Final part of this arc, then it's chaos for a little bit until I think of a good multi-part cohesive arc again haha. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
Dark Rise, Part 3
Cat Noir knew he didn't have much time left before he changed back, but he needed to find Ladybug. She'd gotten a head start on him when he was comforting Amber, and he had no idea where she could have gone. She can't have gotten far, Cat Noir thought to himself. Her transformation would have given out by now. His thoughts wandered a little to what she had done against his evil copy. She controlled it, but she clearly didn't know how she did it. And the power must have scared her a little.
Cat Noir didn't have too many problems with his Cataclysm and what it did. As long as he was careful and clear-headed everything would be okay. True, certain times had left him a little shaken, but in the end he ultimately blamed it all on Hawk Moth. But whatever power Ladybug had unlocked… something told him he couldn't blame Hawk Moth for it.
A high pitched voice spoke in reassuring tones from an alley. Cat Noir immediately recognized the voice. Tikki. His ring beeping rapidly, Cat Noir slipped into another alley and transformed back to his regular self, Plagg falling into a heap in Adrien's palm. Adrien handed his kwami a piece of Camembert. "Eat quickly, Plagg. I think Marinette might need some help," he said urgently.
Plagg took a bite out of his cheese. "I'd want some help, too," he replied through a mouthful of the cheese. "Especially if I used that power." Adrien threw his kwami a quizzical look. "Is it bad? Is she going to…" he didn't even want to finish the thought.
Plagg belched. "No, she's not, though it… I'm not sure how to describe it. It's been forever since one of my wielders used it," he answered. Shaking his head, Adrien opened his jacket and Plagg flew in, then the two raced to the next alley, where Marinette was crouching and silently crying.
Tikki flew over to Adrien. "Thank goodness you're here," she said quickly. "I've been trying to tell her everything's okay, but she's really tearing herself up. I don't know if she'll listen to me anymore." Adrien nodded and sat down next to Marinette. "You okay?" he asked gently.
Marinette sniffled. "No. I don't know what happened and I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen," she said, tears dripping down her face. Adrien put a hand on her shoulder. "You did it to save me," he told her. "It can't be all bad, can it?"
"I felt so cold," Marinette replied. "So, so cold. Colder than I've ever felt in my entire life. And what it felt like, controlling Catastrophe. I could feel his… whatever he had for a soul. And I could feel your soul, and Darkseeker's, and even Dragonus's. I could feel his fear. And…" she gulped. "I almost enjoyed it. I almost enjoyed it, and I don't know why. Maybe some kind of monster woke up, like Madame Luck is trying to take over."
"Hey," Adrien said, wrapping his arm around her. "You're not a monster, and you're not going to become one. Besides, the ladybugs fixed everything. You'll be fine." The teenagers' attention was caught by Tikki clearing her throat.
"Actually," the cherry red kwami began, sounding like she had bad news. "The ladybugs… don't undo things like that. What you did, Marinette, was unlock an ability every Ladybug has. Or rather, most Miraculous wielders have. It's not unique to any particular Miraculous or Box. Essentially, the power allows you to control and bend darkness to your will. A specific set of criteria has to be met, and unfortunately, a lot of our enemies meet it."
"So we could be dealing with Hawk Moth controlling people like that, or Dragonus?" Adrien asked, a little alarmed. Tikki shook her head. "I don't think so, at least for Hawk Moth. He'd have to know it exists, since he'd be using it for evil. Marinette's use of it came from a place of goodness and love," she said, pointing at Marinette. "I'd worry more about Dragonus using it, since he likely knows about it. The description of the power was put into the spellbook for the Dark Box."
"It's encoded, right?" Marinette asked. "If it is, he can't use it against us, since he can't read the code." Tikki winced. "The Dark Grimoire responds better to the Dark Dragon Miraculous, and the Dark Dragon is usually the de facto Dark Guardian. I'd be surprised if he hasn't had it fully translated and has its secrets ready. And a lot, a lot, of those secrets should stay secret. You remember Heroes' Day? Imagine that, but on a nationwide scale, and they were all willing akumas."
"Great," Marinette groaned, wiping away more tears. "More pressure for us." Adrien hugged her. "Then we'll do it together. Control or no control, it'll always be you and me, m'lady," he vowed. Marinette smiled. "Thanks, kitty," she said gratefully, returning his hug. The two broke apart a minute later. Then a thought crossed Adrien's mind.
