A/N

Thank you for the comments. Thank you for sticking around this far and reading this story. We've passed the halfway line and things are escalating rapidly.

Thank you to mayuralover who has taken the mantle of beta reader to help find more of my mistakes. We all gain from her efforts.

Chapter 20: More mistakes

Chat Noir jumped over the rooftops, making his way to the commotion in arrondissements eighteen. Many of the Parisians had the Ladyblog's app on their phone so they could report any attack as soon as they started. Besides warning others to stay away, they believed Ladybug and Chat Noir used the Ladyblog's akuma notification to find out about attacks. They did, in fact, use it for about a year. But, as with all social media tools, the users overuse it and abuse it, sending many conflicting messages and even pranks, making it unreliable. Often the news stations would also follow the blog and send a reporter to the area. Their reports were more reliable, though less timely.

Adrien transformed to Chat shortly after leaving Marinette and spent the next hour punching holes in a building set for demolition. He considered cataclysming it for them but thought better of it. When the akuma notification came, Chat welcomed the distraction. Beating up an akuma will be more satisfying than breaking a wall.

The Ladyblog was unclear if it was an akuma attack or not. Some were calling it an akuma while others said it was a parade. How could they confuse those two very different incidents?

Chat was approaching arrondissements eighteen when he heard the singing.

I guess it is a parade.

He stood on one of the taller buildings, debating heading back home. Home only brought him confusion and pain. A parade was also a distraction, if not as satisfying. As he neared the parade, the words became clearer, and they puzzled him. Something was not quite right.

Chat gingerly approached the next street, peering over the roof's railing to behold the strangest parade Paris ever had. There were a few hundred women marching along the street, pushing each other to get to the front of the parade. While they struggled to get ahead, they pulled various clothes off their bodies and sang as loud as they could. This was not a synchronized harmony, rather a cacophony of voices singing at a different tempo. It was painful to listen to.

"I love you Johnnynova, oh yes I do. I love you Johnnynova please have me too."

Leading the parade was a shirtless man who towered over the surrounding women, most of them only reaching his overly muscular chest. His arms boasted the largest muscles Chat has ever seen, making his upper body unnaturally disproportionate to his narrow waist and legs. His chest and arms had many tattoos Chat couldn't decipher from a distance. In his right hand, he held an enormous barbell, too big for a normal person to lift.

Either the circus was in town or this was a new akuma. Judging by the women's varying levels of undress and violent treatment of each other, Chat went with option two.

Chat observed, taking no action while the greatest threat was the women's dignity. The women closest to Johnnynova had their hands running along his chest, legs, shoulders, and back. Johnnynova watched them with glee, wrapping his arm around a woman, pulling her in for a kiss then pushing her away to be replaced by another willing participant.

The mob reached a strip of restaurants where many of the clientele stood outside, watching the scene.

"Come to me!" cried out the akuma.

The tattoos on his body glowed, within seconds Johnnynova became a supernova, shining brighter than the sun. Chat looked away, blinded by the bright light, He blinked rapidly until his sight partially returned, black spots marring his vision. Down at street level, the women by the restaurants ran to the akuma, hands in front, bursting into song.

"I love you Johnnynova, oh yes I do. I love you Johnnynova please have me too."

The maddened woman joined in the parade, fighting each other to get ahold of his glowing body. The men went crazy, calling their significant other to return to them but were otherwise unaffected.

"What's the singing about?" asked someone behind him. Chat moved to cut off Ladybug, stopping her from getting any closer.

"We need to be careful this time. This Akuma has some sort of mind control."

"What do you mean?" asked Ladybug.

"This Akuma somehow brainwashed hundreds of women to blindly follow him." Chat stood in front of Ladybug, attempting to stop her from approaching the roof's edge.

"Chat. Let me see what's going on."

"No, m'Lady. I don't want him to affect you."

"Get out of my way!" Her command laced with the threat of violence. "No man will stand in my way."

Chat was unsure if the red tinge in Ladybug's eyes was his imagination. She scared him, more than he would care to admit. He stepped aside, warily watching her scan the scene below. Ladybug's nostrils flared, her lips pulled back baring her teeth. He could almost hear her teeth grinding. Chat could not recall any akuma affecting Ladybug like this.

"M'Lady, we need a plan."

"He's despicable. He's going down." Ladybug kept her eyes fixed on the akuma. "Stay out my way, Chat Noir."

Chat stood in place, lost for words.

"Men are beasts," she roared, jumped onto the edge and dove off the building. Hooking her yo-yo on a nearby building, she came down in an arc, aiming a kick at Johnnynova's head. Before her leg met the intended victim, Johnnynova pointed his barbell at the flying heroine. The barbell glowed red and a smaller barbell shot out, heading for her leg. Ladybug twisted in the air, curled around the flying barbell, and landed with a roll a few meters away.

"Nice of you to join us," the akuma laughed. "I've wanted to add you to my collection."

"I'll never be your plaything," Ladybug attacked with her yo-yo. "I'll destroy you."

"Let me introduce you to my ladies," Johnnynova blocked the yo-yo with the barbell. "Ladies, get her."

The mass of women surrounding him turned as one towards Ladybug, barreling towards her with their outstretched hands resembling claws. They now chanted in unison.

