And I'm back. This one took longer to complete than I would have liked, and there was more procrastination, and I was doing other things, and it was a bit of a mess.
Slight spoiler warning for season 4, nothing too major, but I would recommend watching the new episodes before reading this. From now on, we're pulling directly from the source for certain things (like future heroes and their names, a feature or two, maybe a throwaway line.). Also a slight warning for a little implied stuff (I mean, T for a reason, right?). Just letting y'all know for my own peace of mind.
Chapter Four
Obedience Training
Lila checked her phone again. She'd sent Andrew text after text last night, and he hadn't responded to a single one. Her phone buzzed. She rolled her eyes; Ryan had somehow managed to get her to join five different group chats, the last four missing one of the group. Then Jack talked her into joining a sixth chat, although she joined that one willingly. According to the contacts present on that chat, Ryan wasn't able to see it.
The message she received was on the chat without Andrew's contact, from Jack. "Don't bother trying to get him to talk," she read. "He's not going to reply. Give him time and space and he'll get through it. Trust me, we know what to do." Lila nearly slammed her phone on her desk. "How did he find out?!"
Dennos, who had been munching on some of the fruit Lila had given him, shrugged. "Maybe Vorath saw it, and he told Snapp, who told his owner, who told everyone else, then replied," he answered. Lila clenched her fists. "I bet they have a group chat leaving me out," she muttered. Dennos burped a little. "It stands to reason."
Lila rubbed her temples. "I thought I told you that burping was against the rules. Not to mention gross," she said. Dennos shrugged again. "It just slipped out. Sorry. I'll try not to do it again," he replied, giving Lila the best baby-doll eyes he could. Lila's annoyance melted away as she picked Dennos up gingerly. "You are somehow so cute despite being so terrifying-looking," she said as she tickled his stomach a little. Dennos smiled. "Appearances don't always dictate how you act."
Lila nodded absently as she gathered her things for school; her mother was out early and wouldn't be back until late that evening. While it still made her upset to no end, having Dennos around, and occasionally, Andrew, helped her considerably, as it gave her something else to focus on. She used to have a fish when she was little, but it died about two months after she got it. Lila knew Dennos wasn't a pet in the slightest, but having something to take care of filled her with a new kind of pride.
It also helped that he was a kwami who could grant her powers to put Ladybug back in her proper place, but that was a little further down on her itinerary.
"Dennos, don't let me forget that I need to cause a little chaos," Lila told her kwami. Dennos looked up from his fruit. "I thought you and that Marinette girl were on a truce," he replied. Lila laughed lightly. "Oh, it doesn't involve her, Dennos. But if she gets caught in the crossfire… Well, boohoo, I'm sure it'll be so terrible."
"Well, don't forget, then," he replied. Lila rolled her eyes again. "I didn't mean right now." After a moment of consideration, she quickly sent a text to the group chat. About a minute later, Ryan responded. "Andrew's pretty good at hiding when he's upset. I wouldn't worry about it," Lila read. Dennos frowned. "I'd still keep an eye on him if I were you," he said. "Just to be on the safe side."
"I was gonna do that anyway," Lila replied, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and opening her jacket for Dennos to hide in. Once the kwami flew in, Lila made her way out of the apartment and to Françoise Dupont High School.
Lila got to the building early, before most of the students, and thankfully before most of the other Darks. She smirked internally. A few comments here, a false flag planted there, and Lila would be able to usurp leadership of the Darks from Alex. She stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles. Time to do what she did best. Hoping a few couples were already at school, she made her way through the threshold.
Marinette fumbled with her things, her thoughts buzzing in her head and kwamis buzzing around her. Tikki, thank goodness, was trying to keep some order, but it seemed to be a futile effort. After a strange dream - a villain getting into her room and rooting around, finding the Miracle Box in her present chest - she decided to build a new protective container, one that looked like a crafts supplies box. That effort had taken her almost all night, and she'd only managed to get an hour of sleep before her alarm woke her up.
As such, she was bleary-eyed and running on caffeine. The bitter taste of coffee still clung to her mouth. "Tikki, would it be too much to hope for Hawk Moth and Dragonus to each take a day off at the same time?" Marinette asked her kwami. Tikki shrugged. "We can hope," she replied, not noticing the jest.
Marinette sighed a little, then felt her fingertips grow cold again. Quickly bringing her hands to her sight line, she sighed. No dark clouds, no pink sparks. Just the feeling. Marinette shook her fingers a little. She was just tired, is all. Nothing to be scared of.
Tikki, noticing her wielder's distress, flew over to Marinette. "It's okay to be afraid of it, Marinette," she said gently. "As long as you can conquer that fear, it won't consume you." Marinette wriggled her fingers a little. "I know, I know," she replied. "It's just… it felt so unnatural. Let's just hope I don't have to use it anytime soon." Marinette's phone buzzed. She quickly checked it, and her eyes bugged out. "I'm gonna be late! Again!" In one movement, she managed to get the other kwamis to get into the Miracle Box, Tikkin in her purse, reset her security system, then rush down the stairs, somehow not tripping once.
