THE BATTLE OF THE QUEENS, PART 2.- THE QUEEN OF SPADES (RIPOSTE).
It was a rather calm and peaceful morning at the Françoise Dupont School, and inside the locker rooms, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was looking for a fencing helmet of her size, among a great variety on a set of tables that had been placed in there.
As Marinette continued to try on the multiple helmets on the tables, a little red creature with black dots came out of Marinette's purse and approached the face of her chosen one.
"This fencing gear really does suit you, Marinette." Tikki said.
"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette said as she took one of the fencing helmets. "I hope wielding a saber is easier than finding a helmet that fits."
After saying that, Marinette put on the helmet, which was too big for her and it tilted a little, making the kwami laugh. An instant later, Marinette took off the helmet and looked at Tikki with a determined frown.
"I gotta ace these try-outs. D'Argencourt is the most prestigious fencing academy in all of Paris." Marinette said. "I only have one shot to show them what I've got and make it into the team."
"You reviewed the fencing rules during all your free time this week, it's going to be great!" Tikki said animatedly.
"You're right, I'm gonna make quite an impression on Adrien!" Marinette said with a determined smile as she unconsciously slammed the helmet against the table.
Marinette's sudden action did nothing but make everything on the table roll over the edges and fall to the ground, causing the baker to panic and try to avoid it, only managing to rescue two helmets with her hands and one with her foot. And to her surprise, she noticed something in the helmet that she managed to stop with her foot.
"Ah, here we go! This one should fit perfectly." Marinette said.
"I can't believe you dragged us into this..." Snapped a voice outside the locker area. "And on top of that, you make us lose valuable gaming time..."
"Hide, Tikki, quick!" Marinette said while Tikki got into one of the pigtails of her chosen.
At that moment, the doors to the locker area opened and a trio of young people entered, causing Marinette to be a bit surprised and to drop the helmets she had managed to stop, only managing to recover the one that was her size, while one rolled under another table and the other ended up at the feet of a red-haired girl who pick it up with a smile and flipped it in her hands.
"Thank you, Marinette, this one's just my size." MJ said happily.
"N-no need to thank, hehehe." Marinette said innocently.
"Did you come to the try-outs on your own or did someone also force you?" Peter asked reluctantly.
"Nobody forced you to come, Pete." MJ snapped.
"You said and I quote: 'Either you guys come with me to the try-outs or I'll show everyone the photo I took of you at the last Christmas party.'" Said Harry.
"That's not forcing, it's blackmailing."
"They're literally the same thing, Mary Jane..." Peter said.
"Anyway, stop complaining and take your gear, the try-outs will start soon." MJ said as she approached one of the tables to look for a vest.
"Remind me why you want to join the Fencing Academy, MJ."
"Because I like to fight and swords are cool, that's reason enough."
'Oh no, why is it that every time I want to try something to get closer to Adrien, Mary Jane has to show up?' Marinette wondered internally.
(Later)
We now move to the schoolyard, where a fencing score box had been placed near the entrance of the school, and in front of said score box we find two lines of formed teenagers, one from members of the D'Argencourt Academy and the other of the candidates, among which Harry, Marinette, Peter and Mary Jane stood out, and between the two rows stood Mr. D'Argencourt was inspecting the candidates scrutinously.
After doing it a couple of times, the fencing master looked in front of him while still pacing in front of the teenagers in line.
"Good afternoon, I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt." Said D'Argencourt. "As I'm sure you're aware, we only have one open spot on the team this year. So, in order to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students."
With that said, D'Argencourt gestured for his students to step forward and stand in pairs to begin the process of elimination.
"Where's Adrien?" Marinette wondered as she looked for Adrien among the students.
"Seems like you're looking for someone." Said one of the students as he approached Marinette.
"Yeah." Marinette said happily. "I thought Adrien was here. You know, a boy this tall, blond, nice, super handsome..."
The student in front of Marinette smiled under his mask, then pushed it up and revealed to be Adrien himself.
"Thanks for the compliment." Adrien said with a kind smile, alarming Marinette a bit. "I didn't know you were into fencing, Marinette."
"Adrien!" Marinette said with a nervous smile. "Nice to fencing, I'm totally into you...! Uhh, I mean, nice to see you! Yeah, I'm totally into fencing!"
Both teenagers chuckled at that moment, the blonde one in amusement and the girl in nervousness.
"Get into position!" Said D'Argencourt.
"Bend your knees, then stretch your left foot back, turned outwards." Adrien told Marinette.
Marinette nodded slightly and did as Adrien had instructed her.
"Perfect!" Adrien said as he helped Marinette hold her saber properly. "Now hold your saber forward like this."
Adrien finished helping Marinette into a correct fencing stance and they both smiled kindly, with Marinette blushing slightly.
"Greet each other." D'Argencourt instructed as he showed the teens how they had to greet each other.
At D'Argencourt's instruction, the Fencing Academy students saluted their respective opponents with their sabers, being promptly followed by the candidates.
"En garde !" Said D'Argencourt. "Prêt ? Allez !"
Almost immediately, the multiple bouts began, with several of the candidates losing awkwardly, especially Peter, who allowed himself to be scored a point and pretended to fall backwards.
"Oh no, I'm not good at this, how terrible." Peter said in a melodramatic way.
"Nonsense, get up and try for real this time." D'Argencourt ordered.
Peter rolled his eyes and got to his feet, then resumed his fight against D'Argencourt's student, this time putting in some effort, but losing anyway for not being very skilled with the saber.
Meanwhile, Marinette got off to a good start, managing to score a point against Adrien after dodging a lunge of his and throwing one of her own.
"Attaque. Touché. Point !" D'Argencourt said as he gestured at Marinette. "Continue."
"Thanks!" Marinette said as she raised the helmet mask.
"All I did was lunge." Adrien said as he lifted the mask. "You have good reflexes, Marinette. En garde !"
Marinette and Adrien raised their sabers again, however, both were brought out of their combat stupor by hearing some noise nearby, which made them turn to the side and see how Mary Jane managed to disarm her opponent and score one point, drawing the attention of D'Argencourt.
"Ah, magnifique !" D'Argencourt said as he approached Mary Jane. "Very impressive, Miss..."
"Watson, Mary Jane Watson." MJ said as she took off her helmet. "But you can call me MJ or Red for short."
"Your technique is excellent, Miss Watson, I think I already know who will get the spot on the team."
"Thanks! I hope so, I mean, it may not be a lightsaber duel, but fencing is still tons of fun."
"A duel of what?" Asked a puzzled D'Argencourt.
Mary Jane was about to answer D'Argencourt's question, however her words got stuck in her throat when she was suddenly interrupted.
"Hey you!" A female voice yelled. "Are you D'Argencourt, the famous fencing master?"