"Could… I unlock that power?" he asked slowly. Tikki and Plagg shared a look of concern. "You could," Plagg answered, "but most likely not. For one thing, unless the universe decides to stretch the definition of the first criteria a little, you can't. For another, why would you want to?"
"So I can help Marinette," Adrien answered immediately and honestly. Marinette blinked in surprise. "So I can understand how she feels, and maybe help her cope with it." Now it was Marinette's turn to hug Adrien. "Kitty, you don't need that power to help me," she said earnestly. "Frankly, I would wish you didn't, because I don't want you going through what I felt. So you don't have to worry about your monster taking over."
"You don't have to worry about that either, Marinette," Tikki said quickly. "A couple dozen Ladybugs before you unlocked that ability, and none of them ever turned evil. The fact that you did it to save Adrien only helps make sure it can't corrupt you."
"Sugarcube's right," Plagg added. "It takes a little getting used to, from what I've heard, but nothing that some training and positive reinforcement can't help. I swear on my beloved Camembert that you'll be fine." Marinette smiled. "Thanks, Plagg. Thank you, all of you," she said, pulling everyone into a hug. Adrien kissed her cheek. "You know we'll always be here to help you, m'lady," he said reassuringly. Marinette felt her heart melt into her shoes, then kissed him back.
A moment later, their kwamis flew into their jackets and the two teenagers left the alley, beginning the walk back to the school. A thought flashed through Marinette's mind before the two got back. "Did you see where Dragonus went after I-?" she made a puppeteering gesture with her fingers. Adrien blinked. "No, I- I don't think so," he replied. "Maybe he went back to wherever he goes when he's not fighting us."
"A lair?" Marinette muttered. Adrien nodded. "If he has one. He's always been a bit more hands-on than Hawk Moth." Marinette cupped her chin. "If he does have a lair, and we can find it…" she began. Adrien's eyes lit up. "We can stop him! Once and for all," he finished. Marinette nodded. "Exactly. But I think we might need to make a few more people permanent holders so we have them on hand," she said.
"Whatever you think is the best plan, m'lady," Adrien replied. Marinette smiled. "Of course, if you have any input, don't be afraid to tell me." Adrien nodded. "Of course." He kissed her cheek again. "Then we won't have to worry about anything else," he whispered in her ear. Marinette blushed. "I like the way you think, kitty."
"Can someone explain to me why Ladybug, of all people, is able to use your new signature move?" Skinker asked. Dragonus rolled his eyes, having recovered from the shock of watching Ladybug use darkness control. "It's not my new signature move, Skinker," he replied as the Darks raced over the rooftops. "It's simply an ability that a lot of Miraculous users can unlock and use. And I mean a lot."
"Can any of us, other than you, use it?" Alphaux asked as the Darks leapt over another set of chimneys. Dragonus was silent for a moment. "Maladea could, but it's very complicated and requires a few certain traits," he replied. Maladea smirked as she fell into step next to Dragonus. "I bet I could meet them," she said confidently. Dragonus half-heartedly nodded as he took to the sky and flew onto the roof of the Darks' warehouse base.
"And can I ask why we had to rush back here?" Crocdown snapped, a little impatient. Dragonus either didn't notice his friend's tone or didn't care, as he was focused on opening the roof hatch. Once he threw it open, he leapt down into the base, the other Darks following.
"I think two certain someones might have used their newest friend to get certain somethings," Dragonus explained. Alphaux, Crocdown, Iapallidus and Skinker all glanced at each other, nodded, and split up, Alphaux gently moving Maladea to the side. Maladea threw a stink eye at the Dark Wolf, who only shrugged and gestured for her to stay put.
"What exactly is going on?" Maladea asked, crossing her arms and sticking one hip out to the side. Everyone ignored her, Dragonus placed his hand on the scanner for the vault and the other Darks assuming what looked like combat positions. When the door to the vault swung open, Dragonus entered, the twins cautiously following him, weapons ready. Maladea peered through the open door to see Dragonus inserting his sword into the second keyhole and opening the second door. The twins still followed cautiously.
Dragonus sighed in relief when he saw the Dark Box was still there. But a small doubt still lingered in his mind. He slowly walked over to the Box and found the grooves to open it, his fingers trembling a little. Not wasting another second, he opened the Dark Box. The sight that greeted his eyes made his left eye twitch.
The Dark Miraculous of the T-rex and the Scorpion were gone. Missing from their niches in the triangular box. Dragonus took a deep breath, and spoke three words that sent the twins' blood running cold. "Vorath, Dragon Down," he said, and golden lightning snapped down his form, returning him to a very angry Andrew trying to look like he was not angry. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the Dark Box and handed it to Iapallidus, then left the vault. The twins followed cautiously.
