Chapter 6, finally here! It's funny, in a way. These six chapters were posted over the course of 5-6ish months, and only constitute one week. Agh. Well, school isn't being as bad to me as I thought it was, so I should have the next chapter out in a month or two (unless life throws me a curveball)
If anyone needs a refresher on Tyranno Moth and Fowl Scorpia's looks, they're described in chapter 3 (it's been a long time lol). No Season 4 spoilers this time, maybe just a slight Optigami reference or two, but nothing big.
Chapter Six
Conflagration
"So, let me get this straight," Rexx began, floating in front of Gabriel's face as the designer looked up from his computer. "You want to akumatize some patsy, use him or her as bait for the heroes, and then use my powers on them to manipulate them into giving up their Miraculouses? Seems a little far-fetched." Gabriel's face remained impassive. "Is it possible?" he asked.
"Oh, certainly," Rexx replied. "I'm just concerned you're putting too much faith in your abilities. These superheroes are among the more annoying ones I've seen, yesss. They're fairly clear-minded and set on defeating you, but with your adult powers and the akuma wearing them down a little, it could work, yesss. But who would be a perfect akuma victim to draw them out? Not that pigeon man, no."
"No, not him," Gabriel replied, twisting his ring a little. "But I know exactly who. Someone who can force Ladybug to draw out allies. The more people I can manipulate into giving up their Miraculous, the better." At that moment, a knock sounded outside the door, which made Rexx leap into Gabriel's jacket pocket. "Come in!" Gabriel called.
Adrien stepped through the door, twisting his own ring. "Father," he began. "I was thinking about going to see a movie with my friends today after school, and if you would let me go…" Adrien was cut off by Gabriel raising his hand. "You may go, Adrien," the older Agreste answered. "Just be back before dinner. I don't want to have to shuffle your evening schedule again." Adrien smiled and nodded, then grabbed his bookbag and raced out to the Gorilla waiting with the car.
Rexx floated out of Gabriel's pocket, an ugly smirk on his face. "You should be a little more strict with your son, you know. Lenient parents are often the cause of many downfalls, yesss," he said, then zipped off to another corner of the room. Nooroo floated to Gabriel's shoulder. "You shouldn't listen to Rexx," the butterfly kwami urged. Gabriel sneered. "Why shouldn't I? He's being more helpful than you," he snapped back.
Nooroo flinched a little. "Rexx is only helping you because he wants to see you fail. He wants to watch you destroy yourself, if only to satisfy his own entertainment," he warned. Gabriel snorted. "Nonsense. He's the kwami of Manipulation, not Chaos." Nooroo shook his head. "If you follow his way to bring back your wife, you might have to pay the ultimate price."
Nathalie walked into the atelier, tablet clutched in her hand, Dark Scorpion Miraculous now around her waist. Gabriel smiled a little. Nathalie had been very clever to conceal the stolen jewel. No one had seen it outside his office and lair.
"Sir, the conference has been set up," Nathalie said, showing Gabriel her tablet. "All the necessary guests will be there, and our bait will be at her most enraged at approximately twenty minutes in." Gabriel nodded. "Good. Make a sentimonster to take my place in the call. We need to make sure Audrey is properly angered and akumatized. Otherwise, it would be impossible to use her as bait." Nathalie nodded. "This plan is sure to work, sir," she said as she left the room.
Gabriel turned to the painting behind him. "It had better," he muttered. Across the room, he could feel Rexx's grin burning the back of his neck. His Miraculous pinged a little with the kwami's emotions, and the sheer amusement he felt from the Tyrannosaur kwami made his skin crawl.
"Dangerous Liaisons," Ms. Bustier began, holding the book open with her thumb. "Written a few years before the French Revolution, this is a tale of opportunism and betrayal of members of the aristocracy trying to fill their jaded lives with amusement. However, their ambitions and pawns begin to lead to several serious consequences."
Ms. Bustier patted the stack of books on her desk. "Marinette, Adrien, if you two would be so helpful as to pass these out to the class," she requested. The two nodded as they stood up and made their way to the desk, each grabbing the top book, touching hands. Ms. Bustier threw a sly wink to Alya as Marinette and Adrien divided the books between them. The other girl beamed.
"Adrien, pass them out on the left side, Marinette, on the right," the teacher instructed. Marinette moved along her half of the room, setting a book in front of each seat. Then, right as she was handing Ivan and Andrew their books, she froze for a second. She heard fluttering… like an akuma. Quickly glancing around, Marinette exhaled in relief when she saw it was just Andrew flipping the pages of his book. Composing herself, Marinette passed two books to Lila and Nathaniel, only for Lila to tap her hand.
"Is it done yet? That commission I asked for?" Lila whispered. Marinette hesitated, then nodded. "I mailed it this morning. It should arrive at your place this afternoon," she replied. Lila smiled, and Marinette could easily see she was straining it. "Thanks!" the Italian girl chirped. Marinette shrugged and went back to her seat.
"While you're reading the book, pay special attention to the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont," Ms. Bustier said. "Your homework assignment - due next week - is to read the book and write an essay on how the betrayals of the Marquise and the Vicomte affected their downfall. Remember, it's due next Friday. You don't need to devote your weekends to it if you don't need to, but there are people in this class who would benefit from working on it the entire seven days. Any questions?"
Marinette's attention wandered a little when Ms. Bustier started calling on questions, mostly to the back of Adrien's head, but a part of her started thinking about the small panic attack she had. She didn't normally feel like that when she saw an akuma, but she also knew Tyranno Moth could manipulate his victims from further away and turn their emotions negative. Ms. Mendeleiev's akumatization came to mind. And if Tyranno Moth could manipulate any emotions to turn someone evil, his victims could be even more dangerous.
Her mind made up, Marinette leaned over to Alya. "Last hour. Art room. Tell the boys," she whispered urgently. Alya needed no clarification, nodding quickly as she thumbed a text to Nino on her phone.
The bell rang, releasing the students from class. "Have a good weekend, everyone!" Ms. Bustier called out as the students went to their next classes.
Lila in particular was lagging a little behind the rest, making sure no one was listening. Dennos peeked his head out of her jacket. "That was risky, you know, asking that Marinette girl to make you that… doll. What if she starts to suspect you because of it?" he asked. Lila rolled her eyes. "Even if she did, I made up a convincing enough story to keep her from sticking her nose into my business. And what would it matter to her, if I'm not after "her" Adrien?"
"Ah yes, the lies you told. I'm surprised people still believe you, considering the more outlandish ones you've spun," Dennos commented, rolling his eyes. Lila shrugged. "What? Jagged Stone had a cat. I'm just bending the truth on that one." Dennos sighed. "Never mind. So, your plan to take on Alex?"
