Welcome back, everyone! I present to you the fourteenth chapter. ;)
Chapter 14: High Tides
"Me harties, into the living room! Now!"
Luka, Juleka, and Shellington entered the Couffaine Houseboat's living room. There stood Anarka, hands on her hips. She did not look happy. "I hear from me son that there is a chance we are an akumatized villain's main targets," she said, eyeing Shellington suspiciously.
"I didn't say it like that," said Luka, "I just said—"
"How could you allow that photographer friend of yours to get akumatized?!"
"She's not my friend anymore," Shellington told her.
"Which is exactly why she'll have us shipwrecked in a matter of minutes! Why did you have to renounce her and—"
"Mom, it's not his fault!" Juleka yelled, fists clenched. "He didn't mean for Dashi to get akumatized. Maybe he was upset with her, but he wasn't trying to put her or any of us in danger!"
"She's right, Mom," added Luka, "Anyone can make a mistake like that. Even you."
Anarka groaned a little, but she calmed down. "Let's just hope the superheroes of Paris will be able to do something about this before she—"
Suddenly they heard a loud thump coming from the ceiling, and then another noise that sounded like a waterfall was right above them. Shellington froze, and Juleka got next to him to protect him as they followed Anarka and Luka outside. Along the way, Anarka picked up a fishing rod, ready to fight off the Oceanographer and Apparealm if she had to.
The four of them came out onto the deck, only to discover that it wasn't the villains that they'd just heard. The thump had been Carapace, one of Ladybug's occasional teammates, landing on top of the boat cabin area. He was using his superpower to produce a giant green forcefield around the houseboat, protecting it from the gigantic pink wave that was coming towards them. While it was protecting the boat's passengers from drowning, Juleka could see the pink water was still splashing around the forcefield, causing the Seine's water level to rise. If it got too high, the boat might tip over and end up on land—not where it was supposed to be.
Juleka heard something other than water land on Carapace's forcefield. She and her companions looked up, and they got startled when they saw Chloe, Sabrina, a mattress, and a rug a few feet above them. They were both scared, soaked, and spitting out water.
"Had enough yet?" the Oceanographer called down to them, flying into view alongside Apparealm.
"Yes we have!" Sabrina screamed, holding the rug tightly. "Yes we have, I promise! Tell us what you want from us, and we'll stay out of your way!"
Chloe glared at Sabrina. "Are you kidding? Don't you remember her from when Sir Perfect was after us? She's doing this because she wants to hear us say something nice about that submarine crasher!" Then she realized Shellington was on the boat, hearing everything she was saying, and she smirked. "Oh, you're right here. You know I meant every word back in the city the other day, right?"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" The Oceanographer hollered, realizing what Chloe was doing. She sent a neon pink beam flying out of her camera-like cap's lens, and Sabrina had to jump in front of Chloe so she wouldn't get hit by it. While Sabrina turned into a manta ray and helplessly flopped into the Seine's water, Chloe grabbed her mattress, leapt off the forcefield, and landed in the water on the opposite side of the boat. She tried to paddle away from the Oceanographer, and she started to give Apparealm a command, when suddenly Ryuko fell through the sky from out of nowhere.
"Wind Dragon," Ryuko said, and with a golden flash of light, she shapeshifted into a strong gust of wind that blew Apparealm and the Oceanographer away from the Seine.
Sighing with relief, Carapace deactivated the forcefield and jumped onto the deck, asking Shellington and the Couffaines if they were okay. "We're good," said Luka.
Chloe paddled over on her mattress. "Uh, excuse me? Have you forgotten that I'm soaking wet and my bedroom is ruined?"
"We didn't even know your bedroom was ruined," Shellington told her in an uneasy tone.
"Get lost, scallywag," Anarka instructed Chloe, "You've been pestering me daughter and her friends for far too long."