Alphaux and Crocdown gave their friend a wide berth, Alphaux making sure Maladea hadn't moved. Andrew entered a room with Plexiglass barriers over the walls of the room. A single plastic chair with metal legs sat in the middle. Once he entered, Skinker quickly slammed and locked the Plexiglass door behind him.
"What is going-?" Maladea began to say when Andrew threw the chair against one of the walls, then picked it up and threw it at another wall. The other four Darks watched the scene with little interest, but kept an eye on the door and ventilation shafts. Alphaux slid next to Maladea. "That would be a tantrum," he explained. "Hawk Moth swiped two Dark Miraculouses, and this is how he's getting his anger out. It's safer for Paris and infinitely safer for anyone who would have to fight him. Unless you want to fight an akumatized Dragonus?"
Maladea shook her head rapidly as she transformed back to her regular self. "Is this… normal? Like, does this happen often?" Lila asked cautiously. Alphaux dropped his transformation, returning to Alex. "Yes and no. No, it doesn't happen often, and considering what happened today, this is the normal reaction," he replied.
Skinker transformed back to normal. "Andrew hates being outsmarted," Ryan explained. "Like, really hates. Imagine that you're him for a minute. Most of your regular opponents are either half-wits or are usually smart but make one crucial error that costs their victory. Then someone who's actually smart and doesn't teabag the body until they're sure it's dead comes onto the scene, then proceeds to outsmart and take something very important from you. Even worse, someone who's usually an idiot like Hawk Moth suddenly has a brainwave and makes a plan to steal Dark Miraculouses, and actually succeeds. If you didn't start kicking chairs around and yelling bloody murder, I'd think something was wrong with you."
"Okay, then," Lila replied, not understanding half of what Ryan said. "But don't call Hawk Moth a total idiot. His biggest plan is a sort of long game situation. Wear the heroes down until they're too tired to fight." Alex and Ryan gave her weird looks. "What?" she asked innocently, shrugging. "I know strategies. Don't underestimate me, boys." Ryan held his hands up in surrender. "Never was going to," Alex replied.
"Which ones were taken?" Crocdown asked. Iapallidus set the Dark Box on a table. "The T-rex and Scorpion. Which is annoying, because I wanted that one," he reported. Vorath, Howll, Dennos and Newwt floated over to the Box. "Well, there's a silver lining here," Newwt said, a little halfheartedly. Howll nodded. "We only need to deal with Remmy and Slashh going at it without Rexx egging them on," she added. Alex, Lila and Ryan walked over to the table with the Dark Box on it. "So he was that bad?" Ryan asked. Newwt nodded. "Rexx was… well, you'd find him a completely unscrupulous and terrible individual," she explained, pointing to Lila.
"Not to mention he's manipulative, has a god complex, is snarky, full of it, and is a general know-it-all," Howll added. Dennos crossed his arms and glowered at the other kwamis. "I remember him being kind to me," he said. Vorath sighed. "Well, of course, he was. We all were. I'm just saying, give him enough time and Rexx will send Hawk Moth crawling back here."
"Scrrug was taken, too," Ryan pointed out. Howll and Vorath glanced at each other and shrugged. "I don't think that's as much of a problem as Rexx," Vorath replied. "His power has to be used up close, unless someone figures something out." Howll snorted. "Or Scrrug starts clicking his mandibles too much again."
"He still hasn't learned to keep his mouth shut?" Vorath asked incredulously. Newwt nodded. "Especially if he's bound by his loyalty," she answered. Vorath groaned and smacked his forehead. "Note to self: make Scrrug learn to shut his trap."
"Are any secrets in danger?" Alex questioned. The kwamis shook their heads. "No important ones, but how his power works is definitely going to be explained, and maybe names of other kwamis if Rexx doesn't shut him up," Vorath answered.
A loud crash came from the tantrum room, then silence. Ryan stretched and cracked his knuckles. "Finally," he muttered as he called on his transformation, Alex following suit. Skinker and Alphaux flanked Crocdown and Iapallidus as the latter two opened the door and let a tired and dejected Andrew out. Andrew stalked into the next room and plopped down on a couch, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Lila was about to go and check on him when Iapallidus's hand blocked her path. "Let him stew for a little bit," he advised. "It's all part of the coping process." Lila gave him a dark look. "You just let him sit there by himself? Why?" she asked, a little anger slipping into her voice. Skinker slid next to the girl. "Simple. He just needs a moment to himself and a little time off from villainy," he said, then leaned in conspiratorially. "We call it 'the Three Stages of Hendrol Grief.' The first stage was anger and getting it out. The second is processing the situation. Coming soon, hopefully, is stage three. Restoring his pride and honor. Or, as I like to call it, a beatdown for the ages."