"We hate you Ladybug, oh yes we do. We hate you, Ladybug and Chat Noir too."

Chat, surprised to be included in the song but not wanting to disappoint his fans, landed next to Ladybug, calling to the crowd.

"Sorry ladies, no autographs today. Please head on home. You can contact my publisher or check out my website and add any comments, reviews, or suggestions."

"Seriously?" snapped Ladybug. "This is no time for jokes."

"I beg to differ, m'Lady. It's always time for jokes. Although beating all these women is no laughing matter."

"We need to get past this mob." Ladybug smashed her yo-yo at the closest three women.

Chat felt bad hitting these poor women with his baton, but when choosing between them and his lady, there was no question. Every woman hit by the yo-yo or baton fell to the ground, lay in the fetal position, and cried. A wall of crying women lay between the heroes and the mob, slowing down their approach but not stopping them.

"There are too many of them." Chat called out.

"Lucky Charm." Ladybug's yo-yo flew up in the air, sending red sparks in all directions. A red and black object fell into her hands. "Interesting," she murmured.

"Come to me!" shouted Johnnynova.

"Ladybug! Look away!" Chat cried a warning.

The tattoos glowed bright once again, bathing the whole plaza with light as bright as daylight. Ladybug fell down to the ground, covering her face. The women surrounding them turned around, heading back towards the akuma, singing their song. Those nearest already had their hands rubbing his body.

"Ladybug?" Chat whispered. "Are you ok?"

Ladybug stood up, held her head high, and sang.

"I love you Johnnynova, oh yes I do. I love you Johnnynova please have me too."

Chat, frozen in place, watched Ladybug knock aside the women on her way to Johnnynova.

"Yes, Ladybug. Come to me. Come and hand me your miraculous," the akuma would not stop laughing.

Ladybug, spinning her yoyo, cleared a path to Johnnynova, . Dozens of women curled up on the ground where she passed.

"I want you, Johnny," Ladybug reached the akuma who welcomed her with open arms. "Please have me."

Chat stood in horror, not knowing what to do. He needed to get his lady out of the trance. Bracing his baton to his shoulder, he took aim at Ladybug, but could not get a clear shot through all the women.

Ladybug wrapped her arms around Johnny's waist, displacing any other women's hands. Johnny lifted his hands to Ladybug's ears.

This was his last chance. Chat moved around finding a clear path between the women, readying his baton…

"You know what?" Ladybug called out. "I changed my mind. Asshole!"

She tightened her arms, lifted the surprised akuma and threw him, head first, to the ground, with enough force he bounced, twice.

"You despicable piece of shit." Ladybug sent a right hook into his jaw, his head whipped back, sending his body rolling.

"You watch your mouth," Johnny staggered upright, lifting the barbell. "You filthy…"

"Men are the filth of the earth." Ladybug jumped forward, her flying kick connecting with the akuma's head with a satisfying thud, sending him reeling. "You take what you want with no care of who you hurt."

Before he had any time to recover, Ladybug reached him.

"You're an insult to the human race! Women would be better off without men." A well-aimed kick between his legs dropped Johnny to his knees. She kicked the barbell out of his hand sending it skidding on the pavement. Johnny fell over to his side, holding his groin.

"He's had enough," Chat leaped to the barbell, called his cataclysm and destroyed the barbell, a small purple butterfly escaping. A purple light spread over Johnnynova replacing him with a balding middle-aged man wearing gym clothing.

"You're an abuser of women," Ladybug kicked the man in the ribs.

"Ladybug! Stop!" Chat shouted. "It's over."

Ladybug grabbed the man's shirt with her left hand, lifting him by to eye level, she held him centimeters from her piercing glare.

"You are the scum of the earth. You are not worthy for my feet to step on you." Her right fist came up with a powerful uppercut to his chin, his head snapping backward, his eyes rolled up into his head. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Ladybug! What are you doing?" Chat called out in shock.

Ladybug turned to glare at Chat. He held her gaze until she sniffed and looked away muttering: "Men." She captured the escaping akuma, then walked back to where she dropped her lucky charm. She threw up what appeared to be a makeup kit and shouted "Miraculous Ladybug."

A swarm of magical ladybugs spread out, fixing the damage caused and returning the women their clothes and their sanity.

Chat checked on the akuma victim.

"I hope this man feels the pain for some time, such a pitiful creature," Ladybug spat.

Chat ignored her. The man was still unconscious. That has never happened before. They always woke after the miraculous cure.

"He isn't waking up."

"What?" Ladybug hesitated. "Why?"

"I think because you hit him after he was no longer an akuma. That damage wasn't because of the akuma so the cure didn't fix it."

Ladybug earrings sounded a beep.

She hovered over Chat as he inspected the man. She looked around at the women walking about, returning to wherever the akuma pulled them out of. Some hung around, watching Chat with the injured man. Her earrings sounded another beep.

"And…?" Ladybug asked, not looking at them.

"He's breathing, that's all I can tell. I'll call an ambulance."

"You do that. I have to leave."

Chat glanced up. She was gone. He's done all he could for this man. His own ring reminded him that time was running out. He called an ambulance using his baton, instructing where and who to help. He glanced to where he imagined Ladybug went, shook his head, and left.

A/N Next Chapter "Consequences"