All the students, candidates and the fencing master turned around and saw a girl in a red fencing uniform, with the helmet covering her face and holding a saber with a hilt of the same color as her uniform, standing on the score box near the school entrance.
"I wanna join your team." The stranger declared.
"Only the best are admitted here, you knave." Snapped D'Argencourt.
"And I was, everywhere I went."
"Par le fer ! This whippersnapper has nerve!" Said a confident D'Argencourt. "Alright, I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students."
The stranger nodded and walked towards the group of teenagers, who looked at her doubtfully under their fencing masks.
"Which one of you is the best combatant?!" Asked the stranger.
Immediately, the students and candidates began to whisper, some refusing to participate and others declaring that others were the best, until there was a consensus and the small crowd opened, leaving free passage to one of them, who pushed his mask up, revealing to be Adrien.
"Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry." Said D'Argencourt.
"I shall, Master." Adrien nodded as he lowered his mask.
"I don't think so." MJ snapped as she stood in front of Adrien. "You want to join the team? Perfect, join the try-outs and face the candidates."
"Please, none of those beginners can beat me." The anonymous girl laughed.
"Something tells me that you're all talk and no show."
"You can't even face me."
"Prove it."
"Fine, but only because you're a nuisance. And like all nuisances, it will be a great pleasure to destroy you."
"Miss Watson, I don't think you..." D'Argencourt said.
"This is a selection process, ain't it? It would be unfair to the other candidates if a stranger came and took over the spot just because." MJ said.
"Yes, but..."
"Don't worry, Master, I can handle her."
The girl in the red suit walked over to one of the score box wires and connected it to her vest while MJ did the same with the other, then the two of them made various movements with the sabers, in an apparent attempt to intimidate the other.
"Alright then, ladies, this will be an elimination duel." Said D'Argencourt. "Whoever loses must renounce their opportunity to join the prestigious D'Argencourt Fencing Academy."
"Too bad you didn't get far, redhead." Said the stranger while she greeted MJ with her saber.
"My friends call me MJ, but you can call me winner." MJ said while she responded the gesture to the stranger.
"En garde !" Said D'Argencourt. "Prêt ? Allez !"
Both girls lunged into combat, clashing their sabers with attacks, counterattacks and blocks, displaying masterful dexterity, which confused Peter quite a bit.
"Wait, since when is MJ so good at fencing? Isn't this her first time practicing?" Peter asked.
"That's not true at all." Harry blurted out. "Do you remember that in Midtown there were many school clubs and that you were in a couple in which MJ and I were not?"
"Yes, you guys said you wouldn't join the chess and robotics clubs because you already had your own."
"Well, the thing is that one of our clubs was the Lightsaber Dueling Club, a Star Wars club in which we learned to fight as true Jedi and Sith."
"Oh my gosh, did you really waste your time and money on that?"
"OsCorp gave the sabers to Mary Jane and me, so we didn't spend any money, and as you can see, MJ is excellent at fencing, all thanks to the club."
"Do you really want me to believe me that a Star Wars club made her good at fencing?"
"MJ was the best duelist in the club, she learned the seven forms of combat, mastered the Jar'kai and became a Jedi Master in Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad."
"A Jedi Master?"
"Yes, the club ranged from Padawan to Grand Master, Mary Jane managed to become a Jedi Master and if she had had enough time, she would have even managed to defeat the Grand Master."
"Still, that doesn't make sense. She can't be that good just because she knows how to fight with lightsaber replicas." Peter said.
"Pete, the seven forms of lightsaber combat are based on real sword martial arts." Harry replied. "MJ's Vaapad is based on kendo and fencing, harnessing her aggressive emotions and channeling them into a series of fierce lunges."
"That is still completely implausible..."
While the redhead's friends continued to comment on MJ's fencing skills, the latter kept her fierce onslaught against the stranger, who was blocking every thrust and attack from the New Yorker's saber.
On her side, the stranger couldn't believe that a rookie could match her in her movements, there was just no way there could be someone who could be as good as her.
However, due to her anger, Mary Jane took advantage of her momentary distraction to bypass the stranger's defense and score a point.
"Point !" Said Master D'Argencourt.
"Ugh, you were very lucky, redhead..." Said the stranger.
"Luck is unnecessary when you have the Force on your side..." Mary Jane said as she got into attack stance.
"The force?"
"En garde ! Prêt ?" Said D'Argencourt. "Allez !"
As soon as D'Argencourt gave the order, the two girls resumed the fight, without showing a single iota of fatigue.
While the stranger kept her eyes fixed on MJ's lunges and thrusts, the latter only remained focused on a single goal, the only one she could have when she used her Vaapad: Destroy her opponent.
To her misfortune, the stranger ended up breaking through MJ's defense and landing an accurate thrust to her chest.
"Point for the unknown girl." D'Argencourt sighed. "Retake your positions..."
Mary Jane couldn't help but groan in frustration knowing she'd lost a point, then the girls parted again and glared at each other through their masks.
"En garde ! Prêt ? Allez !"
The combat resumed again but after a couple of thrusts, the lights of both turned on, but due to the speed of the movements of the combatants, D'Argencourt couldn't help but gulp hard and say:
"Abstention !"
"What the hell does that mean?" Peter asked.
"It means that the Master couldn't see the attack well, so he refrained from giving a result." Said one of the fencers.
"This is a very tight bout." Adrien said. "MJ is really good."
"Yes, and MJ still hasn't shown her full potential." Said Harry.
"You wouldn't be so lucky if we fought without the machine!" Snapped the opponent.
"Prove it!" MJ replied as a challenging smile formed on her lips and used her left hand to disconnect her vest from the score box. "Or you are afraid?"
"I'll show you who's afraid..." Said the opponent as she disconnected her vest from the score box.
"Is that allowed?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, but it will be more difficult to know who wins." Adrien said.
"I suppose we can proceed if you both agree." Said D'Argencourt. "En garde !"
MJ and her opponent did a couple of backflips, taking an unusual fighting stance, with the anonymous opponent imitating a samurai and with MJ imitating a Jedi.
"Prêt ? Allez !" Said D'Argencourt.
MJ and the unknown girl lunged into combat again, beginning a fierce battle, in which they used all their strength to weaken the other, exchanging lunges and slashes with a speed that the spectators could barely follow.
During a lunge, Mary Jane managed to block the attack and push her opponent with the help of the block, which knocked her down and allowed the redhead to try to hit her in the chest with the tip of her saber, but the opponent recovered quickly of MJ's sudden movement and rolled on the ground, pushing herself to her feet and lunged at MJ, knocking her down.
MJ fell to the ground and rolled on it instinctively, evading a lunge that caused her opponent's saber to touch the ground and bend slightly as the unknown girl redirected her attention to the redhead. The latter leaped back to her feet and blocked a slash again by heading upstairs as she was forced to take a defensive stance.