Lila smirked. "Simple. Challenge him head on. I'm tired of all the sneaky plays. And I'm still convinced he planted that news story with All. It can't be a coincidence." Dennos shrugged. "Fine by me. You guys are the ones fighting, not me and Howll."
Lila said nothing as her gaze fell on Andrew on the other side of the school, surrounded by Alex, Jack, and the twins. She quickly checked him. He seemed to look okay, smiling and joking around. But Lila knew from experience that it was easy to act okay and not be okay. Dennos glanced up at her. "If you did seize leadership back from Alex and Andrew came back to take his place, would you give it up?"
"Of course," Lila answered, not paying attention to Dennos. The eldritch kwami smiled a little. "Good. It's always good when one's devotion exceeds ambition. You're less likely to betray him." Lila blinked in surprise. "I would never!" she nearly shrieked. Dennos smirked. "There's more than one way to betray," he trilled before settling back in her jacket. Lila sighed and set off for the final hour of school.
"So what did you want to tell us about?" Adrien asked, his voice a whisper. The four were sitting in a circle, absentmindedly stroking their brushes on canvases. The hour was almost over, but they hadn't spoken since everyone else was too close. Finally, Marinette cleared her throat. "When I was handing out the books, I heard Andrew flipping his pages absentmindedly. This wouldn't normally be cause for alarm, but I mistook it for an akuma and nearly panicked."
Alya raised an eyebrow. "Okay, girl, but why? You've never panicked when you've seen an akuma before. Why now?" she asked. Marinette sighed. "Ever since Hawk Moth got his hands on the Dark T-rex Miraculous, he's been able to manipulate his akuma victims into becoming angrier or more upset. Remember what happened to Ms. Mendeleiev?"
"But there's only been two of them," Adrien replied. "And we can't be sure on Maestro's akumatization." A chuckle escaped Nino's mouth. "He was, most likely. I mean, most akumatized villains go right after the source of their negative emotions, right? Maestro laying low and releasing a music video to brainwash people? Sounds more like a plan the big guy would come up with, and Maestro's not the big guy," he countered.
"That's what I thought," Marinette replied. "And there is always the possibility Tyranno Moth might decide to target former Miraculous holders. I took a big risk entrusting you both with your Miraculouses permanently. He's already dangerous enough with his Miraculous, the Peacock, and the T-rex. Imagine if he got a hold of yours."
"We've been very careful," Alya replied. "And besides, you made the right choice, Marinette. Now that there's four of us, we can search for Tyranno Moth and Dragonus a lot more effectively, and respond to akuma attacks quicker. We're stronger this way." Nino nodded. "I agree. But you do have a point, Marinette. Do you have a plan to draw Tyranno Moth out?"
Marinette thought about it for a moment. "We'll start looking into it ASAP. If he sends out another akuma today, we'll fight the villain, and when it's over, I'll get the Dog Miraculous and see if we can use it to track the akuma's scent back to his lair. Then we'll defeat him and take the Miraculouses back," she decided. The other three nodded. "How do we make sure he can't see us coming?" Adrien asked. "It's likely he has eyes everywhere. What if he starts to suspect us?"
"We're just going to have to be very careful," Marinette replied as the bell rang. The four gathered their things and headed out the door and out of the school, where the sight that greeted them made Adrien groan. The Gorilla was standing by the car.
"What is it? A last minute schedule change?" Marinette asked. Adrien shook his head. "I told my father we were going to the movies, so he must have arranged for the car to take us there," he explained as the four made their way to the car. The Gorilla nodded, opening the doors. Nino shrugged. "Dude, I don't mind. As long as we get there on time."
"Probably a good idea then, considering who we all are," Alya joked as she and Nino slid in. Adrien stepped to the side and gestured for Marinette. "M'ladies first," he said. Marinette giggled a little and sat down, patting the spot next to her. Finally, Adrien climbed in and the car set off for the theater.
While the teens headed to their movie, Audrey Bourgeois was waiting impatiently for the interview to begin in her office. "If this doesn't start in five minutes, you're all fired!" she exclaimed to everyone in earshot. One timid assistant moved towards the famous critic. "We can't start just yet. Gabriel Agreste said he was going to be here, in person, and that we weren't to start without him," the assistant said. Audrey growled. "Fine. But make sure he shows up," she ordered.
Across the city, Gabriel could sense Audrey's emotions. Smirking to himself, he quickly transformed into Tyranno Moth and opened his cane intercom. "Fowl Scorpia, are you in position?" he asked. The affirmative crackled through. "I'm just about to make the sentimonster," the villainess replied. Tyranno Moth's smirk widened to a grin. "Make sure she's quite enraged. We'll want as many Miraculous holders as possible, yesss."
Fowl Scorpia, hiding in the bathrooms, smirked to herself as she drew a feather from her fan and infused it with blue energy. Folding her fan and drawing her scythe, Fowl Scorpia inserted the amok into the weapon and shaped the blue mass into a perfect copy of Gabriel. "Senti-Gabriel, I am Fowl Scorpia," the villainess intoned. "You are to antagonize Audrey and prime her for akumatization. Understood?"
"Understood," Senti-Gabriel replied, quickly moving out of the restrooms and heading briskly towards the office. When the sentimonster arrived, the press began snapping pictures as Senti-Gabriel took his seat. Of course, no one was the wiser.
Alec quickly stepped into the frame of the cameras as they started rolling. "Welcome everyone to this exclusive interview with two of Paris's most important fashion icons!" he began. "Now, everyone knows you're all very busy, so let's get started. First question: if either of you could have done something different with the beginning of your career, what would it have been?"
"I believe I would have tried to get noticed by someone other than Audrey," Senti-Gabriel answered. "When I was first starting out, yes, she was helpful, but now that I am more successful than she or anyone else in her family will ever be, I have begun to think her involvement is holding me back." In the restrooms, Fowl Scorpia smirked. "A shame when a powerful queen becomes nothing more than a figurehead monarch for a magazine that few people even read any more. Especially not in the Southern United States, where Style Queen lost all sales after a certain Kathleen Hendrol published a scathing review of the magazine and began to dominate sales with her own publications, if I recall correctly."
"We agreed we would never speak of that again!" Audrey shrieked. Senti-Gabriel smiled wryly. "We agreed on a lot of things, Audrey, but you always broke those promises," he replied. Audrey was speechless. How could he? How dare he?! I discovered him, I funded him, I praised him! And this is how Gabriel repays me?! She could feel hot tears of anger and betrayal pin pricking the back of her eyes.
Tyranno Moth grinned as his window opened. "A woman betrayed by the man she helped rise to prominence. Someone she considered a friend and associate, only to stab her in the back, yesss. I won't even need to manipulate her this time," he said as he corrupted a butterfly. "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!" Tyranno Moth declared as his akuma quickly fluttered towards his prey.