"How dare you," snarled Chloe, "Wait until Daddy finds out what you just called me!" She pulled out her phone and tried to get in touch with him, but her phone was dead. It had been in the tsunami a little too long. With a grunt, she put her phone back in her pocket. "Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."
Carapace retreated so he could recharge his powers, and Juleka led Shellington inside the houseboat, not wanting things to escalate. As they headed for the living room, she kept her fingers crossed that Rose was okay—and that Ladybug and her team would be able to de-akumatize Dashi.
"Has Dashi really been akumatized?" Captain Barnacles asked with worry.
Zoe nodded apologetically. "But don't worry," she reassured him, "we'll find a way to rescue her."
"Where's Tweak?" Kwazii asked.
Rose remembered how Kwazii's impatience had led to him getting ditzified by Sir Perfect and decided not to answer that question. Instead, she simply said, "Once Ladybug reverts all the damage, we'll go find her. Right now it's too dangerous."
"What about Shellington?" asked Pearl, whom Rose had learned was Shellington's sister after the heroes had taken her to the building's roof.
"He's safe, don't worry," replied Zoe.
"Are you sure?" Pearl said. She knew about her brother's sadness, but was still trying to process the fact that Dashi had been placed under a spell that turned her into a supervillain. She was also worried about her son, Periwinkle, who was very very young and might get scared depending on how things would soon go.
Rose saw Peso looking a little nervous, so she stepped a little closer to him and held his flipper. Pegasus had gone inside Montparnasse Tower to transform back two minutes ago. She, Zoe, Shellington's sister and nephew, and the present Octonauts had been waiting on the tower's roof ever since, waiting for Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Ryuko to return in their hang glider with the Oceanographer and Apparealm. Like her companions, Rose hoped they'd be able to free Dashi from Shadow Moth's control just by reasoning her, so they wouldn't have to fight her in order to save Paris.
Suddenly Ryuko, in her wind form, came into view, alongside the villains. Apparealm was sent flying into an unstable (thanks to the tsunami) building near Montparnasse Tower, and sensing this was going to happen judging by Ryuko's wind strengths, the Oceanographer was able to leap off of her sentimonster just in time. Then, seeing everyone on the roof of Montparnasse Tower, she shapeshifted into an arc of pink hose water, flew onto the roof, and landed in front of them, where she shapeshifted back into her akumatized form. Peso went wide-eyed and tightened his grip on Rose's hand.
"Hello, everyone," the Oceanographer greeted. Her sinister smile caused Turnip to faint, and Zoe, unaware of how often this happened, rushed to his aid.
Barnacles stepped forward in concern. "Dashi, are you alright?"
"What kind of negative emotions made you fall under Shadow Moth's spell?" Inkling added.
"It isn't a spell," said the Oceanographer, "Shadow Moth is giving me the opportunity to make sure Shellington will never have to endure all that misery again."
Kwazii narrowed his eyes. "Don't you remember a thing Anarka said? All he cares about are his own goals! He's the one Shellington should have accused of using him. That's what he did to him, and now he's doing it to you!"
For a second, the Oceanographer softened, taking in what Kwazii was saying. But then Shadow Moth told her, "Don't listen to them, Oceanographer! They're trying to help your enemies give Chloe Bourgeois time to escape your powers! Time to find your former friend and make him even more depressed."
The Oceanographer's anger returned, and her master allowed her to face everyone else on the roof. "If you really care about Shellington, then let me pursue the girl who hurt him. It's the only way she'll learn to stop doing this to him!"
"There are other ways around this, Dashi," said Zoe, "Maybe if you just let me talk to her—"
"You know she'll never listen."
"Listen, we all care about Shellington," stated Rose, "But revenge isn't going to fix anything!"
"Don't think of it as revenge," replied the Oceanographer. She waved her paw a little, and Apparealm freed itself from the nearby building. The sentimonster then began to slowly approach Montparnasse Tower.
"Dashi, please," said Barnacles, "I know Shellington's departure has been hard on you. It's been hard for all of us. But endangering everyone who upset him won't make things any better."