After kissing her parents goodbye, Marinette rushed out the door and across the street to the school. When she got to the door, the sight that beheld her eyes made her skid to a halt. Several couples, some who wouldn't be caught dead without their partner, were split up, half on one side, half on the other.
Marinette made her way over to Alya and Nino, who also seemed to be confused by what was happening. Alix was also standing with them, not seeming to care as much about all of it.
"Hey, guys," Marinette said. Alya and Nino waved at Marinette absently, as their attention was still focused on a couple who seemed to get closer, only to break apart again. "What's going on?" Marinette asked. Alix shrugged. "Apparently, from what I heard, a rumor started about someone in a relationship thinking of doing… well, you know, to their partner," she replied. "Personally, I don't believe it, and I finally found these two who didn't believe it, either, and considering how you act when rumors start up-"
"Hey!" Marinette protested. Alix ignored her. "I don't think you believe them, either. Unfortunately, everyone else is too jittery, so all the big name couples are keeping their distance."
"Don't bother trying to ask who did it, girl," Alya added. Nino nodded. "We've asked everyone, and they said they heard it from a teacher or staff member. No one knows who the person the rumor was about was, either. So…" he made a gesture like a broken heart.
Marinette pursed her lips, then looked around. "Has anyone seen Lila?" she asked. Alya shook her head. "Look, I know you two have a bit of bad blood, but I doubt it's her." Nino put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Yeah, I agree with Alya." Alix snorted. "What reason would she have to start that? If anything, it would only serve to wreck her thing with Andrew, right?"
Marinette chewed her lip a little. She was ninety-percent sure it was Lila, but a lot of evidence pointed against it. It didn't help that her best investigation partner - well, her best partner in general - was going to be stuck at a photoshoot for half the morning. Again. Marinette took a deep breath and turned to her friends. "Can I have your help with fixing this?" she asked.
"Totally," Alya replied without hesitation. Nino nodded. "If it makes everything go back to normal." Alix raised an eyebrow. "I'd say yes, but we're going to be late to class in about five minutes. Ms. Mendeleiev's class, I might add." The other three squeaked as they quickly grabbed their stuff and rushed to the crabby teacher's room, noticing the estranged couples avoiding each other as they made their way to classes.
"Today's lesson is how stimuli affect the brain," Ms. Mendeleiev began, writing on the board with her back to the students. "As everyone in this class - and Paris, for that matter - is aware, certain stimuli cause negative reactions, such as horror movies causing fear or certain remarks causing annoyance and anger. Other stimuli create positive reactions, such as friendship and love. The latter category of stimuli are aphrodisiacs, which include images of love and gestures of love. As some of you might not be aware, chocolate is a potent aphrodisiac."
At the mention of love, multiple couples started eyeing each other suspiciously, even as Ms. Mendeleiev turned around. "Get your notes ready and keep your ears open," she said, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "I heard the rumors, and I will be the first to say it is all…" she paused for a moment, mentally crossing out all the words she couldn't say in front of the students.
It was a very long pause before she spoke again. "Completely false," she decided. "The only people I would consider real troublemakers in here are directly in my sight line," she added, turning her head towards Chloe and Sabrina. "Get over your fears and be ready to take notes."
Marinette sighed in relief, and smiled weakly at Alya. "Glad that was taken care of," she said. But as Alya nodded, Marinette tensed, like her body knew what was going to happen before her mind did. Quickly glancing behind her, she saw a single hand sticking straight upwards, a multicolored bracelet on the girl's wrist as Lila's face betrayed concern. Marinette was instantly on guard.
"Ms. Mendeleiev, I left my notepad in my locker," Lila said. Ms. Mendeleiev scoffed a little. "Go get it, then."
"I'd like to, but I'm not so sure about how safe it is," Lila continued. "There've been whispers, you know. Whispers that things have been going missing in the locker room. I don't want to be the latest one." That set off more whispers among the assembled students, as a new fear began to blossom.
"Enough!" Ms. Mendeleiev snapped. "Rumors without evidence are just that! Rumors! If I hear another peep of any of this nonsense again today, all of you will have twice as much homework, due tomorrow!"
Her threat did nothing to quell the whispers, and even a few students began to stand and say a few of their things went missing in the locker room. Ms. Mendeleiev rubbed her temples and stormed out of the room, and Marinette threw a glance at Lila. What's your plan now, she thought to herself.
"Ah, mistrust and fear, a veritable feast for villainy," Tyranno Moth monologued as the iron-wrought window spiraled open. "Yet, a secondary, weaker negative emotion underneath it all. A deep annoyance begins to blossom as children refuse directions because of their fears. That's perfect for this test." A snow-white butterfly flew into his palm, then Tyranno Moth closed his hand, corrupting it with his power.
