Reworked chapter two! About a week after Dragonus claimed his prize, finally the Heroes' Day trap is ready to be sprung. The heroes will never know what hit them. Enjoy!
(So... I forgot to post yesterday... so I'm doing it today ;P)
Chapter Two
Kings In Gold And Red
"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" Tikki asked as Marinette rushed to get ready. The girl in question was stressing over her good deed for this Heroes' Day, having given barely any thought to it and now had to come up with an original idea on the spot. While the last Heroes' Day picnic was a success, it didn't come without a lot of hiccups, most of them named Scarlet Moth.
"What seems strange?" Marinette asked as she scratched another idea off of her list and threw a textbook into her bag. Tikki sighed. "The complete lack of Hawk Moth or Dragonus activity in the past couple weeks! Neither of them have been this quiet for such a long time." Marinette shrugged. "Maybe they were fighting each other and hurt themselves?" She immediately knew what she said was stupid. Dragonus would sooner blow up Hawk Moth's lair than let himself be wounded.
"Or maybe they're planning something big," Tikki said. "Really big. We'd better keep an eye out and keep your link to the Miracle Box ready, just in case." Marinette nodded, then checked her clock.
"I'm late! Again!" she yelped as she rushed down her staircase and nearly face-planted on the kitchen floor, down the main staircase to the bakery, and after catching a box of macaroons her parents helpfully tossed her, rushed out the door and to Françoise Dupont.
Meanwhile, across Paris, Adrien finished his breakfast with one thought on his mind: why has it been so quiet recently? The worst things in the past few weeks, ignoring the, quite strange, Verity Queen incident, were the escaping zoo animals and a few minor crimes. He could almost feel Hawk Moth and Dragonus right behind him, waiting for him to turn around so they could stab him and watch as the fear flooded then drained from his eyes.
"Don't be Mr. Doomsday," Plagg said nonchalantly from Adrien's pocket. "If they do end up doing something together, they'll end up squabbling like kids. It'll be nothing you and Ladybug can't handle."
Adrien sighed. "That's why I'm worried, Plagg. Dragonus has our powers, and likely past powers, if that time traveler villain he created is any indication. He might make Hawk Moth deliberately angry, and if Dragonus draconizes him…" Adrien shuddered. Queen Wasp was incredibly powerful when the heroes first fought her, and if she was any indication, a draconized Hawk Moth would be a nightmare.
Nathalie walked into the dining room, her tablet in her arms. "The piano classes have been booked, Adrien. Don't forget the appearance at the Agreste Foundation," she said. Adrien nodded. "Thanks, Nathalie. You know, you've done so much for us. It's a shame Father can't see past the business part of your relationship." He couldn't help but smirk a little when he saw Nathalie's cheeks flush red.
"Excuse me," she said hurriedly as she moved briskly out of the dining room. The Gorilla came in, and after Adrien finished, they left for the school.
Gabriel watched as the silver sedan left the iron gates, then checked his phone anxiously. Dragonus had said he would come by before noon. The door to the atelier opened, Gabriel jumping in surprise, then sighed in relief as Nathalie entered.
"Is everything in order?" Gabriel asked. Nathalie nodded. "If everything goes smoothly, Ms. Rossi will grow enraged again, and we can follow the steps we did last time. If she has proven anything, it is that people believe what they see." She checked her tablet again. "If all goes well, Adrien will be out of harm's way," she said quietly.
"He had better be," Gabriel growled. "If Dragonus's plan puts my son in danger, I will not hesitate to unleash the wrath of a father upon his golden hide." Nathalie nodded, then turned away, answering her phone as one of the gala managers called.
Gabriel turned to the portrait of Emilie and sighed. He knew if, or rather, when she found out about all of this, she would, at the very least, slap him. Part of him would admit he deserved it, especially the parts that had accidentally put Adrien in danger. Gabriel winced again; he knew Emilie would give him another slap when she found out he had cooped Adrien up. She had always wanted him to be out and about, see the world. And no matter how many horror stories about attacks and muggings she heard, Emilie would still insist that Adrien get some fresh air.
