Chapter 7: New Pair

"Free like the air, right like justice, infinite like imagination! I'm Scarabella!"

The new Ladybug was on patrol, monitoring the streets leading to the Place des Vosges where the helicopter was waiting for Marinette, looking for an approaching akuma.

"I don't trust that Hawk Moth really quit. It could have been a trick," said Scarabella to herself. "If Hawk Moth is gonna try to catch Marinette before she leaves, this is his last chance."

She returned to the park after patrolling the neighborhood, just in time to see the blue akumatized Marinette getting into a helicopter with a couple of people and taking off. Marinette had carry-on luggage with a strap looped over her left arm, all turned blue: probably her akumatized object.

"I was right!" said Scarabella. "I just didn't think he would akumatize Marinette herself."

She opened her yo-yo phone, finding an entry with a green paw-print on a black circle.

"Come on, Chat Noir, pick up!"

There was no answer.

She ended up leaving a message. "Chat, this is Scarabella, Ladybug's replacement. Marinette has been akumatized. She's taken two hostages and she's flying low in a helicopter from the Place des Vosges in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. I'll give you updates when I can. We'll save her together!"

Scarabella struck a heroic pose, then followed the copter using her yo-yo, swinging from building to building.

Cerulean and her mind-controlled victims had just pressed the button for the elevator on the roof of the Grand Paris hotel when the akumatized villain noticed a red-costumed figure swinging their way.

"It's the new Ladybug," said Cerulean. "She'll try to stop us. I'll get her under my control while you go down and get Chloé. Then we'll take Chloé away in the helicopter and we can kill her anywhere along the way to the airport. That way we're not leaving her behind."

"Whatever you say, Cerulean," said Audrey Bourgeois and the copter pilot in unison.

"If I was going down with you, I could just make her obey to come with us. Do you have anything to restrain her?"

"I have a roll of duct tape in the helicopter tool kit," said the pilot.

"Good, take that and use it if you need it."

"Whatever you say, Cerulean."

Scarabella landed on a building next to the hotel. She used her yo-yo as a video camera with a zoom lens and looked the situation over.

It looked like the people with the akuma villain were obeying her willingly. There might be mind control involved. She had to be careful.

A tall figure dressed in black leather landed beside her with a "Yo!"

"Hey, you don't look like Chat Noir!"

"I'm his replacement. He quit."

"I'm the replacement for Ladybug. What name are you going by? Is it still Chat Noir?"

"I'm calling myself Catman!"

"That's a terrible name! It's too much like that comic-book Knightowl knock-off."

"I think Batman was first."

"No, Knightowl and Sparrow have been around for ages. They're immortal."

"Well, I still think Catman is a cool name and I'm sticking with it. What's your name?"

"I'm Scarabella."

"And you're telling me I have a bad name? You don't look scary at all!"

"It's 'scarab' plus 'ella'. Scarab like the beetle, 'ella' for female."

"Weird."

"Did you get my message about the akuma? She's over there, on the top of the hotel."

"Yeah. Marinette, huh? I'm gonna vault over there and stop her."

"Wait, we need a plan. She may have mind-"

Catman was already gone. Scarabella needed an edge, just in case.

"Lucky Charm!"

She got a pair of sound-cancelling headphones, red with black spots of course.

She put them on before swinging over to the hotel.

Nooroo almost finished eating when the two visitors entered Chloé's apartment.

"We're here for you, Cherie," said Audrey.

Chloé said, "It's about time. Let me call Jean Pierre to pack my things."

"We can't wait," said Audrey.

You won't need any things where you're going," said the pilot.

"What's going on?" demanded Chloé.

Instead of answering, the two grabbed her.

When Audrey and the pilot came out of the elevator with Chloé, they found that Cerulean had put Catman under her command. They were both fighting Scarabella, who was on the defensive.

Chloé gave a loud moan. She was gagged with strips of tape and her hands were bound behind her back.

"Be quiet, Chloé." ordered Cerulean.

Chloé became quiet, but glared at her.

Scarabella shot her yo-yo, trying to pull Chloé away from them. Cerulean batted it out of the way.

"Attack Scarabella, Catman!" ordered Cerulean. "Use your power!"