Rexx should hope he's right, for his sake, Tyranno Moth thought to himself. If it works, I can create more villains from even the most trivial of emotions, yesss. The akuma flew onto the clamp weapon on his right arm, right between its dark purple jaws. "Silver Tongue," Tyranno Moth said aloud, and a dark purple pulse of energy moved down the clamp and into the akuma, making its almost pure black wings streaked with dark purple.
"Fly away, my little akuma, and hone that teacher's annoyance!" Tyranno Moth declared as the akuma took flight out the window.
Ms. Mendeleiev stood outside the door, rubbing her temples again, her annoyance simmering. She reached into her pocket and clicked her pen a couple times, focusing on the sound. Caline might believe everything she spouts a little too much, but she has a point for some things, she thought to herself, calming a little. It did nothing to stop the akuma rapidly making its way to her.
Ms. Mendeleiev noticed the akuma about a second before it entered her pen, not even enough time to cry out. "Hello, miss. I am Tyranno Moth," the voice on the other end said, and Ms. Mendeleiev noted that the supervillain sounded far more… alluring than he had before. She knew that Tyranno Moth was going to akumatize her, but his voice started scrambling her thoughts. She had to hear more.
"What do you want?" she mumbled. "I'm not angry with my students." Tyranno Moth clicked his tongue. "Aren't you? You're annoyed with them. Annoyed that they're spreading rumors amongst themselves. Annoyed that they ignore you when you try to keep them from being afraid, yesss," he told her, and she began to believe it.
"We both know annoyance leads to anger," Tyranno Moth continued, and Ms. Mendeleiev nodded in agreement, the statistic flashing through her head before Tyranno Moth spoke again. "So you are angry with them, and you left them alone to calm down. A futile effort, really. You not only didn't calm down, you left them to spread more rumors." The scenario flashed through Ms. Mendeleiev's mind again. The students becoming more and more suspicious, eventually turning on each other and relationships shattered.
"What these children need is obedience. Something you will train them in, Conformity," Tyranno Moth said. "I'm giving you the power to bring anyone under your control with the click of your pen. You will teach these children obedience, and in return, bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous." Ms. Mendeleiev smirked. "No one will disobey me again!" she declared as she was engulfed in purple smoke.
When the ether receded, Ms. Mendeleiev was now clad in a dark purple formal suit, black shoulderpads, and black heels. Her skin had turned gray and her eyes a mesmerizing green, her hair changing to silver. Her pen, now black with a dark red clicker, rested in a pocket on the left side of her suit. Conformity grinned maliciously. "Time to teach these disobedient rugrats how to respect those in authority!"
"I think it was Lila," Marinette whispered to Alya. To her own surprise, Alya nodded slowly. "I can see that," the redhead replied. "That girl's acting weird. But why would she do it, though? Doesn't she have a thing with Andrew going on?"
A thought that Marinette had been toying with for a while popped into her head. "Do you think she's working for Hawk Moth?" she whispered. Alya paused, then shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, she says she's BFFs with Ladybug, but Adrien said something about Ladybug snapping at her for lying about it just the other day." Marinette tensed a little, her cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment. Not my proudest moment. "You haven't updated the Ladyblog yet?"
Alya shrugged. "He only told me on Sunday and I had an Internet outage all day yesterday, and I overslept a little today, so I'm doing that as soon as I get home."
"Home?" a third voice said as the door was kicked in. Conformity strode into the room, twirling her pen between her fingers. "You're not going home just yet, little lady. You have detention. All of you do, for not following my directions!" The villainess pointed her pen towards the left half of the room and clicked it. Almost instinctively, Marinette, Alya, Nino, Andrew, and Lila duck down below their desks to avoid the energy wave, which hit Ivan and Nathaniel. "Whatever you say, Conformity!" the two boys droned.
Marinette was looking for a way to get out the room when a suitable distraction burst in. Iapallidus and Skinker had kicked in the side door, sending it flying off its hinges and drawing Conformity's attention. "Someone call for the evil brigade?" Skinker quipped. Iapallidus groaned, and Marinette got the impression the cobra villain rolled his eyes. "Dude, I swear. One more quip like that, and I will bring up when you licked-"
"Ah-tch-tch-tch! You promised!" Skinker snapped back. "And I was five!" Conformity grinned. "Supervillains obeying me? Perfect!" she said, but before she clicked her pen, Iapallidus blasted a sonic attack at her, knocking her into the back wall. Skinker leapt at Conformity and hit her in the back of the head with the shaft of his trident. "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!"
"Everybody out!" Marinette yelled as the villains fought. The class evacuated quickly, with Lila pausing to throw the twins a glare before running off to a separate classroom.
Marinette quickly rushed into the bathroom and locked herself in a stall, Tikki quickly flying out of her jacket. "Adrien's not going to get here in time," Tikki told her wielder. Marinette nodded. "Well, there's still two people I know I can call on," Marinette replied. Tikki nodded. "Just say the words, Marinette."