Audrey nearly lashed out at the red-and-white man in front of her when the butterfly sank into the pin on her hat. "Style Queen, I am Tyranno Moth. The one you see before you is a fake, created by Ladybug and Cat Noir to humiliate you in front of all these people. I'm returning your powers to you to exact your vengeance upon them! All I ask in return is their Miraculouses. Do you accept, my queen?"
Had Audrey been thinking clearly, she would have found too many holes in Tyranno Moth's story. But she wasn't, as she snarled an agreement and let the dark purple smoke transform her from flesh to glitter. Style Queen's first act was to turn everyone in the room to glitter piles, including the Gabriel copy. Unfortunately for her, Fowl Scorpia released the sentimonster from existence, the clone dissipating into blue smoke in an instant.
Style Queen didn't care as she transformed into a glittery ball and flew out the window towards the rest of Paris, turning everyone she came across into glitter. "Ladybug, Cat Noir! Come out and face me! Do not hide behind another of your creations!" she ordered as she landed on the Eiffel Tower. Unbeknownst to her, Fowl Scorpia had followed her and was now hiding in the rafters of the Tower.
"Style Queen is in position," she said into her fan, the sound crackling out of Tyranno Moth's cane. Tyranno Moth smirked. "Good. Now, we wait for the superheroes to arrive. I imagine this will be our greatest victory, my dear Fowl Scorpia, yesss."
"Where's Andrew?" Lila asked when she found the others in the lounge. Jack stretched his arms out, nearly whacking the twins. "He said he was heading home after school," he replied. "Apparently, he's working on some "master stroke" that'll help us take out the butterfly dude and get the other Dark Miraculouses back."
Lila sighed. "Well, I think we should be out there hunting down Ladybug and Cat Noir. It shouldn't be too hard, considering you all know their identities," she said, hoping her gambit would pay off. The boys went silent, Ryan spitting out his drink in surprise. The room was deadly quiet before one of them spoke again. Lila smirked. She was right. "Secret identities?" Ryan stammered. "We don't know their secret identities. How could we? It's not like Dragonus can read memories of people he's absorbed from and saw their minds when he absorbed their powers and told us. Nope, not at all!"
"Smooth move, genius," Dylan muttered, rolling his eyes. "We're not going to go hunting for them because it's a bad idea and they haven't done anything to deserve it." Alex nodded. "Exactly. If they start looking for us, trying to find our base, that's when we have fair grounds to hunt them down." The blond boy rose from his seat, moving slowly over to Lila. "And I don't think it's your place right now to discuss our rules, seeing as you are not currently leader."
Lila's lips curled into a snarl. "I was in charge for two days, Alex," she snapped back. "I took a more proactive approach to our fights. And need I remind you of how you failed when we fought Conformity?" Her question was brushed aside by Alex, who sneered back. "And need I remind you of how you failed to contain the situation after Dylan lost his temper during the All incident? Unless I'm wrong, you needed Ladybug to fix everything for you, right?" he taunted. Lila's hands rose from her hips and clenched into fists.
"At least I didn't lose control of my clones," she sneered. "And there isn't a chance I'll lose control of them again." Alex cracked his knuckles and fiddled with the wolf tail around his neck. "Is that a threat, Rossi?" he growled. Lila's snarl turned to a smirk for a second. "I don't know, wiseguy. What do you think?"
The other three boys watched the tension rise with a mix of amusement, apprehension, and slight distress. "Who's gonna move first?" Jack whispered. Ryan chuckled. "Totally gonna be Lila. She is mad," he said. Dylan scoffed. "My money's on Alex. His authority's never been challenged like this before."
Neither Lila nor Alex were paying attention to the other boys as they continued to stare each other down. A growl escaped Lila's throat. "I still think it was you who sent up Dylan's discovery of All." Alex's sneer turned to a smirk. "What reason would I have to do that? Aside from the obvious pleasure of making you look incompetent, of course," he replied. Lila's growl turned to a scream. "Dennos, Deadlights On!"
"Howll, Time to Hunt!" Alex cried, and a moment later, Maladea and Alphaux were grappling with each other, slashing at each other, throwing punches and kicks. Jack and the twins winced a little at the fight in front of them as it moved from one side of the room to the other, nearly totalling the popcorn machine, much to Ryan's distress.
"Well, with those two trying to tear each other apart, I humbly accept temporary command responsibility. As my first act, I say we get out of here before their collateral damage hurts us," Jack said as he turned to the twins, who gratefully nodded. Quickly, the three made their way out of the lounge, right as one of the chairs was thrown through a door.
"So… what do we do now?" Ryan asked. Jack shrugged. "Wanna transform and get out of here, maybe see if we can steal a few skateboards and do some super boarding?" he suggested. Dylan steepled his fingers, looking over the tips at Jack. "That's a terrible idea, but considering the brawl in the lounge, I would much rather do that. Let's do it."
"Perfect! Snapp, Surface Lunge!" Jack ordered, quickly transforming to Crocdown. The twins transformed into their villain forms, and a few moments later, the three leapt over rooftops, putting as much distance between them and the base as they could.
They had just taken their seats when the akuma alert went off. "Well, at least we don't have to wait for Tyranno Moth to strike," Marinette sighed. Alya shrugged. "At least we're closer to tracking him down," she replied. Nino nodded. "This nightmare will be over by the end of the day," he added. Adrien coughed into his fist a little. "Maybe we should head out and find the supervillain first, before we end the nightmare."
The four rushed off to separate bathrooms in the theater, then emerged in their alter egos. "Apparently, it's Style Queen at the Eiffel Tower!" Cat Noir called over to the girls. Ladybug grimaced a little. "I'll unify with the Bee in a minute. Right now, we just need to hope she doesn't decide to blindside us on our way there." The other three nodded as they raced over the rooftops towards the Eiffel Tower.
It only took them a few minutes to get to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, but there wasn't any sign of Style Queen. Moving cautiously, Ladybug summoned the Bee Miraculous from the Miracle Box and slipped it in her hair, not unifying just yet. "Where could she be?" Carapace muttered as the four walked back to back, further under the Eiffel Tower's bulk. Rena Rouge shrugged. "Maybe she's moved?" she suggested.
A slight gust caught Cat Noir's attention. He caught his breath. The breeze looked gold. "Or she's led us into a trap!" he yelled as a golden glitter dome formed over them. Style Queen materialized outside the semi-transparent dome, a smug smirk on her face. "Spot on, kitty-cat," she taunted. "The only reason you aren't piles of glitter is because Tyranno Moth wanted you all in one piece, for whatever reason. It's not like I care, really. I just want answers."
