This chapter will feature the return of an Akuma, but not Glaciator. Instead, it will be someone who has a relationship with both Marinette and the Seven Virtue Miraculous Circle. Along with that the return of heroine, from a special.
Marinette was super excited as she cleaned up her room. Right now, she was kneeling on the floor as she waved a magnet over the carpet. Even with a pink carpet she sometimes missed a dropped needle.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Okay, that was the final sweep. No lost needles. How is the chase coming along, Tikki?"
Tikki, who was currently holding a lint brush, finished scrolling it across the furniture piece. "It's free of any lint or stray threads. Do you want me to lay out the blanket and pillow?"
"In a minute, I want to make sure the chest is locked. A few objects in there are irreplaceable." She tested the lock one more time before standing up satisfied.
The little kwami rolled her eyes. "Is that necessary? You know she's changed her ways."
Marinette replied one could never be too careful. She wouldn't put it past Fei to take something as a prank. She couldn't wait to see how the girl was doing since she last saw her.
Marinette wasn't the only one excited. Yesterday, she had picked up Balloon while Adrien had been paired with Squeek. The little koala-like kwami was doing her best to not burst out in joy.
Normally, Balloon was very self-controlled and good-mannered. It was challenging to be her normal self when she was about to see her most recent wielder. She had been wanting to see Wang Cheng since she heard that he was coming to Paris.
"Do you think the hero Eucalyptus will be needed?" Balloon pondered as finished her tiny welcome sign. She was going to stick it inside the man's pocket after he went to sleep.
"Hopefully not," Tikki remarked. "It's dangerous enough with Shadowmoth knowing about the multiple Miraculous circles. We can't give him anything that might link Shanghai with Paris."
Balloon nodded and waited for Tikki to turn her back on her. "Spoilsport," the little kwami mumbled. Balloon acknowledged that her "cousin" was right about the situation.
Still, it was hard at times not to get frustrated with Tikki. Balloon and a lot of other Kwamiis simply got annoyed when Tikki acted like she was the "mother" of all Kwamiis. They didn't need constant reminders or having their fantasies crushed when she added her two cents.
Balloon refocused her attention on Marinette. "Do you think the Renlings will cause much of a fuss while they're here?"
Marinette spread the blanket down on the chase and replied, "I hope not. Fei in her last coded email mentioned a new ability she learned about. When she has Mei-Shi with her and with people she trusts, the Renlings can be seen by others for a short time."
It would be nice to see what the Renlings look like in person. She wondered if they would match the illustrations on the pages about the Prodigious. "I do hope that Fei thinks before she acts. If there's an Akuma, someone is going to have to keep her from helping."
The teenager had some worrying thoughts. Alya had improved herself greatly when it came to reporting. There were still times she didn't know when to drop a topic. If Ladydragon made an appearance, Marinette wasn't sure she could get her to stop harassing Fei.
The same concern applied to Nadja. The newswoman had also learned to respect boundaries. She even stood up against her boss when she felt the lady had crossed a line.
Regardless, when she did that Nadja needed to find a bigger scoop to report about to keep her job. A super heroine from another country would make an excellent news report. Fei was still establishing herself as a heroine, and she didn't need Nadja to come up with a narrative about her.
"If anyone is up there listening, please give me the strength to get through to the two of the most stubborn-minded people if it comes to that," Marinette prayed. She was not above asking for heavenly help.
Later that day, Marinette went with her parents to the airport to pick up her Uncle Wang and Fei. She had made a beautiful welcome banner, holding it up. She had her mom help with the writing so the characters were correct.
Soon enough the plane arrived and Marinette was bouncing on her feet when she saw Fei rushing over to her with her Uncle Wang following behind her. "Fei!"
"Marinette!" The two teens met halfway and hugged each other tightly. "It's so good to see you."
"It's great to see you too, Fei. You're going to love Paris! I can hardly wait to show you my favorite places to sketch."
Fei smiled and stated she couldn't wait to meet Marinette's friends. "What have you and Adrien been saying about me?"
"Only good things," the bluenette assured her. That's when Uncle Wang caught up and the teenager gave him a big hug. "It's good to see you, Uncle Wang."
"Same to you as well. This week is going to be magical, isn't it?" he teased her.
Marinette blushed and reminded him to keep that secret to himself. The man laughed before the trio was met by Sabine and Tom.
