, are you one of those… oh, what's the word? Magical spirit things? The ones that give superbeings their powers?"
Dennos glanced at Dragonus. "She seems to know a little bit," the kwami commented. Dragonus shrugged. "I never really told her about this stuff; never really found a way to integrate it into a conversation." Lila blinked again. "Can somebody please explain to me what is going on?"
Dennos chuckled. "To answer your question, yes, I am a kwami, a being that gives Miraculous superheroes their powers," he replied. "Simply put on the earrings and say the transformation phrase, and you will have access to the power of betrayal." Lila's eyes widened as she considered the possibilities. "You mean… I could make anyone betray anyone else?" she asked eagerly. Dragonus raised an eyebrow. "Only within reason, and only on opponents with superpowers," he said firmly. "I don't want to hear about any conflict happening because Party A betrayed Person B, if you know what I mean. I need to be able to trust you, Lila."
Lila took a deep breath and sighed. "Fine," she relented as she put on the earrings, now teardrop-shaped and dangling, hiding just behind her sidetails. "How do I transform?" she asked. Dennos beamed. "All you have to say is 'Dennos, Deadlights On!'" he replied.
"Dennos, Deadlights On!" Lila repeated, and Dennos was sucked into the earrings, turning them into a tentacle shape. Tentacles of green energy snaked up and around her body, leaving a poisonous green, scaled bodysuit in their wake. The energy tentacles wrapped around her arms, forming the sleeves and gloves of the suit. Dark green batlike wings extended from her shoulder blades, and a reptilian tail formed from her waist. Her hair turned the same green as her suit, and her large ponytail split into a couple dozen braids, reaching down to her waist. A black visor and silver mouthplate formed over her face, the mouthplate having a silver mouth molded onto itself. Twin daggers with T-shaped handles, barbed and made of a green metal, materialized at her hips.
"This power… it feels amazing!" Lila exclaimed as she examined her suit a little further. While the material had scale detailing, it also seemed to have a tentacle pattern weaving throughout it. There were some black portions on the suit around the abdomen and along the sides of the legs and arms, flowing down to the stiletto boots and gloves, respectively. The toes of the boots and the fingers of the gloves had short black claws on them, and Lila could hear how sharp they were as she swept her hand through the air. "I kinda look like one of those eldritch gods in a Lovecraft story," she commented. Dragonus shrugged. "I needed a powerful combination of animals and those were the first three I came up with."
Lila thought for a second. Lovecraft… Eldritch gods… "Maladea," she decided. Dragonus smirked. "Well, then, Maladea… how's about a little, I want to say, battle with the city's resident superheroes?"
Maladea smirked behind her mask. "I would love that, mio drago," she replied. Dragonus held up a hand. "Before we go, there's some housekeeping to take care of." Quickly, he gave Maladea the adult abilities and the nanobots, then created her clone to keep an eye on things. Dragonus put his helmet back on, and a moment later, the two of them soared over the rooftops of Paris.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Skinker said as he, Alphaux, Crocdown, and Iapallidus watched Dragonus and Maladea from another rooftop. The other three groaned. "Dude, you've said that fifteen times already," Crocdown replied, exasperated. "We get it, and we're not entirely sure about it, either."
"Speak for yourselves," Alphaux said. "I think they look kinda cute together. And if this is the girl Andrew has his heart set on while we're here, I'm all for it." Iapallidus scoffed. "They're not that cute together. Besides, what happened to our 'American bachelors in Europe' schtick? I need some first hand experience so I can write that song."
Skinker snickered. "You're just jealous because your first crush was the lead singer for the Hex Girls," he teased. While not visible under his helmet, Iapallidus turned bright red. "I- I- I never said that!" he spluttered. Alphaux and Crocdown immediately glanced over. "I haven't heard this story," Alphaux said. Crocdown nodded. "Spill, snaky boy!"
"Well, it was while you were in Kentucky with your family," Skinker said as he pointed to Alphaux. "And you were in Louisiana if I recall," he added, pointing at Crocdown. "Either way, Dyl and I were watching that one Scooby Doo movie with the Hex Girls, and I could easily tell he was smitten with the lead singer."
