CHAPTER 22: COMPLICATED
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else.
Gets me frustrated.
-Avril Lavigne
Ladybug
Chat Noire is still struggling in my hold. The beeping of her Miraculous only spurred her on. She never let up even while Dark Venus and I were talking. Has she always been this vexing? I remember a time she was. Did she ever stop being so vexing?
… I'm not sure. My mind feels foggy. But that doesn't matter! What's important is Dark Venus!
"What? No shitty quips today?" Dark Venus taunted. "It could be the last thing you do as a superhero.~"
Dark Venus reached up for the beeping ring, but Chat Noire kicked her hand away, eliciting a series of profanities I can't completely fault Dark Venus for. I tightened my grip on the cat to prevent her from doing any more harm. How dare she hurt Dark Venus! I'd take away her Miraculous myself if I didn't have my hands full holding her in place.
"I think being a pain in the butt is a better way to spend the last minutes of my career," Chat Noire shot her that infuriatingly smug smirk. "Fight to the bitter end and all that jazz."
"Give up already! You're running out of time," Dark Venus sneered as she nursed the wrist Chat Noire kicked. "You'll detransform soon enough."
"Yeah! Resistance is futile!" I added.
"Resistance, huh…" Dark Venus took an arrow out of her quiver. "No one can resist me."
Dark Venus draws her bow and I got the hint. I held out Chat Noire, making her as easy a target as possible. Chat Noire clearly caught on to what we're about to do to her and renewed her efforts to squirm out of my hold.
"You sure you wanna let her do this, Bugsy?"
With Dark Venus' arrow, this wild cat will be tamed. Do I want to do this? No. Not really. But as dangerous as it is to hand over more power to Hawkmoth, I'd rather not see Dark Venus get hurt. As long as she's an akuma, Hawkmoth can hurt her, even from afar. Hopefully, the Black Cat Miraculous will be enough to appease Hawkmoth and leave her alone.
"This needs to be done," is all I can say, trying to convince myself as much as I'm trying to convince Chat Noire.
"You wouldn't like me as your love rival! I could steal her away from you! She'll ignore you in favor of me!"
Chat Noire's leather cat ears folded back, desperation leaking into her voice as she tried to convince me this is a bad idea. She may as well be talking to a wall with how unresponsive I am.
As Dark Venus let lose her arrow, a black blur charged at me and Chat Noire, toppling us down with his added weight. The sudden shift had me falling over on my behind, losing my grip on Chat Noire. Ever the opportunist, the cat slipped out with the black blur - some guy in a Chat Noire jacket. A civilian. Against my better judgement, my body refused to raise a hand against him. As much as I love Dark Venus, I can't harm a powerless civilian! My hesitation allowed the two to gain some distance from us.
Dark Venus let out a frustrated cry and sent an arrow flying at Chat Noire, but the intruder saw it coming and took the arrow in her place. A direct hit! The boy paused as the arrow faded away into pink glitter then ran after Chat Noire. Dark Venus' power should be in full effect now. He may not be the target, but surely he could be useful.
The boy wrapped his arms around Chat Noire's shoulders. Trying to stop her? Weigh her down? But it was no use. Chat Noire took out her baton and vaulted away, the boy in tow riding piggyback. Their movement blew the boy's hood to reveal his crimson hair. The boy looked back at us just before the two of them disappeared into the trees.
That was when I realized three things:
There was no sounds of a struggle between them.
He made no declarations of love for Dark Venus.
His eyes remained a vibrant emerald green.
"... It didn't work…?" Dark Venus stared after Blake, her grip on her bow shaking. "He should be in love with me… Why didn't it work?!"
Dark Venus aimed her bow at an old lady passing by, about a hundred meters away. Her arrow hit her straight through the heart. Upon seeing us, she ran as fast as her bony old legs can carry her, only stopped by a gate separating us. That didn't stop her from declaring how much she loves Dark Venus like the granddaughter she never had, promising her a warm welcome to her home and freshly baked cookies. This close, I can see her eyes glowed pink with heart shaped pupils.