He greeted his niece and shook hands with her husband. They exchanged pleasantries before walking to baggage claim. The teens followed with Fei teaching Marinette a few words in Mandarin.
Once they arrived at the bakery, the girls wasted no time heading up to Marinette's room. Behind them, they heard the adults remarking on how well the girls got along.
Entering the bedroom, Fei was blown away by how pink it was. "I don't think I've ever seen so much pink before. Is it your favorite color?"
Marinette nodded and explained how she had done the decorating herself. "My parents let me pick out the furniture as well. Thank goodness my dad's strong otherwise I don't know how we would have gotten some of it up here in the first place."
Fei asked if the skylight lead anywhere and was delighted to hear it went to the small balcony outside. "Your room is wonderful Marinette. It's better than I imagined."
"Thanks. I set up the chase for you to sleep. You can put your suitcase next to it."
She did and asked if they could talk about their secrets now. After making sure the trapdoor was locked, the girls let their little gods come out. Mei-Shi popped out of Fei's jacket while Tikki and Balloon emerged from their hiding places.
The Kwamiis bowed to the guardian spirit. Tikki spoke up. "Welcome to my wielder's home, honorable Mei-Shi. I hope you enjoy your stay."
Mei-Shi thanked her and Balloon for their hospitality. He was looking forward to seeing what Paris had to offer. He also stated that the Renlings were resting now so he would introduce them to the others later.
Up on the bed, Fei was telling Marinette about her heroics. "I've been mainly protecting tourists from theft. I've gotten much better since I first started. Mei-Shi says I need more training before I move up in my heroics."
"My team trains at least three nights a week for two hours. Peace Keeper found us an old bomb shelter we could use. It's nice, but we do have to be wary when we go in and out."
Fei mentioned she would like to join the training. Marinette responded it might not be a good idea, considering Shadowmoth and Mayura were very active right now. Fei was disappointed of course but understood why her friend was saying no.
The girls kept talking for hours, only being interrupted by Sabine calling them down for dinner. Wang had prepared his Marinette Soup for everyone to enjoy. Everyone relaxing as they ate and exchanged stories.
The next day, Fei and Wang joined the family as they brought the bakery's leftovers to the local homeless shelter. Homelessness was a serious social issue in the country. It wasn't as notable in Paris because the homeless community was mostly found in the poorer areas of the city, away from most of the sights.
Once a week, the Dupain-Cheng family would make fresh bread before gathering up the leftovers for the shelter. After dropping off the food, the little family would stick around for a few hours to help the residents.
Marinette would help repair clothing and make stuffed animals for the kids. Sabine would teach the adults social skills and help them prep for interviews. Tom would help with simple repairs and take the residents out of their job interviews while lending them some clothing.
When Fei walked inside, she froze for a moment. Her mind flashed back to a few months ago when she was still living in the burned-out remains of the dojo. When she wasn't stealing for Cash, she had been searching for food. She sometimes had to steal it when she didn't have money for herself.
She started to shiver when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Wang giving her a knowing look. "It is alright if you want to leave. I understand if this place is making you relive something you don't want to."
Fei shook her head. "No, I want to stay and help. I only need a few moments to gather my thoughts."
Her guardian nodded as he headed towards the kitchen. Fei took several deep breaths and looked at her Renling friends. "I'm not sure I can handle this. I want to help. Yet my mind keeps taking me back to when I was homeless."
Xiong-Xiong told her there was no need to worry. "You simply need to remain calm and focused. Don't let your past overcome your present."
"You are here to assist those who need the same kind of help you did. Let that be your focus," Hou-Hou reminded Fei.
Feeling a bit better, she caught up with the rest of the family. Tom was heating the leftovers while Sabine was filling the plates with food. Marinette was pouring the milk she found in the fridge into glasses.
Wang was busy making a huge pot of Marinette soup. This time, adding a special ingredient inspired by a friend. A spoonful of vegemite, Balloon's favorite food.
The tiny amount thickened the soup slightly but added a bit of spicy flavor. Fei took a deep breath as the smell made her slightly salivate. "Your special soup smells amazing Mr. Wang."
"I'm glad you think so. I'm going to make enough for everyone to have one bowl of soup including our family. I hope my food makes them feel full and happy."
"Fei?" Sabine called out. "Do you mind getting more plates and silverware from the storage room? It's just down the hall and to the right."
"I can do that. I'll even get some extra napkins." Fei headed down the hall and entered the storage room. She saw the plates and napkins but not the silverware.
