Chapter 15: Cat and Moth
Mayura was headed to the front door to make her escape when a white figure leaped down from the stairs and landed in front of her.
"Adrien?" she asked in surprise.
"Not Adrien, Chat Blanc," said her opponent.
"So, you recognize him instantly in this form. You must be Ladybug. I see you have stolen my Peacock Miraculous and tried it on."
Mayura turned and saw Hawk Moth on the stairs. He leaped down to confront her. She turned so she could keep an eye on him and Chat Blanc.
"You stole it first," said Mayura.
"Give it back, along with your own Miraculous, Ladybug," said Hawk Moth.
"Ladybug?" asked Chat Blanc.
"I know who you are – Gabriel Agreste!" said Mayura.
"It's too late for that knowledge to do you any good."
"I also know that your son is a sentimonster, and that I can make him vanish just by willing it. You have to let me go."
"That would be a good threat, but I sense you lack the resolve to carry it out. I already plan to replace Adrien when I get my wish. I call your bluff."
"I... I can't do it."
"Then surrender, or die. Chat Blanc, prepare a destructive beam that will kill her without destroying any jewelry she has, or the grimoire she is carrying."
Chat Blanc's hands began to glow.
"Adrien, I know you're in there somewhere. I know you love me. Don't listen to him!"
Chat Blanc seemed to be in a torment of divided loyalties. The glowing field spread from his hands and grew all around him.
"I... I..." said Chat Blanc.
Hawk Moth said, "I am your father. All I want is to bring your mother back. I'll prove it to you. Dark wings, fall!"
"Nooo..." moaned Chat Blanc. His aura of destruction got worse.
Gabriel had a silver ring on his left hand, which was not there when he was Hawk Moth. He pointed it at Chat Blanc. "You must obey me!"
"Who will win?" thought Mayura. "His father, who has half his control object, or me? Or will he break down, and cause who knows how much destruction?"
"You don't have to choose. I surrender," said Mayura quickly.
Chat's aura of destruction shrank as he calmed down.
"Good. I prefer you alive, for now. Go back into the atelier," ordered Gabriel.
Mayura obeyed, backing up as the two followed her.
"Take off the Peacock Miraculous and put it back in the safe. Also put back the book."
Marinette took off the pin and detransformed. She put it and the book back in the safe.
"So, I see your face at long last, Ladybug. I know you. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of my son's classmates."
"Yes," said Marinette. "But I'm not Ladybug."
"Not anymore," said Gabriel. "Take off your earrings."
"I'm not wearing any," said Marinette, showing her ears.
"I see... you've hidden them. I'll get their location from you soon enough. But you must have used magic to get into this place and to break my elevator. I see one more item of jewelry you're wearing. Your choker necklace. Take it off and let me see if it transforms from its camouflaged state."
Marinette reluctantly complied. Longg was probably done eating by now and she could transform again to escape. But she couldn't take the risk.
"Yes, I recognize it from my book. The Dragon Miraculous, a bonus," said Gabriel. "Put it into the safe as well. I'll check out its powers later."
Marinette did that.
"You haven't won," said Marinette. "The two Miraculous that you need for your wish are still not in your hands. I don't know where they are. New holders will be chosen and the fight will go on, no matter what happens to me."
"You know something about the person who has them. I'm glad I didn't kill you. I'll get everything I can from you first about the person who gave you the Ladybug and the Dragon Miraculous, and my son the Cat."
Marinette felt something tickling the fingers of her right hand. The tiny sentimonster she had created, shaped like a ladybug but more intelligent, strong, and dexterous, had carried out its assigned task. It had pulled the pin from under Gabriel's tie and brought it to her, without being noticed. (The amok object was a small piece of paper, torn from the corner of a page in the grimoire and concealed in her hair.)
She pushed the pin into her shirt and said, "Nooroo, Bright Wings Rise!"
"No!" shouted Gabriel. "How did you...!? Chat Blanc –"
Instantly empowered as Papillon, she sensed a connection to the akuma empowering Chat Blanc. She couldn't tell what was his object, but it felt like she now had the power to dismiss the akuma, just as she would have been able to dismiss the amok as Mayura.
"Akuma, I release you!"
The purple butterfly appeared from Adrien's ring (a substitute he had started wearing). The magic came out of the butterfly, leaving it white again.
"Bye bye, little butterfly," thought Papillon. "I'm glad I didn't have to catch you."
"I remember everything!" shouted Adrien to Gabriel. "You monster!"
Adrien tackled his father to the ground. Papillon grabbed him with superior strength, stuffed his white tie with red stripes into his mouth to prevent him giving orders, and pulled the ring from his finger.
"Adrien, take this ring," said Papillon. "This gives you control over your own will, at least half. I'm pretty sure I know where the other ring is."
They tied up Gabriel with strips of cloth torn from the fabric stored in the atelier, and called the police.
Officer Roger Raincomprix was on his way.