"For what?" Ladybug demanded, drawing her yoyo. Style Queen huffed. "Why did you create a clone of my Gabri-kins and make him say horrible things about me?! What did I do to you to deserve that treatment?!" she yelled. The heroes blinked in surprise. "So that's why she was akumatized," Rena Rouge muttered. Cat Noir gagged a little. "Gabri-kins… geez, at least now I don't have to wonder where Chloe got that nickname from."
"We didn't do that to you!" Ladybug protested. "We didn't even know where you were before you were akumatized. Tyranno Moth lied to you!" Cat Noir raised a hand. "M'lady's right. He probably used Mayura to make a sentimonster to fool you. He wanted to akumatize you. Tyranno Moth might speak nicely and pretend to sympathize with you, but he only sees you as a tool! Is the great Audrey Bourgeois a tool?"
Style Queen stepped back in surprise, the revelation buzzing through her head. "I- I don't-'' she stammered before a black butterfly fluttered out of her hat pin, turning white with every flap of its wings. Style Queen's akumatization faded in purple smoke, reverting her back to a very confused Audrey who stumbled to the ground. The gold glitter dome collapsed, releasing the heroes. Rena Rouge and Carapace rushed over to the critic, helping her up, and inadvertently saving themselves from two purple blasts coming from the rafters of the Eiffel Tower. Two blasts that hit Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Tyranno Moth grinned maniacally from his perch. The plan worked beautifully, as he knew it would. Style Queen proved a perfect pawn. Now Ladybug and Cat Noir were at his mercy, at long last. He quickly glanced over at Fowl Scorpia, who was perched in one of the Tower's legs. She nodded, ready to strike if the situation demanded. Now suitably satisfied with his plan, Tyranno Moth dropped down, cracking the pavement with his landing when he did and the force throwing Ladybug and Cat Noir back.
"Oh no," Rena Rouge breathed. Carapace groaned. "It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?" The sound of Audrey sneering caught everyone's attention. "Tyranno Moth! You lied to me! It was your doing!" she screeched. Rena Rouge grabbed her arm. "Ma'am, just please get out of here. We'll deal with this," she reassured. Audrey threw her an angry glare. "Make him hurt for me," she ordered before marching off.
"Now that that little detail has been taken care of," Tyranno Moth began, his voice a purr that slightly buzzed in Rena Rouge and Carapace's heads. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, how about you hand over your Miraculous? Once I have them in my possession, I'll leave you all alone and make my wish. You'll never hear from me again."
"Like they'd ever do that!" Rena Rouge shouted as she took Ladybug's side. Ladybug remained silent for a moment, and the silence made Rena Rouge's blood run cold. She quickly glanced at Ladybug's face. Her normally clear and vibrant bluebell eyes were slightly clouded, like a fog came over her face. Her nose was slightly scrunched, like she was deep in thought. Her lips were pressed together tightly. Rena Rouge glanced at Carapace, who nodded. Cat Noir's face was similar. The conclusion was obvious to the both of them.
Tyranno Moth used his manipulation power on them. And it was starting to work.
"It does make sense…" Ladybug finally said at length, like she was in a daze. Cat Noir nodded slowly. "Not being dragged from what we enjoy doing by akumas sounds good." Slowly, the two began to reach for their Miraculouses, their movements sluggish. Tyranno Moth grinned. "I swear to you both, this will be the best choice you have ever made, yesss."
Ladybug's hands were almost to her earrings before Rena Rouge grabbed her arms. Carapace did the same with Cat Noir, keeping his fingers away from his ring. "This is crazy, dudes!" Carapace protested. "Tyranno Moth's lying to you both! He'll keep coming until he has all the Miraculouses, and then he'll make sure he's ruling the world with all those powers!"
"Don't fall victim to his power," Rena Rouge urged, trying to reach her best friend under the influence of Tyranno Moth's power. "You're Ladybug, Guardian of the Miraculous. You can't let them fall into his hands." A dark chuckle escaped Tyranno Moth. "Good for you, Rena Rouge, yesss. Appealing to her is a good strategy, but it shall avail you not, no. You are right. She is Ladybug, Guardian of the Miraculous, Cat Noir her faithful partner. And you both are just her sidekicks. What authority does this give either of you to tell her what to do?"
Ladybug's expression turned stormy, her eyes still clouded. "He's right, Rena. What authority do you have over me? It's zero. And Carapace has no power in this dynamic, either. I'm the leader, Cat Noir is my partner, and you and Carapace and everyone else follow our orders. Without me and the Miracle Box, you both would still be ordinary. Or worse, only known for being akumatized."
"M'lady's right, you both are nothing," Cat Noir snarled. Carapace grunted, then turned to Tyranno Moth. "Let our friends go!" he yelled, throwing his shield. Tyranno Moth deflected it with his clamp weapon as he tutted at Rena Rouge and Carapace. "So aggressive for a protection Miraculous wielder. Perhaps it wasn't wise for Ladybug to give you those powers. Of course, I'm certain she can think of more, yesss."
Ladybug's expression turned even angrier. "Forcing all those plots… the schemes… believing that the lying monster was my friend… turning against me for her… I did choose wrong," she sneered as she drew her yoyo. "Rena Rouge, Carapace, you will give me back your Miraculouses and get out of my sight. I don't tolerate traitors." Cat Noir growled as he drew his staff and spun it. "You heard her. Hand over the jewels and we won't have to take them."
"M- Ladybug, I know I was wrong to do all of that," Rena Rouge said, holding her hands out placatingly. "I just got over eager, and as for Lila… okay, there's no excuse for that, but she manipulated all of us, like Tyranno Moth is doing to you! Are you going to let another liar and manipulator, one who's worse than Lila, win? Are you?"
Ladybug faltered for a moment, before her growl returned. "None of that changes that you did those things. Now, I won't tell you again. Hand. Over. Your. Miraculous." Rena Rouge's heart dropped down to her stomach, her false ears drooping a little. Then the despair was replaced with a white-hot anger. "You monster!" she screamed at Tyranno Moth. "You did this to her!"
Tyranno Moth rolled his hand, brushing away her accusations. "I only brought the conflicts to the surface. It was you who created them, and now, it is you who will pay for them," he taunted. Ladybug and Cat Noir took a step closer to Rena Rouge and Carapace, their faces angry but still slightly dazed. Tyranno Moth grinned as the other two heroes tried to reason with their enthralled friends. "It doesn't matter either way," he said to himself. "Whether Ladybug and Cat Noir hand their Miraculouses over to me under Silver Tongue or other means, I'll still win, yesss."
"Oof, this can't end well," Skinker remarked as he, Crocdown, and Iapallidus watched from the rooftops as Ladybug and Cat Noir began to move against Rena Rouge and Carapace. "What do we do, guys? Flash-bang everyone down there, dance on their bodies, then take embarrassing pictures of the group in compromising positions?"