"Is this a normal fencing match?" Asked a stunned Peter.
"No! But they should all be this exciting!" An excited D'Argencourt snapped as he and his students began to follow the opponents.
As the students and candidates of the D'Argencourt Academy tried to keep up with the fencers, MJ and her opponent snarled fiercely as the stranger threw lunges and slashes with such precision and force that MJ had no choice but to keep going in reverse and stay on the defensive.
For their part, seeing that the other candidates and students of the D'Argencourt Academy were blocking the path and they couldn't see closely what was happening, Peter and Marinette decided to go around the schoolyard and climb the other staircase to get a better view of the combat between the girl in the red suit and the redhead.
Meanwhile, MJ and her opponent had fiercely continued their fight until they both reached the staircase leading to the school library, where Mary Jane saw an opportunity and used the wall to jump around her opponent to dodge a lunge, then she struck her with the palm of her right hand and made her fall on the steps to put her against the ropes while MJ began the counterattack.
The opponent made another backflip, managing to dodge a lunge from MJ, then blocked several slashes as she turned to face Mary Jane again and tried to score the point for the victory, however, MJ managed to block the deadly lunge and use the momentum from her block to push her opponent into a book cart and knock her down a couple of steps before she stabilized, as the cart ended up blocking the D'Argencourt students, leaving the stranger a couple of steps below of Mary Jane, as they both gasped heavily.
"It's over, stranger! I have the high ground!" Shouted Mary Jane.
"You're underestimating my ability!" The stranger roared.
"Don't try it..."
At that moment, the opponent in the red suit lunged at MJ and in a quick movement, managed to make the redhead crash against the library doors and end up falling inside, being followed by her, and by Peter and Marinette, who stayed at the doors of the library, seeing how MJ rolled on the floor and stood up, being a few meters away from her opponent, and then moving in a circle as if they were two wolves in a duel.
"Let's get this over with..." The stranger hissed.
"I agree..." MJ growled.
MJ and her opponent roared and lunged at each other, trying to end the fight at once.
The sabers collided and blocked each other, then both combatants retracted their attacks and launched another attack, colliding their sabers again, repeating the process another two times, until both managed to get past each other's defense and touch the other's vest with the tip of their sabers and having to turn to opposite sides to avoid colliding with each other.
Then the unknown girl and MJ looked around, noticing Marinette and Peter, who were still looking at them with a shocked look.
"Who got the first hit? Who?!" Both girls said.
"Who touched first? You are the only ones who can tell us what happened!" D'Argencourt said as he reached the entrance of the library.
Marinette, who was still somewhat shocked by the combat, couldn't say anything, but Peter on the other hand was able to express himself.
"It was Mary Jane." Said the Daily Bugle photographer.
"Aha! Well done, Miss Watson!" D'Argencourt said happily. "I never doubted your ability!"
"Yes! I am the best!" MJ cheered before offering a hand to the stranger. "No hard feelings, though, the truth is that I thought you were bragging and I don't like presumptuous people, but boy do you support what you say, I would love to fight with you again."
"Thanks, but it won't be possible." Said the stranger with a disappointed tone as she shook MJ's hand.
"Why?"
The stranger simply sighed and left, leaving Mary Jane in doubt, which caused the girl to take off her helmet and grimace in disappointment and doubt, then she walked up to Peter and said:
"Are you sure I won? Because I think it means more to her than it does to me."
"100%, MJ. I might be clueless, but I guess there's a reason why Jameson buys my Spider-Man photos and not those of other photographers." Peter said.
"The referee has the final word, Miss Watson." D'Argencourt added.
"Then I will have to resort to something else, an opponent as good as her will not deny me a rematch." MJ said as she frowned decisively.
MJ ran out of the library and down the stairs, sliding down the railing, catching up to see the stranger ramming her foil into the ground in front of the entrance and walking away looking totally disappointed and defeated, which reaffirmed Mary Jane's decision to catch up to her and convince her to face each other again.
The redhead ran to the entrance, taking her opponent's foil on the road and leaving the school, managing to see the stranger getting into a red car.
(Meanwhile)
Elsewhere in the city, in an already familiar secret lair, the villainous Hawk Moth gazed out of his huge window as it opened, letting light in.
"A champion whose victory has been stolen..." Said Hawk Moth as he created an akuma. "Crushing defeat is the ideal steel to forge a sword of revenge... Fly, my little akuma, towards this spite and petulance, and evilize that fencer's heart!"
The akuma flew out the window as Hawk Moth's grin grew, hoping to succeed in his ultimate goal at last.
(Back at the school)
"Waiting! You forgot your foil!" MJ snapped.
The unknown girl sighed and finally took off her helmet and fencing gloves, revealing her face with Japanese features and bluish-black hair of a similar shade to Marinette's, then the girl carelessly threw her protective gear inside the car and turned to look at Mary Jane, who was now in front of her, offering her foil by the handle.
"What's the point of having it? You won." Said the girl. "In my family there are no second chances."
"Well that seems stupid to me, there are always second chances for everyone." MJ said as she took the girl's hand to put the handle of the foil in it. "And that's why I want a rematch."
"I should be the one asking for it, you won, you don't need it."
"True, but I've never had an opponent like you and honestly, I loved fighting with you."
"You just want to gloat more in your victory." The girl snapped now annoyed, as she returned the foil to MJ.
"I'm not like that, I just want to be able to have someone who can really keep up with me and force me to be even better."
"Whatever you say. I have to go."
The girl got into the car and then she left, letting MJ see that the license plate of the vehicle read TSURUGI-1, which made her immediately grab her phone to look for some information about that mysterious girl, while Peter approached the redhead.
"What happened?" Peter asked. "And why do you have that girl's saber?"
"She's from an important family, the heiress of Tsurugi Electronics, and not only that, her entire family excels in something, specifically, she and her mother excel in fencing." Mary Jane said as she read what she had found on her phone. "Now I understand it, I know the pressure to be someone."
"And what will you do now?"
"Convince D'Argencourt, that girl must be part of her academy, even if it means that I won't be."
"You're very noble, MJ, but I doubt that she wants you to quit for her to take that spot, if her family is as important as you say, she'll take it as an insult."
"There has to be some way..."
"If there is, you will find it, you're Mary Jane Watson, after all."
"Yeah, I'm awesome, ain't I?" The redhead chuckled.
Peter and MJ smiled and started walking back to the school, until Peter felt a slight tingling on the back of his neck, which surprised him quite a bit and made him turn his gaze slightly, noticing an akuma flying at full speed in front of the school.
"Uh, gimme a sec, my phone's vibrating..." Peter said before running towards the locker room and quickly heading towards one of the bathrooms, locking himself in a cubicle and letting Leopardon get out of his hoodie.