"It was a small crush, I admit!" Iapallidus replied shrilly. "I liked her guitar playing, is all. And her voice. But that was it!" he added, trying to keep his voice low. Alphaux and Crocdown laughed. "So, this was before you and Korrina did that duet, right?" Crocdown asked, failing at keeping his laughter in check. Iapallidus smacked Crocdown with the back of his guitar. "And there's a fresh one if you open that toothy maw of yours again!"
"So, changing topics, the villainous lovebirds are probably headed to go fight the heroic lovebirds," Skinker said, grinning a little. "Who says we go watch and get some new material to tease the boss with later?" he asked. Alphaux glared at him. "First of all, I'm second in command, so I make the decisions for this kind of stuff. Secondly, Crocdown and I didn't interfere when you two fought the heroes. Let's extend the same courtesy to our new friend Maladea."
Crocdown and the twins glanced at each other, then Alphaux. "Who died and made you alpha wolf?" the crocodilian villain asked as he crossed his arms. Skinker snickered again. "We aren't going to fight with them, we're just gonna… observe. Take some notes, tease a dragon and a chimera. Nothing bad, oh fearless leader."
Alphaux sighed. "If I agree to this terrible idea, will you all accept me as second in command?" he asked tiredly. The other three Darks nodded quickly and eagerly. Alphaux's shoulders slumped. "Fine. Let's go," he relented. Crocdown and the twins cheered with joy and started racing after Dragonus and Maladea over the rooftops. Alphaux sighed again. "They're my friends, not target practice. They're my friends, not target practice. They're my friends, not target practice," he repeated as he chased after them.
Marinette flipped through the pages of her diary, trying to find a specific page from a few months prior. Alya had reminded her about a bet that she and the other girls made on what day Marinette and Adrien would get together, and it turned out Rose had been right. Finding the page, Marinette looked over what Rose had requested if she had won. A pink sweatshirt with a gradient unicorn design. After Alya had managed to keep herself from exploding after Marinette and Adrien revealed their relationship, she and Marinette made a plan to give the winner her prize and let the thought processes play out.
Tikki floated over to Marinette, who was looking through her pink fabric selection to find a choice for the sweatshirt. "Which one do you think, Tikki?" she asked. Tikki took a closer look at the fabrics in Marinette's hands, feeling them with her paws. "I would say this one," Tikki advised. "The pinker, the better, wouldn't you agree?"
Marinette nodded and set the other fabrics aside. Luckily enough, the pink Tikki chose was quite a soft fabric, so Rose was definitely going to love it.
Her phone buzzed, and once Marinette opened the breaking news broadcast, Nadja filled the screen, a look of worry on her face. The newscaster seemed to stutter through her introduction, only breaking the stutter when she finally got to the news. "A new supervillain has been spotted working for Dragonus," Nadja said, her voice wavering slightly.
The screen shifted to the front of the Arc de Triomphe, where a long-haired villainess clad in a green bodysuit. "Ladybug, Cat Noir! I am Maladea, your newest opponent and the bringer of your downfall! Meet me here at the Arc within ten minutes, and you will come alone, if you aren't cowards!" she declared, then began laughing evilly.
"Well, time to go to work, Tikki," Marinette said tiredly. Tikki looked at Marinette, slight worry in her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure, Marinette. This new one seems… different. Promise me you'll be careful," she replied. Marinette nodded. "I promise. Tikki, Spots On!" A few moments later, Ladybug swung over the rooftops to the arch.
She met up with Cat Noir right before the two of them made it to the Arc. "Well, m'lady, it looks like we turned up a little early," he said as the two superheroes looked around. "I don't see Maladea anywhere." Ladybug narrowed her eyes as she scanned the shadows. "Tikki warned me that this one seemed different," she said slowly. "And from the looks of it, she's the only one out tonight. Maybe she's a bit more powerful?"
"Or maybe she has a score to settle," a third voice replied as the sound of heels clacked against the ground. The street lights surrounding the Arc blacked out, as well as the lights from the nearby buildings. The two heroes immediately got into a defensive position, weapons twirling. "Show yourself!" Ladybug yelled into the darkness.
The voice, which had to be Maladea, laughed darkly. "Why should I?" she asked condescendingly. "Is it because the poor little bug can't see in the dark? Or maybe it's because you're afraid?"
"We're not scared of you!" Cat Noir yelled back. "If anything, you're scared of us, since you haven't shown yourself. Who's the coward now?!"
