Cat Noir pounced out the school roof, following the chanting to find the villain marching down the road. He leapt down in front, halting the knights.
"The people had their say and they chose Bourgeois over you, D'Argencourt!"
"Thy peoples matter not to me. D'Argencourt was defeated, not Darkblade! En garde!" The pair ran at each other, staff and sword meeting.
Raven redirected some civilians out of danger, her wings flapping hard to find the villain. Listening hard, she heard the sounds of metals clashing. After a minute, she found herself hovering above her one partner in a sword fight with the red and black knight.
"Hawkmoth has a thing for that color scheme for some reason..." She muttered, watching Cat's staff fly off to the road behind him.
"And now kitty needs a hand." Raven dove, disappearing under the bridge just as Cat fell back from its edge. The girl caught her friend, keeping them hidden from sight.
"Hey there, beautiful~ nice to see you here so quick."
"You know what I say about taking a villain on by yourself, Cat."
"Sorry, sorry, angel. No ill intent on my part, just happened to be around when Darkblade appeared."
Raven smiled, placing a little kiss on Cat's cheek.
"As long as you get I just want you to be safe, kitty."
"Of course, my love~" Cat blushed, smiling like a lovestruck schoolgirl.
"Nary a minute to be wasted! City Hall awaits us!" The pair heard Darkblade exclaim above them before marching echoed down the road.
"City hall, huh? He can go ahead, we'll catch up."
"Oh? We'll catch up?"
"Of course- I'll always take time to be with you, mon merle~" Cat purred, moving to nuzzle his nose against Raven's own.
While that would be lovely, it's probably best we don't let that medieval not transform all of Paris."
"You're starting to sound like Ladybug- all serious and stuff."
"Well one of us has to be the serious one when she's not here. And it can be you if you promise no more puns- but that's impawsible."
"Hey!"
"There!"
The heroes made it to City Hall, Darkblade and his growing army outside. Cat chucked his staff like a boomerang, knocking the charging knights away from the door; Raven's hook circling others from doing the same.
"Take them!" Darkblade shouted.
"Guys, do you only know heavy metal?"
"Really, Cat?!"
The pair took out as many knights as they could, but Raven dodged into the sky while Cat got dogpiled.
"Hmm- I've never seen a cat get dogpiled before."
"Well angel, I promise you'll never see it again!" The hero grunted as he threw and hit the piled knights off him.
"That was a nice warm-up!"
"Cat!"
"Part le fer!"
"Uh oh!"
Once again, sword and staff clashed while Raven kept the knights busy. She could hear Marinette inside, helping keep the others safe, but her and Cat needed Ladybug now!
"I hope she knows what she's doing..!" Raven grumbled, hooking a knight and tossing them away.
Marinette prayed Raven and Cat Noir could hold on for a few more minutes, as her and the class finished barricading the doors.
"I hope they haven't gone too medieval on Cat Noir and Raven..." Nino worried as the knights attempted to break down the doors.
"It's time to retreat! Sir, we gotta get out of here!" Marinette turned to the mayor, who nodded.
"This way!" The older man led the way up the stairs, students following frantically.
"I'll catch up with you guys! I'll make sure all the windows are closed first!"
Once the last student vanished, Marinette opened her purse for Tikki to emerge.
"They should be safe now. Tikki- spots on!"
Transformed, Ladybug headed up to an open window, looking out down below for her partners. Just below, Cat Noir was cornered by a handful of knights while Raven fought a bunch a few feet away.
"Back off, you tin cans! Raven- can you toss my staff?!"
"Not if you want it to get batted away into nowhere!"
"Cat Noir, grab on! Raven- hit the sky!" Ladybug called, her yo-yo dropping in front of Cat Noir's face. He grabbed on and Ladybug yanked him up and in the window, Raven following on her wings.
"Sorry, Cat Noir, Raven. I was busy doing damage control inside."
"We were managing just fine on our own, but it's always nice to see you, LB."
"Says the kitty who was surrounded not ten seconds ago." Raven teased, tossing the feline hero his staff. Ladybug smiled at the pair's antics, turning her attention back to the window and the knights... who were climbing up the building.
"Cat Noir! Raven! The knights!" She called, yo-yo-ing herself out the window to play 'knight bowling'. The spotted heroine knocked down a few columns of knights while her partners hit the rest.
"Strike!" Cat Noir cheered as he pulled his team leader back inside.
"Thanks." Ladybug nodded to him as Raven landed beside her.
"Now what's the nut doing?" The noisette asked, her gaze out the window.
"Nut?"
"Yeah- medieval nut."
"I've got my puns, angel's got her nicknames."
Thinking better than to ask, Ladybug followed Raven's gaze to Darkblade... and two catapults.
"Now that's new."
The trio watched the knights clamber into the catapults before being shot at the building.
"Why are they going on the roof?" Cat Noir questioned aloud, as one knight slammed into the stone wall beside their window.
"Well, at least some of them."
"The flag!"
Darkblade himself got launched up to the Parisian flag, cutting it down to replace it with his own. Raven, Ladybug and Cat jumped out the window to the roof.
"The akuma must be in his sword!"
"How are we gonna get a hold of it?"