"Seriously, kid, who practices fencing with a hoodie?" Leopardon complained as he rubbed his head.
"You can complain later, there's an akuma nearby and I think it's going after that fencer." Peter said. "But the weird thing is that I could feel it, as if I had a Spider-Sense without transforming."
"And I didn't feel it, probably thanks to that Curt Connors guy." Leopardon snapped. "If you humans didn't mess around with things you don't understand..."
"Then I wouldn't be Spider-Man nor would there be superheroes. Now shut up, we must go catch that akuma." Peter replied as he uncovered his bracelet. "Leopardon, webs on!"
Meanwhile, in the car of the unknown fencer, the girl pulled out her phone and dialed a number, then she waited a few moments but no one answered and the call went to voicemail.
"Mother, you thought I was good enough but... I lost." Said the girl with a defeated sigh. "I will not be joining the D'Argencourt Academy."
A lonely tear of helplessness ran down the girl's cheek, who quickly wiped it away and hung up the phone.
The akuma flew in through the window and headed towards the stranger, melting with a ring that the girl was carrying on her right hand, forming a luminous figure similar to a butterfly in front of her eyes.
"Riposte, I am Hawk Moth, I'm giving you a second chance to prove that you are the best fencer, regain your lost honor and defeat your rival." Said the voice of Hawk Moth in the mind of the stranger. "But in exchange you must bring me the Miraculous of Ladybug, Chat Noir and Spider-Man."
"It will be my pleasure, Hawk Moth..." Said the stranger with a malicious smile. "I shall get my revenge and be victorious!"
The mysterious girl was enveloped in a dark aura, then she used the sword that she had attached to her arm to cut through the roof of the car and get out of it, taking great leaps back to the Françoise Dupont School.
Meanwhile, in said school, Mary Jane was in front of all the candidates and students of the D'Argencourt Fencing Academy, while D'Argencourt himself smiled.
"I have to admit that I expected this to be much bouted and to take much longer, but there is no doubt, Miss Watson, that out of all the candidates to join my Fencing Academy, you are the most qualified." Said D'Argencourt. "And it would be an honor if you accepted the spot to join the team."
"Thank you, Master D'Argencourt, but I really wish that the girl I fought with could join as well." Said Mary Jane.
"I'm afraid it's impossible, Miss Watson, we have no other spots than yours."
"There has to be a way."
"Redhead!" Someone shouted from the heights.
At that moment, everyone looked at the roof of the school where there was a girl in some kind of tight silver armor, with a strange sword similar to a "Y" with a Japanese symbol on a red background on the hilt, who was looking angrily at Mary Jane, then the akumatized girl jumped down to the ground and walked slowly until she was facing the redhead while raising her sword.
"You wanted a rematch?! You got it!" Said the akumatized girl.
"I'm not gonna fight you like this." Said Mary Jane.
"You have no choice, I am Riposte, and I am here to prove to everyone that I am the best fencer in the world!"
Riposte roared and got ready to pounce on Mary Jane, but a web-ball hit her on the foot and stopped her dead in her tracks, causing Riposte to turn around and glare at Spider-Man, who landed a few feet away from her.
"Using superpowers to beat someone who beat you fair and square is cheating, you know?" Spider-Man said.
"Stay out of this, arachnid!" Riposte snapped, before grinning maliciously. "But on the other hand, you saved me the trouble of going to find you. Don't try to escape, redhead, it won't take me long to finish off this insect..."
"Again with that... Spiders are not insects!"
Riposte simply roared and made a couple of movements with her sword, cutting the web that stuck her foot to the ground and lunged at Spider-Man, trying to drive her sword into him, without success, as the hero simply backflipped, kicking the sword in the process and deflecting the attack.
However, Riposte returned to the attack, forcing Spider-Man to stay on the defensive due to the speed of Riposte's attacks, barely managing to dodge them.
Unfortunately for him, being also a fencing expert, Riposte managed to make a small cut on the arachnid's arm, smiling at the hiss of pain emitted by the bearer of Responsibility, stopping the fight momentarily, while the students, candidates and D'Argencourt fled the scene, while Mary Jane ran to the locker room, Marinette ran to the janitor's closet, Harry left the school to go get his armor and while Adrien hid in the library.
Few moments after the start of the fight between Riposte and Spider-Man, Mary Jane locked herself in a bathroom stall and Pollen got out of the ponytail in which she now had to fix her hair to wear her Miraculous.
"For the first time in my life I regret being so good with swords." Mary Jane said with a sigh.
"Don't say that, your Majesty, you are the only one capable of stopping an akumatized person who is an expert in fencing." Said Pollen. "It's not to belittle your teammates, but I'm sure none of them know how to handle a sword like you."
"I'm not sure about that, but there's no time to lose... Pollen, buzz on!"
Meanwhile, Spider-Man found himself between a rock and a hard place because throughout the three minutes in which he had been fighting Riposte, the arachnid hero had received several cuts and had not been able to throw a single punch, all due to Riposte's skill and speed with the sword, both of which kept him at bay and fleeing throughout the schoolyard at all times.
"Face it, Spider-Man! You can't beat me!" Riposte snapped as she managed to make another cut on Spider-Man's torso.
"He's not alone!" Said three voices behind Riposte.
The akumatized fencer barely had time to move out of the way, managing to avoid a yoyo and a spinning top that nearly captured her, then she managed to make several movements with her sword, managing to cut through several web-balls that Spider-Man had shot at her in an attempt to catch her, and block the staff that Chat Noir had thrown at her.
Almost immediately, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen Bee surrounded Riposte as they retracted their weapons and prepared to attack her, and from her side, Riposte sighed and got into combat stance.
"It's over, Riposte..." Chat Noir said.
"Surrender." Snapped Queen Bee.
"Never!" Riposte roared as she created a tornado by spinning at top speed.
The heroes were thrown back by the force of the tornado created by Riposte, causing them to crash into the wall, however, Queen Bee quickly stood up and used her spinning top to take the foil that belonged to the stranger, then adopted an attacking position and glared at Riposte, who replied the gesture.
"You want to fight with swords? Do it with someone who is at your level..." Said Queen Bee.
"Nobody is at my level! I am the best fencer in the world!" Riposte roared before pouncing on Queen Bee.
Queen Bee narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on the saber, then nimbly moved to slow down Riposte's sword and deflect it so that the momentum of the akumatized girl's thrust put her in the perfect spot for a hard uppercut to the chin, which made stagger Riposte, then Queen Bee took the opportunity to kick her opponent in the stomach and send her crashing into the wall.
Following this, Riposte roared again as she recovered and fired a small blast of energy with her sword, slicing through the foil and injuring Queen Bee, causing a shallow but rather long gash on her chest.
"I told you, nobody can beat me..." Riposte said before being attacked by Chat Noir.