Maladea snarled and reached for her earpiece. "Turn the lights back on, Dragonus," she said, then added, "Please." The lights immediately turned back on, temporarily blinding the two heroes. When their vision cleared, Maladea stood a few yards away from them, arms crossed and tapping her foot as if she was bored with them. Her daggers glinted at her sides. "Alright, then, Cat. I've shown myself," she said, barely containing her anger. Quick as lightning, she drew her daggers from her hips and gripped them by the cross of the handle. "Let's find out who's the coward now."
Maladea charged the heroes, sweeping Cat Noir's legs out from under him with her leg and kicking him away, then focused her attacks towards Ladybug. She stabbed at the spotted heroine with her knives, advancing with every thrust and forcing Ladybug to fall back. Ladybug searched for an opening where she could hit Maladea with her yoyo, but the villainess moved too fast and furiously for Ladybug to do anything except defend.
Ladybug glanced over Maladea's shoulder and saw Cat Noir beginning to sneak up on the villainess. A small smirk crossed her lips as she whipped out with the yoyo at Maladea and backflipped away from her. Ladybug could feel Maladea's glare bearing right down on her, anger and resentment rolling off of her like waves, and that focus prevented her from noticing Cat Noir swinging his staff towards her head.
Much to the heroes' surprise, Maladea quickly spun around and crossed her dagger blades, catching the staff strike. Maladea laughed darkly when she saw their expressions. "What, you didn't think I wouldn't hear it whistling through the air?" she asked rhetorically as she threw the staff aside. Quickly throwing her head forward, four of her braids lashed out and wrapped around Cat Noir's limbs, holding him spread-eagle.
Ladybug's jaw dropped, and Maladea laughed again. "I'm just leaving you both speechless now, aren't I?" she quipped, then threw Cat Noir right into Ladybug, leaving them in a compromising position. "Sorry about this, m'lady," Cat Noir said sheepishly. Ladybug tried to keep the blush from making itself apparent. "It's fine, kitty," she replied. "Though could you get off, please? You're a bit heavy."
"Oh, you two are adorable together," Maladea commented as she spun her knives around. "A shame that won't last." Ladybug gritted her teeth a little. "The only thing that isn't going to last long is you working with Dragonus!" she yelled. Cat Noir looked around. "Where is he, anyway?" he asked, confused.
"If you must know," a voice said from behind them. The two heroes whirled around to see Dragonus twirling his sword idly. "I wanted to give Maladea a chance at fighting you two by herself. And she seems to be doing quite well," he added as he leapt over them and landed next to Maladea. The villainess ran a finger across his chestplate. "Oh, stop it, Dragonus," she replied playfully. "It is only the first outing."
Ladybug and Cat Noir blinked in surprise. "Wait, wait. Are you two… dating?" Cat Noir asked in disbelief. Maladea spun a dagger between her fingers. "Maybe, maybe not," she replied coyly. "Things have to be smoothed over a little before our official first date."
Meanwhile, Alphaux, Crocdown, and the twins watched the battle from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, completely out of sight to the four below.
"I told you all this was a bad idea!" Alphaux snapped. Crocdown and the twins shrugged. "I wasn't the one who came up with the idea," Crocdown replied. Iapallidus pointed at his brother. "If you want to yell at anyone, yell at him," the cobra villain said. Skinker swatted his brother. "Hey, I thought it would be fun and I had nothing better to do. Sue me!"
Alphaux rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he replied, clearly exasperated. Skinker snickered. "So, Maladea has that tentacle-hair thing going on. I've seen enough anime to know where that's going," he joked. Iapallidus snorted. "You have not. I would've known, and even if you did see some without me noticing, you'd keep it a secret for all of three seconds."
"Hey, Hissyfit and Boom-Tail," Crocdown snapped at the twins. "Quiet down. I can't hear the battle going on down there." Skinker threw a surprised glance at Crocdown. "You actually want to hear what's going on?" he asked. Crocdown rolled his eyes. "No, but it's better than listening to you two squabble."
Alphaux shushed the others. "I think she's about to use her power on them." Right as he said that, the other three Darks immediately quieted down and looked over to watch, the twins fighting over the best spot.