Lila stared longingly at her boyfriend, wanting to go and comfort him. But she stood by, following the twins' advice. "When do you think is the best time to talk with him?" she asked. The other four Darks dropped their transformations and glanced at each other. "Probably by the end of the week," Alex answered.
"Assuming something else doesn't happen," Jack added. Dylan shuddered a little. "I hope he doesn't turn on his sad playlist," he said. Alex, Jack and Ryan grimaced. "Yeah, let's hope not," Jack replied. Ryan let out a halfhearted chuckle. "Remember when I replaced that playlist with the Barbie theme song?" he asked. Lila looked confused, but the other three threw very angry glares at Ryan. "Do we?" Alex asked rhetorically. Jack growled. "He played it. On repeat. For three weeks. Three weeks. I'd just gotten the song out of my head, and now you reminded me of it!"
"If there was anything good that came out of that, I know the song by heart so I could play it for Anna Beth when she came to visit," Dylan sighed. Lila rubbed her forehead. "You guys are a walking chaos factory," she said tiredly. "We should be getting back to school. I don't know how much longer our doppelgangers can fool everyone."
"We'll catch up in a little bit. I just need to convince him to move," Vorath said, pointing at Andrew. Lila nodded, pursing her lips. "Okay. Be quick. In the meantime, let's roll," she replied, then transformed to Maladea. The others transformed to their villain selves, and Alphaux seemed to growl a little. "Just thought you should know, Rossi," he whispered in her ear. "I'm second in command. So when he's not at the top of his game, I lead."
Maladea chuckled in amusement. "That's funny. Because last I checked, you got taken out of commission with a dog whistle," she purred. Alphaux seemed to waver a little, allowing Maladea a small smirk. "Let me lead for a little bit, Fido. Then we'll see about taking the leash off." She strutted off, heels clicking on the floor. A couple moments later, the Darks soared over the sky, Maladea leading the group and Dragonus flying sluggishly near the back, flying back to the school.
When Marinette and Adrien arrived at the school, a strange sight greeted them. A large ring of students stood in the middle of the courtyard, watching… something. Once they made their way to the ring, Alya and Nino met up with them.
"What exactly is going on?" Marinette asked. Alya adjusted her glasses a little. "I'm not sure you'd believe it, but… Chloe and Amber are actually talking things over, and I think they might be making up after, well, everything," she said. Marinette and Adrien blinked in surprise. "Maybe she is serious this time," Adrien mused. Marinette nodded slowly. "And if this is true, we could see a lot less supervillains from Hawk Moth."
Marinette and Adrien pushed through the crowd to get a better view of the two. Chloe had an expression Marinette normally never associated with her. Guilt. "I've never really seen her look like that," she whispered to Adrien. He chuckled once. "I have. Once or twice. I think the first time was when she accidentally broke one of my toys when we were little kids."
"Amber, I really am sorry for what I said," Chloe said, drawing Marinette and Adrien's attention. "I was confused and upset and I don't really deserve all of the forgiveness and patience you've given me." Amber sighed. "Chloe, it's honestly really fine," she replied, her voice reassuring. "I just want to make sure my cousin isn't going to get into any more trouble." She held up her necklace, which gleamed in the light. "Cousins for life?"
Chloe smiled and took off her necklace, fitting the little ball into the indentation. "Cousins for life," she replied, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when the cousins hugged. Marinette and Adrien in particular were relieved, as it meant Chloe wouldn't be the cause of any more akumas, for the time being.
Sabrina almost leapt to be by Chloe's side when she and Amber broke apart, going on about how she was still going to be her BFF no-matter-what, earning a nice laugh from Chloe. "Thanks, Sabrina," the blonde said, patting the redhead on the shoulder. "You two want to go get our nails done? I feel like mine are a little crooked." Amber pointed to her cousin's fingertips. "You've been biting your nails again," she explained. Chloe shrugged. "Whatever. Still, good that we made up, cuz." Amber nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
"You didn't try to akumatize Dragonus when he was angry?" Nathalie asked. Gabriel twisted his wedding ring a little as he thought. "No," he eventually replied. "For one thing, he'd end up being more dangerous to us than Robostus. And even if I did manage to get him under control, Ladybug's… new ability would cause some problems. We will have to figure out what it is."