"So my arrows still work… But why the fuck didn't it work on Blake?! My powers work best on teenaged boys!"
The shock left me rooted where I stood. I wish I knew why her powers didn't work on that red haired model...
"Don't just stand there like a jackass! Go after them!" Dark Venus glared at me, flapping her wings to elevate herself.
Before I could grab my yoyo and swing away, I noticed she's flying at a direction different from the one Chat Noire took.
"Aren't you coming with me?" I asked her before she could get too far.
"No. I'll deal with Blake later."
Dark Venus pulled out an arrow from her quiver. Clenching it in her fist, the arrow changed form. The fletching changed from white to a deep pink. The black shaft was jagged towards the end making the heart-shaped fletching look like a broken heart.
"W-what's that?" I had to ask. I got a bad feeling about that arrow.
"Making my ex fall in love with me sounds pathetic, don't you think? But I'm not satisfied with letting him off easy either. This special arrow is the perfect solution: He'll get to experience all the pain did to me when he broke my heart and then some! The perfect revenge!"
Dark Venus gave the arrow a satisfied yet venomous smile.
"You go after the two redheads. I've got a blond asshole to hunt down!"
A glowing butterfly outline appeared over Dark Venus' beautiful face. My blood ran cold, nerves frozen over. Hawkmoth is calling on the other side.
"What? No! I promise to hold my end of the deal! You're the one skimping out on yours... Sorry… Chat Noire is one slippery… I can't… Not now… Ladybug could still be useful… Yes, he can take care of that... But Leo, that son of a bitch… I can't let him get away! I'm gonna give him a taste of his own medi-"
That was when a violent purple energy crackled all over her body. She convulsed in the air, screaming in pain as she fell out of the sky. I rushed to catch her and held her tight. She shook like she's being electrocuted. This went on for a few more minutes… counting every agonizing second, wishing each one was the last… This is worse than what she did to Slumber. Almost as bad as what she did to Scorch.
"Hawkmoth! Can you hear me?!"
Her glowing butterfly mask flickered over Dark Venus' pained expression. I held Dark Venus closer, steeling my resolve to do what I have to do to save her.
"I'll do anything you ask! Please stop hurting Dark Venus!""
In an instant, the crackles of purple energy faded away along with the glowing outline of a butterfly. Dark Venus was still trembling, her face twisted in lingering pain.
What did Dark Venus do to deserve this?! I've seen other akumas given more leeway to follow their personal goals! Why does Dark Venus have to suffer for hers?! She didn't even disobey Hawkmoth! She was dividing her tasks with me! She was doing what Hawkmoth wanted! Why do this?!
Dark Venus took a couple of deep breaths before getting out of my arms. She gritted her teeth as she made to stand on her unsteady legs. I stood by as her support. She took a step forward but nearly fell over if I hadn't pulled her back. Her hair was frizzy with static. Some of her wing feathers were flaking off. They looked burnt.
Hawkmoth went too far with her punishment! If only I knew where she is, I'd hunt her down and make her pay for all the harm she did! If Hawkmoth really is Blair, she couldn't be far. Blake was here. Wherever he shows up, she's bound to be nearby. I could look for her… But if I leave Dark Venus now, who knows what she'd do to her! I can't leave Dark Venus. Her safety matters more.
Hawkmoth's glowing butterfly mask appeared again, talking to Dark Venus. I held my breath in anticipation for the moment she'd strike again. It was only after the mask disappeared that I could breath again. Quickly, my relief was replaced with anger.
"What did she want?" I clenched my fist tight.
"She wants the Miraculous ASAP," she rasped out in between groans before looking at me with her pleading eyes. "She said you should help me get them. Will you help me?"
This settles it.
No more hesitating.
Taking both her shaky hands in mine, I promised her…
"You can count on me."
0-0-0-0-0
Chat Noire
With my transformation pending, I had to drop by the nearest cover - a janitor's closet. Ew. But beggars can't be choosers. My passenger didn't complain when I shooed him off my back and slammed the door on his face.