The Oceanographer eyed everyone with malice. "I'm sorry to do this, captain. But you leave me no choice. Apparealm?"
Apparealm floated into view a few feet above the tower. Rose realized what was going to happen next and yelled, "Everyone, get away from the lens!" Her friends all retreated to separate sides of the tower—well, everyone except for Kwazii, who just stood there, preparing to make a run forward.
"Kwazii…" Barnacles began, but his friend ignored him.
"If you dare cast any kind of spell on us," Kwazii said sternly, "then you leave me no choice."
"Whatever you say, Kwazii," declared the Oceanographer, getting ready to press a button on her camera hat.
"UPROAR!" a voice suddenly yelled from behind everyone. They turned to find King Monkey, an ally of Ladybug's who had the power to make his opponent's powers malfunction, was leaping into view, a squid plushie appearing in his hand. He tossed it at the Oceanographer, but she leapt out of the way just in time. The toy then almost hit Apparealm, but it photographed the plushie, causing it to fly upward and instead hit Ryuko, who was flying toward the Oceanographer's camera hat to use her lightning powers on it. She instantly turned back into her superhero form and landed awkwardly in front of the Oceanographer. As she did, her sword turned into a ribbon, and other ribbons appeared tied around her mouth (her powers were voice activated, after all).
"No!" King Monkey yelled. He flipped onto the tower roof to try to help Ryuko, only for Apparealm to photograph both heroes together with a bright white light. When the light was gone, so were King Monkey and Ryuko.
Kwazii ran forward, jumped over the Oceanographer's head, and managed to snatch off her hat while in midair. He landed on the edge of the building and jumped, predicting exactly what happened next: Ladybug catching him with her yoyo and riding off in her hang glider with him and Cat Noir. "I've got the camera hat!" Kwazii called up to the heroes. Ladybug nodded, and she started to reel him in.
"Apparealm, you take care of them," said the Oceanographer. She shapeshifted into a giant pink wave and sped after the hang glider, leaving Rose, Zoe, the sea otters, and the Octonauts on the roof with Apparealm. The giant camera started to photograph them, when suddenly Pegasus made it back on the roof and shouted, "Voyage!" A portal leading to Arc De Triomphe appeared on the roof, facing Apparealm and causing its bright white beam to fly into it and instead photograph the Arc, trapping it inside the sentimonster.
"Come on," instructed Pegasus, gesturing to the stairs leading inside Montparnasse Tower. Rose, Zoe, and the others rushed down the stairs. As Barnacles, who was last in line, closed the stairwell door, he saw Apparealm fly right over the portal and photograph Pegasus, making him disappear.
Ladybug finished helping Kwazii onto the hang glider. She gulped as her Miraculous beeped a few times, signalling she only had two minutes before her detransformation. Her worries only increased when Cat Noir peered down and said, "Better hurry up, m'lady! She's splashing up to us!" Then he gave Ladybug a smile and a wink, like he usually did when using puns.
"Very funny, Cat," Ladybug answered sarcastically as she and Kwazii tugged on the Oceanographer's camera hat, trying unsuccessfully to break it in case the akuma or amok was in there. After a few seconds, Ladybug handed the hat to Cat Noir, who nodded and said, "Cataclysm!" Black energy surrounded his raised hand, and he used that hand to touch the camera hat, causing it to dissolve into dark-coloured dust.
"I don't see any butterfly," said Kwazii.
"So that means the akuma and the amok must be in the Oceanographer's hair clips," affirmed Ladybug. Her earrings beeped again, and she went wide-eyed in fear. "I've only got one minute left before I transform back!"
"Don't worry, matey," Kwazii said, "We won't let her take the hang glider."
Cat Noir shook his head. "Her powers were what created this thing. Once she transforms back into her civilian form, it's going to disappear. We need to find a place to land, and it's gotta have a hiding place for her." His ring beeped, and he added, "And for me too, because I'll need to transform back in five minutes."