"Mei-Shi, could you check the top shelves? I can't see what's up there."
The guardian spirit was pleased to be able to be of service. He levitated up and saw a container marked extra silverware. He also spotted something that puzzled him. "Is it normal to have a hidden lockbox in a storage room?"
Fei responded she didn't think so. "Can you see what's in it?
The guardian spirit phased through the box and came out with several different lists. He handed them to the Renren, who looked them over. Her brow furled in slight confusion.
"These are lists of businesses who donate food regularly. There's also a column for what food they bring and some of them are circled."
She looked at another list, surprised to see it was a copy of the first one. Well, almost a copy. This one showed certain items missing, especially the high-quality food and drinks.
The last list was the names of several people, as well as dates and addresses. There was one for tonight and she was surprised to recognize the name. It was the name of the administrator of the shelter the family told her earlier.
The pieces of the puzzle came together as she realized what these lists represented. "Mei-Shi, the administrator is stealing a large amount of food from the shelter, for himself and his friends!"
Mei-Shi raised an eyebrow. "Why would they do that, when they can afford to buy food for themselves?
"So, they don't have to pay for expensive meals. A lot of the businesses on this list are high-end restaurants and cafes. Even a few butchers and one grocery store. According to the inventory, all these businesses donate a portion of leftover food to the shelter, but they also send a couple of fresh meals to help out with the influx of numbers."
"Some of those meals consist of gourmet meats, deserts, even wines. They're also pillaging from other food groups with extremely rare and healthy items. This is a serious crime."
"This administrator has no honor. You must alert the authorities," Ma-Ma snorted.
"This gluttonous act against innocents must face justice. Surely the authorities will make sure this person never works in a position of power again," Long-Long added.
The teenager agreed and hurried back to the kitchen. As she approached, she heard a commotion up ahead. She ran into the kitchen and was shocked at Mr. Wang confronting the administrator. The later was cowering against the cabinets looking terrified by the larger man.
Wang was feeling enmity. He was berating the man for his attempt to take his special soup all for himself. Wang couldn't understand the reason behind the man's actions.
The family had left for a few minutes to speak to him about their next visit only to discover he wasn't in the office. When they had come back, the man had been amidst taking the giant soup pot out the back door.
Sabine and Tom were fetching another worker to explain what was going on. They left Marinette with her uncle. The girl saw Fei and hurried over. "Fei, you're not going to believe this. The administrator…"
"Tried to get away with Mr. Wang's special soup? I'm not surprised. Look what Mei-Shi and I found in the storage room."
The teenager read the lists as her face became stricken with anger. The shelter was nearing mass capacity. With so many mouths to feed there was a food shortage and these lists proved this should never have happened.
Marinette let out a growl before composing herself. She marched over to her uncle and showed him the lists. Seeing the papers, the administrator went pale as Wang's got angrier.
"You oversee helping people in need only to take what little they have. Are you taking their belongings as well for yourself? You should be ashamed of yourself."
"I wasn't taking their clothes. The food is all donated. I was just..." the man tried to explain before closing his mouth.
"Uncle Wang, look out!" Marinette screamed. Unbeknownst to everyone, an akuma had slipped into the kitchen. It merged with Wang's chef hat before anyone could move.
"Kung Food, I am Shadowmoth. Your righteous anger is understandable. I can give you the power to punish this glutton. All I ask in return is for Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses.
"Consider it done Shadowmoth!" The administrator was crawling away as fast as he could while the black and purple smoke covered Wang. Marinette tried to drag Fei away, but the other teen was standing her ground.
Kung Food sniggered nastily as he looked around for his prey. Instead, he spotted the girls. He took a step towards them before halting.
Shadowmoth's mask appeared over his face. The Akuma cocked his head as he listened to the villain. The mask vanished and Kung Food sneered at them.
"Today's your lucky day girls. Shadowmoth says you're both off the menu. Still, I can't have you interfering with my plans." The Akuma held out his hands and was elated to see all the kitchen paraphernalia rise into the air. Marinette's eyes widen as she realized Shadowmoth had upgraded her uncle's Akuma form.
"I hope you don't mind being pinned down too much," Kung Food said as he pushed his hands forward. Several dozens of forks surged towards the girls. Fei used her martial arts training to punch and block the forks.
"Is that the best you got?" the teenager asked.