"I'll just stay here and stand guard, then."
Considerate as ever, Blake.
Once my transformation fell, Plagg flew out of my ring and whined about needing cheese. I tossed a slice of Camembert at him to shut him up. Ugh. He is so lucky it's only Blake outside the door - one of the few people who won't question hearing nasally voices that sound nothing like moi.
"Do you need anything…? Snacks? Drinks?"
Real subtle there, bro. Way to sound like you know nothing about kwamis while giving yourself an excuse to help anyway. This is almost like how I imagined things would be if he knew…
"Ooh! How about some-"
I shoved another slice of Camembert into Plagg's mouth to shut him up, making his cheeks puff up like a chipmunk. I faked a cough, a transparent ruse to pretend I was the one talking.
"On second thought, I'm good! Thanks!" I told Blake purposefully loud to cover up Plagg's mewling noises.
"What?" Plagg asked after his meal.
I glared at Plagg while holding a pointer finger up against my lip in the universal sign to shut the hell up. Then I whispered, "What happened to keeping my identity a secret?"
Plagg shrugged, but thankfully whispered anyway. "Still applies. But what does that have to do with hearing me? He already knows I exist."
"But he thinks I don't know that he knows. It would be suspicious if we act like he knows when we shouldn't let him know. If he thinks I know he knows, he'll know… He can't know I know he knows."
"Try saying that five times real fast."
"Plagg…" I gritted my teeth.
Plagg rolled his eyes. "Here we go again with the secret identity shenanigans. You humans never change."
There was a knock on the door. Blake. A moment of hesitation before he explained himself.
"I don't mean to rush you, but I don't think it's a good idea to linger here. Not a lot of cover if they find us," said Blake.
"Good point."
I whispered my transformation phrase and suited up. I let Blake hang on to me as I vaulted us out of the park. While on the move, curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask Blake some questions.
"Thanks for saving me back there," I started, opting to ease him into a conversation. He doesn't know it's his twin he's talking to so he might not be as open as I'm used to. I can't spring this on him. Gotta be patient. "I thought I was done for."
"No prob," Blake shrugged.
After a few minutes of silence, I lost my patience.
"How did you do it?"
"How did I do what?"
"I saw Dark Venus shot you, but your eyes didn't turn all pink and glowy. Mind sharing tips on how to not become a lovestruck minion?"
"I don't know… The minute Natalia transformed, she rained down arrows at the crowd. I was there. I was shot. Yet I don't feel any different from normal."
"Oh. Oooh…"
All the pieces finally fell together. A cackle escaped my throat.
"It's because you already luuuurve her!~"
"Is this how superheroes treat the civilians who rescue them?" Blake complained but I ignored that in favor of teasing him more.
It can't be helped. Making fun of Blake is as natural as breathing for me. And responding to my taunts with a deadpan attitude is something no amount of glamour magic can change for Blake. I can just imagine him shooting an unimpressed look at the back of my head.
"Hey, now. How about you put your big fat crush to good use?~"
"Are you asking me to be your meat shield?"
"It's not like she could make you love her more than you already do!~"
"Not even a 'please' or 'thank you'. Rude."
I let out a laugh at the audacity of it all. Yes, this situation is terrible as heck. But it's strangely comforting having Blake around to help me out this time. His sarcasm and fox-grade wits could be just what I need to get through this. Just this once, we can be the twin dream team that saves the day. Save Natalia. Our friend. Save Ladybug. My partner… Thinking of them brought me back to reality.
"All jokes aside, I'm gonna need your help to save them. Please."
"... Sure thing. For Natalia."
"Thank you."
0-0-0-0-0
Time passed and there were still no signs of Ladybug and Dark Venus. We've decided to get out of the park and find a good building. Out in the open, Dark Venus and Ladybug have way too much elbow room to take advantage of. But if we could lure them indoors, we could limit their mobility and have walls and furniture to hide behind. Ladybug would still be dangerous in close quarters, but I'm sure we'll think of something when we get there. The question now is, which building could serve our purpose? It has to be something big enough to let them stay confident enough to waltz in, but still serve it's purpose to limit them. Preferably, it has to be mostly empty. Or at least with plenty of rooms where the people can safely stay hidden away from Dark Venus' arrows and not add to her harem. Welp. We'll just have to check out buildings once we're out of here. That's the plan for now.