Kwazii searched for a place to land, and then saw they were heading for the Seine. "Think you can use the Couffaines' houseboat?"
Ladybug started to say yes, but then saw the Oceanographer still chasing them in her wave form and began to have second thoughts. For a reason she couldn't explain to anyone, she knew Shellington was in the Couffaine Houseboat—and for a reason everyone in the team knew, leading the Oceanographer to Shellington likely wasn't a good idea.
Just as Ladybug was about to say no, the Oceanographer increased her wave form's size, splashed on top of the hang glider, and turned back into her akumatized form. "Give me my cap!" she ordered.
"Too late," replied Kwazii, swinging himself onto the hang glider's top as well. He reached for her hair clips, but she shapeshifted into an arc of pink water and flew into the Seine's water. Cat Noir was about to jump after her when Apparealm suddenly flew over and started chasing the hang glider just as it flew over the Seine. At the same time, Ladybug's earrings started beeping like crazy, and the hang glider dissolved into red dust. Kwazii, Ladybug, and Cat Noir were sent plummeting into the Seine, where they landed in the water with a splash. Ladybug had to quickly hide on the other side of the houseboat so the other two (not to mention Chloe, who was near the boat and floating on her mattress) wouldn't see her transform back.
With Ladybug busy recharging her kwami and only four minutes before he would need to do the same, Cat Noir picked up his steel staff, readying himself for when Apparealm would strike next. Suddenly the Oceanographer rose out of the water and grabbed his hand—the one with his Miraculous on it. The two of them grunted and groaned as Cat Noir tried to pull his hand free from her grasp, and she did her best to hold on so she could take off his ring.
As Kwazii struggled to help Cat Noir, he glanced at Chloe, who was sitting on her mattress and anxiously watching them. "Don't just sit there," the pirate cat hollered, "help us!"
"Are you crazy? I am not getting any more wet than I already am!" Chloe yelled back.
Apparealm scanned the area for Ladybug, and unable to find her, it photographed the Seine with a neon pink beam. Instantly the waters turned pink and rose faster than a cheetah could run, quickly spreading throughout the city and flooding it. The houseboat and Chloe's mattress were instantly swept into a current of water and began travelling down a path of pink rapids. Kwazii was able to help Cat Noir get the Oceanographer to let go of his Miraculous, but now they had a bigger problem: they were both trapped in the rapids with no boat, and Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. To make matters worse, Cat Noir now had three minutes before his detransformation.
Shellington and the Couffaines felt the boat tip sharply to the right. As they held on to the walls and a couch to stop themselves from falling sideways, Juleka exclaimed, "What's happening?"
The boat tipped to the left, and Anarka allowed herself to slide toward the porthole. Looking through it, she could see they were in the now-flooded streets of Paris, travelling down rough pink waters. "Bad news, me harties," she said, "We seem to be trapped in enchanted waters."
Juleka felt her phone vibrate and took it out of her pocket. She'd received a text from Rose that read, Apparealm flooded the city - you okay?
Where are you? Juleka wrote back.
Montparnasse Tower with Zoe, Peso, Captain Barnacles, Professor Inkling, the vegimals, & Shellington's relatives. Tried to reason with Dashi, but it didn't work. Pegasus, Ryuko, and King Monkey all got captured by Apparealm. Kwazii went off with Ladybug & Cat Noir. May be getting help from Carapace & Polymouse soon.
Juleka hesitated and then typed, Houseboat's trapped in the flood's rapids. Don't leave the tower, ok?
She didn't get a reply, so Juleka assumed Rose and those who were with her had left the tower anyway. After all, Rose was someone who could never just leave someone in danger; not even if that someone was Chloe.
"I'm gonna see if I can steer us out of this mess," said Anarka, making her way to the piloting area, "You three stay put, and whatever happens out there, remain in the living room!"