Gabriel sighed again. He knew he was barely functioning as a parent without Emilie. She was a natural with children, compared to Gabriel's cold and businesslike personality. A quiet chuckle escaped him; the two complimented each other, just like the Miraculouses he needed. Ironic. There was a small part of him that wanted Dragonus's Dark Miraculous, but two things prevented him from attempting to achieve this. Dragonus's own power levels and wrath, and how his kwami might behave. If the kwami was anything like the wielder, there would be trouble, to say the least. He turned towards the window.
"All of this will be over," Gabriel vowed. "One way or another."
The first thing Marinette heard when she rushed into the classroom was Rose telling everyone how she and Juleka were helping out at an animal shelter and the children's hospital with Prince Ali. After stammering a quick apology, she took her seat next to Alya.
"What's wrong, Marinette?" Chloé asked condescendingly. "Misplaced your pin?"
Amber elbowed her. "What did we talk about, Chlo?" the British girl asked, the barest edge on her voice.
Chloé seemed to clam up in surprise, then sighed. "Right. I'm sorry. I'm trying to kick the habit," she apologized. Everyone blinked in surprise.
"What just happened?" Alya asked. Amber stood up. "My long-term project, not just for Heroes' Day. Teaching Chloé to let go of her old ways." The applause, after getting over the initial moment of shock, was nothing short of thunderous.
"Yes, Amber, that's marvelous," Ms. Bustier approved, then glanced at Marinette. "What is it this time, dear?" Marinette swallowed nervously. "I was thinking of my good deed! Just lost track of time."
Ms. Bustier chuckled lightly. "Max, you were next?"
Max nodded and stood. "I'm helping a school in another district with some online programming classes. Considering most jobs will involve programming when we get older - " Ms. Bustier cut him off with a smile. "Yes, thank you, Max. Anyone else? Nino?" The DJ in question stood. "I'm doing a charity concert, all proceeds going to help out the city."
"Marinette? What about you?" Ms. Bustier asked. Marinette chewed her lip. "I- uh, I…" she quickly glanced at her purse. Tikki gave her a reassuring smile and a look that said You'll do fine. Marinette swallowed, then smiled confidently. "I'm doing a charity bake sale followed up with a picnic afterwards for anyone who wants to come. If anyone wants to help, that would be awesome!"
Everyone was applauding, except, Marinette noticed, Lila. At first, she thought it was just Lila being her usual self, but looking closer, she saw something familiar. A sense of missing something, or someone. Another look around the room revealed that Andrew was missing.
"Something the matter, Lila?" Marinette asked. Lila froze for a moment, then sighed. "No, it's nothing major. My mom said that my plan for Heroes' Day was a little much, so I had to completely redo it. My original plan was to host an ambassador's party for all the hardworking people at the embassy." She sighed again. "Now, I'm collecting money to donate to the police department."
Everyone except Marinette and Adrien applauded Lila's "goodwill." A few were even passing a couple bills to her. Ms. Bustier in particular was definitely impressed. "Amazing work, Lila. It's a shame Andrew's not here to see. He sent an email to me, and sadly he's out sick. A head cold and some congestion, he said. Apparently, his good deed is staying home and getting better." She put her hand to her forehead for a moment as a brief headache passed over her.
Marinette got a quick pain in her head as she thought of Andrew, too. Luckily, it was quick. Alya nudged her. "Good luck with your crusade, girl!" Marinette realized what she had gotten herself into. A strained laugh escaped her; déjà vu never felt so strong.
A knock broke the silence in Andrew's bedroom. "Come in," he said, sounding quite congested. Everett opened the door and stepped in, a look of concern for his son on his face.
"Hey, buddy," he said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. Andrew looked at his father. Everett knew his son hated being sick. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well," Everett continued.
Andrew coughed once. "Could be worse," he replied, a small chuckle escaping him. "It could be like that one drive home from Christmas." Everett smirked. "It was certainly a wake up call."