Running out of things to talk about, I asked him what he was doing lingering in the park when he should be following akuma protocol and evacuated the area. Blake relayed the tale of how he ended up in the right place at the right time to save my sorry butt.
"Nobody noticed I wasn't affected by Dark Venus' arrows so I kept my head down until I could get away. I was looking for my sister when I saw you Cataclysm a tree. Then, Ladybug got hit and… well… you know the rest."
"Welp. It's a good thing you were there when you were."
I sensed Blake pull his phone out. There was that ringing sound the phone makes when trying to make a call, until it stopped with a mechanical voice saying, 'The subscriber cannot be reached. Please try again later.' Blake let out a frustrated groan.
"Blair could still be around, but she's not answering her phone."
Oh right. I'm usually the reason he doesn't leave akuma-infested areas when he should.
"I'm sure your sister is fine. She's smart enough to leave akumas alone," then I added in a mutter, "Unlike some people I could name."
That got a snort out of Blake. "Typical Keagan."
A familiar zipping of a yoyo chord interrupted our twin talk.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Even brainwashed, Ladybug can't control his volume. I should count my blessings he would always announce his arrival rather than ambush us like a proper villain.
I dropped off Blake and told him to get out of the park just as Ladybug closed in on us, ready to fight. Extending my baton to a quarterstaff, I deflected his attempts to rope me in with his yoyo. Giving up on that angle, he swung around to my side and tried to grapple me. I barely managed to slip away from his grasp. Throughout our fight, I weaved around him, careful to dodge his yoyo and his hands.
If he gets a hold on me, I'm done for.
This fight is feeling more and more like a game with Ladybug as the cat and moi as the mouse. How humiliating. I stayed out of his reach, waiting for an opening to pounce. But Ladybug's got his guard up and has been systematically countering all my moves. His attack pattern shifted seamlessly between using his limbs or his yoyo, using them all like they're just another extension of himself. No more awkward gaps in between where he's vulnerable. This bug has come far from the noob he was almost six months ago.
His gaze is intense and focused, his lips a line of grim determination. He's in that rare state where he's all fired up without letting his emotions burn him out. When he gets like this and zeroes in on his goal, he won't stop until he succeeds.
A retreat is my best option.
As usual, Ladybug refused to let things go easy for me.
I vaulted up a tree and leapt from branch to branch on my way towards the park's exit gate. Ladybug was swinging right behind me, getting closer by the second. I threw my baton overhead, shredding through branches in its path. I timed it so the branches should fall on Ladybug as I passed by. He took out his yoyo and spun it over his head like a shield, no longer swinging after me.
With the precious two seconds I bought, I went under the canopy of branches and made my way through the exit gate. Lucia Park's gate was tall with iron rods pointing to high heaven with a few smooth stone towers in between and a thick field of thorny rose bushes to fill in the gaps, leaving an unobscured view into the park while deterring people from just climbing over the gate to get in for free. Vaulting over it isn't an option if Ladybug's yoyo can carry him over it faster than I can extend my baton. So I have to take my chances and run through the main paved path to the exit on foot.
Juggernaut that he is, Ladybug can't be stalled for too long. Soon, he caught up and was gaining on me… Then someone dumped a bucket of water at Ladybug, making my partner stop to glare at the culprit.
"Ladybug! Snap out of it!" Blake yelled from where he stood - on top of a step ladder hidden behind the guardhouse by the gate.
Blake, what the heck are you doing?! You're not supposed to be here!
"YOU!" Ladybug pointed an accusing finger at my twin. "WHERE'S YOUR SISTER?!"
"What does she have to do with this?" Blake narrowed his eyes at Ladybug. "Don't tell me you've overcome Dark Venus' spell by crushing on her instead?"