"You know, maybe getting outta there wasn't the best idea," Iapallidus whispered to Crocdown. The other Dark shrugged. "It was a good idea before we came here, at least. I mean, yeah, stealing those skateboards was a jerk move, but it was worth it, considering what we got to do." Iapallidus chuckled darkly. "Yeah, splashing that fashion chick with mud was pretty funny. And the things she screamed! I'd pay to do it all over again."
"Well, we know where she lives…" Crocdown trailed off before focusing back on the battlefield below, particularly on Tyranno Moth. An idea crossed his mind. "You know, if we jumped in there and took some Miraculouses, even if it was just the T-rex, Andrew would be really grateful," he commented. The twins glanced at each other and nodded, the exact same idea passing through their heads.
"And he'd let us in on more secrets…" Iapallidus mused. Skinker's smirk widened under his helmet. "Maybe even let us choose a secondary Dark Miraculous each to knock the heroes around a little more. I wouldn't mind getting one with wings."
"So it's settled? We jump down there, knock some skulls, grab all the Miraculouses and get out of there?" Skinker asked. Crocdown held up a hand. "Better idea. You make a distraction, knock them off guard, then we jump down and soften them up a little before we take the T-rex back. I don't know what the boss man has planned for them, but I'm taking no chances with this one."
"Fair enough," Iapallidus remarked, then glanced down at his brother. "What's today's special?" Skinker stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Let's find out. Diversion!" he shouted, the tip of his tail flattening and the entire tail turning into a thick cylinder with a small timer pad on the top.
"Today's Diversion consists of a simple yet explosive dish of two very reactive elements mixed with a powerful flare," Skinker said as he detached his tail from his suit. "I'll throw this thing down and it'll explode after two seconds of contact with the ground. Then we're gonna have some fun."
Crocdown and Iapallidus threw wicked unseen smirks to each other. "Throw it on three, two, one!" Crocdown yelled. Skinker laughed crazily. "Bombs away!" he yelled, hefting the Diversion explosive over his head and throwing off of the roof the Darks stood on, an impossible distance towards the battlefield.
"Come on, guys! You have to try and fight it!" Rena Rouge urged. Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't seem to hear her as they advanced upon her and Carapace, angry yet dazed expressions on their faces. Carapace had grabbed his shield from where it landed and lightly pushed the other two back. "Talking doesn't seem to be working, and I don't want to accidentally expose anything in front of Tyranno Moth with any personal stuff!" he yelped.
A light bulb went off in Rena Rouge's head. "Maybe that's it! But instead of us, they need to do the personal stuff! Grab Cat Noir, we need to make them kiss!" she exclaimed. Carapace blinked. "That's crazy!"
"Sometimes, crazy works!" Rena Rouge replied as she jumped over Ladybug and grabbed the spotted heroine's shoulders. Carapace, with little other options, stowed his shield and did the same, pushing Cat Noir forward into Ladybug's grasp. The two heroes quickly maneuvered their friends' heads so that their lips touched in the middle, then leapt away. "Now, we wait," Rena Rouge said triumphantly. Carapace put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Let's hope it worked."
Tyranno Moth laughed darkly, capturing their attention. "You little fools! Did you really think something as trivial as an act of true love would be able to break my control over them?" he taunted as Ladybug and Cat Noir untangled themselves, now suitably angry with Rena Rouge and Carapace. The other heroes blinked. "Well, I- uh, I- maybe?" Rena Rouge stammered. Tyranno Moth smirked evilly.
"You must realize this is how they are going to remain, yesss! Puppets to my will! Servants to my every whim! As long as I hold enough focus over their minds, they will only obey me- wait, what?!" Tyranno Moth yelped as a yellow-splotched black projectile landed between him and the teenage heroes. It took Carapace a second to realize what the projectile was. "Shell-ter!" he yelled, forming the protective dome a microsecond before Skinker's tail bomb exploded. Luckily, all four heroes were fully protected.
Tyranno Moth was not. The explosion threw him right off his feet and slammed him into the Eiffel Tower, the flash of the bomb temporarily blinding him. He grunted in pain, then in annoyance as he felt his focus slip, and he knew Ladybug and Cat Noir escaped his thrall when he hit the ground. "Of course they had to come now," he growled as three figures in dark green, pale red, and black-and-yellow suits leapt from the Trocadero rooftop where they had been perched. Crocdown, Iapallidus, and Skinker regarded him with their visored faces, and even though Tyranno Moth couldn't see it, he could tell they were smirking at his plight.
"I think we just discovered a new dinosaur, boys, yesss," Crocdown quipped, causing the other two to burst into laughter. Tyranno Moth growled, then opened the intercom on his cane. "Fowl Scorpia, be ready," he ordered. An affirmation came through his intercom, and Tyranno Moth smirked.
Meanwhile, Ladybug stood shakily, Rena Rouge supporting her. "Oh, my head," she muttered groggily. "It feels like someone turned my brain into a smoothie." Cat Noir nodded dizzily himself, Carapace wrapping one of the cat hero's arms around his own shoulders. "Yeah. Silver Tongue packs a mean punch," he groaned, then shuddered. "The worst part was we could hear what he was making us do, we could hear what we were saying under the influence, and we couldn't stop ourselves."
"Yeah, and we'll talk about this later, but I do have a good bit to apologize for," Ladybug told Rena Rouge. The vixen superhero smiled a little, but it looked painful. "Alright, but I think we have something else to deal with," she replied, pointing at the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug turned, then groaned. "Why did they have to get involved?"
Crocdown, Iapallidus, and Skinker had formed a small semi-circle around Tyranno Moth, their weapons pointed at his chest. "Hand over the Dark T-rex and the Dark Scorpion and we'll leave you to deal with the superheroes," Crocdown ordered. The twins chuckled a little, readying their attacks. Tyranno Moth growled a little, but that growl was replaced with a smirk when he saw Fowl Scorpia drop silently from above.
"What are you smiling about?!" Skinker demanded, when his question was answered by a cry of "Allegiance!" and the tip of a scythe being jabbed into his back. Fowl Scorpia quickly spun around and stung Crocdown and Iapallidus with her power, making all three Darks lower their weapons and their aggressive stances turned respectful.
"What is your command, Great Stinger?" Crocdown asked. Fowl Scorpia's blue lips twisted into a smirk. "Take their Miraculous!" she ordered. The three Darks turned, snarling at the heroes, still under the shield. "You heard the boss lady. Get them!" Crocdown yelled.
The heroes could only watch in stunned silence as the Darks charged their shield, with Tyranno Moth and Fowl Scorpia grinning at their longtime foes' eventual defeat.