"Either way," Everett continued. "I'm gonna be working from home today. Just a precaution in case some supervillain strikes." He stood up, glanced outside, and his face hardened. "It's a shame when a city's superheroes are so ineffective that they can't even find their main enemy," he said, watching as part of the parade came through the city, his eyes narrowed. The Ladybug balloon caught his eye. "And their main hero, this… what's her name, Ladybug? How original." He sighed, barely bothering to contain the venom in his voice. "Of course, they somehow manage to fix everything when it's all gone wrong. They wouldn't last a moment back home, though. Not like the Skyburners." Everett chuckled. "They were heroes. Heroes don't go around with parades or interviews, they do their jobs and do them effectively."
"Part of me wonders if it's all a scam," Everett said. "That this 'Ladybug' allows her 'enemy' to keep doing what he's doing so she can keep 'saving the day'. Like the Red Gargoyles."
Andrew thought for a moment. "I doubt it," he said. "My classmates are always going on about how 'she's so perfect' or 'I wanna be just like her!' It's always refreshing to hear the other half, the people who don't like them, however few they might be." Everett smirked. "Like the girl you met at the park?" he asked teasingly.
Andrew tried to keep himself from blushing, but he felt his ears tinge red. "Yeah, like her," Andrew replied. Everett smiled. "Well, I need to go. You can entertain yourself, right? If you need anything, Clover and Paul will be there." Andrew smiled back. "Alright, dad. If I'm feeling better, I'll be down for dinner." Everett gave his son a quick hug, then went to his office.
Andrew waited a moment, then sighed. "You can come out now," he said. Dragonus swiped away the illusion cloaking him and stretched.
"I thought he'd never leave," Dragonus muttered. Double coughed. "Did you really have to get me sick?" he asked. "I'm part machine! I shouldn't be getting sick!"
Dragonus scoffed. "You'll be fine. It's just a cold. Sure, it's annoying, but you'll live." Double rolled his eyes. "Fine. But doesn't some of this bother you?" Dragonus inclined his head. "What?"
Double sneezed. "Your dad hating on the heroes? Admiring what you once were? I bet he thinks 'Dragonus' is a monster. And you know what happens to monsters." Dragonus growled, then sighed. "He'll thank me one day. Everyone will. I'm doing what I have to do."
Double chuckled darkly. "Including lying to yourself?" he asked.
"Yes," he sneered back, after the longest hesitation. Dragonus opened a portal, stepped through and stood atop the roof of his family's mansion.
His fist clenched as he thought about what today would bring. Dragonus had consulted the book so many times, and he knew exactly what would happen. He knew what Hawk Moth's plan for treachery was, he knew which Miraculous were going to be used in the battle, he knew how each of Ladybug's allies would fall.
One thing still escaped him. He had always known Hawk Moth had taken a special interest in Lila. Dragonus had his own special interest in her, too. The question had come back to him multiple times. How had she convinced everyone she was some superstar or something, every celebrity's best friend? Had she managed to brainwash everyone to believe her? Dragonus doubted it. Likely, she was an incredibly good manipulator. Another idea flashed in his mind. She and Hawk Moth were manipulating each other. Or rather, she believed she was manipulating Gabriel, while she was being manipulated by each side of him.
Dragonus chuckled darkly. Absorbing memories was quite useful. He knew Gabriel was planning to drop her the moment she was useless to him. That was likely going to be after he had managed to akumatize Marinette, or rather, be successful in akumatizing Marinette and not get it erased from the timestream. He grinned as an idea popped in his head. He needed to remove Hawk Moth from the equation, preferably not permanently, and he also needed Lila. A dark grin spread under his mouth plate. The two were connected in a way; keep something from one, keep another thing from the other.
And when the opportunity rises, offer them everything they've wanted.
Dragonus finalized his plan for the day. Volpina could not be allowed to be used this Heroes' Day, and Hawk Moth had to be demoralized. Both could easily be accomplished in the space of five minutes. He checked the time again. Almost time to strike. He spread his wings, cloaked himself, and flew towards the Agreste mansion. Looking down at the throes of people mingling, watching the parade, socializing, doing good deeds, he couldn't help but smirk at their ignorance. They had no idea what they would witness.
Marinette rushed through her work, trying to simultaneously get enough pastries ready for a sale and advertise the event. "Tikki!" Marinette yelped. "I need some help!"
Tikki smiled. "I'll take care of the ad, Marinette, don't worry." Marinette sighed with relief. "Tikki, you're a lifesaver!"