"Why don't you try it with me?" Chat Noir growled as he struggled with Riposte using his staff.
Riposte grinned at the new challenge and threw a low kick at Chat Noir, knocking him down and making a lunge to finish him off, but Spider-Man fired two web-lines at his partner and yanked him away from Riposte, making her sword end up stuck in the ground and forcing the akumatized girl to struggle to get it out of the concrete, meanwhile Spider-Man aimed one of his web-shooters at Riposte and fired another burst of web-balls, which Riposte managed to cut with her sword after freeing it off the ground just in time.
Then Chat Noir jumped back onto his feet and lunged at Riposte, who dodged him by jumping high enough to reach the roof of the school again.
"You must deal with them one by one and be alert for the presence of American Son and Rena Rouge." Hawk Moth said in Riposte's mind.
"I can handle them together." Said Riposte.
"No, don't take any risks, after all, you don't want to miss your chance to beat the Watson girl, do you?"
Riposte was going to say something else, but she heard a new pair of yells that made her turn and have to roll to the side, narrowly dodging a blow from American Son and managing to block a hit from Rena Rouge's flute with her sword, and then push Rena away from her.
"It's over, Riposte." American Son said as he aimed one of his repulsors at the akumatized girl.
"I don't think so!" Riposte yelled.
Using her sword again, Riposte fired another burst, making Rena Rouge and American Son step aside right in the nick of time, but the armored hero was not as lucky as the Miraculous wielder, as part of his right shoulder pad fell to the ground, leaving barely a millimeter of metal and circuitry between skin and the exterior of the armor, as well as a burning sensation in the area close to the damage.
At that, American Son gritted his teeth and fired several repulsor rays, which Riposte deflected using her sword, managing to hit each of the heroes, including American Son himself, with them.
Riposte immediately roared and lunged at the armor hero, but he reacted in time and activated the shield on his forearm, stopping Riposte's attack in its tracks and giving American Son time to shoot another repulsor blast into her face, this time managing to hit accurately, knocking Riposte down and stunning her.
Then, the akumatized villain shook her head to get rid of the stun caused by the repulsor ray and widened her eyes in surprise as she noticed Rena Rouge jumping and trying to hit her with full force with her flute.
Riposte rolled on the ground and dodged Rena Rouge's attack, then frowned and used her sword to deflect Ladybug's yo-yo and cut through several web balls that Spider-Man shot at her.
Then, Riposte grunted and leaped away as the heroes recovered from the earlier attacks.
"You must find a place where you have the greatest advantage, they have the advantage if you stay on the rooftops." Hawk Moth said in Riposte's mind.
"I think I know where I should go..." Riposte said.
The akumatized girl grunted and blocked another repulsor beam from American Son, then dodged a lunge from Rena Rouge and her flute, and began to leap away from the school, being closely followed by the bearer of Illusion and the armored hero.
Meanwhile, at ground level, Spider-Man, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen Bee were checking their gear and injuries, making sure they were ready to continue the fight.
"Are you doing well? That's an ugly cut." Chat Noir said to Queen Bee.
"I... Uhh ... Sure!" Queen Bee said somewhat blushing. "It takes more than a wound to stop me!"
"Even so, I don't think you should continue this, you're very new and that kind of injuries usually take their toll in the long run in a fight." Spider-Man said.
"No, I'm not going to let you guys face her without me. Also, it's not to belittle you, but I think I'm the only one who can match her skills with swords..." Queen Bee said before looking at her opponent's cut saber. "I just need something that can stop her sword..."
"No, you're very new to this and, I repeat, such an injury takes its toll in the long run in a fight." Spider-Man said. "I know from experience."
"You're more hurt than me."
"Yes, but I'm used to injuries like that in battle, I've been through worse. Didn't you see how I was during the Goblin Nation? Also, I can do this..."
With that said, Spider-Man shot a bit of webbing over each of his wounds, clenching his teeth slightly as he felt the webbing coming into contact with his open wounds.
"Put some webbing on my wound too, I want to and I'm gonna help." Snapped Queen Bee.
"It won't be necessary, young lady." A male voice snapped behind the young heroes.
At that moment, the heroes turned and saw the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange, emerging from a portal that he had opened with his sling ring.
Doctor Strange smiled at the youngsters and raised a hand, stopping Spider-Man just before he could ask about his reasons for being there.
"I think your friends Rena Rouge and American Son need you, the matter I came to discuss concerns only Queen Bee." Said Doctor Strange.
"Actually, we have a lot to talk about, Doctor Strange." Ladybug snapped as she put her hands on her waist.
"I know, but your teammates need you three more urgently and I won't be able to stay long, I have to go with Wong and Clea on a mission."
Ladybug couldn't help but growl in nonconformity at Strange's refusal to talk about Rena Rouge and Queen Bee's Miraculouses, then Spider-Man put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention and gesturing her with his head to follow him. The girl in the red suit sighed in defeat, then she turned around and, along with Spider-Man, began swinging away from the school to chase Riposte.
Meanwhile, Doctor Strange turned to speak to Queen Bee, before noticing that Chat Noir was still there, with arms crossed and looking at him with a strange mixture of annoyance and discomfort.
"Is something wrong, kitty?" Queen Bee asked.
"In fact, yes, there is something that doesn't add up to me and that seriously bothers me." Said Chat Noir. "You're the Sorcerer Supreme and the highest authority regarding the Miraculous, so I don't understand why you had to steal those of our friend in stripes and Rena Rouge."
"The answer to your question is quite long, but I can summarize it in that Master Fu and Madame Web opposed my decision to give the Miraculouses to your new friends."
"I know that, but what I don't understand is why the three of you seem to play with our lives with your choices; them for not believing that we needed more help and you for putting two girls at risk by giving them a responsibility as big as a Miraculous."
"I don't do it, Chat Noir, I only seek the best for everyone although my methods seem questionable. That's why I came here."
"I have a hard time believing that."
"My only interest is survival, both of the world and yours, that's the only duty of the Sorcerer Supreme."
"And what did you want to talk to me about then?" Said Queen Bee. "Sorry to interrupt you, Kitten, but I think that both he and we have no time to lose."
"That's right." Said Doctor Strange. "Could you allow me your spinning top for a moment, Queen Bee?"
Queen Bee arched an eyebrow, but she nodded and took the weapon from her hip to give it to Doctor Strange.
For his part, Doctor Strange separated the parts of Queen Bee's spinning top and checked the small touch screen, then selected a couple of options on it and to the surprise of Queen Bee and Chat Noir, the top rejoined and began to levitate for a moment as it changed shape, extending its tip with a thin beam of yellow light, and its upper part forming some kind of handle while the body widened to form a guard, thus creating a foil.