Alphaux dodged another knife strike and slashed at Maladea's face again, only for the chimerican villainess to sidestep and slam her elbow into the side of his helmet. The two had been fighting in the base for almost an hour, waiting for the other to collapse from exhaustion. Neither had gone down yet.
"Had enough, Mally?" Alphaux panted. Maladea pushed one of her braids out of her face. "I was about to ask you the same question, dog," she hissed. Alphaux growled a little, but a quick glance around the room revealed something he should have been aware of.
"Where'd the others go?" he asked. Maladea growled. "You think I'm stupid enough to fall for one of your tricks?" she asked as she picked up an overturned chair to throw at him. Alphaux sidestepped the clumsy throw, then held his hands up. "Temporary truce?" he offered. Maladea snorted. "The only reason villains call truces is just so they can reload," she snapped, but her legs gave out from under her and she fell to the ground, panting. "But a short rest wouldn't hurt."
Alphaux knelt down himself, exhaling tiredly as he looked around the wrecked lounge. "Did we do this?" he asked in slight shock. Maladea cracked her knuckles. "Yup," she replied tiredly. "That's what happens when you admit to undermining my leadership."
"That's what happens when you seize power for yourself without understanding your allies," Alphaux snorted. The two sat in silence for a moment.
"I'm sorry," they each said, then glanced at each other in surprise. Alphaux sighed. "I shouldn't have deliberately let Dylan know about the music video. That was a pretty jerkish move for me. I was pretty upset when you basically usurped me, and I didn't behave maturely. So there. I'm sorry."
Maladea let out an amused chuckle. "I guess I just wanted to take a better role in sticking it to Ladybug, when I took over as leader. And to prove I'm not the odd one out in the group, whose only emotional tie to everyone else is Andrew. And I will admit, I did overreact a little, even for me. Sorry for trying to slice your ear off."
Alphaux chuckled. "It wouldn't be the first time someone tried." He stood and offered a hand to Maladea, who graciously accepted it. "We should probably find the others and see if we can clean this mess up." Maladea chuckled. "You mean, get them to clean it for us," she corrected. Alphaux smirked. "Was that ever in doubt?"
Five minutes later, the two of them had powered up into their flight modes and soared over the streets. "They're probably by the Eiffel Tower," Alphaux's voice crackled through Maladea's comms. "What makes you so sure?" she asked. "They could be anywhere."
"If I were Jack and the twins, I would think hanging out at the top of the Eiffel Tower to chuck things at people would be a most wonderful game," Alphaux explained as the spire started to loom over them. The sight that greeted them made both of the Dark villains groan.
A green dome covered Ladybug, Cat Noir, and their friends. A two-toned purple figure and a gray-blue woman stood under the Eiffel Tower, the other three Darks standing between the two groups. Crocdown and the twins were moving towards the shield, weapons drawn. A second later, the shield went down and the four heroes scattered, Rena Rouge and Carapace running off.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say those two were going to recharge," Maladea commented. Alphaux growled. "This doesn't make any sense. They know that we have the stolen Dark Miraculouses as priority number one. Why are they attacking the heroes and not Hawk Moth and Mayura?"
"What were the T-rex and Scorpion powers, again?" Maladea asked. Alphaux thought for a moment, then sighed. "Manipulation and Loyalty. Oh, I should have known." Maladea nodded. "Exactly. So that means either Barney or Stingerella got the boys with their powers and bent them to their will. And I'd imagine they'll try and take their Dark Miraculouses, too."
Alphaux snarled lightly, then looked around the area for anything useful. "Cars, bicycles, fire hydrants… bingo," he said triumphantly, pointing at a truck full of garden supplies. "Alright, I have a plan. You use Backstab on the guys to make them betray Mayura - or whatever she's calling herself. Then tell them we're enacting Operation Rocked Garden."
"What?" Maladea asked, confused. Alphaux shrugged. "Right, you don't know. Okay, TL;DR, we're gonna beat everyone with garden tools. Sounds good?"
"Is this how you guys did things back in the States?" Maladea asked in disbelief. Alphaux barked a laugh as he leapt off the roof. "Trust me, this doesn't even make the top ten weirdest things. Just get in position!"
"We need to give Rena and Carapace enough time to recharge!" Ladybug yelled. Cat Noir nodded as he twirled his staff and brought it down on Crocdown's left shield. The crocodile villain growled. "Snap Trap!" he yelled, shooting glowing green traps of all varieties at Cat Noir, who spun his staff into a shield and deflected the barrage, nearly hitting Iapallidus.
"Hey! Watch it!" the cobra villain yelled. Crocdown snarled at Cat Noir. "Look what you made me do!" he yelled as he lunged, throwing a few shield punches. Cat Noir batted the attacks away with his staff. "I didn't do anything!" he yelped.
"Can't you guys get back to your senses?!" Ladybug yelled as she leapt over the twins, lashing out with her yoyo at Iapallidus's hand, keeping him from activating his Encore. Skinker laughed crazily. "Our senses haven't been clearer! We know whose side we should've been on from day one!" Iapallidus nodded. "Why don't you give our point of view a chance? You might find that you like it!" he added, catching the yoyo and throwing it back, then he drew his axe and leapt into the air, bringing it screaming down. Ladybug quickly danced to the side, striking out with her yoyo again, the capsule hitting the side of Iapallidus's helmet.
Something whistled on her side. On instinct, Ladybug ducked, letting Skinker's trident fly harmlessly over her head. "Oh, come on!" Skinker yelled. Ladybug grunted a little, lashing out and wrapping her yoyo around him, then she threw him right into Iapallidus. Crocdown stumbled next to them as Cat Noir and a freshly recharged Rena Rouge and Carapace took their places next to Ladybug.
"Triple pincer move," Crocdown ordered the other two. The twins nodded, but before they could make their attack, a dark green beam struck all three of them as Maladea used her Backstab on them before blasting Fowl Scorpia with the second beam, severing her control on the three Darks.
"Alphaux says we're doing Operation Rocked Garden," she explained quickly. Though the three still looked groggy, they nodded and leapt off, away from the heroes. Maladea threw one last glare at Ladybug. "Don't think of this as a save, Ladybug," she sneered. "We're only after the Dark Miraculouses stolen from us. Stay out of our way," she said before flying after the other three.
"We're not just gonna let them take the Miraculouses, are we?" Rena Rouge asked. Ladybug shook her head. "Of course not. We need to get Nooroo and Duusu back, and if we can keep the Darks from a full set of Dark Miraculouses, as well as a way of tracking them down, we'll be able to end this fight once and for all. Tikki, Pollen, unify!" Ladybug commanded, her suit gaining the yellow-gold accents of Lady Bee.