"Tikki, Spots on!" Marinette yelled as she transformed into Ladybug, then leapt out of the stall. Conformity had shaken off the two Dark supervillains and was busy converting other students into her minions. Ladybug scanned the area, and was relieved to see Alya and Nino hadn't become part of her horde. Then she groaned when Alphaux, Crocdown, Dragonus, and Maladea leapt into the fray themselves, with Iapallidus and Skinker on their heels.
A thought tugged at the back of her head, something she hadn't thought of before. Wait a moment and watch how the Darks deal with it, see if they repeat any strategies. Ladybug slipped back behind the door, peeking around the corner. Time to see if this would pay off.
"What's the story with this one?" Alphaux asked as the Darks sized up Conformity. Dragonus growled a little, but there was no malice or anger behind it. "Somebody's been planning something, I assume," he replied, glancing at Maladea. The twins spun their weapons. "She's nothing too dangerous, guys," Skinker said. Iapallidus nodded. "A pain, sure, but nothing dangerous."
"We'll see about that!" Conformity sneered as she clicked her pen. The Darks scattered, Alphaux and Crocdown rolling to one side, Maladea and the twins leaping to another, Dragonus launching himself into the air and diving at Conformity. He called out his power halfheartedly and landed on Conformity, absorbing her powers and leaping off in the space of ten seconds. Then Dragonus took to the air again. "I've gotta go," he told his team.
"Are you sure?" Maladea asked, her voice filled with concern. "We could use your help." Dragonus shook his head. "She's a weakling. Finish her off and be done with it. I need some time to think."
"O- okay," Maladea replied. "Stay safe." Dragonus nodded. "I will," he said before flying off. Once Dragonus was out of earshot, Alphaux flexed his claws and grinned. "Alright, boys and girls. When the dragon's away, the wolves shall play! Crocdown, trap our villainess friend. Iapallidus, Skinker, be ready to pincer her. And, Maladea…" Alphaux's grin seemed to shine through his helmet. "You're holding up the rear. Make sure no one sneaks up on us." Alphaux turned back to the others. "You have your orders! Now let's finish this micromanager!"
"Sir, yes sir!" Crocdown, Iapallidus, and Skinker replied. Alphaux smirked in Maladea's direction. "Sir, yes sir, indeed." The lupine villain could almost see Maladea fuming at his snark, but he couldn't dwell on that long, as Conformity had fired off more bursts of her power… not at the Darks, but at what few students remained in the courtyard.
"Attack them!" Conformity yelled, and the enthralled students obeyed, stumbling towards the Darks. Alphaux growled. "Change of plans! Knock out her minions, but don't hurt them too badly. We don't know how invulnerable these guys are… or if they're invulnerable."
The replies from the others came quickly, and Alphaux turned his attention back to Conformity. He never noticed a spotted heroine sneak back into the locker room, nor a certain blond model coming into the school from a photoshoot that ended early, who snuck his way into the boiler room.
"So Dragonus isn't fighting this battle, which makes Alphaux the leader," Ladybug muttered to herself. Quickly shaking herself out of her thoughts, Ladybug quickly searched the locker room, in case people had come in when she wasn't paying attention.
After a minute of searching, a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw Alya and Nino crouched behind some of the lockers. "Glad you two managed to hide," Ladybug quipped. Alya and Nino stood quickly. "Yeah, we are, too," Nino replied. Alya elbowed him lightly. "We hid in case you need us," she clarified. Ladybug nodded. "Good call. In fact, I do need you. Cat Noir isn't going to be here for a little bit and I need some backup."
Ladybug opened her yoyo and pulled out the Fox and Turtle Miraculous from her Miracle Box link. "Rena Rouge, Carapace, I need you both," she said as Alya and Nino took their jewels. They quickly transformed into their alter egos, opened a window, and leapt up onto the roof, looking over the fight.
"Our science teacher got akumatized again," Rena Rouge told Ladybug. The spotted heroine nodded. "Believe me, I'm familiar with her. I'm just glad she's not Kwamibuster again," she said offhandedly. "That day was a nightmare."
"Wait, Kwami-what?" Carapace asked. Ladybug shook her head. "Long story for another time. For now, we need to get down there. Who knows how much damage the Darks are gonna do?" A thunk came from behind them. "Sorry I was late to the party," Cat Noir said as he walked over, staff over his shoulders and his arms hanging off of them. Ladybug smiled and quickly kissed her partner on the cheek. "Glad you could make it so soon, kitty."
A squeal came from behind them as Rena Rouge started jumping giddily and clapping. Carapace chuckled. "I think you broke her brain," he said. Ladybug smirked a little. "Well, that was just instinct," she replied. Cat Noir chuckled a little, too. "She can interrogate us all she wants when this fight's over."