"By getting close to him!" Ladybug whipped her yo-yo at Darkblade, the device wrapping around his forearm and yanking herself up to him.
"Cat Noir, Raven- don't let him get his banner!"
"Raven's Flight!"
The heroine vanished in the light and her animal counterpart zipped out, flying high straight at Darkblade. Cat Noir tried to knock down the human ladder of knights to stop the banner from going up, but his attempts went in vain as while the knights fell, Cat Noir was grabbed and the banner made it up. Raven dive-bombed the knight and the flag, but a smack of the akumatized weapon sent Raven flying into the building across.
"Raven!"
"Villains! Thou impress me not. By the blade of darkness, I hereby declare all peoples of this kingdom are henceforth mine!" The villain planted the banner in the rooftop flag-spot, causing the sky to become black. "Bow to King Darkblade!"
A black void of energy appeared and began closing in on City Hall, causing civilians to become knights.
"Hahahaha! Soon thou shalt join my army, you venomous insect!"
"Not so fast!" Cat Noir growled, angry at the villain for threatening Ladybug and hitting Raven. He knocked down the knights holding him, brandishing his staff at Darkblade.
"En garde!"
As Cat Noir and Darkblade crossed metals once more, Ladybug defended herself, Raven back and attempting to grab the sword but the knights were jabbing at her when she got too close.
Cat's eyes darted down to the ground as he blocked a strike, seeing the civilians becoming knights thanks to the black void.
"We're about to wind up as knights too! We gotta hurry!"
"Lucky Charm!" A little wind-up toy ladybug appeared.
"Uh, okay..." Ladybug quickly used her Lucky Vision, seeing highlighted parts of the City Hall roof, some edging, and Darkblade's underarm.
"Let's hope Darkblade's ticklish."
Cat, darting back from the fight to catch his breath, saw that Darkblade was pulling the same feint he did before.
"Not this time." He smirked, darting forward.
While they fought, Ladybug wound up the toy, got to where Darkblade is and threw the toy at him- landing it inside the chink in his armor. And as she predicted, the toy began tickling the villain, drawing laughter... And a thrown sword. Raven grabbed it in her claws, zipping over to Ladybug, dropping it in her grasp. Ladybug quickly broke it, deleting the black sky and dark energy. The akuma appeared from the sword.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!"
Throwing the Lucky Charm into the air, its energy reverts everything back to normal. Darkblade turns back into Mr. D'Argencourt. Ladybug and Cat land beside each other, Raven transforming back into her human self.
"Pound it!"
"Uh, Gotta take off, see ya!" Cat suddenly stammered, glancing at his ring. Raven's choker beeped, the girl mimicking the kitty's sudden exit and flew off.
Raven landed in the locker room, eyes darting around for anyone.
"Touch the ground."
Not two seconds after Ella was back, running footsteps drew her attention and Adrien was pushing open the door, his green eyes wide.
"Adrien!"
"Ella! Are you okay? Did anything happen here?"
"No, I hid in a locker. What about you?"
"Storage closet. Not the best smelling, but it did the trick." Ella giggled at the teen, grabbing her bag.
"Did your dad answer? Are you able to go get some ice cream?"
Adrien smiled, pulling out his phone and checking messages.
"Yeah- he just wants me home by 8."
"Alright!"
"May I escort you, m'lady?" Adrien bowed, extending the crook of his elbow to the girl. Ella giggled, her cheeks pink as she slipped her arm around Adrien's.
"Of course you may, my good sir."
The teens ventured to a gelato shop down by the Seine, chatting and giggling the whole way there. The pair split a chocolate mint gelato cup before walking down along the river. At 7:45, Ella accompanied Adrien back home.
"Thanks for today, Ella. I really had fun."
"Thank you, Adrien. I haven't had this much fun with someone in a long time!"
"Adrien."
The teens turned, seeing Nathalie standing in the open doorway.
"Your father wants you inside for dinner."
"Okay. Guess I gotta go."
"It's alright. I'll see you at school!" Before Ella could dart too far away, Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her close. Acting before his brain caught up, Adrien placed a kiss on Ella's cheek.
"See you tomorrow, Ella..." He whispered before running up the steps to his house. Getting to the top, he turned back and saw Ella still standing there, her fingertips gently pressed against the spot his lips touched her skin and a scarlet blush painted on her cheeks.
Adrien followed Nathalie inside, the door echoing shut.
"Adrien." The teen glanced up, his father at the stair landing.
"Father!"
"How was your time with Miss Maunt?" Adrien smiled at his father's question.
"It was great! Ella's so nice and sweet and she's been such a good friend!"
Gabriel nodded at his son's words, mentally adding notes to his collection of information. While the man thought many of the teens his son hung around were not worth the time or bad influences, this child of Paris' most prominent jeweler was proving to be a worthy friend for Adrien.
"Good. She seems to be a good influence on you."
"I think I'm helping her too. Ella's shy and she's opened up lots more since we became friends."
"Well I hope to meet her one day. Now dinner is ready so go eat."
"Are you-"
"No son. I have work to finish."
Gabriel descended the stairs and passed Adrien, entering his office and shutting the door. The teen sighed; what else was new with his father?