Tikki giggled, then, once Marinette turned her back, sighed. If only she could believe that. Bitter memories resurfaced; each one of her bugs growing old, then passing, leaving her behind. Her fight with Vorath all those centuries ago. That still stung most of all. If only she hadn't snapped at him, had she been more rational.
"I hope your wielder is better at keeping a relationship with you than I am," she said softly.
Hawk Moth felt his skin crawl as Dragonus entered the lair like he owned the place. He wasn't scared of many things, but Dragonus… unsettled him. The way he was so casual about it all…
Dragonus chuckled. "Isn't it funny? The first time we were in this room together, I was fighting you, absorbing your powers. Now look at us. Partners." Hawk Moth growled lightly. "For now." Nathalie stepped forward. "Sir, Lila should be reaching peak anger levels right about-"
"Actually, Feathers," Dragonus interrupted. "We will not be using Ms. Rossi today." The two adults blinked in surprise. Hawk Moth kept his voice neutral, hiding his anger. "Why?" he asked.
Dragonus chuckled. "Two reasons. One, Ms. Rossi is in school, surrounded by her peers, and two, you have a very bad habit of repeating plans. Does 'Roo-Roo' sound familiar?"
Hawk Moth knew he was being mocked, but he was intrigued by Dragonus's plan. "Well then, boy, let's see what your plan is." He leaned in to whisper in Dragonus's ear. "And if you have an ulterior motive for keeping her out of this."
A second later, he was on the floor, looking down at the blade of Dragonus's sword. The younger supervillain in question snarled at him. "Don't," he said, his voice low and angry. "Ever. Insinuate. My. Feelings. Make. Me. Weak." Then, as if nothing happened, he calmed down and helped Hawk Moth up. "Sorry. Temper flared up."
"That's the understatement of the year," Nathalie muttered. Dragonus shot her a glare, then turned his attention back to Hawk Moth. "Last year's plan was amazing, really. The illusion was quite convincing," Dragonus complemented. "But I doubt they would fall for it again. So, we're going to do the better option." He held out his closed fist to reveal the Peacock Miraculous in his palm. A smirk grew under his faceplate when he heard Nathalie gasp.
"You're just too easy to pickpocket, Feathers," Dragonus chuckled as he revealed and threw her keys back over to her, then glanced at the brooch in his palm. "This thing's fixed, right?" he asked.
Before Hawk Moth could answer, Dragonus nodded. "Pretty good job fixing it, I must say. I checked its energy, if you're wondering how I figured it out." Hawk Moth blinked in surprise. Dragonus seemed to move a mile a minute, like he knew exactly how everything was going to pan out before it happened.
Dragonus pinned the Miraculous to his suit, and a blue ball of light emerged, condensing into Duusu. The kwami yelped when he saw Dragonus, who only smirked. "Now, now, little Duusu, don't fret. I won't hurt you," he said softly. "But you are going to help me change the world. Vorath, Duusu, Unify!"
Hawk Moth and Nathalie looked away from the blinding blue flash. Once the light faded, they turned to Dragonus, and the supervillain they beheld smirked.
Dragonus's chestplate and shoulders turned blue, as well as the fronts of his legs and the sides of his arms, like he was wearing blue armor. His normally gold wing membranes took on a feathered pattern, and his tail was completely covered in peacock tail feathers. He had removed his helmet, revealing his skin had turned blue, his sclera a dark blue, his irises golden. A blue and gold scale patterned mask obscured his identity. Rear-swept spikes pointed out behind his now navy hair, gold and tipped with blue. The fan was folded in his left hand.
"Impressive, yes?" Dragonus asked. Hawk Moth gave an interested hum. "Certainly an upgrade from the original."
Dragonus shrugged. "I've always liked blue. Yes, gold, red and purple are my favorite colors, but I've always found blue to be quite nice. Speaking of quite nice, Fowl Dragon has a nice ring to it, yes?" he asked as he spread the fan, pulled out two feathers, then one of his golden scales.
"What is the plan, exactly?" Hawk Moth asked. Fowl Dragon smirked. "How do you fool about two million people into believing their heroes have fallen, without an illusion that will evaporate if one thing goes wrong?"