"What's that word that lets me destroy things?" asked Catman. "Oh yeah. Catechism! Hey, it didn't work!"

"Say Cataclysm, you fool!" said Cerulean.

"Cataclysm, you fool!" said Catman. "That's better!"

He leaped at Scarabella, black-glowing right hand extended.

Scarabella couldn't summon a shield because she had already used the Lucky Charm. Instead, she snagged a pool deck chair with her yo-yo and pulled it into his way.

Catman pushed it away with his left hand. Even he knew better than to waste his attack. Fortunately, he was relatively inexperienced and clumsy compared to the original Chat.

Scarabella leaped away onto the roof of the elevator housing, just avoiding the deadly hand. She stood panting.

"You might beat that cat oaf, but you can't beat me!" said Cerulean. "I have reflexes and strategic skills from dozens of akuma battles!"

Even though Scarabella couldn't hear because of the headphones, she could read lips well enough to get the idea. Cerulean was right. To win she would have to think outside the box.

Scarabella gripped the yo-yo by the edge and then fired an attack directly at Cerulean.

Cerulean caught the yo-yo easily, pulling it away from her.

"I've got you now," said Cerulean. "This is my weapon of choice."

Cerulean whirled the yo-yo confidently, then fired it off at Scarabella.

It missed, and as it came back it spun around Cerulean, tying her up.

"You forgot that it's my yo-yo now," said Scarabella. "You created the cell phone features. I can create new features too, like a control that says the next person to use it will entangle herself."

Scarabella leaped behind Cerulean and tore off the handle of the carry-on luggage.

With the akuma butterfly released, Cerulean slumped to the ground, stunned.

Catman was still under orders and dangerous, so Scarabella pulled off her headphones and threw them into the air. "Miraculous Scarabella!"

Catman stopped. "Hey, what happened?" asked Catman.

The Cataclysm had been invoked under orders of an akuma, so it was dissipated as part of the cure.

"You were under the akuma's control, but it's all right now. Pound it," said Scarabella, offering a fist to bump.

"Nah, not this time," said Catman. "I didn't get to do much, but next time I'll be the one who does the best."

Audrey, the pilot, and Marinette also recovered. Chloé's bonds counted as indirect akuma damage, and they were also removed.

Scarabella caught and purified the akuma butterfly.

"Maman, what were you trying to do to me?" Chloé demanded.

"I don't know, Candida, I mean Chloé," said Audrey.

"Marinette, what were you making her do?" asked Chloé.

"I don't remember – I was akumatized," said Marinette.

"The mayor's daughter would be a good kidnap victim to try to extort us," said Scarabella. "Hawk Moth is up to his old tricks. The hand-off of his Miraculous must have been a fake to put us off guard."

"He'll have to wake up pretty early in the morning to put one over on me!" said Catman. "I'm smarter than the average butterfly."

"Mme. Bourgeois, we have to hurry if we're going to make the plane in time," said the pilot.

"They wouldn't dare leave without me!" said Audrey. "I'll have them all fired!"

"Maman... why don't you love me?" asked Chloé.

"I... do love you, Carmen, I mean Chloé. I just have to go. My business, you see. Sorry."

"I'm sorry too," said Marinette. "In other circumstances I might have done something to help. As it is, I just got akumatized. I'm under threat by Hawk Moth, so I have to get away from Paris as quickly as I can."

Scarabella and Catman stood with Chloé as the helicopter took off from the roof and headed to the airport with Audrey and Marinette.

Sabrina said, "Chloé, I promise I'll keep your secret."

"You had better," said Chloé. "I expect you to keep up the butterfly terrarium, too. I had trouble the first time, but next time we'll beat this newbie Ladybug and her dumb Cat sidekick easily."

"Of course. This is so much better than our old cosplay," said Sabrina. "I can be a supervillain, too?"

"Yes, you can use the Peacock Miraculous. I don't know what it does, but the kwamis will tell us."

"Wonderful! I will be Le Paon," said Sabrina. "What are you going to do with your powers?"

"They say that if Hawk Moth ever got the Miraculous of both Ladybug and Chat Noir, he would get a wish," said Chloé. "That's what I'll do."

"What will you wish for?"

"The one thing I need. My mother's love."

THE END