"I was hoping to avoid using something too sharp, but if you insist." This time it was dozens of knives came at the girls. Marinette screamed at Fei to run, but once more she didn't listen.
Fei tried the same move again. She managed to block and punch the first dozen knives. The second dozen grazed through her clothing. By the third dozen, she was starting to get cuts on her body.
The fourth and fifth dozen pinned Fei and Marinette to the wall. Eight pot lids were tossed at them, covering their hands and feet. The girls struggled to get free as more paraphernalia was used against them.
Baking sheets covered their arms and legs. Their torsos were covered in whisks, peelers, and potato mashers. Rolling pins pressed against their necks as funnels were shoved into their mouths.
Frying pans were used to cover the rest of the face. Measuring cups filled the gaps between the knives. With a final flourish, the rest of the kitchenware formed a wall around them, hiding the girls from any rescuers.
Kung Food wiped his hands off. "That takes care of that. Now, to find the glutton and make a roast turkey out of him. I'm confident the homeless will enjoy their supper."
He left the kitchen twirling the meat tenderizer around his finger. "Oh, meat man, where are you? I'm having you over for dinner!"
Back with the girls, Mei-Shi and Tikki were freeing them. Balloon was struggling to control her impulses. "We need to do something, please! My wielder is going to hurt someone if this continues!"
Marinette shuffled over to the kwami once she was on the ground. "I know you're worried, Balloon. I promise I'm going return my uncle to normal."
"See if you can track him down. Fei and I need to make sure everyone's evacuated to safety before we can go after him." The kwami saluted the teenager and phased through the wall of kitchenware.
"Ready to save the day?"
"In a second. Um, Mei-Shi, I forgot the activation phrase."
The lion guardian shook his head and reminded her to memorize the words. After saving Shanghai, Mei-Shi used his powers to create a phrase to activate the Prodigious. That way if it was stolen, it couldn't be used until Mei-Shi was there to pass judgment.
"Tikki, spots on!"
"Renren Justice!"
Ladydragon used Ma-Ma's power to change into a horse. Using her powerful back hooves, she kicked the wall down. Once free, she returned to human form.
They heard screaming coming from the residential areas and the cafeteria. Thundering footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
"Clear the cafeteria, I'll go help the residents," Ladybug commanded. Ladydragon nodded and dashed into the cafeteria.
Once inside, she realized how much danger there was. Kung Food's new powers had turned the tables and chairs into flying menaces. The door to the emergency exit was blocked by a tower of glass pitchers. Each one was filled with heated cooking oil that would burn anyone who came too close.
The first thing I need to do is get rid of the flying furniture. Then I can focus on getting people to safety. "Ying!" Turning into an eagle, she soared into the air and between the flying furniture.
She grabbed one of the chairs with her talons. She got a bit more height ignoring how heavy the chair was. When she was at the right height, she dropped the chair and shouted, "Xiong!"
Her bear form crushed the chair breaking it in two. "Hu!" Now as a tiger, Ladydragon jumped into the air and knocked down the chairs. She crushed them under her paws.
Now for the tables. "Long!" Instantly, she became a dragon and flew into the air. Using a moderate wind, she flung the tables into each other causing them to break in half. Reverting to her human form, she looked at the frightened families. "It's okay. My name is Ladydragon and I'm a friend of Ladybug's. She asked me to help you escape."
The families looked at one another and considered their options. After a tense standoff, the residents moved a little closer to her.
"The main hallway is blocked, same as the emergency exit. How are you going to get us out?" an old woman asked.
Ladydragon assured them she had a plan. "She!" Turning into a snake, she slithered over towards the door. As she neared the door the pitches got ready to pour.
Taking a moment to observe the situation, Ladydragon slithered along the edge of the tower. As the oil started to pour, she called out, "Tang!" To the civilians, it looked like Ladydragon had vanished.
As a praying mantis, Ladydragon jumped up and avoided the heated oil as it started falling faster. She needed to reach the top to implement the last part of the plan.
Once she reached the top, she jumped high in the air, "Hou!" Switching to monkey form, she landed on top. Using her tail, she whipped the pitchers around and started running down the backside of the tower.
All the heated oil landed on the emergency lock. The door sprang open as the remainder of the pitchers scattered across the ground. Some of the residents fell back as the oil came closer.
Switching back to dragon form, Ladydragon used her weather powers to cool the oil down rapidly. Once that was accomplished, she went back to being human. "Everyone needs to evacuate now. Let's move!"