Once ready, Doctor Strange took the weapon by the blade and extended it to Queen Bee.
"I think this will be enough for you to face Riposte on equal terms." Said Doctor Strange.
"Seriously these powers get better and better..." Said Queen Bee as she smiled widely and took the foil. "I have a real lightsaber!"
*Actually it's more of a lightfoil, the lightsaber has a wider blade, and a larger and heavier handle."
"Since when can our weapons do that?" Chat Noir asked.
"Since you, the Miraculouses adapt to those who wear them, their personality, their intentions, their ideals, their abilities, their needs and their tastes."
"And how did you know that Queen Bee's top could do that?"
"After seeing all the things that Spider-Man, Ladybug and you have done with your gear and how it always seems to have something they need, and what Queen Bee's personality is like, it was easy for me to deduce it."
"There'll be time for more questions later, for now, Chat Noir and I must go after Riposte, and you have other matters to resolve, ain't it?" Queen Bee snapped as she tightened her grip on her new weapon.
"True." Strange nodded as he opened a portal with his sling ring. "I'd wish you luck, but I know from a good source that you don't need it."
With that said, Strange went through the portal and closed it a few moments later, then Queen Bee looked at her foil, smiled defiantly and said:
"Well, Kitty, we have a fencing duel to get to..."
Chat Noir smiled and extended his staff to place one end on the ground and motioned for Queen Bee to climb onto his back.
"Get up. It'll take longer if we jump all the way to Riposte." Said Chat Noir.
Queen Bee swallowed hard as she blushed, however, she nodded and climbed onto Chat Noir's back, as the hero extended his staff further and propelled them out of the school.
Meanwhile, Riposte continued to flee from Rena Rouge and American Son's attacks, blocking the repulsor rays with her sword and dodging Rena Rouge's onslaught with relative ease. However, near the Louvre, American Son used his suit's computer to calculate Riposte's most likely trajectory and fired a couple of missiles from his right shoulder to block her path and knock her to the ground, where she rolled a bit before she regained stability to face her pursuers.
"Surrender now." American Son ordered as he aimed a missile from his forearm at the villain.
"NEVER!" Riposte roared before unleashing another blast of energy from her sword.
American Son gasped in surprise and covered himself with his forearms, managing to create his deflector shield just in time to ward off Riposte's attack, however, since they were very close, his shield was destroyed and the armored boy felt how the plating on his forearms had been pierced, causing a slight cut on both of his arms.
As American Son hissed in pain and recovered from the attack, Rena Rouge lunged at Riposte, trying to hit her with her flute, but the akumatized girl narrowed her eyes and made a move to attack the heroine's legs, knocking her down and before she fell to the ground, Riposte grabbed her arm and threw her at American Son, stunning both heroes.
"You two are just a couple of rookies, even Spider-Man by himself could keep me entertained more than you did." Said Riposte contemptuously.
"Take Rena Rouge's Miraculous and disable American Son's armor now, Riposte!" Hawk Moth ordered in Riposte's mind. "So you'll have two less pests to deal with."
Riposte smirked again and approached the fallen heroes, firing a blast of energy into American Son's breastplates, cutting the eagle in half and giving American Son a cut similar to the one Queen Bee had, making the hero moan again, then kicked Rena Rouge in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious onto American Son.
"Alert. Power leak detected." Reported the mechanized voice of the armor. "Reactor structure compromised. Power at 45% and dropping fast. Armor integrity at 76%."
"Redirect all remaining power and switch to auxiliary circuits, that should stop the power drain... even if that'll leave me without the micro-missiles..."
"Power leak sealed. Power at 39%. Micro-missile system deactivated. Recharge and repair suggested ASAP."
"No matter what you do with your little toy, there is nothing that can save you now." Riposte said as she raised her sword.
Before Riposte could attack American Son again, Ladybug swung right at her with a double kick, knocking the villain away from her teammates.
"You're not gonna hurt them anymore..." Ladybug said as Spider-Man landed behind her.
"That's okay... I just have to hurt you two!" Riposte snapped before lunging at Ladybug.
Ladybug growled and quickly spun her yoyo around, managing to use it effectively as a shield.
Taking advantage of Ladybug's distraction, Spider-Man took a strategic leap and fired two web-lines at the ground, propelling himself against Riposte to try to slingshot-kick her and end the fight at once, but Riposte managed to notice Spider-Man's move and knocked Ladybug down with a low kick, which allowed her to dodge the wall-crawler.
Spider-Man growled as he missed his attack, however managed to do a mid-air twirl before hitting the ground to slow down and not end up hurting himself like when he had attempted a similar move on Kang the Conqueror. Then, still using the momentum of his failed attack, he flexed his legs and lunged against Riposte, managing to knock her down and tried to punch her in the face to knock her out, only to end up hitting the ground when the akumatized girl moved her head to the right.
Spider-Man ignored the pain of punching the ground and tried to hit her again, but Riposte managed to move her sword enough to injure his leg, distracting him enough to knee him and mule-kick him away from her.
Riposte got back to his feet as Spider-Man nimbly rolled to his feet, having some difficulty due to the wound on his leg.
Meanwhile, Ladybug tried to tie Riposte up with her yo-yo, but the swordswoman dodged the yo-yo and fired a blast of energy at her, forcing Ladybug to dodge the attack, but managing to hit her side, making Ladybug groan in pain as she covered the wound in his side, which made Riposte smirk.
"Face it, heroes, you lost." Said Riposte.
"Not so fast!" Shouted a female voice that everyone recognized.
Riposte turned around and quickly had to raise her sword to block a slash from Queen Bee, who grunted and jumped back as Chat Noir landed next to her and held his staff like a sword.
However, what caught everyone's attention the most was the bright yellow sword that Queen Bee wielded in her right hand.
"You wanted a sword fight, didn't ya?" Queen Bee snapped as she took a fighting stance. "You got it..."
"Having that sword won't save you..." Riposte growled. "I'm the best fencer! And once I'm done with you and have your Miraculouses, I will destroy this Mary Jane Watson!"
"Ouch, your pride must have been pulverized after losing rightfully against that girl..."
Riposte didn't answer anything, she just roared and lunged into the fight, being quickly blocked by Chat Noir and kicked in the abdomen by Queen Bee, then the wielder of the Restraint lunged at her, starting a duel as close as the one they had earlier in school, with both swordswomen throwing thrusts and slashes left and right, managing to block and deflect each other's moves with even greater agility and speed than that they had displayed in school.
However, to Queen Bee's misfortune, what Spider-Man had said about the wound Riposte had given her was true, and the longer the fight went on, the more pain she felt and her movements had to be more careful not to get hurt anymore.
Riposte noticed this fact and tried to use it to her advantage, but seeking to tilt the fight towards his teammate in order to defeat the akumatized girl once and for all, Chat Noir entered the fray, managing to make Riposte take several steps back and break out in a sweat due the effort of facing two swordsmen as prodigious as Chat Noir and Queen Bee.