A dark chuckle escaped him. "Use their stunt doubles." With the feathers and scale in hand, he clenched his fist, then opened, revealing them to be a dark navy. Taking three keychain charms, he inserted the two amoks and one scale into them.
Three clouds of gold-flecked blue smoke appeared in front of Fowl Dragon, morphing into humanoid forms. The smoke cleared, revealing the three sentimonsters as Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Dragonus.
"Ladybug, Cat Noir, Dragonus, I am Fowl Dragon," the supervillain said. "You are the exact, perfect copies of your namesakes, save one thing. Dragonus will stoop to any means to retrieve the Miraculouses he desires, including your destruction. You will obey my commands. Understood?"
"Understood," the three droned. Hawk Moth felt his skin crawl again. It was too uncanny. Fowl Dragon opened a portal and the three sentimonsters stepped through.
"Doesn't bother you a little?" Nathalie asked. "To force your copy into a fight?" Fowl Dragon exhaled in amusement. "He's not the lamb being led to the slaughter," he said ominously.
The parade had just made its way to the Eiffel Tower. The exact moment the Dragonus sentimonster was going to strike. As a news helicopter flew nearby, the reporter inside commenting on the amount of people watching, the sentimonster smirked, then took to the skies. Without being noticed, he landed on the Ladybug balloon, flipped the sword into its single blade form, and stabbed the balloon. The balloon exploded, raining red and black latex on the buildings and civilians below, who screamed in pure terror.
As the civilians scattered, the sentimonster versions of the superheroes leapt up to the next balloon. "Give up, Dragonus!" 'Ladybug' yelled. "We won't let you ruin this Heroes' Day!"
'Dragonus' laughed. "Is that so? I haven't even started yet. Guess I should ruin you next!" He lunged, the two 'heroes' dodging the attack. 'Cat Noir' grunted. "He's fighting with a ferocity we haven't seen before!" he yelled.
'Dragonus' snarled. "I'm tired of being constantly thwarted by you two! This ends today!" Sheathing his sword, he fired off bolts of lightning and streams of fire at the two heroes, who dodged and weaved every attack, despite the slick surface of the balloons.
"We need to retreat!" 'Ladybug' yelled to her partner. 'Cat Noir' nodded, and the two ran off towards another balloon. 'Dragonus' growled and chased after them. Right as the 'heroes' were about to land on the Carapace balloon, 'Dragonus' grabbed them by the wrists and flew straight up. He stopped at the Eiffel Tower's altitude, then contemplated the two superheroes in his grip. They had dropped their weapons when he grabbed them.
"I have enjoyed our little games together, really," 'Dragonus' began. "But you two have been a thorn in my side for far too long. I need your Miraculouses, but I don't necessarily need you attached to them." And with that, 'Dragonus' threw them down, then dove after them. "Dragoclysm," he whispered, and right as he was about to overtake them, held his hands out and swept his destruction-laced claws over them.
'Dragonus' landed on the Carapace balloon, and a moment later, two spotted earrings and a black ring landed next to him, a light dust falling over both. The entirety of Paris gasped when they realized what happened. 'Dragonus' took a deep breath, ignoring the sulfurous scent of destruction and decay, and picked up the two Miraculous. A maniacal laugh erupted from him. "At long last! I have won! I finally won! Despair, people of Paris! Despair, every last one of you, for truly, there is no one, and I mean no one, left to protect you!" Still cackling maniacally, 'Dragonus' opened a portal and flew through.
"Mommy?" a little girl asked her mother. "Is Ladybug… gone?" She buried her face in her mother's shirt, dropping the plush she was holding.
"I must admit, I'm impressed by your work," Hawk Moth commented. "Your acting could be a little better, but the despair and fear is so raw, so powerful… it's like nothing I've ever felt!"
Fowl Dragon scoffed. "It was nothing compared to what I could be doing. I have yet to unlock my true potential… Pray you do not make me angry after that point."
The Dragonus sentimonster coughed. "Am I done?" he asked. Fowl Dragon nodded and snapped his fingers. "Dismissed." A single scale fell out of the keychain. Fowl Dragon transformed back into Dragonus.