"Rena, make an illusion to throw the Darks off. Carapace, be ready to make a shield to keep them out. Cat, be ready to Cataclysm Tyranno Moth's claw weapon," Ladybug ordered. "I'll paralyze Fowl Scorpia and keep her from turning anyone." The other three nodded. "Mirage!" Rena Rouge cried, creating an illusion of Tyranno Moth and Fowl Scorpia charging towards the Darks while the heroes raced towards the adult villains.
"Now, Carapace!" Lady Bee yelled when Tyranno Moth and Fowl Scorpia were five meters away. Carapace nodded. "Shell-ter!" he commanded, the green dome forming over the six of them. Tyranno Moth laughed darkly. "A foolish maneuver, yesss. You've trapped yourselves in here with us!"
"No, you're trapped with us! Venom!" Lady Bee cried, her fist enclosed by the pulsing stinger. Moving faster than Tyranno Moth or Fowl Scorpia could have planned, Lady Bee lunged at Fowl Scorpia, stinging her with Venom before springboarding off of her paralyzed form. Tyranno Moth growled and lunged with his arm-mounted clamp, only for Cat Noir to call on his Cataclysm and press his hand to the purple metal, shattering it. Lady Bee quickly called on her Lucky Charm, a rubber duck falling into her hands. Ignoring the strangeness of the item, she turned her attention to Tyranno Moth.
"It's over, Tyranno Moth. You lost," Lady Bee said. Tyranno Moth chuckled darkly. "Are you so sure? I've learned a few things about these powers, Lady Bee, that not even Dragonus has. Silver Tongue!" he commanded as the hand that once held the clamp began to glow purple. Quickly aiming his hand, he fired at the spot where Lady Bee had stung Fowl Scorpia, then snapped his fingers, freeing his ally from paralysis.
"They're getting away!" the six heard Skinker yell. Then Alphaux growled. "Forget the tools, just throw the whole thing at them!" Heads turned as the heroes and villains watched the Darks pick up a van with a floral logo on the side and throw it at Rena Rouge's illusion. The van crashed into the illusion, dispelling it in a puff of smoke.
For a moment, the silence was deafening as the Darks realized they were tricked. Then they turned, seeing the protective dome for the first time. Alphaux and Maladea growled in unison. "Get them all!" they yelled, and the five Darks charged the shield, the four boys' shapes changing as what Lady Bee and Cat Noir assumed were nanobots bubbled around them, forming the shells of a large gray wolf, a gigantic crocodile, an enormous red cobra, and a monstrous fire salamander.
The four beasts circled the shield, occasionally attempting to bite and claw through it. Maladea, who hadn't changed, shifted the grip on her knives to the T-handle and lashed them, changing the blades to their whip forms. She struck out, her blades screaming against the green shield.
The beeping of several Miraculouses caught the heroes' attention. "We can't keep this siege up forever," Lady Bee muttered, her eyes flicking around the battlefield, searching for a solution. The duck, Tyranno Moth and Fowl Scorpia, Carapace, the Darks… as crazy as it seemed, Lady Bee had a plan.
Right as she was about to throw the duck at Tyranno Moth, a roar caught everyone's attention. Everyone's eyes went up as Dragonus flew down in his own beast mode, his draconic maw curled into a snarl. The titanic dragon form landed on the shield, pounding it with his beastly forelegs. Then he turned to the Darks, his grimace lessening. "We are done here," he intoned, his tone cold but flat. "Leave them all be. We have something to discuss." Dragonus climbed off of the shield, then changed back to his humanoid self. The other Darks followed suit, and after one more glare at the heroes, they left.
"Carapace, put the shield down," Lady Bee said, slightly stunned. Carapace obliged, bringing down the shield. Unfortunately for the heroes, Tyranno Moth used the opportunity to bat Cat Noir away with his cane before he and Fowl Scorpia leapt off into the distance.
"Should we go after them?" Rena Rouge asked. The Miraculouses beeped again. "Not today," Lady Bee sighed. "I'm tired, honestly, and we'd need to recharge. But it won't be too long, I promise." Cat Noir nodded. "Good idea, Bugaboo. Or should I say, Bee-aboo? Either way, we should get out of here, before our identities get exposed to the world." Lady Bee nodded, quickly calling on the Miraculous cure to fix everything before the four heroes leapt off.
"That was complete chaos," Alya muttered after the four transformed back to their civilian selves. Nino nodded. "And it seems that Dragonus is back after what happened on Monday," he added. Marinette stroked her chin for a moment. "I assumed that he went into a funk because Hawk Moth stole two Dark Miraculous from him, but Dragonus doesn't seem like the type to just wallow in defeat for a week. He's cunning, and, I'm sorry to say it, he's as clever as I am. Maybe more, since he's set on victory. He'd do anything to win."
"Like bringing in the other Darks," Adrien suggested. Marinette nodded. "Exactly. And that was just in retaliation to me bringing in the entire team to fight him a couple times." Alya and Nino's brows furrowed as they remembered those fights. "The first one was definitely in his favor," Nino muttered. Alya patted his shoulder, then turned back to Marinette and Adrien. "So he could try something bigger to get them back? Like a Heroes' Day army, or creating an army of sentimonsters to storm Tyranno Moth's lair?" she asked.
Marinette shrugged. "Maybe. But if I were him, I'd do something big. Something none of us would expect," she answered. Adrien chuckled. "So, we expect the unexpected. Story of our lives, I guess." Nino's phone buzzed. "Oh, sweet! That akuma alert policy I signed came in handy for once! If you guys still want to see the movie, the next showing's in half an hour, and we should make it just in time!"
"Why not? Let's go!" Marinette answered, and the four quickly set off for the cinema.
A sudden thought crossed Marinette and Adrien's minds when the group was about five blocks away from the theater. "Alya, Nino…" Adrien began, chewing his lip. The other couple glanced over at them inquisitively. "Yeah, dude?" Nino asked.
"Sorry about what we said when we were under Tyranno Moth's control," Marinette said sheepishly. "I didn't mean for all of that to slip out, especially the bits with Lila. I just… I couldn't stop myself, and the worst part was that part of me believed it, too. And I don't, at all. I just hope-" she was cut off by Alya patting her shoulder.
"We know it wasn't your fault, girl," Alya said reassuringly. "It wasn't either of your faults." Nino nodded. "Yeah, and we know that some of it was kinda our fault. But the one who deserves all the blame is Tyranno Moth. I still can't believe what he did… and it was scary, honestly." Adrien nodded tiredly. "It was. And we're going to stop him from doing that to anyone ever again. We're going to stop him from akumatizing anyone ever again. We'll make sure he faces justice for what he's doing to Paris."
"And of course you'll have our help," Alya promised. Marinette smiled. "Tyranno Moth better be ready, because we're not going to wait around anymore. We're going to take the fight to him," she declared, determination in her eyes.
"How did you do that?" Nathalie asked when the two adult supervillains returned to Gabriel's lair. "How did you counteract the Bee Miraculous's Venom?"
