Wow! I can't believe I haven't updated this all year!

Bad jokes aside, apologies about the lack of updates. Got busy doing other things. But I am back and updating again so yay!

Chapter 16: Best Laid Plans

Miss Bustier was the last person to class that following morning, so she was in for quite a surprise.

"I see we all had some fun yesterday," she said, scanning the new hair colors in the class. "You all look lovely. Now, let's start with our usual exercise-"

Everyone's phone beeped.

"Akuma alert?" Marinette asked, slipping her notebook back into her backpack.

"Checking," Alya replied. "Unconfirmed, but it looks like a section of Paris is suddenly experiencing a blackout. Not close to us though."

Lacy raised her hand. "Ms Bustier, can I use the restroom please?"

"Yes, go ahead," Bustier said. "You still have a few minutes before the lesson begins."

"Oh, I'm so forgetful!" Marinette complained. "I forgot my notebook in my locker!"

"Go grab it," Ms Bustier said.

Marinette nodded, and she and Lacy slipped out of class.

"Definitely not a normal blackout," Ladybug deduced, waving her yo-yo's flashlight through the darkness. The light only made it about a foot before vanishing completely.

She took a step back from the darkness, to where Kota, Ryuko and Viperion were watching.

"I'm texting Alya to update the Ladyblog, get the news out there," Ladybug decided.

"Chat and Rena have night vision, right?" Ryuko asked.

"Last couple of times with akumas like this, that hasn't worked," Ladybug said.

"I have some ambrosia in my bag if you need me to power up," Kota suggested. "But I am running low."

Ladybug nodded. "Hold off on that for now. Did you finish that potion?"

"Yeah, I have that on hand if things go wrong. But only one dose at the moment."

"Alright," Ladybug said. "I told Chat to follow me after a few minutes so he should be here s- there he is."

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop, giving the other heroes a grin. "What are we facing today?"

"Another darkness akuma," Ladybug said. "I'm sending my drone out to find the akuma, then we'll attack. Me and you will aid Kota while Viperion does his thing. Simple plan."

Ladybug activated her drone, and Tikki the Second flew into the darkness.

"Now, we can't get video, but we should be able to detect the heat coming off from the akuma," Ladybug continued. "Let's just give it a moment..."

Tikki the Second continued on the path, picking up small bits of heat. After a few seconds, it picked up on a human-shaped figure.

And then the feed vanished.

"They destroyed my drone!" Ladybug complained.

"Not Tikki the Second?" Chat Noir asked.

"Looks like this akuma might have more than just darkness powers," Viperion noted.

"Yeah, it would take a lot of power to destroy my drone like that," Ladybug agreed. "No akuma should be able to do that."

"What about Simon Says?" Chat Noir questioned. "He affected your yo-yo."

"Yes, but my connection to the miraculous has gotten stronger," Ladybug answered. "Just like I wouldn't have been able to summon the drone at all back then."

"So are we dealing with something like Heartstringer?" Viperion asked. "Whoever was akumatized already had powers, that were boosted with the akuma?"

Ladybug nodded. "We need more information. I'll see what else the drone -"

"It has a name," Chat Noir interrupted.

Ryuko nodded. "It is illogical, but treating it as 'just a drone' feels wrong."

Kota shrugged. "People make weird emotional connections to things."

"Okay," Ladybug agreed. "Well, it did pick up audio, I just wasn't playing it. Let's see-"

Kota reached out suddenly, grabbing Ladybugs arm. "Wait! What if the powers are sound-based?"

Ladybug nodded. "I wasn't going to play it - but good catch anyways. Vipe, can you show me that thing you were showing me-"

Viperion nodded, and moved in to help Ladybug with her yo-yo.

"Yeah, see," Ladybug said, not showing her yo-yo for the other superheroes to see. "There was some kind of noise before the - before Tikki The Second went down."

"Noise - like a scream?" Rena Rouge's voice came through the comms.

"Rena?" Ladybug questioned.

"You guys were taking too long," Rena Rouge replied.

She landed on the rooftop, Stampede and Carapace right behind her.

"If this is a magical person," Stampede said.

"Or thing," Rena Rouge added. "Don't forget Robustus."

"Ro - what?"

"Not important," Ladybug said. "We need to figure out how to get close without being impacted by this noise."

"Wait, no, go back to the Robustus thing," Stampede said. "Because that sounds a lot like robot. Can non-humans be akumatized?"

"Markov was," Chat Noir said.

"Markov the robot," Stampede said. "That begs the question - what about magical creatures?"

"That's - not a question I want to think about," Kota replied.

"If it has emotions and logical thought, it can be" Ladybug answered. "That's what Tikki said."

"So, yes and no," Kota said. "Depending on the creature."

"Not a pleasant thought."

"Hasn't happened yet," Rena Rouge said.

"But if it was going to happen," Chat Noir replied. "Would it be powerful enough to, I don't know, destroy Tikki The Second?"

"Chat has a point," Viperion agreed.

"Wait," Rena Rouge said. "I was already thinking about something banshee-themed, but-"

"That is a terrifying thought," Kota said. "Banshee aren't inherently malicious-"

"They're not?" Chat Noir asked. "I've always heard differently."