"I'm certain you will," Rexx snarked at Gabriel. Nooroo winced at his comment. "Master doesn't tolerate disrespect at all," he warned, but Rexx snarled at Nooroo. "Shut up, traitor. Keep your useless mouth closed, or I'll close it for you." Nooroo shrank back from Rexx's temper.
Gabriel whirled on the Dark kwami. "Nooroo is right, you know," he said, his voice low. "I don't tolerate disrespect. And I certainly don't tolerate it from those who work directly for me." Rexx checked his nonexistent nails. "Or what? You'll silence me?" he taunted. "Listen up, candy cane. You need me, and you need me talking. Otherwise, how else will you learn about what you could really do?"
Gabriel stopped, then took a deep breath. "Fine. But no more backtalk from you. Or there will be consequences," he threatened. Rexx did not look intimidated. "And who's going to punish me? Your wife? Or your girlfriend?"
Gabriel turned away from Rexx, and almost lost his temper entirely when the kwami started clicking his tongue at him disapprovingly. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Nooroo. "Why is he being so… rude?" he asked. Nooroo sighed. "It's complicated," the butterfly kwami replied.
"No, it's not!" Scrrug yelled. Nathalie tried to keep the scorpion kwami from talking, but Gabriel gestured for him to keep going. "Your kwamis didn't do anything to help Blobbo when he was hurt! Do you know how hard it was to keep him from being picked on by all the other kwamis?!" Scrrug asked angrily. Duusu popped up. "We weren't supposed to-"
"Oh, you weren't supposed to!" Scrrug replied mockingly. "I guess you weren't supposed to be good kwamis, either! My past wielders may have brainwashed entire cities into their minions, but they were way more heroic than you!"
"You can do that?" Gabriel asked, his interests peaked. Scrrug seemed to pale when he realized what he said. "Shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that!" he exclaimed. Rexx rolled his eyes. "Did that really just occur in your bug brain?" he asked rhetorically. Gabriel ignored Rexx's snark as a plan began to form inside his mind.
"Oh, Scrrug," Gabriel said, "you are going to be a valuable asset to us." Rexx snorted. "Doubtful. He's most loyal to the Dark Guardian, not his wielders. If his wielder and the Dark Guardian are on the same side, great. If they aren't… Well, all I'm gonna say is your girlfriend isn't going to get much out of him."
"Are you being deliberately unpleasant or is that just how you are?" Gabriel asked, feeling his anger rise. Rexx smirked a little, a strange expression on his reptilian face. "I don't know. What makes you more angry?" he taunted. Gabriel exhaled angrily. "Time to show you your place, you infernal dinosaur. Nooroo, Rexx, unify!"
Light and dark purple light washed over his body when the kwamis entered their respective jewels, creating a blinding flash. When the light faded, Gabriel was clad in a new suit similar to his Hawk Moth one. His shoes had been replaced by three-toed boots with high heels and silver claws gleaming at each toe. His pants now were plated with dark purple armor at the shins and thighs, with a sheath of sorts for his cane on his right side. His shirt turned a lighter purple than normal, with a new dark purple dress coat for the Dark Tyrannosaurus Miraculous. His collar was now jagged along the outer edges, and he had, much to his own disgust and dismay, dark purple shoulder armor resembling pointed shoulder pads, green detailing running along the top.
His cowl darkened from silver to a dark gunmetal gray, the butterfly shape becoming jagged at the edges of the wings, and the top and bottom of the opening for his mouth now lined with pointed triangles like teeth. His irises changed to red.
On his right arm was a massive clamp weapon, dark purple on its outside and dark green on the inside. Short spikes lined the inside like teeth, and Gabriel held the weapon by a bar on the inside. The weapon covered his entire forearm.
"Yesss," Gabriel said when he saw his new suit. "The power… it's like nothing I've ever felt before! From this day on, I am Tyranno Moth!" Tyranno Moth clenched his right hand and the clamp snapped shut, startling him. "Perhaps a test run is in order," he mused. Tyranno Moth knew Rexx's power would grant him the ability to perfectly manipulate others, but he still wasn't quite sure how he would use it.