After a few more seconds of Rena Rouge fangirling, the four superheroes jumped down to the courtyard, behind the small army of mind-controlled students and the fight between Conformity and four of the Darks. Ladybug glanced around quickly. "Alright. Rena, Carapace, flank the fight in the middle. Cat, try and thin out this army. I'll come in from behind and-"
"Ladybug, watch out!" Cat Noir yelled as he and Carapace blocked an attack from Maladea, who'd leapt down from one of the walkways beneath the roof. Maladea laughed softly. "You're getting sloppy, Ladybug," she taunted. "I almost skewered you this time." Cat Noir grunted. "Carapace and I will hold her off! You two go stop Conformity!" he yelled. Carapace nodded. "She's not too tough!" he added.
Ladybug grimaced, but nodded. "Alright! We'll come back to help once we're finished with her!" she replied, then the two heroines leapt over Conformity's servants, who were fighting Iapallidus and Skinker - and losing - to the villainess herself, who was dueling with Alphaux and Crocdown. Conformity sneered. "Four on one? How is this fair?!"
"Back off, bug! Finders keepers!" Crocdown yelled as he blocked one of Ladybug's yoyo strikes with his left shield. Ladybug and Rena Rouge landed in with a roll and rose just behind Conformity, drawing their own weapons. "You're just using her as a punching bag!" Ladybug retorted as she tried to snare Conformity's arm. Conformity dodged the attack, causing Ladybug's yoyo to bounce off of Alphaux's helmet. The wolf villain snarled. "Okay, then. Little Ms. Business is going down!" Alphaux leapt towards Conformity, his gauntlet claws gleaming in the light. Again, Conformity dodged, leaving Alphaux barreling towards Rena Rouge, who expertly danced out of the way of his attack.
"Watch where you're going, Wolfgang!" Rena Rouge yelled. Alphaux snarled. "Don't call me that!" he snapped back, then smirked as an idea took form in his mind. "Summon the Pack!" he yelled as the silver aura formed around him. Dozens of duplicates leapt out of the haze, snarling and waiting for their alpha's orders. Alphaux chuckled darkly. "Croc, back off from Conformity. Wolves, bring that pathetic little ball of submission and anger down," he ordered.
Crocdown only had a second to break off his attack before the wolves smothered the villainess. A second he used to backflip away, and he landed on a group of enthralled students, much to Alphaux's amusement. His amusement quickly faded when Conformity clicked her pen at the attacking wolves. Alphaux involuntarily tensed, as if his body had figured out what happened before his mind did. He turned around, and the horrified faces of Ladybug and Rena Rouge only confirmed his fears, as his pack stopped their attack on Conformity and knelt to the villainess.
"This is an interesting development," Tyranno Moth mused to himself as he watched the battle through Conformity's eyes. "Controlling a savage pack is one thing, but a savage pack of Dark Wolf clones? Certainly no small feat, yesss. Perhaps I might have to use this teacher more often."
Tyranno Moth opened a link, the purple butterfly symbol now fading from a light purple bottom to a dark purple top with the upper edges becoming jagged and sharp. "Use Alphaux's clones to destroy your opponents," he told Conformity. "I want those Miraculous, but I don't need the heroes or villains attached to them."
A small feeling of hesitation gripped Tyranno Moth, and a small voice, that suspiciously sounded like Nooroo, started whispering at him. Is this the right path? the voice whispered. Surely you will agree destroying the opponents is a little much. Wouldn't keeping them around to watch your final victory be all the more satisfying?
Tyranno Moth shook the feeling away, and he terminated the link, knowing full well Conformity would be a little confused that he kept the link open for so long. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand. It didn't matter, anyhow. The Miraculous would soon be in his possession. And even if they didn't fall into his hands, this test of his new powers proved quite useful.
Conformity grinned. "Wolves, bring my enemies down! Students, subdue any enemies you come across!" she ordered. The droning of her enthralled minions drowned out any other sound. Crocdown punched his way past students and wolves, moving towards Alphaux. "What now, boss?" he asked urgently. Alphaux ignored him as he thrust his arms out, trying to reassert his control over his wolves. "Heel! Obey! Execute Order 66! Why isn't it working?!" the wolf villain yelled.
"Go for their necklaces! Breaking them dissipates the duplicates!" Ladybug yelled to Rena Rouge. The other heroine snapped her fingers. "Like the Sapotis! Got it!" She swung her flute at a wolf's head, distracting it so she could punch the necklace. The gray pendant shattered and the duplicate vanished in a puff of smoke, only for its space to be filled by two more wolves and a horde of enthralled students.
Ladybug whipped out with her yoyo, shattering pendant after pendant, tripping thrall after thrall, but more still kept coming. It was as if Conformity had taken over the entire school. In the corner of her vision, two shapes, one green and one black, came flying across the courtyard and crashed by her feet. Cat Noir and Carapace groaned as they rose.
"That Maladea dudette hits a lot harder than I thought she would," Carapace muttered as he deflected an attack from two wolf clones. Ladybug broke off her defense to help Cat Noir up. "You okay, kitty?" she asked. Cat Noir smiled tiredly. "Yeah. It's just… wow, Maladea fights dirty. I nearly got knifed in the stomach after she kicked my butt through a door."