"They're not," Kota agreed. "They sense death, not bring it. Unless you make them angry. But they do bring curses."

"I don't want to see an akuma-powered curse," Stampede said.

"Rena, update the Ladyblog and tell everyone to stay indoors," Ladybug said. "And maybe plug their ears."

Rena Rouge nodded.

"We should move somewhere safer," Viperion said.

"I know a safe place," Stampede said.

"I'll have Bunnyx confirm our suspicions and meet us there," Ladybug said. "Let's go."

The safe place Sadie knew was the library at the Paris Nome. Within seconds, she had set up a kind of magical safeguard around them, allowing them time to plan and do some research.

Marinette and Alya took over the planning and research, with Luka, Adrien, and Kagami helping, and Sadie pacing the border nervously. That left Lacy watching, not sure what to do.

Stompp noticed her confusion and floated up to her.

"You don't have any ideas?" He asked.

Lacy shook her head. "I've never been good at researching."

Stompp hmmed.

The other kwamis were looking over their holders' shoulders, helping, with the exception of Plagg who was sleeping somewhere and Orikko who was scaring off a cricket.

But Stompp was just patiently staring at Lacy.

"What?" Lacy asked.

"I heard you make good potions," Stompp said.

"Well, yeah, but that's - that's not research, Alya did the research."

Stompp hmmed again.

"What?"

"I think you're underselling yourself," Stompp said.

"I'm just not good with books," Lacy said. "Or long pages of writing. Recipes are easier to read."

"Well," Stompp said. "I do believe there's some recipe books in here."

"Yes, but where?" There were so many books, the idea of even beginning to look was overwhelming.

Someone dropped a book next to Lacy.

"Protection potions," Sadie explained. "Good place to start."

"Ooh more potions!" Orikko said, swooping down to join them.

Lacy turned to a random page, scanning it briefly. It was very Egyptian-specific magic, so she turned to the next page.

Potion of Magic Avoidance

Lacy looked up, about to call out to Marinette, but was cut off by Alya.

"Found something!"

But the thought stayed. Kota knew she was acting distracted throughout the fight, but she couldn't help it.

She didn't even realize the fight was over until the rest of the team yelled "pound it!"

Belatedly, Kota added her fist to the group fist bump.

"You okay girl?" Rena Rouge asked.

"Hmm?"

"You seem distracted," Rena Rouge explained.

"I think she found something cool while researching," Stampede said. "Do tell."

"I - uh, well," Kota stammered. "I don't know for definite yet. I'll tell you later if my kwami thinks it's viable."

"Or maybe run it by me?" Ladybug suggested. "I love all the kwamis, but Orikko is..."

"Hyper?" Kota suggested.

"Yes, very much so," Ladybug answered. "Come by my place after school?"

"Will there be treats?"

"Always."

"Sounds like a plan."

"If there are treats-"

"Not tonight, kitty," Ladybug interrupted. "We don't need the distraction. Rena and Stampede can come, but that's it. We will be working."

"Awww."

"Okay, so magic avoidance potion," Lacy started. "Lets you avoid being tracked by magic, right?"

"I see where you're going with this," Marinette replied, macaroon in hand. "If we can hide ourselves from the butterfly miraculous-"

"We can keep ourselves from being akumatized," Alya finished.

"If it works for miraculous magic," Lacy added. "I think it was supposed to be for scrying or something-"

"It'll work!" Tikki piped up. "I've seen others use this before."

"And knowing how stressed some people are about being akumatized," Alya added, "this would be a big relief."

"But it'll be up to you," Sadie added. "I can make like two potions. Well, one and half. One and three quarters?"

"Did you save the recipe somewhere?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, it's on my phone," Lacy replied.

"Well, then, let's get started."

Everything was going well until the potion blew up.

"Well, there goes that plan," Sadie commented helpfully.

"It was a good try," Alya offered, patting Lacy's shoulder.

"Easy for you to say," Lacy said. "Your face isn't covered in goop!"

Both her and Marinette had been close to the pot, so they got most of the... whatever it was on them. Alya was still holding her camera up, pointing it towards the ruined pot. Sadie was standing in the back of the room, watching with amusement.

"It's fine," Marinette said, wiping goop out of her face. "It's fine. All of this will clean up nicely. And then we can try again - at your place."

"That's fair," Lacy replied. "What do you think went wrong?"

"I don't know," Marinette admitted, turning back to the recipe. "Sadie-"

"I'm not good at potions," Sadie said. "But I can ask around."

A knock on the trap door, and Marinette's mom poked her head up.

"Diners ready," she said. "Are you three staying?"

"Oh, I can't," Sadie said. "Family stuff."

"Family stuff?" Lacy asked.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? Carter and Walt are visiting."

I was going to have a concrete, magic-mixing solution to the banshee akuma, but i couldnt figure one out and it was creating a writers block. Once I figure it out I might put an additional part to this chapter in the Extras.

Also I wanted to add in something like the anti-akuma charms in Season 4, but without interfering with certain... plans for the climax.