"I think we've frightened them a little, m'lady," Dragonus said to Maladea, who blushed a little behind her mask. The use of his signature phrase shocked Cat Noir out of his stupor and he whirled his staff around. "No one gets to say "m'lady" except me!" he declared. Ladybug spun up her yoyo again. "Let's take them together, kitty," she said. "I go left, you go right." Cat Noir nodded. "Got it, m'lady."
"There's so much trust between you two," Maladea commented as she gripped her daggers. "Let's see how that translates into a betrayal." Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "Cat Noir and I would never betray each other. We're a team, and nothing will tear that apart!" she yelled. Cat Noir nodded. "Yeah! There's nothing you can do to make us betray each other!"
Maladea tilted her head a little and chuckled, amused with the heroes. "Really? You believe that?" she asked incredulously, lashing out with her hair-tentacles and restraining the two heroes, lifting them into the air. "Let's find out if that's true. Backstab!" She drew the blades of her daggers against each other, then fired a poisonous green beam right at Cat Noir, then one at Ladybug. Maladea released the heroes from her grasp, then stepped back. "I'll let you two work out your relationship situation," she said as she sheathed her daggers at her hips.
Ladybug rushed over to Cat Noir, who seemed to have fallen a little harder than she did. She felt quite strange; she didn't feel like betraying anybody, but there was a dark sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. A kind of dread she'd never truly felt before.
But none of this registered as she helped Cat Noir up. "Thanks, m'lady," he said gratefully. Ladybug glanced into his eyes. Wait… she thought. They look a little greener than usual. Is he…?
Her fears were confirmed a moment later when Cat Noir's face contorted into a snarl and he lashed out, trying to grab her earrings. "I can't believe I even thought you'd be a good superhero!" he yelled angrily. "And you're a terrible Guardian, too!"
Ladybug felt tears well up in her eyes when he said that. She wasn't entirely sure why the insults would hurt as much as they did. It never happened before when her partner was mind-controlled, but now it seemed like every word hit harder than before. Her feeling of betrayal overwhelmed her again, and in that moment of weakness, Cat Noir pounced, leveling a Cataclysm right above her face.
"Once I destroy you, I'll give the Miraculous to Hawk Moth and then leave Paris to be destroyed by him!" he yelled crazily. That declaration shook Ladybug out of her stupor. Maladea's power makes her victims betray the one closest to them and increases the feeling of betrayal in the betrayed one! Of course!
"Cat Noir! Snap out of it!" Ladybug yelled as she struggled in his grip. She heard Maladea click her tongue, almost like she was chiding a child. "He's not going to listen to you, Ladybug," the villainess replied, and Ladybug was sure she could hear the smirk on Maladea's voice. "The only thing he'll listen to is that little voice in his head making him do what he's doing. And here's the thing. My power turns the greatest trust to treachery and the deepest love to undying hate. I'm no expert in your relationship, but there seems to be a little more than just platonic partners…"
Before Maladea could piece together their secret, Cat Noir let out a guttural growl and threw his staff at Maladea and Dragonus, the former letting out an undignified squeak as she ducked, the latter simply stepping to one side, unamused. Cat Noir's distraction gave Ladybug enough time to slip out from under her partner and throw him to the ground, his head banging against the asphalt, knocking him unconscious.
"Sorry, kitty," she said with a wince. Then she turned to face Maladea. "You're going to regret that!" she yelled. Maladea chuckled darkly. "What's the matter, just jealous that I'm more powerful?" the villainess asked condescendingly. "Oh, I know what'll make you feel better! A little… acupuncture." Maladea's hair tentacles lashed out, trying to wrap around Ladybug and restrain her, but the heroine beat the braids back with her yoyo. Maladea shifted the grip on her knives to the t-handle, then she drew them back and lashed with the daggers, string extending from each handle to the blades of each dagger.
Ladybug made a very undignified shriek when the razor sharp blades almost took her head off as they embedded themselves into the Arc behind her. Quickly spinning up a shield, Ladybug deflected the next strike from the dagger whips. Maladea growled, then lashed out with her daggers again, forcing Ladybug to dive out of sight.