"Hah! That's never gonna happen! I don't find her attractive at all!"
Ouch. My pride.
"Right. I believe you."
You'd have to be deaf to miss the sarcasm dripping off his words.
Ladybug glared like he's indignant on Dark Venus' behalf.
"DON'T YOU DARE INSINUATE YOUR SISTER'S PRETTINESS CAN DISTRACT ME AWAY FROM THE REAL GEM! DARK VENUS IS AN ANGEL THE WORLD DOESN'T DESERVE!"
Blake stared at the bug hero in silent judgement as Ladybug covered his reddening face with his hands. Typical Bugsy, blurting out the cheesiest thing on his mind then getting all shy about it. Ladybug sputtered in denial at Blake, who was grinning smugly at the increasingly ruffled bug.
Blake shot me a quick look before diverting his gaze back to Ladybug, smirking at the worked up bug as he continued to rile him up.
He's keeping Ladybug's attention on him so I can get away.
Ladybug could catch on any second now. The practical thing to do is graciously accept Blake's sacrifice and escape.
The spiteful thing to do is prove to him he's being a needlessly self-sacrificing dummy and get away with him in tow.
Welp, I've already reached my quota on stupid sacrifices for the rest of the week.
Stealthily as I could, I extended my baton to a length taller than I am, took on my best baseball stance and yeeted the unsuspecting bug. He blasted off into the sky - until Dark Venus caught him midair.
While they're busy regaining their balance, I hefted Blake over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ran into the thick of the city.
Ladybug should be alright. I mean, his magical indestructible suit probably protected him from the worst of it. He's a hardy bug. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had an exoskeleton to go with that suit. He can shrug this off, no problem.
Ugh, I need to look back to see if he's okay.
Just a quick glance behind me shouldn't hurt my chances of escape.
From what I saw, it wasn't Ladybug I should be worried about.
Ladybug swung himself down with Dark Venus in his arms. As soon as they landed, Ladybug was fussing over Dark Venus like she's injured. A few of her feathers fell off in her effort to fly. Her hair… Her wings… In a word, she looked frazzled.
It couldn't be from catching a flying Ladybug.
"What happened to her…?" Blake worded in a breathless whisper.
Memories came to mind - the image of Slumber getting shocked into obedience... Of Scorch being forced to attack… I shook the images out of my head to focus on the present. We need to get away. I turned away from the sight and slipped into an alleyway.
"You don't wanna know."
0-0-0-0-0
To say that Ladybug shrugged off my homerun was a relief would be a big fat lie. Like, I'm glad I didn't really hurt him, but can't he just lie down for a few more seconds and let us get away in peace?! Jeez! If Hawkmoth ever dares show her face to us again, I'm confident Ladybug will catch her this time. Ladybug is one relentless pursuer.
I could go a lot faster if I could just run over rooftops but with Dark Venus in the air, ready to snipe us, it's much safer if we stayed close to the ground so long as we don't run into any dead ends… Which we did.
"Oh, crud," Blake hissed at the firewall in front of us.
It's an ugly twenty-storey tall slab of windowless entrapment. The flapping of wings and the zipping of yoyos are getting closer. We are so screwed.
"Pssst!"
The sound came from a narrow aisle that blended in with the walls of brick. From the far side, a brown hand was signaling us to follow them. We followed the hand and it lead us into a door hidden in the corner. Without a second thought, we jumped in and the door shut behind us. We stayed as quiet as we could, keeping tabs on any sounds back outside.
Profanities from Dark Venus.
Apologies from Ladybug.
And then they were gone.
I let out a breathe I was holding and slumped over the door. Finally, we can breathe again… Then Blake gasped, then let out a nervous chuckle. I raised a brow at him before turning around to see who saved us.
Oh. No wonder Blake's scared.
I put on my best diplomatic smile and extended a hand towards him, partially out of politeness, partially to keep his attention off of Blake.
"Thanks for the save, Monsieur Guerrero. We owe you one."