As Anarka disappeared outside, the boat tilted to the right, startling Juleka and Luka. They were both sent sliding toward the wall. Shellington, however, seemed to expect the tilt and was able to hold onto the couch just before it happened. As he tried to get back on his feet, Luka gave him a smile. "That was smart."
"I'm used to these kinds of turns now," explained Shellington, "They used to happen all the time back at the…octopod..." His smile disappeared as the thought of the other Octonauts came back into his mind.
"Um, Shellington," Juleka said, seeing his face and remembering Rose's text, "I know this is a bad time, but Rose texted. She said Dashi's friends came to rescue her, and they—watch out, Luka!—they brought your relatives."
Shellington gasped in shock. He'd had a feeling the crew would find out about Dashi being akumatized and come to try and save her, but he hadn't expected his relatives to be included in the rescue. As the boat tilted again, this time with the twins being able to prepare for it more easily, he stared out the porthole, hoping to spot Ladybug and Cat Noir. Unfortunately, neither of them seemed to be nearby.
With the help of a helicopter Zoe summoned via phone call, she, Rose, Barnacles, Peso, Inkling, Pearl, Periwinkle, and the vegimals were able to explore Paris and search for Kwazii, the heroes, and the villains. Peering below them at the buildings, Rose could see Carapace leaping over rooftops, followed by Polymouse, the new wielder of the Mouse Miraculous who was currently making her second appearance in action.
"I think I see the giant camera up ahead," said the helicopter pilot, "Are you all sure about this?"
"We have to save our friends," affirmed Barnacles.
"If you say so," the pilot replied. He steered the helicopter forward until they were close enough to see everything that was going on. Rose gasped. The Couffaine Houseboat was trapped in the rapids below, and despite Anarka's attempts to steer it to safety, it remained stuck in the rough waters. Several feet away from the boat, Chloe, who had apparently fallen off her mattress during the commotion, was hanging onto it and struggling to get back onboard, but the rapids made this task very difficult. The only thing she succeeded in doing was holding on with just her hands, lying on her stomach as she trailed behind the mattress.
To her right, Rose could see Apparealm floating many feet above the flood, trying to cast a neon pink beam at Chloe to knock her off her mattress, but every time a beam came near her, she would happen to drift away from it, and all the beam would end up doing was creating a watery bump that slightly jostled the Couffaine Houseboat. It was thanks to Anarka's steering that the boat didn't tip over as well. Cat Noir and Kwazii were trapped in the rapids as well, now using an umbrella conversion setting in Cat Noir's staff to stay afloat. However, Rose could hear his Miraculous beeping, and she instantly knew he was going to transform back soon.
"We need to get the cats up here, fast!" Rose told the pilot.
"There's a rope ladder somewhere at the back," the pilot replied, "As long as the villains are as distracted with Chloe as the other ones usually can be, you'll have some time."
Luckily, Periwinkle had found the rope ladder during the flight already, having been curious about his new surroundings. He and the vegimals were now playing with it, trying to curve it many times and make it look like the rapids outside.
"Sorry," Pearl told them, "but we need to borrow this for just a moment." She gently took the ladder and gave it to Zoe, who hung it over the edge of the helicopter doorway and allowed it to unfold. Kwazii noticed the ladder right away and jumped aboard, with Cat Noir climbing up next once he was a few rungs above him. The sudden extra weight on the ladder startled Zoe, and Barnacles had to help her hold it so she wouldn't drop it.
After barely managing to avoid another pink beam from Apparealm, Chloe noticed the helicopter and yelled, "Hey! Shouldn't you be helping me too?"
Hearing what she said, the Oceanographer rose to the surface, turned to her left, and also noticed the ladder, along with the fact that Cat Noir had only just made it out of the water. She then turned into a wave, splashed toward the ladder, and deliberately sprayed water onto parts of it, making them slippery. After narrowly avoiding being splashed in the face, Cat Noir climbed onto the slippery part of the ladder and slid downward, managing to catch the rung at the very bottom just in time. Having planned this, the Oceanographer shapeshifted into a huge pink whirlpool, quickly trapping the cat-themed superhero in its current. Since he didn't want to let go of the ladder, it along with Kwazii and everyone in the helicopter started spinning around and around in the air, slowly but surely picking up speed as they did.