Everyone in the cafeteria poured out the emergency door. Ladydragon switched forms a few times to help get everyone out. "Are you all okay?" she asked.
The crowd nodded and told them to stay out of the building until Ladybug cast her cure. Turning around, she ran back into the building to aid her friend.
Balloon trailed behind Kung Food. The man was twirling a butcher knife like when he wielded a hatchet. He had frightened several people on his quest to find the administrator.
Ladybug was doing her best to get everyone out. Her progress was hindered as ice cube trays, a tea set, along with salt and pepper shakers, kept dropping food on everyone. Precious moments were lost as she used her yo-yo to clear a path so no one fell.
Turning a corner, she spied an open office door. Darting into the room, she was startled to see employees being held in place by giant napkin rings. Worse, several enlarged utensils and mixing bowls were prepared to make the employees into dinner rolls.
Balloon gasped and floated back into the hallway to resume her frantic search. "Please, heroines. Hurry up!" the kwami begged as she went deeper into the building. At that moment, Ladybug and Ladydragon caught up.
"Thank the universe. Did you get everyone out?" she asked anxiously.
"Yes, including my family. They posted an Akuma alert but I don't know if Chat will see it."
Ladydragon asked why and Ladybug explained that he was having minor eye surgery.
"What's wrong with his eyes?"
"His vision has blurred a bit so his father wanted him to get laser eye treatment. Afterward, he's supposed to rest the entire day with no distractions. That includes his phone."
Ladydragon acknowledge it was up to them to end this. She told Mei-Shi to scout ahead with Balloon. The girls needed to know what was going on in whatever room Kung Fu was in.
The kwami and guardian spirit pushed themselves further. After a few minutes they discovered a backroom that had been hidden by a pile of boxes. Phasing inside, they spotted Kung Food. He had caught the administrator and tied him to a roaster.
The man had been stuffed inside a giant turkey with a few spices and sauce. The man's head was the only visible part of his body. There was a giant onion in his mouth making him cry.
The Akuma was laughing at the man's predicament. Kung Food leaned forward to turn the roaster on and cook the man to death! Balloon reacted immediately. "Restriction!"
Balloon's defensive power worked by restricting the amount of space an enemy could move in. She never thought she'd be using it on her wielder. Her power started to expand uncontrollably until Mei-Shi helped her balance it.
Kung Food reached to start the roaster, but an invisible wall prevented him from doing that. He tried other angles however he couldn't get past it to turn on the roaster. He growled in frustration.
The doors to the backroom were kicked open. Ladybug swung inside and Ladydragon trotted into the room as a horse. A golden light flashed and Ladydragon slid into her fighting stance.
"Stop right there, Kung Food!" Ladybug demanded.
"Release the man right now!" Ladydragon added.
Shadowmoth's mask appeared over Kung Food's face as he spoke through him. "Ladydragon, I'm surprised to see you in Paris. You're a long way from home. Have you come to give me the Prodigious?"
"The Prodigious belongs to me and not to you. Release your hold on over the man and face justice."
Shadowmoth's mask disappeared and Kung Food reached into his satchel. He pulled out a paint gun loaded with gumballs. "Eat gum ladies!" he jeered as he fired a round.
The girls dodged the gumballs. Ladybug rolled behind a garbage can and Ladydragon became a mantis. Kung Food sprayed the area where he last saw the transforming girl.
Ladydragon jumped in between the gumballs. She was nearly clear of them when a mega-size gumball hit her. She was forced to change back into herself.
"There you are. Hope you enjoy having flambe deserts!" He pitched several flaming deserts at her. Ladybug whipped Ladydragon backward to avoid being set on fire as they hid behind the trashcan.
"Thanks for saving me. We need to press forward."
"I think it's time for my Lucky Charm!" Her power summoned a bag of sticky rice. Ladybug and Ladydragon wondered what they could do with it.
The spotted heroine looked in the direction of Kung Food. Her vision highlighted Kung Food's hands and satchel. Turning to Ladydragon, she was also highlighted.
"I know what we need to do. Listen up," she as she whispered the plan to her partner.
Ladydragon transformed into a bear and Ladybug jumped on top. Letting out a bellow, the transformed heroine barreled towards the Akuma.
Kung Food tossed a few more flaming deserts, only for the bear to knock them away. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a few carambola throwing stars.
Changing into a tiger, she crushed the hard fruits and leaped into the air. That's when Ladybug jumped off and started flinging her yo-yo towards Kung Food's satchel.