"Now, Nathalie," Hawk Moth said as he corrupted a butterfly into an akuma and sent it towards her tablet. Catalyst took Nathalie's place, and before she could empower Hawk Moth, Dragonus stepped in.
"Wait a minute," he said. "I've been thinking about this. Perhaps it isn't wise to keep our empowerments… separate." Hawk Moth knew there was something Dragonus was leaving out.
"What do you have in mind?" Hawk Moth growled. Dragonus opened a portal, reached through, and pulled out a gold scepter with a red gem inset on the top. "Catalyst will empower me first, then I can use that to empower you. That way, you're more powerful, able to generate more powerful akumas… or mutate your butterflies into drakumas that link both of us to the villains."
Hawk Moth thought for a moment. He knew Dragonus had an ulterior motive, but the rewards that could be reaped… it would be worth it. The ultimate risk for the ultimate glory. "Do it," Hawk Moth said. Catalyst took the red jewel of Dragonus's scepter in her hands, and with a flash of red light, infused a power boost into it.
"Dragonus, I grant you enhanced versions of all of your powers," she said. "From now on, you are the mighty Scarlet Dragonus!" Red light raced up Dragonus, changing his gold to a metallic crimson and his silver faceplate to a chromed red. Scarlet Dragonus chuckled darkly.
"The power… it's like nothing I've felt before. Siphon!" The empowered supervillain absorbed a part of Catalyst's power for himself, then turned to Hawk Moth. "Here's my end of the bargain." He tapped the red crystal to the top of Hawk Moth's cane, infusing it with gold and red energy.
"Hawk Moth, I grant you the ability to release drakumas, and as many as you wish," Scarlet Dragonus said. "Now, you are Dragon Moth, conqueror of a thousand superheroes!" Gold light raced up Hawk Moth, recoloring his purples to a dark, scaly gold and his cowl to gold chrome. He gained a few more physical changes, as well. Golden spiked membranes extended from his lapel extensions down to his waist. The butterfly symbol on his cowl changed to have spikes coming off the wings, the actual cowl growing ridges along the top of the head.
Dragon Moth felt a malicious smile grow across his face as he drew his cane. He tapped a few butterflies, turning them gold, mutating them to have more dragon-like heads and tails, and the drakumas started snapping and growling. "Fly, my drakumas. Find the Parisians as they mourn their superheroes, and evilize every last one of them!" The drakumas flew out of the open window, ready to spread their corruption.
Marinette sighed as she arrived back at school. She had only managed to get two thirds of the sale prepared, but hopefully it would be enough. A different thing was on her mind, though. She had promised Cat Noir that they would reveal their identities to each other that night, but part of her wondered if it was a good idea. While Dragonus seemed to declare attacking their civilian selves off-limits, Hawk Moth would have no such inhibitions if he found out. If he created a truth villain… the results would be catastrophic.
Of course, Dragonus wasn't acting serious about getting their Miraculouses. Or he seemed to be waiting for a perfect moment to strike. There was also the part of Marinette that worried she might fall for her partner. It wasn't that she didn't like him, far from it. She wasn't worried it might inhibit her performance as a hero. Cat Noir proved it was possible to love your partner and still be a great hero. She was worried she would give up on Adrien, and she'd put too much time and effort towards him.
A car door opened behind her, and she internally squealed when she saw Adrien. "Hey, Marinette," he said. Marinette smiled. "Hi, Adrien," she replied, somehow managing to keep a coherent sentence. He walked quickly over to her.
"If the sale is still going on after I'm done with what I need to do, I'll come and help out." He leaned in conspiratorially. "If there are any leftovers, I'll gladly take those," he said with a smirk. Marinette couldn't stop the blush forming on her face.
When the two walked into Françoise Dupont, a sense of déjà vu swept over them. Clumps of people, all looking at a news broadcast. "What's going on?" Marinette asked Rose. The blonde girl showed Marinette and Adrien her phone, where Nadja Chamack was talking into her microphone, a dismayed and urgent expression on her face.