"You saved me before. It's the least I can do," he took my hand and gave it a single shook. "And just 'Damien' is fine."
0-0-0-0-0
Turns out, the building we entered was the Grand Chariot Hotel, one of the many properties owned by the Guerreros. This one in particular is one of the largest, most extravagant five-star hotels in Helios. This hexagon-shaped building boasts twenty floors of luxury, a swimming pool on the roof deck, three large event halls, balconies with excellent views of Lucia Park…
And most interestingly, a state-of-the-art security system, known worldwide as the Iron Shellter. Yeah, it's spelled with two L's. Freshly installed to reassure guests that this hotel is as safe as a fortress that can keep any akumas from breaking in. Only twenty or so buildings in this city can afford security like this, including Xyril Tech and Ashworth Castle. This building is perfect!
After explaining to Damien why we'd need to borrow his family's hotel, he was hesitant at first.
"That's a huge favor. We'd have to move a lot of people to keep them safe. Most of them won't be happy. My parents would flip if they hear about this. I'm not sure I could…"
"Damien," Blake said, steadier than he ever had around Damien. "The akuma this time is Natalia. Will you please help us save her?"
And that was all it took to get the hotel heir on our side.
Damien let us hide in his suite - which was bigger than the Liungs' apartment, wow - and the three of us tossed around plans to stop Dark Venus. With the venue settled, it's time to plan the main event. So far, here's what we come up with:
Knock off Dark Venus's headband from afar and hope we catch it when it falls? Already tried that. Dark Venus' flying ability makes that difficult enough to hit her as it is, but now she's got Ladybug. Ladybug has killer bug senses. He's sure to catch whatever we throw at Dark Venus's head on the off chance we actually land a hit anywhere near her. And let's not forget how good he's gotten at aiming with his yoyo. Even if we somehow succeed in knocking her headband off, he'll surely fish it back before we could. Or net us instead.
How about direct confrontation? Hah! I couldn't help my hysterical laugh. Ladybug was so close to curb stomping me a few minutes ago. He's gotten pretty good with using his yoyo in tandem with his martial arts skills. It's like it was just yesterday, I was exploiting that weakness of his and winning all our sparring sessions. Now he's got it all figured out. I would've been so proud if he hadn't gone to the dark side to kick my butt. He's near unbeatable at close combat with a specialty in restraining people! He could pin us down and it'll only take a few seconds for Dark Venus to shoot us, then it's game over. Their skills are stupidly complementary!
So, what if we catch Dark Venus alone and corner her? Blake could make full use of his immunity to shield me as we do our best to distract Dark Venus while Damien snatches her item from behind? As if we'll ever get that opportunity. Ladybug would've played it safe and stuck near her. He always favored playing defensive. Besides, he knows I'm after Dark Venus. Heck, he might even use that to his advantage. It's one of our common tactics when akumas decide to hide on us: Figure out what or who they're after and use that to lure them out. I personally drilled that into his head!
Heck, the whole premise of our plan to get Dark Venus indoors could fall apart just because he knows how I think. He had to if he wanted to keep up with me. I'm sure he'll sniff out our trap before it could snap! He'll see it coming! He'll put his guard up and never leave Dark Venus alone!
Curse his caring, protective nature, always there to keep others safe… his diligence in improving himself and pushing his limits… his eagerness to learn from me… his blunt straightforward ways somehow bulldozing through my plans… his tendency to unintentionally make things difficult for me...
"You put an awful lot of stock in Ladybug's capabilities," Blake commented with a raised brow, mouth curled into a teasing grin not so different from Kaji's trademark 'shipping grin'. "It's almost like you admire him.~"
Damien raised a brow at Blake, probably unused to seeing his more mischievous side. At the moment, I'm not a fan of it. I'd rather we continue to come up with plans until we find something that works.
After I thoroughly explained how Ladybug could possibly foil Plan D, E, F, and G, I started feeling antsy. This is getting hopeless! Past dragging them indoors, we couldn't come up with a plan to subdue Ladybug and Dark Venus. Never mind what we're supposed to do after we somehow pull that off. I ran my claws through my hair.