As she tried to think of a way to fight back, Riposte was hit in the head by a flute, in the abdomen by a repulsor beam, and was finally knocked down by a joint kick from Chat Noir and Queen Bee. Spider-Man also tried to help by shooting several web-balls to catch Riposte, but the swordswoman reacted in time and dodged them, noticing the pyramid that was the entrance to the Louvre out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing the entrance to the iconic museum, Riposte smirked as an idea formed in her mind.
As the heroes charged back into the fray, Riposte dodged them and fired several energy blasts at nearby buildings, severing parts of them and putting some civilians in harm's way.
At this, the heroes scrambled to protect the civilians as Riposte fired another blast at the entrance to the Louvre, severing a good section of the top of the pyramid before leaping into the museum as the heroes got the civilians to safety.
"Riposte entered the Louvre." Chat Noir said while a man he was carrying in his arms ran away.
"She's smart, she knows that we'll have to be more careful in there so as not to damage any exhibition." American Son said.
"Or not so much, Ladybug's power can repair everything, right?" Queen Bee asked.
"Yes, but even so, we wouldn't be seen with good eyes if we weren't careful with objects as valuable as the exhibits of the Louvre." Said Spider-Man.
"Right, I forgot, well, we have to go after her."
"Only if we talk about why you have a lightsaber after this." Ladybug said.
Queen Bee nodded as the heroes ran towards the museum and entered through the large hole that Riposte had made with her sword, finding inside an air of calm and serenity that was more than disturbing than it was comforting since it was obvious that Riposte had planned something.
"The first one who says we should split up, will get a sword in the leg." Said Queen Bee.
"Don't worry, Riposte can't hide from me." American Son said. "Computer, scan the area, locate Riposte."
"Tracking systems offline. Repair of primary circuits is required." Said the AI of American Son's suit.
"I think she can." Rena Rouge said.
"But I can hear her and Spider-Man can sense her." Said Chat Noir.
"Still, no splitting up, I don't want this to become a horror movie and discover that I'm the only survivor." Snapped Queen Bee.
"You watch too many movies, Queen Bee..." Ladybug said as she rolled her eyes.
As they walked, the six heroes kept their weapons firmly in hand and ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger.
To their misfortune, Riposte's new strategy counted on the heroes not splitting up, so the villain waited for them to be right where she wanted them to be and immediately fired several bursts against the Louvre's ceiling, triggering Spider-Man's Spider-Sense.
"Watch out!" Spider-Man yelled.
Large pieces of debris fell from the ceiling and almost hit the heroes, who had to spread out to dodge the debris, and Riposte took advantage of this to kick Ladybug into one of the corridors and activate the alarm, locking herself and Ladybug inside to the misfortune of her teammates, thanks to the security bars.
"Give me your Miraculous or I'll take it by force, and in your state you won't last ten seconds against me." Said Riposte.
"Oh no, you won't!" Queen Bee yelled as she raised her lightfoil.
With a couple of fluid moves, the bee-themed heroine sliced through several of the iron bars holding Ladybug and Riposte captive, then kicked them out of her way and lunged at Riposte, forcing her to face her and block a slash with her own sword.
Meanwhile, Ladybug frowned decisively and tossed her yoyo up.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled, causing a radiator to fall into her hands. "A radiator?"
"Great!" Queen Bee said sarcastically as she blocked several thrusts from Riposte. "As if things weren't hot enough already!"
"At least we won't get cold!" Chat Noir said as he jumped into the fray using his staff as a sword.
Ladybug looked around, observing everything around her to know how to use her Lucky, noticing that she would need the help of the whole team to break Riposte's sword.
"Spidey, weave a web-line! American Son, help Rena Rouge as soon as I give you the signal! Chat Noir, prepare your Cataclysm! Queen Bee, lead Riposte to me!" Ladybug pointed out.
"I hope you know what you're doing!" Queen Bee said as she struggled with Riposte.
Queen Bee kicked Riposte away from her, panting heavily, clenching her teeth and covering the wound on her chest with one arm, not taking her eyes off her opponent and keeping her lightfoil up, but fully aware that if Ladybug's strategy failed, she just wouldn't be able to fight Riposte much longer. On the other hand, Riposte gasped and groaned at the heroes' insistence to keep fighting despite the fact that she had already showed them that they couldn't beat her, no matter what kind of strategy Ladybug had planned, and no matter how much the heroes had hurt her.
Once again, the stranger and the redhead from Montoursville lunged into combat, ready to end it for good, while Spider-Man wove the web-line that Ladybug had told him about, followed by Chat Noir yelling Cataclysm! to activate his power, and for their part, Rena Rouge and American Son just stood up and took a fighting stance.
After a couple of thrusts, Queen Bee began to take steps back, then, during Riposte's lunge, she stepped aside to dodge and Ladybug took advantage of that move to stick the akumatized girl's sword through the radiator she had in her hands, to which Riposte responded by kicking Ladybug away, however, before she managed to remove the radiator from the sword, Spider-Man used the web-line in his hands to fasten the radiator firmly to the sword and blinded Riposte with more webbing. For his part, American Son and Rena Rouge quickly pounced on Riposte and restricted her movements, while Chat Noir ran towards the akumatized girl to touch her sword, transmitting all the destruction energy from his hand to the weapon, releasing the akuma.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma." Spider-Man said as he opened the compartment of his right web-shooter.
Ladybug protested at Spider-Man's actions, but the wall-crawler ignored her and captured the akuma, retracting the web-strand and locking the akuma into his web-shooter, releasing it a few moments later as he smiled.
"Bye-bye, little butterfly." Said Spider-Man.
"Are you also gonna want to steal this from me or can I do it?" Ladybug asked ironically as she took the radiator.
"Be my guest, please."
Ladybug chuckled and rolled her eyes, then tossed the radiator into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said, causing the radiator to explode in a horde of ladybugs.
The horde of ladybugs spread throughout the place and the city, repairing the damage caused by Riposte and healing the wounds that she had caused to the heroes, making them sigh in relief, while Riposte returned to normal.
"Thank you, my Lady." Said Chat Noir.
"What happened here?" Asked the stranger. "What am I doing here?"
"Pound it!" Said the superhero team as they bumped their fists together.
"I have to go, the armor was fixed but it's still in red numbers of energy." American Son said as he took off.
"And I have a couple of issues to resolve." Rena Rouge said.
"And we're running out of time." Chat Noir said as he pointed at Ladybug.
"Queen Bee and I'll take care of taking the girl to a safe place." Said Spider-Man.