Maladea cackled. "Oh, what's the matter, little bug?" she asked condescendingly. "Scared to come out and play? Where are you hiding?" The villainess lashed her dagger whips at a trash can, slicing it to pieces. "No? Not behind the trash can? That's strange, I'd thought you'd like hiding behind the garbage." Her heels clacked as she stalked around, slicing down trees, garbage cans, lampposts, anything they could reach. "You know, dear," Dragonus called out to Maladea. "I would prefer not to get my head sliced off. Last I checked, I wasn't related to any French royalty."
"Don't worry, my king," Maladea replied. "I know where you are!" Unnoticed by both of them, Ladybug, who had managed to sneak behind one of the Arc's legs, fake-gagged herself. Alright, she thought. Cat Noir is still down and out, I can't get backup, and Maladea seems to have a serious grudge against me. None of the other Darks were this violent. She pushed the thought out of her mind. "Lucky Charm!" she cried out, and the energy of her power condensed into a red and black scrunchie that fell into her palm.
Before Ladybug could figure out what to do with it, a dark laugh caught her attention. Maladea flew right in front of the heroine, her wings keeping her aloft as one of her hair tentacles lashed out and wrapped around Ladybug, pinning her arms to her sides. Maladea was still laughing as she flew over the Arc and back to where Cat Noir was unconscious. A dark smirk played under her helmet as she threw Ladybug to the ground.
"Playtime's over, Ladybug!" Maladea declared as she unsheathed one of her knives and switched it to its whip mode. Ladybug sat up and saw the razor sharp dagger rushing right towards her face, nothing to stop it. She screamed…
And abruptly realized she was fine. The blade hadn't gotten to her at all. Still a little disoriented, she looked up and saw a black shape right in front of her. Cat Noir had gotten up. A slight sense of panic overwhelmed her. Did he…?
She looked at the ground again. A small pile of rust was right in front of her partner. Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. Cat Noir turned to her and offered her a hand up. "You and me against the world, Bugaboo," he said warmly. Ladybug took his hand gratefully. "So you're okay?" she asked, concerned. Cat Noir nodded. "Yeah. That clonk to the head broke the spell on me. I'm still gonna have a goose egg when I wake up tomorrow, though."
Ladybug giggled a little and pulled her partner in for a quick kiss before turning to face Maladea. The fury radiating off of the villainess was almost suffocating, and the guttural shout she let out when she lashed out with her hair only added to it. Ladybug immediately knew what to do, taking the scrunchie and pulling it as wide as it would go, catching the ends of the braids. She then let go, tightening the tie and forcing the braids into a large ponytail-style hairdo.
"Cat Noir, grab her!" Ladybug yelled as she gripped the braids. Cat Noir nodded and grabbed onto them, too. The two heroes, using Maladea's hair, threw her into the air and slammed her into the ground behind them. A weak groan from Maladea confirmed that their gambit worked. Ladybug slipped the scrunchie off of the braids, and the two heroes moved cautiously towards the downed supervillain.
"Back off, you two," Dragonus growled from behind them. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned their heads and saw Dragonus advancing slowly towards them, sword twirling in his right hand, claws extended on his left. "You don't have too much time, now do you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as if trying to hear something better. Right when he said that, Cat Noir's ring beeped down to two paw prints and Ladybug's earrings to four spots.
"We're not letting you add another person to your team, Dragonus!" Ladybug yelled, both heroes turning their attention towards him. Dragonus stopped spinning his sword, then, much to the heroes' confusion, sheathed it on his back. He chuckled once. "Cute," Dragonus said, somewhat amused. Then he spread his wings, rose into the air and then swooped down to the heroes, who leapt out of the way.
When Ladybug and Cat Noir reoriented themselves, they saw Dragonus carrying the unconscious Maladea away from the battlefield, bridal style. No one noticed the other four Darks leaping off the Arc and chasing the flying Dark Dragon through the shadows.
"Well… I guess that's it," Ladybug said with a shrug, then half-heartedly cast her Lucky Charm into the air, repairing all damages from the fight. Quickly, the pair rushed off to a hidden alley and transformed back to their civilian selves. They stood in silence for a moment while their kwamis recharged, until Adrien sighed and broke the silence.
"That feeling was terrible," he said. Marinette looked at him quizzically. "What feeling? Was the Miraculous Cure a little off?" she asked. Adrien shook his head. "Maladea's power. It… was like an infection, a parasite. It wasn't like any other time I've been controlled. I was conscious the whole time. I could see what I did. I could see what it did to you."