Rena Rouge made her way to the others, beating back a few thralls. "There's just too many of them," she panted, kicking one of their classmates away. Cat Noir nodded. "We need to retreat, m'lady. Just for a minute."
Ladybug looked around the battle as thralls began to creep closer. She made a split second decision. "Carapace, shield!" she ordered. Carapace complied, calling on his Shell-ter. A green dome formed over the heroes, blocking out the wolves and thralls. Ladybug cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to try something. If it doesn't work, I'm using my Lucky Charm," she said. Rena Rouge looked at her quizzically. "What are you trying?"
Ladybug tuned out Rena's question as she reached out her fingers and closed her eyes. Tikki had explained the power of darkness control in detail to her last night. Ladybug reached out with her mind, trying to sense the darkness in the souls of the thralls around her.
Her fingertips grew cold, then unbearably cold. Ladybug opened her eyes to see the dark clouds around her fingers, pink sparks shooting through them. Then she looked around. Almost all of the students within a five meter radius were frozen in place, no change on their faces. She saw Conformity look around in terror as half her army was immobilized. Only the wolves and the Darks hadn't changed, simply because the Darks weren't her current targets, and the wolves had no souls to speak of.
Her allies gasped in shock and awe as Ladybug kept the student thralls frozen, unable to move. Ladybug smirked a little. "I still have a few tricks," she said to them as she manipulated the movements of the thralls so they turned towards Conformity.
Then everything began to fall apart.
Conformity howled, confusing the heroes at first, until the first of the wolves started howling with her. The sound made their blood run cold, filling them with a sense of primal fear as the rest of the wolves joined in. The entire pack began pounding on the shield, snarling and howling. One wolf punched the dome so hard that the shell cracked and shattered, startling Ladybug and making her lose her hold on the enthralled students, who began swarming the heroes and Darks alike.
Ladybug fell to her knees, utterly exhausted from her effort, barely able to swing her yoyo at the enemies. "M'lady!" she heard Cat Noir yelp as she struggled to get up. Rena's voice came next to her. "Are you okay?" A third voice, who she couldn't tell it belonged to, yelled. "What's the plan? What's the plan?!"
"What's the plan? What's the plan?!" Crocdown yelled. Alphaux grimaced, the situation rapidly slipping through his fingers. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Alphaux snapped back as he punched two of his wayward clones away. A crackle of static came over their comms as Skinker started yelling. "Mayday! SOS! Somebody, we need backup! I repeat, backup! Over!"
"We're surrounded and I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out," Iapallidus clarified, much less hysterical than his brother. "I can't get a free hand in to set an Encore and we're too close together for Skinker to use his Diversion. If you've got a plan, Al, now's the best time to use it!"
The sounds of his teammates yelling in his ears and the clashing around him was too much for Alphaux to concentrate, which led to him taking a few hits from his foes. Alphaux fell back, disoriented and confused. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Conformity smirk as she advanced through the wolves. "Time to finish this," the villainess said sinisterly. Only Alphaux noticed the poisonous green shape that had launched itself into the air.
"Backstab!" Maladea cried out, blasting all of the wolf clones with her first beam and hitting Conformity with the second. Almost immediately, Conformity went down under a savage and feral wolf pack, screaming as the wolves tried to rip into her.
Maladea landed beside Alphaux and Crocdown, then put her hand to her comm. "Alright, boys, listen up," she said, determination filling every word. "Alphaux, get rid of these duplicates. Crocdown, go help the twins fend off Conformity's student body. We're halving her army." Maladea offered Alphaux a hand up, which he grudgingly accepted. "Don't think this will get you any leadership points," he growled in her ear. Maladea smirked behind her mask. "Don't think it won't," she replied cheerily as she took to the air again. "Come help the twins once you're done with that little detail."
"Wolves, dismissed," Alphaux said, snapping his fingers, regaining a little control over his clones. The three dozen clones still remaining evaporated in a cloud of smoke, leaving a panting and bruised Conformity laying spread-eagle on the ground. Alphaux rejoined the rest of the group, with one thought still drumming in his head. She'd better not try and take over.
"Well, that was something," Rena Rouge said in awe when all the wolves turned against Conformity. Ladybug nodded weakly as Cat Noir supported her. "Maladea's certainly very powerful," she replied. "It's lucky she did that when she did. I couldn't fight any more off."
"What do we do now?" Cat Noir asked. Ladybug released her grip on her partner, standing shakily. "We finish this," Ladybug said. "Lucky Charm!" A magazine fell into her hands, and the image on the front made Ladybug's face flush red as she quickly turned it around. "I think I know exactly what to do with this one. Rena, an illusion, please. Make sure everyone is looking at this." She showed Rena Rouge the magazine, and Rena grinned a little.
"Cat, be ready to Cataclysm her pen. Carapace, help Rena. You only have a few minutes left," Ladybug added. Carapace checked his bracelet, which was indeed down to three pads. "Well, let's do this, then!" Carapace replied.