"Well, since you're doing it," Nathalie said when she witnessed Gabriel's transformation. "Duusu, Scrrug, unify!" Blue and gray light eclipsed Nathalie's form as Duusu and Scrrug were sucked into their respective jewels. When the light faded, Nathalie looked similar in appearance to Mayura, but with several new additions. Her boots changed from high heels to platform soles, her tights turned black with dull gold highlights on the shins. The rounded edges of her tailcoat turned pointed, the magenta spots turning red. Red stripes curled around her ribs, and the tailcoat itself turned grayish-blue, with the sleeves remaining blue. The Dark Scorpion belt had turned grayish-blue with a few red accents every few links. A black sheath formed on her back.
To her own dismay, she also had small dark blue shoulder pads on her shoulders. Right by her hands, two black scorpion-like pincers were split in two and folded open. A pure red domino mask covered the top half of her face, her eyes now possessing yellow sclera and magenta irises. Her veil still covered her right eye, now grayish-blue instead of pure blue.
Nathalie still held her fan in her left hand, but now she had a scythe in her right hand, the handle made of black metal and the black blade fading to a red tip. She gave it an experimental swing, satisfied with the almost inaudible sound of it slicing the air. "Impressive. I'm thinking Fowl Scorpia, perhaps?" Fowl Scorpia slung the scythe into the sheath, giving the illusion of a scorpion tail.
"Today was successful," Tyranno Moth said triumphantly. "And with these new powers, no one will be able to stop us. Ladybug and Cat Noir won't know what hit them." Fowl Scorpia smirked. "And I doubt Dragonus is going to be in the right mindset to claim these jewels back for a while."
Tyranno Moth smirked back. "Of course, my dear Fowl Scorpia. We'll take his powers, as well as his foolish allies." He stared out the window, watching as the cover began to spiral closed. "Judgement Day is on their doorsteps."
That night, after Ladybug and Cat Noir finished patrol, the two took a quick break atop Montparnasse Tower, enjoying the cool night air. Cat Noir took a deep breath and asked the one question he had on his mind for a while.
"Have you decided yet? On making more permanent wielders?" he asked. Ladybug, who had been staring off into space, jerked back to attention. "Er- ah- what? Oh, that." She sighed. "I'm still not entirely sure, kitty. I mean, Hawk Moth has their identities, except for a few, and even if we defeat him now, there's still Dragonus and his team to worry about."
"That's exactly why I was asking," he replied. "You know as well as I do that the only reason we haven't fought them all together is because they're taking a priority in attacking akumatized people. If we do have to fight them again, all six of them - and you know we will - we'll be outnumbered. Even if we just get two or three more people as permanent wielders, I'd feel a thousand times more secure."
Ladybug sighed again, then smiled. "You make a compelling argument, Cat," she said, standing up. "Alright. We'll do that tomorrow. Who do you want?"
Cat Noir blinked. "Why ask me?" he asked, quite confused. Ladybug giggled a little. "You've got good instincts, partner. So, who do you think?" Cat Noir thought about it, a few faces flashing through his mind. "Well, Rena Rouge and Carapace, of course," he said, counting on his fingers. "Maybe Queen Bee; remind me to see if Amber will try something new, because thinking of that gives me a little headache since I always default to Chloe when I hear it. Viperion and Ryuko, perhaps? Or Pegasus and King Monkey?"
Ladybug nodded, satisfied with the suggestions. "There are also about six more we could give out," she added. "But we'll start with those for now. We don't want Dragonus to add more people to his side just yet." Cat Noir chuckled grimly as he stood and leaned on his staff. "He's got plenty and he could probably handle all of us easily with the ones he's got. I wouldn't worry about him adding more."
Ladybug's mood also turned grim. "We still don't know half the powers that are in the Dark Box. We're going to need to be careful." Cat Noir smiled. "Careful, bugaboo, is my middle name. Haven't I proven that?" he asked with a little smirk. Ladybug smirked back. "Yes, you do, kitty. Either way, we should get going."
The two kissed quickly before leaping off over the skyline to their separate houses, not noticing a poisonous green villainess flying in the air, watching them. Maladea smirked. Now that she had this information ready, all she needed to do was engineer an akumatization and prove how capable she could be as Dark leader. And if Alphaux was made to look incompetent during the fight, she thought, well, that's just how that wolf-shaped cookie crumbles.
Well, now we have two Dark Miraculous/Chinese Miraculous fusions, Ladybug with a new power (which she has to master), and Maladea and Alphaux each gunning for leader position while Dragonus is being mopey. This is gonna get fun fast, so grab some popcorn and get comfortable. As always, stay safe, healthy, and IDK have a good weekend (I'm about to join a game group as writing this so being quick ok bye!)