Marinette pulled him into a hug. "Kitty, don't worry. Maladea's power affected me, too," she replied reassuringly. "It made the betrayal hurt so badly, but I knew that it wasn't you in control. I know you would never, ever, willingly do anything to hurt me, or let me be hurt." Adrien returned the hug. "And that's how it'll always be, little bug."
The two broke apart a moment later, and Marinette's expression turned serious. "This is concerning, though," she said, cupping her chin. "Now there are six Dark Miraculous supervillains running around Paris, and we don't have a clue who they could be." Adrien tilted his head and chuckled. "Well, there is one silver lining to this," he replied. Marinette gave him a confused look. "What?"
"They want our Miraculous," Adrien began, a small smirk on his face. "And, of course, Hawk Moth wants them, too. The Darks seem to like attacking akumatized people. Maybe they'll fight each other into exhaustion and we won't have to deal with them as much." Marinette hummed a moment. "That… could work. Of course, assuming they don't put their differences aside long enough to team up," she added. Adrien shrugged. "I wouldn't think so. They're both too egotistical to admit they need each other's help a second time."
Marinette nodded in acknowledgement. "True." Their phones buzzed, and the two teens quickly checked their notifications. "Gotta go," they both said simultaneously. After one quick kiss, they transformed and parted ways, heading back to their respective homes.
Maladea groaned and rubbed the spot where she had clonked her head on the pavement. The helmet had taken most of the impact, thank goodness, but it still really hurt. It was almost as if she didn't get fully healed by the Miraculous Cure like most akuma victims were.
She was sitting against a chimney, hidden in the shadows and away from prying eyes. Not that there are many people out, but still a good failsafe, she thought. Dragonus leaned on the wall opposite Maladea, looking out at the street, helmet off of his head, revealing that dark brown hair, the golden eyes, the chiseled features. Maladea felt a blooming sensation in her chest. She was definitely in love.
After a moment, Dragonus turned his attention towards her. "You can take your helmet off, if you like," he offered, his tone neutral. Maladea unlatched her helmet cautiously, knowing that, most often, a neutral tone was more dangerous than an angry one. At least when someone was using an angry tone, the target wouldn't be as surprised.
Maladea held her helmet a moment longer, looking at her reflection in the silver and black surface. Under the visor, she had a domino mask, similar to Ladybug's, but green with a tentacle pattern around the rim. Her eyes hadn't changed much, the pupils having slitted just a little, not noticeable at first glance. Her lips were outlined in a dark green lipstick. Maladea put the helmet down by her boots, then walked over to Dragonus.
"You fought quite well," he began, still keeping that neutral tone. "There's no denying it. You held your own against them both at once. A feat I know the other Darks haven't accomplished yet." Maladea was quite confused at this point, but didn't say anything. "You were a bit aggressive with Ladybug, though. That will have to be worked out. I know you have a grudge with her, but such boundless rage could give away your secret identity." Dragonus took a breath. "All in all, I'm proud to make you a member of the team."
"You mean…?" Maladea asked hopefully. Dragonus nodded, a small smile on his face. "Welcome to the Darks, Maladea," he said quietly. Maladea stepped closer to him. "May I?" she asked. Dragonus smirked. "I thought you'd never ask." The two leaned in, lips meeting in the middle, the warmth spreading through both of them as they pulled closer. The first, true kiss of a pair of the city of love's supervillains.
When the two broke apart a few moments later, they heard the sound of slow clapping from behind them. Dragonus and Maladea turned to see the other four Darks, helmets off, domino masks in their respective colors on their faces, smug smirks on their faces as they slowly nodded. "So," Skinker began, the smirk on his face growing. "When's the wedding?" Iapallidus finished for his twin, his smirk just as big.
Maladea and Dragonus turned the same color as Ladybug's suit, trying to glare at the other four. Alphaux's smirk fell. "Just so you know, boss, I told them not to follow you guys," he said. "But… you two are really cute together." Crocdown shrugged. "I didn't expect you two to actually get together today, but I'm not gonna question it," he added. The twins glanced at each other, then nodded. "It's unanimous, I guess," Iapallidus said as he plucked a few notes on his guitar. Skinker slid over to Maladea. "I'm still keeping an eye on you, little lady," he whispered to her. "I'm not a hundred percent sure I can trust you yet."