"It's your choice," the Oceanographer hollered from inside her whirlpool form, "Give up your Miraculous or I'll have to trap you all in an underwater tornado!"
Chloe groaned in annoyance as she was sucked into the whirlpool as well, causing her to lose her grip on her mattress. "Ugh," she said, "where's Ladybug when I need her?"
The pressure became too much for Zoe, and the ladder pulled her right out of the helicopter. Barnacles tried to catch her, but he was pulled out as well. They along with Kwazii were all sent falling into the whirlpool's current, in turn causing the helicopter to momentarily go flying backwards until the pilot set it straight again. Apparealm saw them falling and photographed them with a big white beam, trapping Zoe, Barnacles, Kwazii, and the ladder inside itself.
"No!" Peso yelled in dismay.
Rose heard Cat Noir's Miraculous beep again, meaning he only had one minute left before he'd transform back. As he and Chloe desperately tried to fight the whirlpool's current, Rose rushed toward the helicopter pilot's seat and instructed him to lower the vehicle a little. "Come on, we don't have much time!"
The Couffaine Houseboat was starting to drift toward the edge of the whirlpool, and looking through the porthole, Juleka knew it was only a matter of seconds before she, her family, and Shellington would be trapped in it as well. Wait a minute…Shellington! Of course! An idea quickly formed in Juleka's mind, and careful not to let the boat's tilting slow her down, she led him out of the living room and toward the deck.
"Where are we going?" Shellington nervously asked.
"Trust me," said Juleka, "It's the only way to get out of these waters."
"I'll go with you," said Luka, grabbing a wooden paddle before following them outside.
Anarka did all she could to steer the boat away from the whirlpool, but its current gained control, and soon her ship began to spin like crazy. When she saw the houseboat was trapped in the whirlpool behind her, Chloe screamed and doubled her attempts to escape, not wanting to get hit by it, until the helicopter suddenly lowered down next to her, carefully following her. Rose, who was crouched at the edge of the doorway, shouted, "Chloe, in here!"
Although she wasn't happy about being rescued by Rose, Chloe grabbed her hand and allowed her to lift her into the helicopter. Once she was safely inside, the pilot steered everyone upward, sending Rose and Chloe flying into the back of it, where Peso, Inkling, Pearl, Periwinkle, and the vegimals were already sitting. Sensing Chloe was in the helicopter, Apparealm took off after them.
Shellington and the twins made it onto the deck, and while his two companions stayed close to the door, not letting go of each other's hands, Luka used his paddle to get the boat closer to Cat Noir. When he was close enough, he hollered, "OVER HERE!"
Seeing the ship behind him, Cat Noir turned and tried his best to swim toward it. Luka held the paddle out to him, and in one swift movement that took a lot of strength to do, the superhero was able to flip over and stylishly land on the houseboat's deck. His Miraculous then began beeping crazily, and he rushed into the boat's living room so he could transform back without anyone seeing him.
A geyser of pink water flew out from the middle of the whirlpool, the top of it shaped like the Oceanographer's head, chest, and arms. She was about to literally sink the ship, when suddenly she noticed Shellington was onboard and froze. Using her powers, she made the whirlpool's current rise up into a wave that held the boat a few feet above the water. "You scallywag!" Anarka shouted from the pilot area before her kids could say anything, "Release my ship!"
"Only if you release my friend," retorted the Oceanographer.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Shellington shouted, terrified. "Not after all you've done!"
"I'm trying to save you!"
"By endangering Juleka, her family, and their home just so you can take advantage of me again?!" Now he was sounding and looking more angry than scared.
"I was never taking advantage of you! None of us were!"