One wrong move and Hawkmoth could win. There will be no going back. It'll be checkmate.
"That bug just had to get himself shot, didn't he?"
Blake dons Kaji's shipping grin. "Aww, so you do care about him.~"
"Zip it!" I shot my twin an acid green glare. "That overbearing bug is at Hawkmoth's mercy all because he took a hit for me!"
Damien raised a hand in a placating manner, like he's approaching a feral animal. "I'm sure he only wanted to protect you."
"Well, he shouldn't have. That should've been my job. Thanks to that, we now have no way of purifying the akuma or a Lucky Charm to fix everything!"
There was an awkward silence.
It took me a few seconds to realize how unbecoming of a superhero I was being. Right now, I'm just panicking like a cat out in the rain with no shelter. I should stay calm. I should always have a plan. I should be someone people can count on to save the day! I have to come up with something-
"... But what if we do?" Blake said, knuckles on his chin in a thinking pose.
"Please elaborate," I said, keeping my voice leveled and not-so-desperate.
"What if we put Ladybug into a spot where he has to summon Miraculous Ladybug and fix everything - including himself?"
"Great idea, but how are we supposed to do that?" I said, challenging him to say what he's thinking. That nervous glance is a red flag telling me I won't like it.
"Well, you know how Ladybug is. As hotheaded as he is, he doesn't like hurting people-"
I held up a hand to halt him.
"Stop right there. Your plan sucks. Next!"
Blake let out an indignant huff. "But you didn't let me explain!"
"Please. I already know your plan. You were going to suggest having someone get injured in our next encounter with Dark Venus. Seeing the injured person, Ladybug would do what he does and call out his miraculous swarm of healing bugs to fix that and inadvertently, himself. A wounded gazelle gambit. Classic, Blake. Except I don't like it. So think of something else!"
It'll be just like that time he dealt with the kids picking on Natalia. I didn't like it then, I definitely don't like it now.
"Urgh, you're being so…" Blake scratched the back of his head furiously. "If you don't like it, fine! But do you have a better plan? No? Well that sucks worse!"
"If this plan fails, the volunteer gazelle - probably you - would be lucky to get away with the bare minimum injuries you think would trigger Ladybug's inner healer. And that's assuming you'd get that far. Ladybug is an expert at taking people down while keeping their injuries to a minimum. He won't let your plan take off," I crossed my arms and tried to look as tall as I can as I set my foot down - just like Dad would. "So, nope. Not happening. No deal."
"I thought you'd be smart about this."
"You're the one who's not being smart!"
"We need to do something! Be practical!"
"I am! I'm just not so eager to let a civilian get hurt over this!"
"Uh… May I suggest something?" Damien hesitantly asked.
"WHAT?!" me and Blake yelled with all the synchronicity you'd expect from twins.
Damien flinched back but pushed on with sharing his idea. It better not suck or I swear…
"What if we snatch Ladybug's Lucky Charm and use it against him? This way, we won't need anyone to get seriously injured… We just need to pose as a threat to him. Provoke him. Chat Noire, you can do that."
"So we get Lucky Charm and hope it solves all our problems. I like that plan," I nodded with approval.
Blake had to admit, it was better than his plan. But he's a cynic.
"Not bad… Except once he uses Lucky Charm, we'd only have five minutes to figure it out before we bust Ladybug's secret identity wide open."
"... It sounds impossible when you put it like that," Damien sheepishly mumbled.
"And further more, how is Chat Noire supposed to provoke him into using Lucky Charm? He didn't need it when he had you running away from him."
Damien's eyes widened as he looked at me. "He did?!"
Before I could retort, Blake clicked his tongue to return the attention back to him and snidely remarked, "Like a cat being chased by a dog."
"It was a tactical retreat."
"Sure didn't look like it to me."
"You're wrong."
Except, Blake wasn't wrong. A direct confrontation against Ladybug is as good as a surrender. Which is why Blake stuck around and tried to distract Ladybug... But I have to put on a stronger front. I'm a superhero. I can't afford to lose.