Kung Food turned to avoid it being hit. He reached for his satchel to pull out a different weapon. Only to discover his hand was stuck to the satchel because of the sticky rice.
He tried to reach with his other hand only to discover a snake on his arm. He reacted by shaking the snake off. Only the snake turned into a monkey that started to scratch his face.
"Get off, get off!" he shrieked. The monkey grabbed the chef's hat and tossed it to Ladybug who just touched down.
Ladybug tore the hat in two releasing the akuma. "No more evil-doing for you!" Her yo-yo snatched the akuma up and freed a purified butterfly. Picking up the discarded food bag she threw it up and called for Miraculous Ladybug.
Everything was restored to normal. The girls did a victory pound followed by Ladydragon changing into a dragon. "I'll take this criminal and proof of his deeds to the police."
"Hurry back soon!" Ladybug yelled as her friend wiggled through the window and into the sky. Dropping her transformation, Marinette ran over and hugged her uncle.
"I'm glad that you're okay. You don't think Shadowmoth picked your brain and learned my secret?" she asked anxiously.
Wang hugged her back. "From what I can recall, the only thing Shadowmoth picked was a few recipes for me to use in my attacks. I believe your secret is safe."
Balloon dive-bombed the man's face. "I was so worried about you! I was terrified that Shadowmoth would order you to kill the girls." The little koala-like kwami kissed the man on the nose.
Wang chuckled and scratched the little god on her head. "It is nice to see you again, Ms. Balloon. I was hoping to see you before Fei and I returned home."
Mei-Shi appeared next to Marinette. He was smirking. "Ah, I've forgotten how strong the bond between kwami and wielder is. Even if it's only once."
Marinette reminded them they should find her parents. They had to be worrying about where they were. Wang agreed and let Balloon hide in his satchel. Mei-Shi joined her as they exited the building.
Tom and Sabine were relieved when they saw their daughter and Sabine's uncle come out of the building. Tom hugged his daughter tightly as Sabine clasped her hands around Wang's.
"We were worried about you when we couldn't find you during the attack. Why didn't you get out of there?" Tom questioned.
"She was worried about me because I had been akumatized. She waited until Ladybug arrived before finding a place to hide," Wang chimed in.
Sabine believed him because her daughter was a caring person. She was about to ask where Fei was when the teenager came jogging over. "Sorry, took a few minutes for me to figure out how to open the storage door."
"I still don't understand why someone working at a homeless shelter would steal food for those in need. Those businesses donate those good meals to help the people have hope," Tom said in distaste. "I do hope he serves the max for theft and falsifying records. I'm glad no one else on the staff was involved."
Sabine agreed with him. "They're already discussing who will be taking over the man's position. Whoever takes over won't do what their predecessor did."
The family left for their home a little while later. When they got home, they had a video game marathon followed by a late dinner. The girls were then ushered upstairs to bed.
Only the girls didn't go to bed. It was a training night and Ladydragon was invited to join due to her earlier heroics. Since Balloon's Miraculous was still at Master Fu's, Wang couldn't join them, but that was fine.
Wang and Balloon were going to watch a movie together with Marinette's folks. The kwami didn't mind as she chose to pretend to be a small doll that Marinette had "sewn" for her uncle. All that matter is she got quality time with her wielder.
At the training center, all the team members were waiting on Ladybug. She had messaged Chat telling him she was bringing someone special to the training center.
Finally, Ladybug came down the steps with a beautiful girl in a yellow and red bodysuit with luxurious long amaranth hair and golden eyes down the stairs. The heroine looked a little self-conscious and waved nervously. A kwami like being hovered next to her. A gold light appeared over head and the Renlings could be seen by everyone there.
"Everyone, I would like you to meet the heroine Chat and I met in Shanghai. This is Ladydragon and she helped me stop the Akuma today. Since we assisted her before, she came to help us when one of her city's citizens need help." As soon as she finished the Renlings vanished from sight once more. Mei-Shi floated over to the living room area to relax.
"Whoa, you look amazing girl. Can I…" Rena Rouge started to say.
"No, I don't consent to an interview with the owner of the LadyNoir blog," Ladydragon said shutting her down. "I know she's a friend of yours, but I rather not speak to the media."
There were some whispers among the group. Some of the team members thought she was a bit rude yet a lot of them comprehended where she was coming from. The media tried to pry into their personal lives too often.