"Mirage!" Rena Rouge yelled as she threw the orange ball of light. When Conformity stood again, several students had broken out of her control and were reading… Oh no, she thought, her left eye twitching. "That sort of magazine is not allowed in the building!" she shrieked, not even bothering to click her pen as she tried to pounce on the students, who dissipated the moment she touched them. Ladybug leapt in front of Conformity, shoved the Lucky Charm in her face, then grabbed the akumatized pen.
"Cat Noir, now!" she yelled as she threw the pen to her partner. One Cataclysm later, the akuma fluttered out of the broken pen. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug said as she opened her yoyo and started swinging. "Time to de-evilize!" After catching the bug, Ladybug quickly threw the magazine into the air, dissolving it into the magic ladybugs, returning the students to normal and Conformity back to Ms. Mendeleiev.
"Well, I'd think today was successful," Maladea commented as the students around her and the other Darks backed off. "Darks, retreat!" she ordered. Alphaux lagged behind a moment, muttering about he should have given the order, but he eventually followed the others.
Ladybug helped Ms. Mendeleiev up. "That was the strangest feeling," the science teacher said, and that simple phrase sent Ladybug on edge. "What do you mean?" she asked warily. Ms. Mendeleiev shrugged. "I wasn't even that mad until Tyranno Moth started whispering to me. He said I was mad, then I was."
Ladybug's face beheld confusion for a moment before the beeping of her earrings caught her attention. "I have to go. Bug out!" she said as she and the other heroes raced out of the school.
"You may have won again, Ladybug, but don't rest on your laurels just yet, nooo," Tyranno Moth said sinisterly. "My new powers work perfectly, and now I can create more villains with the most trivial of feelings. Or even take advantage of them properly." Tyranno Moth grinned. "I'll see you very soon, yesss," he finished as his window began to close.
The heroes ducked into an alley so Rena Rouge and Carapace could return to their civilian selves. Alya in particular took notice of Cat Noir's presence. "I thought he wasn't allowed to be here," she whispered to Ladybug. Ladybug smiled a little. "Well, he's here today, and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have decided to let you two keep your Miraculouses."
Alya's smile grew until it couldn't get any larger. She tackled Nino in a hug. "We're gonna be superheroes! A full part of the team!" she exclaimed happily. Nino chuckled. "This really is a dream come true, you know. Now she's gonna be going about being able to learn your name."
Ladybug and Cat Noir smirked at each other. "Spots off," Ladybug said, the pink sparkles washing up her body.
"Claws in," Cat Noir said, his own green lightning crackling up his form. Marinette and Adrien stood proud in front of their friends, and Alya started squealing again, managing to squeak out something about always having a feeling or knowing something was off. Nino laughed. "Y'know, now that I see it, I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner," he said as Alya began swearing up and down every oath of secrecy she could think of from the top of her head.
"I told you it would break her brain," Marinette whispered to Adrien. Adrien laughed a little. "Let's hope she can keep it together for the rest of the day," he replied, kissing her cheek. Alya almost started foaming at the mouth.
After Alya finally calmed down enough to not alert anyone to anything suspicious, the four stowed their jewels and kwamis, then headed back to the school, where they immediately noticed two things. One, all the couples were back together, apparently no worse for wear. Two, Alix was talking to Lila, and it seemed like the tiny skater was making the other girl nervous.
"Look, all I heard was that rumor, okay!" Lila was saying as the four came closer. "You think I'd start a horrible thing like that?!" Alix chuckled darkly. "Look, Lila, I'm not saying you started anything. I was implying it. And don't try any of your routines with me. I used to be friends with Chloe, and I know all the dirty little tricks."
"She used to be friends with Chloe?!" Alya whispered to Marinette. Marinette wobbled her hand at a halfway point. "For about a month after we started sixth grade until the other girls and I unofficially adopted her into our group after one detention too many," she replied. "Although, it was certainly enough."
Lila's eye was drawn to Marinette and the rest. "Oh, guys, thank goodness! If you could tell her to back off, that would be so nice," Lila said. Marinette shook her head. "I don't think so, Lila. I know you started that rumor. For what reason, I don't know, and I don't care," she said, checking her nails. "Besides, I'm about one-third done with your 'request.' It would be a shame if it got messed up and I had to start all over. With the progress I was making, it would be done by the end of the week. And I can't guarantee client secrecy after the deadline."
Lila paled a little. "Oh… okay. Fine. As long as you don't say anything about this to anyone. It had nothing to do with you," she stammered. Marinette smirked. "Good. Now, I think Ms. Mendeleiev is going to want us back in class. So scurry along, now." Lila slunk away, seething a little.
"That was something," Alya said with wide eyes. Alix chuckled a little. "I taught her a few things, and she can be deceptively cunning and cruel if she feels like it. That one dodgeball game… I swear, she was aiming for where it hurts." Marinette shrugged. "I don't like doing it, but it does get the point across."