"Really?" Shellington demanded, now completely forgetting about his fears. He let go of Juleka's hands and angrily stood up. "Then why didn't you tell me that everyone in Paris knew about my driving problems? Why did some of your friends become upset with me because I did something wrong? Why did the rest of them say they could do the simplest tasks better than me?"
The Oceanographer actually looked surprised. "They…they really said that?" As the akumatized victim processed this information, Juleka couldn't help glancing at Shellington the same way Alix had at Jalil in the Louvre yesterday, even if he wasn't facing her at the moment.
Suddenly Juleka felt something wrap itself around her waist, and she was yanked upward. Looking around, she realized she was being pulled toward the roof of a building by Ladybug and her yoyo. Polymouse and an apparently recharged Carapace were standing on either side of the heroine, both clearly ready for a big battle.
"Carapace, Polymouse, you distract the Oceanographer and save everyone on that boat. I'm going to take this girl to safety. Remember, the akuma and amok have to be in her hair clips!"
Carapace and Polymouse both nodded, and while they organized a plan, Ladybug leapt over rooftops and headed to Montparnasse Tower, using one arm to swing her yoyo and the other to transport Juleka. As they travelled together, Juleka couldn't help thinking back to the last time she'd been taken to safety by Ladybug; and then suddenly her heart began to race as she realized why the heroine had only saved her.
Sure enough, once they arrived at Montparnasse Tower, Ladybug led Juleka into the stairwell and set her down on the floor. She then opened her yoyo, reached inside of it, and pulled something out. Not a Magical Charm or even a Lucky Charm, but the Tiger Miraculous. Juleka stood there for a moment, eyes wide, before taking the Miraculous. It instantly glowed, and a bright pink light flew out of the tiger pawprint gem in the middle of the panjas bracelet. The light faded away, revealing a tiny fuchsia tiger-like creature that Juleka recognized immediately. It was her kwami, Roaar, who had pushed her to speak up as loud as she could the last time they'd met.
Roaar let out a loud roar before smiling and saying, "It is good to see you again, Juleka! You have the strength of a tiger!"
"All thanks to you," replied Juleka, smiling back as she fastened her Miraculous onto her right hand. Once it was on, the pink tiger paw gem turned into a simple dark purple jewel, and the bronze chains around it turned black; typical camouflage mode. After giving Ladybug's confident smile and Roaar's excited one each a final glance, Juleka threw her right hand into the air and chanted, "Roaar, stripes on!"
Instantly, her transformation sequence began. Once Roaar was absorbed into her Miraculous, causing it to turn bronze with a pink and yellow tiger paw gem on it again, white dust swirled across her face and hair. When it cleared away, her lightly coloured lips had turned dark purple, a crimson and greyish-lavender mask was around her eyes, her scleras were now yellow, and her hair, which was now in a ponytail at the back of her head, was purple with crimson streaks. A black glove with bronze claws and pink jewels appeared on her right hand, underneath her Miraculous, and underneath the glove, her superhero outfit materialized over her daytime attire: a crimson spandex suit with a greyish-lavender front side, dark cerise V-shaped stripes on her chest, stomach, and back, and dark cerise tiger stripes across her arms and legs. A belt with a bolas attached to it appeared around her waist, and she finished off her transformation by swiping the air twice and then striking a pose.
Juleka, now Purple Tigress, gave Ladybug a confident smile. "I'm ready," she said.
"Good," Ladybug affirmed, heading for the door to the tower roof, "because this could be one of the team's toughest battles yet."
Wow! Frankly, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Not just because it was so thrilling, but also because I always get excited when watching Purple Tigress in action. She's one of my personal favourite members of Ladybug's team, and one of my favourite characters of the show in general; Rose/Pigella is another one of my favourites. They both just really make me smile, which is part of the reason why I made both of them main characters in the story. Get ready though, because the next chapter is going to be thrilling as well…maybe even more so than this one!