Gabriel's face clouded for a moment. "It was Rexx," he finally replied. "Rexx whispered into my mind and told me how to do it. That it even could be done. And it somehow worked." The kwami in question flew up to Gabriel's face level. "Oh, it was simple enough, yesss. That little bug is pathetic, honestly. Terribly unfit to be a Guardian or a Miraculous holder in general. And I suppose it also had something to do with Dragonus unifying me with his powers if only for a brief training session. I got a taste of every power Tikki and her weak little underlings could throw at us, yesss. Anything they try will fail."
Gabriel smirked. "Excellent, Rexx. I might be tempted to reward you when I have the other Miraculouses in my possession. Of course, if we succeed." Rexx mimicked Gabriel's smirk. "Anything I want, you won't be able to give me, no. I suppose I must continue working for you. Until you either decide to reward me with freedom, or… no, that won't come to pass."
Gabriel's smirk fell, replaced by concern. "What?" he asked. Rexx shrugged. "Oh, never mind. You're far too strong for that to be a problem, yesss." With that, Rexx flitted off to another corner. Gabriel's eyes turned to Nathalie. "Could you make sense of that?"
Nathalie shook her head, then flicked the kwami resting in her pocket. "Wake up, Scrrug," she ordered. "I have a question for you." The scorpion kwami yawned and floated out of her pocket, regarding her with sleepy eyes. "I'm trying to recuperate from you using my power on three people at once. And I haven't even been fed." Nathalie's glare turned stern. "You'll get fed when you answer my question. Is there anything about Rexx we should be concerned about?"
Scrrug, realizing what the question entailed, clicked his mandibles in what could be a chuckle. "He's theatrical, that much is certain. I don't know, honestly. Rexx can be very mercurial. I've seen him go into violent rages when he was calm a moment before. A shame we kwamis can't be akumatized." He belched a little. "And now I want food. Preferably half-alive insects. I like it when they squirm."
"You're getting fruit," Nathalie replied immediately. Scrrug shrugged. "Fine by me. I want the furry part of a kiwi." With that, he phased back into Nathalie's pocket.
Nooroo and Duusu, in a moment of pure concern for their owners, flew up to their faces. "Master, please," Nooroo begged. "Just return the Dark Miraculouses. Rexx has only been known for deceit and manipulation. He's turned his holders against all of society before. For the sake of everyone you love, don't let him manipulate you." Duusu nodded. "Scrrug isn't much better. He'll turn on anyone who doesn't fit his definition of loyalty, and that definition is twisted."
"Silence, both of you!" Gabriel barked. "My choices are my own! Not influenced by you, or any threats, or Rexx! I will complete my plans!" Gabriel didn't even notice Rexx's smirk as the Tyrannosaur kwami sat in the darkness, his reddish eyes slightly glowing. "Everything is going perfectly. Yesss."
"Now, will anyone care to explain to me what happened this afternoon?" Andrew asked calmly, sitting behind his desk in the Darks' lair, the other five in front of him. Alex sighed. "Well, after you went home, Jack, the twins and I came here to hang out and wait in case of any akuma alerts. Then Lila came in and we had a little argument over leadership-"
"Little? You threw a chair into a wall," Andrew interjected, propping his boots up on the desk. Ryan chuckled nervously. "The popcorn machine was still intact, at least. Right?" he squeaked when Andrew threw him a slight glare. "So a little argument over leadership that totaled the lounge. Then Jack and the twins got the idea to leave the base, which resulted in you three almost losing your powers and putting all of us in jeopardy," Andrew continued, pointing at the three.
"Well, no one lost any powers and we would have been able to retrieve the Dark Miraculouses, so everything's good, right?" Lila asked quickly. Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. "It would be, if this entire event didn't make me wonder if you all are really able to act as a team," he replied. "Don't get me wrong, I know you can. But when you don't, that raises concerns."
Andrew sighed and put his feet down. "But let's not concern ourselves with that now. I've had enough time to process the theft and plan a response. And there's one idea I've been toying with for a long time, even before we came to Paris."
The other five's expressions turned from embarrassment to curiosity as Andrew keyed something into the computer on his desk. "Before?" Jack asked. Andrew nodded, swiveling the monitor around. The design on the screen was unfamiliar to Lila, but she glanced over and saw the other four boys' jaws went slack, the twins even stumbling back in shock.
"Well, at least we have an idea of when you were thinking about this plan," Alex muttered. Jack nodded and shuddered. "That brings back bad memories. Just… ugh." The twins stared at the monitor in disbelief. "After what happened… you want to copy them?!" Dylan yelped. Ryan shook his head so fast it looked like it was about to fly off. "I am not being part of any gooey abomination! You'll never make me do it!"
"Calm down, everyone," Andrew said reassuringly. "I was never going to involve any of his methods." Lila noticed how Andrew had snarled the word his. "This combination will be mainly mechanical and physical, unifying our beast mode shells into a single body. I call it Project Gestalt."
"It's never just physical," Alex retorted. "You know how he turned out when they did it." Andrew shrugged. "Okay, fine. There might be a slight mental unification, but since there isn't an evil alien intelligence involved, we'll be in control. Mostly." Lila examined the design a little more closely, then noticed how many components were involved.
"I'm not in this?!" she asked incredulously. Andrew laid his hand on hers. "There's a very good reason for it, actually. If something goes wrong in the combination, you're the only one who'd be able to split us up," he explained, then stood. "This thing is going to require some tests to do properly, and I won't force anyone into the combination if they don't want to combine. But Project Gestalt is going to be the spark that lights the fire that burns Rexx and Scrrug out of Flutterface and Birdbrain's hands. Who's with me?"
The five glanced at each other, then nodded. Ryan chuckled a little. "You haven't lost your touch for inspiring speeches, man," he said. Andrew smirked. "Thanks. I'm a little out of practice, though. At least we're one step closer to our goal."
"Yeah, what exactly is our goal?" Lila asked. The five boys glanced at her quizzically. Lila shrugged. "Well, when I first joined up, I had just officially started the best relationship of my life and I was feeling amazing, and I never asked since because I thought it would be embarrassing…"
"Well, my dear Lila," Andrew purred, putting an arm over her shoulder. "It might seem a little cliche, but my current goal is to remake the world in my image. How does that sound?" he asked. Lila was already imagining the things his image could be. She smirked. "Sounds perfect. Can't wait to see the image." Particularly if Ladybug is gone.
Chaos will ensue going forward. Dragonus taking command of his team again, cracking down on Gabriel, and getting a potentially powerful new superweapon on his side to go against the heroes. As always, leave questions, comments, reviews, and stay safe, healthy, and take time to laugh. Even if it's at someone else's expense ;)