"Maybe we should get to class, dudes," Nino said. "Marinette was right that Ms. Mendeleiev wants us back in class." Adrien nodded. "You two go ahead. I want to ask Marinette about something." The other two nodded, quickly rushing to the science room. Adrien turned to Marinette. "You've got that look. The look that says 'we're going to be in trouble.'"
Marinette nodded. "Ms. Mendeleiev mentioned Tyranno Moth. Now, I might be mistaken, but the T-Rex is a Dark Miraculous," she explained. Adrien lowered his voice. "You think Dragonus gave Hawk Moth a Dark Miraculous?" he asked. Marinette shook her head. "Then he wouldn't be attacking Conformity and Conformity wouldn't be attacking them. Or maybe they would… ugh, those two give me headaches." Adrien nodded. "We'll just need to be careful, Bugaboo," he replied, tapping her nose. Marinette blushed. "Now we've got more people with us, kitty. We'll stop them all soon enough."
The bell rang, and Marinette and Adrien rushed back to the class, now filled with new determination. We will succeed.
That afternoon, Alphaux leapt into the Darks' warehouse base and quickly transformed back to his civilian self. Jack, the twins, and Lila were sitting around the couch in the lounge area near the back of the base.
"Andrew already headed home?" Alex asked. Jack nodded. "Sort of. His double's at his place, and he's in what I guess he repurposed as his office. So we're just hanging out here," he replied. Alex cracked his knuckles and reached into his pocket. "Alright, guys, I know we had a rough day today, but my next idea is gonna be-"
"Alex, hold up," Dylan interjected. "Look, we've been talking, and while you are a great leader… Oh lord, how do you phrase this without sounding terrible?" Ryan pushed Dylan away. "You froze when we needed your guidance the most, and if it hadn't been for Lila, we would have lost. No joke."
Alex's right eye twitched a little. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice low. Jack and the twins threw each other looks. "Look, man, don't take this the wrong way," Dylan began. "You are a great leader… back home, where we don't have to worry about crazy butterflies turning people into maniacs who can mind control people with pens or turn people into… I don't know, pigeons. But here, we need someone who knows the goings on and the lay of the land better than us."
"We decided to give Lila a chance at leading for a little bit! Please don't kill us!" Ryan yelped, leaping behind a couch. Alex growled lightly, but put on a smile that was worthy of his new wolfish nature. "Fine," he relented. "That's fair. She is the newbie and deserves a chance to be leader as much as the rest of us do while Andrew is coping with the loss of two Dark Miraculouses. Of course, leadership is a big burden with serious consequences for failure. If she does mess up, in any way, shape or form… command goes back to me."
Jack and the twins nodded. "Of course," Jack replied. "But have a little more faith in her, dude. In the meantime, I challenged the twins to ultimate ping-pong, and now that the leadership situation is sorted out, they're going down!" Dylan and Ryan glanced at each other, nodded, and stood. "It's two on one odds, Crocface," Ryan replied. Dylan nodded. "Remember our deal once this game's over. I can't wait to see you once you've lost."
The three exited the lounge, leaving only Alex and Lila. Lila moved to the door, but Alex put a hand in front of her. "Don't rest on your laurels just yet, usurpatrice," Alex whispered to her. "Just because I didn't challenge you now doesn't mean I won't. Watch your back."
"Are you threatening me?" Lila whispered back. Alex smirked. "Only offering words of advice to the new leader," he said. Lila smirked. "Then hear mine. Stay out of my way. If I want advice, I'll ask you for it. And one more thing. You're watching the rear from now on."
Alex scowled as Lila spun around him and left the lounge. Howll popped out of his jacket. "You're not going to challenge her to a duel? You're not going to assert your dominance as alpha?" she asked, confused. Alex chuckled a little. "Howll, Howll, Howll. I know we haven't worked together for very long, but you should know by now that I'm not an idiot. The other three essentially elected her in. They brought about her rise, so logic should assume they'll bring her fall."
"You mean they'll revolt?" Howll asked. Alex shook his head. "No, they won't. We just have to wait for when she can't keep them under her leadership." Alex smirked. "Watch your back, Rossi. Because I won't be the one watching it."
Hoooo boy. Like I said, long. And things are beginning to ramp up. Tyranno Moth can corrupt more people with less fuel now, Lila's leader of the Darks while Dragonus is being mopey, and we have more permanent additions to the heroes' side.
Just thought I'd let y'all know, I'm going to summer camp for a month, so don't expect any stuff for this story for about *counts on fingers* seven weeks. I'm putting up one more chapter for my ATLA story (after which I'm quitting because I'm running out of ideas for it) in the next two, gonna be at camp for four weeks, and probably going to post the next chapter for this a week after I get back from camp. And I promise, the next chapter will be so worth the wait. As always, stay safe, healthy, and to all my US West Coast readers (and everyone in general), drink water and don't melt!