"Ladybug and Cat Noir, destroyed by Dragonus!" she was saying. "And this couldn't have been an illusion! Look at the damage left from the fight!" A picture of the destroyed Ladybug balloon took over the screen for a second, then the camera turned to Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale.
"They're gone?! For real this time?" Jagged said in disbelief. Clara shook her head. "No, they can't be!" Jagged sighed, then pulled Clara into a sad hug. Nadja nodded in agreement. "You're right, Clara. It's just too unlike any villain in this city to believe!" A scream cut through the broadcast, and the camera turned to see dragon-like akumas, screeching and wailing as they descended on the city. One infected Nadja's microphone, turning her into a golden and more reptilian version of Prime Queen, with slit pupils and a scale pattern along her suit.
"Dear viewers, sorry to interrupt the broadcast, but this Heroes' Day has been commandeered by…" Prime Queen began. A similarly reptilian-ified Guitar Villain and Frightningale filled the screen. "The true music master of Paris…" Guitar Villain continued. Frightningale spun around, drawing her whip. "Dragon Moth!"
"What!?" Marinette and Adrien said in unison, then a scream pierced the deathly quiet of the courtyard as dragon-akumas descended on the students. Marinette and Adrien ducked as the evil creatures swooped and dive bombed the students, infecting and converting a few of them to golden and slightly reptilian versions of their villain forms. Mylene and Ivan turned to Horrificator and Stoneheart, Max transformed to Gamer, his mech starting to form around him. One drakuma snarled at Rose, making her jump and transforming her back into Princess Fragrance.
Marinette noticed Juleka starting to be preyed upon. "Don't be afraid of them, Juleka! That's what they want!" Nino and Alya ran past her.
"They seem to be getting what they want!" Nino yelled. Alya gave his hand a sharp squeeze. "We can't be scared. Remember last year?"
Juleka took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and glared at the drakumas. The tiny creatures backed off and went to find others. Alya and Nino also stopped, and in each other's embrace, turned the drakumas back.
"Good work, everyone!" Ms. Bustier said. "We can't let our fear get the better of us." Mr. Damocles nodded. "These monsters can't feed off our fear if we don't have any to give them."
Back at the lair, Dragon Moth growled. "They're not afraid anymore!" Scarlet Dragonus grinned under his mask. "Give me a second. I'm patched into them, too. I know exactly how to terrify them." A red version of his light mask formed over his helmet, and in the school, all the villains stiffened, then their eyes glowed red as the red dragon mask formed over their faces.
"You may think you are courageous by resisting our control," the villains said in a menacing monotone. "But you are foolish. Our power is eternal, while you merely flicker for a moment." They turned towards Juleka. "You cannot escape your own shackles. You still think of yourself as invisible. You are to us. You are nothing to us." A drakuma pounced on Juleka's unease, turning her back to Reflekta.
"Impressive," Dragon Moth said. Dragonus didn't answer, as he was working on Ms. Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev, and Mr. Damocles, turning them back to their villain selves. He disconnected, then grunted with exhaustion. "Never thought speaking through villains would be so draining."
Running into the restroom, Marinette slammed the stall door shut. "Hawk Moth upgraded himself again!" she exclaimed. Tikki nodded grimly. "And I think Dragonus has something to do with it, too." Marinette sighed. "So that's what their plan was. Tikki, Spots On!" A moment later, Ladybug snuck out of the restroom, searching for her allies.
Meanwhile, Adrien tried to duck into a supply closet to transform, but a grunt from Gorizilla caught his attention. As the giant ape supervillain reached out for him, he ran away from the golden hand. The same trick wasn't going to work twice. The roar of frustration shook Adrien to the bone; he thought he heard Hawk Moth's voice mixing in with it, too.
"This one stinks of smoked reptiles," Plagg said when they were in a safe location. "Dragonus definitely is working with Hawk Moth."
Adrien shook his head. "Calm before the storm, I guess. Plagg, Claws Out!" Cat Noir leapt out of the bathroom window, intent on scoping out the situation.
If it seems pretty much identical to the original Heroes' Day two-parter... yeah, it is, just throw in a dashing dragon with a funny book. I promise things will get better later on. As always, be sure to stay safe, healthy, and stop to smell the roses every now and again.