Blake continued to look at me with doubt. That stung more than I care to admit. Times like these, I miss having Ladybug around. Ladybug would've believed I can handle it.
Ladybug would've trusted me to have his back.
That's why I can't give up.
I stood straighter. Chin up. Eyes forward.
I glared back at Blake and his doubts and his stupid plans… Where fighting people head on isn't the answer. Where getting your butt kicked doesn't make you a loser. Where winning means getting what you set out to get.
A smirk curled up my face.
"I may not be able to overpower Ladybug, but I know a way we could get him to use Lucky Charm. Damien's plan is gonna work. I can make it happen."
If only Trixx could see me now.
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Ladybug
The cat got away. Again. All because Blake got in the way. Again. This time for sure, I won't let them escape! I'll get the Black Cat Miraculous! I'll find Hawkmoth! I'll free Dark Venus from her! I'll-"
"Shut the fuck up, Ladybug! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
"Sorry."
"How did that cat put up with you?" Dark Venus muttered, not low enough for me not to hear.
It was hurtful, but I know sometimes, people say what they don't really mean when they're under a lot of pressure.
Dark Venus was flying by my side as I swung from building to building. Chat Noire can't have gone too far. If she wants to stop Dark Venus, she'd have to stay nearby. Knowing her, she has a plan of attack ready by now. My best chance of winning against her is to end it quickly. While I'm confident I can out-fight Chat Noire, I knew if that girl was given enough time, she'll come up with ways to counter me.
But where could she be?! She could be hiding in the shadows, bidding her time, waiting for the right moment to pounce!
"Yoohoo! Venus! Bugsy! Looking for me?~"
… Or not. There she stood, waving her arms at us on the roof deck of a hexagon shaped building. Her stance was relaxed. Her baton was tucked away, hands empty and waving wildly at us. She had a friendly smile on her face instead of her usual smug smirk. By all accounts, I'd say she looks unguarded.
I held a hand out at Chat Noire's ridiculous antics.
"It's a trap."
"I know it's a trap!" Dark Venus snarled. Trembling hands gripped her bow tighter. "But what choice do we have but to go?"
I narrowed my eyes back down to Chat Noire. I really don't trust her.
"I should go first and see what she's up to."
Dark Venus nodded in agreement and I swung towards the hexagon shaped building. Chat Noire was twirling something in her hands. I'm pretty sure it's not her baton. It was only when I landed on the roof that I realized it was a remote for an iron dome to snap shut like a venus fly trap. It was jarring to see my surroundings covered in darkness so suddenly. There were banging noises outside, which I can imagine is from Dark Venus trying to break in after me, but that quickly stopped and was replaced by her yelling at someone. I couldn't understand a word. It was all muffled through the iron walls.
"How do you like Grand Chariot Hotel's new security system?" Chat Noire said. I can hear the smug smirk in her voice. "The Iron Shellter, especially designed to keep even super-powered teenagers out-"
"Or trap them in."
I glared at the pair of glowing green eyes that can only belong to Chat Noire. Dark Venus is outside. While I'm trapped inside this dome.
"You wanted to separate us!"
"Well spotted, bug. You cat-ch on fast.~"
From all the yelling outside, I can tell Dark Venus was not alone. Could it be Blake? Or did this cat managed to enlist more people into her scheme? There was a crack and the sound of metal pieces falling on a cement floor. Chat Noire must've smashed the remote into pieces. I should've seen this coming! I clenched my fist tight, reeling in my frustration.
"Not fast enough," I spat out.
I can't lose my temper now. It'll only give her an advantage.
"It's alright, Bugsy."
How can she be so vexing… yet so… so…?
There was the familiar sound of sliding metal - Chat Noire extended her baton into a staff. Further behind her, an 'EXIT' sign glowed above her head.
"You still got one way out."
I took out my yoyo and swung it into a shield. All thoughts focused on our fight.
"It'll all be over soon."
For once, I agreed with her.
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