Viperion strode over and held out his hand. "Your heart song is beautiful. It feels as if you changed the volume recently."
Ladydragon took his hand and shook it. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but yes I've gone through a few changes in my life."
Sirius walked over and asked what her powers were. She explained her power to change to eight animals with the Renlings group thought that was neat.
Chat Noir cleared his throat. "Here's tonight's agenda. We're going to be doing our warm-up session. Then we'll have a battle royal for fun tonight. Sound good?"
"YEAH!"
As they did their warm-ups, Ladydragon talked to each member of the team. When Eponia was having trouble with stretching the teen helped her stay balanced. She got into a competition against Ryuko when they did jumping jacks.
She could hear the boys commenting on how amazing her moves were. It was nice to hear compliments from men. She feared the monkey boy would try to put her down and was happy that wasn't the case.
Finally, it was time for the battle royal! Several folding screens were pulled out for people to duck out when their timer gave out. A huge table was filled with the food the Kwamiis needed to recharge.
"The rules are simple. Everyone will wear a sensor," Chat Noir explained as he held up a small target shape sensor. "Your objective is to strike the sensor of your opponents."
He pressed the sensor and a loud beep was heard. "When you hear the sensor go off, your out. During this battle, you are allowed to use everything you've learned to strike the sensor."
He pointed to the screens reminding them to change behind them. Ladybug explained to the team they could only recharge once during the fight. Now it was time to pick teams.
Ladybug's team consisted of Carapace, Honeybee, and Viperion. There was also Street-Rat, King Monkey, and Blue Ox. The team rounded off with Amalthea and Ladydragon.
Chat Noir had Rene Rouge, Kkachi, and Sirius. He also had Ryuko, Henwen, Bunnyx. His team also included had Sumatran, Barcello, and Eponia.
Chat Noir's team had more members because Ladydragon's powers made her more powerful. The teams looked at the timer waiting for it to go off. Finally, it rang and the battle was on!
Ladybug went after Rena Rouge, flicking her yo-yo out to grab the fox's flute. Rene Rogue used False Trail to trick Ladybug. Realizing her mistake, the spotted heroine managed to flip up and off the wall before the fox could touch her sensor.
Carapace was keeping Chat at a distance thanks to his meteor hammer. Chat focused on his special ability trying to trip him. Carapace suspected what he was doing and would change his stance every other minute to avoid it.
Honeybee had forced herself to stay on the ground not using her wings. She was challenging herself and fighting Sirius in hand-to-hand combat. Sirius also had sheathed his weapon to challenge himself.
Viperion and Kkachi attacked each other at the same time. Since Kkachi couldn't use her power without her Miraculous, she was allowed to use a confetti bomb to increase her advantage. Kkachi grinned as she pushed her brother back.
Street-Rat was playing offensive while Ryuko was doing defense. Street-Rat had used her power and improvised a butterfly net to catch anything flung her way. Ryuko was forced to use her defensive, Focal Point, for the first time. The power was useful because anything aimed at her missed her and hit the area she had cast her power on.
Bunnyx was having fun as she danced around King Monkey. She would weave between his attacks and try to strike the sensor. However, King Monkey was listening to his "monkey sense" and dodged them. Each was determined to hit the other's sensor.
Blue Ox and Amalthea had teamed up against Henwen and Eponia. All four were having a grand time as they went after each other. Amalthea was the first one to land a hit taking out Eponia with her bident.
Henwen retaliated by using her power to instruct Blue Ox to take himself out of the battle. She grinned as she dashed behind a screen to recharge. Amalthea created some distance to avoid being struck when she returned.
Sumatran and Barcello were learning how powerful Ladydragon was. She was constantly shifting between animals as the boys tried to pin her down. The heroine also had the stamina to keep going while both heroes had to recharge to take another crack at her.
"Hu!" she shouted as she transformed into her tiger form. She circled the boys waiting for an opening.
Sumatran watched the tigress trying to figure out how to strike Ladydragon's sensor. As she was coming around Sumatran sprang forward, and his gantlet blades shot out.
"Ying!" Ladydragon switched to eagle mode right before the blade would have hit. She headbutted Sumatran's sensor. She flew up and then talon struck Barcello's sensor.
In the end, Ladydragon was the last one standing securing victory for her team. As everyone cheered for her, Ladydragon was happy that she had a lot of new friends. Her life as heroine was getting better all the time.