Maladea rolled her eyes as she elbowed him, then karate chopped Skinker right in the solar plexus. The salamander villain doubled over, squealing, and Iapallidus laughed a little. "Anyone who can get him to shut up that quickly is good in my book," he said with a chuckle. Alphaux checked the time. "C'mon, guys. Let's leave the two lovebirds to reveal to each other. See you around, Rossi." The four Darks put their helmets back on and leapt off over the rooftops, Skinker being supported a little by his brother.
"I guess we should get you home, then," Dragonus said as he put his helmet back on. Maladea blushed a little further when she put her helmet back on. The two of them took to the air, wings flapping in unison as they soared and dipped around each other. Finally, they arrived at Lila's balcony and quickly headed inside.
"Dennos, Deadlights Off," Maladea said, and the green light receded down her body, returning her to her civilian self. "So, um," Lila began nervously. Dragonus took his helmet off again and set it down, looking at her quizzically. Lila took a deep breath. "Alphaux said something about revealing, and… I'm not entirely sure who-"
"Vorath, Dragon Down," Dragonus said, and golden lightning snapped down his form, revealing Andrew Hendrol. Lila caught her breath, and almost immediately stammered out, "A- Andrew? It's you?" Andrew smirked. "Who'd you expect? The mayor?" he asked teasingly. Lila felt the blush rising again. "You've got a good bit of deviousness in you, mio drago," she replied as she laced her hands through his. Andrew smiled affectionately. "Well, there's no deviousness when I smile at you, my dark princess."
Lila pushed herself back up on her toes and kissed her new villainous boyfriend again. The warmth spreading through her could only mean one thing. This was the first time she had really felt true love.
"We've had a stroke of good luck in the past few days, haven't we?" Cat Noir asked Ladybug as they lounged on a rooftop after patrol. Ladybug nodded. "Dragonus and his team have been laying low, Hawk Moth only has sent out a couple of akumas, and," she said, a small smirk playing across her face, "Lila hasn't been bothering us, in our hero or civilian selves."
Cat Noir chuckled. "I won't forget the look on my father's face when Lila showed up at the mansion and essentially quit her deal with my father." Ladybug shot him a glance. "They had an agreement?" she asked, confused. Cat Noir shrugged. "From what I could gather, she 'kept an eye on me' for him and he let her into some photoshoots," he replied. "It's definitely strange."
Ladybug thought for a moment. "This is definitely suspicious," she mused. Cat Noir gave her a confused glance. "I think it's a good thing it's over," he replied. "Besides, that's one less thing for us to deal with." Ladybug sighed. "Guess you're right, kitty. What's done is done." The two sat in silence for a moment before Cat Noir spoke up again.
"The Darks…" he began quietly. Ladybug looked at him. "What about them?" she asked. Cat Noir took a deep breath. "There's six of them now… one of which seems to have the mother of all grudges against us… Maybe we should hand out the other Miraculouses? It could just only be the Fox, Turtle, and Bee, if you like," he finished. Ladybug chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe. I don't know yet, kitty," she replied. "Hawk Moth's still out, and he might not particularly care about them, but we still should be careful." Her yoyo buzzed, and she quickly checked it. "Oh, shoot! I have babysitting in five minutes! Bug out, Cat!" Ladybug quickly swung off towards the bakery.
Cat Noir sighed lovingly. "I'll see you soon, m'lady." After a moment more, he stood and vaulted off over the rooftops to the Agreste mansion.
Good God, waiting for the reactions to Dragadea is going to turn my hair gray. I'm not asking you to like it, I'm just asking for polite and civil stuff. It's my idea, my plan, my story, and it'll end a specific way that might satisfy some people.
So, again, there was some stuff I didn't include... oh well, I had intended for Dragonus to consider Chloe a moment, but the way I wrote her, she'd never accept it, and I think cutting right to the chase makes sense, yes? Eh, let's hope nothing crazy happens.
Speaking of crazy, I'm gonna be taking a break from this storyline (not long, don't worry, just working on an ATLA fic and brainstorming more ideas for the storyline bc I need to). So in the meantime, tell me what you think, thoughts, feelings, leave a review, and as always, stay safe, healthy, and study for finals as they come (cue demonic screeching bc I have a bunch of SOL review and studying to do in the next few weeks.)