American Son, Rena Rouge, Chat Noir, and Ladybug headed out of the Louvre in a hurry, then went their separate ways to head to safe places to detransform.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Queen Bee jumped towards the museum's exit, with Spidey carrying the unknown girl. Once outside the Louvre, Spider-Man put the girl down at her request.
"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home?" Spider-Man asked. "I mean, it's not like I'm not used to carrying passengers, although you would be the first to be courteous."
"I'm sure." The Japanese girl agreed.
"Well, see you later, hopefully under better circumstances." Said Spider-Man before shooting a line of web to swing.
As Spider-Man disappeared from sight, Queen Bee sighed and walked over to the girl, tapping her on the shoulder a couple of times, causing the girl to turn to look at her.
"What's the matter?" Asked the unknown girl.
"I just wanted to ask why you were akumatized." Said Queen Bee. "We almost never ask and I think that should change in order to better understand people and avoid future akumatizations. Although if you're not comfortable, you can ignore my question."
The girl sighed and looked at the ground for a second before replying.
"I was defeated by a rookie..." The girl sighed. "I'm supposed to be the best at fencing but she just beat me... I didn't want to disappoint my mother but I failed..."
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." Queen Bee said as she put her hand on her shoulder. "You really are very good, I mean, keeping up with Chat Noir and me in fencing, and putting a team of superheroes on the ropes is extremely impressive, and the fact that you have found someone better doesn't mean the end, but a new opportunity to improve."
"But how can I do it if I don't have another chance?"
"That is not true, there are always opportunities for those who seek to improve."
"Even if you were right, I don't think the redhead thinks the same..." The Japanese girl sighed. "Not after this."
"Try it, you might get a surprise." Queen Bee said with a smile before looking at her foil.
"What if...?"
"Don't make yourself trip over thoughts, you didn't get to be so good at fencing by putting up buts and obstacles, did you? Have confidence, I'm sure the worst thing she can do is not speak to you, but something tells me that it'll be the opposite."
After saying that, Queen Bee inspected her weapon closely and noticed that the tip of her handle had a button, which she pressed to turn her weapon back into a spinning top. Then the heroine threw it at a lamppost and extended a hand to the girl.
"You want a ride? My route's near the school." Said Queen Bee.
"Thanks, but I think I prefer my mother's car." The girl replied with a small but genuine smile. "Besides, I need time to think about what I'm going to say to the redhead."
"That's good to hear, and remember, being the best is not just about beating everyone, but also facing defeat and trying again until you succeed."
"You don't seem to be older than me, and yet you sound much wiser than I am."
"I've had many setbacks in my life, so I've had to learn the hard way, but there's almost always someone who gives me advice like the one I just gave you, that's why I seem wiser."
Saying that, Queen Bee gave a slight tug on the string of her top and swung away from the place while the girl pulled out her phone to call her mother's car to come pick her up.
Meanwhile, back in the school bathrooms, Spider-Man climbed in through a window and sighed heavily before muttering:
"Webs off."
Spider-Man's suit shimmered for a moment, then disappeared, leaving Peter back in his civilian attire, still wearing his fencing mask and vest, while Leopardon was launched out of his bracelet, being caught by his carrier as the little creature panted in weariness into his hands.
"I don't get... why I'm so tired... You didn't even... use the Bite..." Leopardon said between panting.
"I think it has to do with the fact that the Spider-Sense was malfunctioning during the fight with Riposte and the fact that the Miraculous just ejected you as if you were pressured into it." Peter said. "This isn't good... If Mr. Stark's serum didn't cure us completely, then we'll have more problems in the future due to mutations."
"Ugh, you and your brainiac friends better find a way to solve this out... Because I don't want to end up being a spider monster with you again..."
"We will, although I still don't know how."
Saying that, Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out a fun-sized chocolate bar, opened it and handed it to his kwami, who ate it in one bite, while Peter raised an eyebrow.
"I'm hungry, don't criticize me." Leopardon snapped.
"And you complain about Chat Noir's kwami..."
Leopardon snorted in offense and slipped into his chosen one's hoodie as Peter came out of his hiding spot.
Meanwhile, in the women's restrooms, Ladybug imitated Spider-Man by sneaking through one of the windows to quickly slip into a cubicle as the last dot on her earrings disappeared and her suit glowed.
However, to Marinette's surprise, after her costume glowed, it didn't completely disappear, leaving her in a weird mix of her superhero outfit and her civilian clothes.
"What the...?!" Marinette said. "Spots off."
Marinette's clothes glowed again, flickering like a malfunctioning light, then her clothes returned to normal but Tikki was launched out of the earrings until she slammed into the cubicle wall causing Marinette to gasp in concern and grab the little creature in her hands before she fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Tikki?" Marinette asked with concern.
"Yes... It was just a hit..." Tikki said between gasps. "But... I'm exhausted..."
"This doesn't make sense, what's wrong with my powers?"
"I think... it's another side-effect... caused by... the Lizard and... Morbius..."
"Mr. Stark's formula was supposed to cure us..." Marinette said as she took a cookie out of her purse to give it to Tikki.
"I don't think another serum was been enough to cure so many messes caused by mad scientists like Michael Morbius and Curt Connors..." Tikki sighed as she ate the cookie.
"This is bad... what if my identity is revealed because my suit doesn't work well? I'd have to stop being Ladybug..."
"I'm sure it won't be like that, have some faith, Marinette, it can still be fixed."
"You're right, Tikki, meanwhile I'll be more careful when I detransform."
Marinette sighed and Tikki quickly got into one of her pigtails as the girl left the cubicle.
On the other hand, Chat Noir barely managed to get into a cleaning closet at school just before his transformation ended, and as with Tikki and Leopardon, the hero's ring rather violently ejected the little kwami, although to his fortune Plague ended up crashing into a roll of toilet paper, which cushioned the hit quite a bit.
"Are you okay, Plagg?" Adrien asked.
"No... Give me my camembert..." The kwami blurted out between gasps.
"This is bad, the Miraculous had never expelled you like this."
"I'm sure it's because... of Morbius... and Connors..."
"But we were supposed to be already cured of that..."
"It's never... that easy..."
"I don't like this at all..."
"Neither do I... Give me my camembert..."
Adrien rolled his eyes and chuckled, then took a piece of camembert from his pocket and handed it to Plagg, who gobbled it up greedily.
"We'll have to talk to Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Master Fu and Madame Web about this." Adrien said.
"It'd be better to talk to the culprit, this Curt Connors guy." Plagg let out.
"S.H.I.E.L. 't allow it, Plagg."
"They protect the world from threats and that includes you, so you just have to argue about how dangerous you and your friends are as Panthèr Noir, Bug-Lady and Man-Spider, and that you guys are in danger as well."
"I don't think it's that simple, as you already said, nothing is."
"It's worth trying, I don't want to become a monster with you again."
Adrien only managed to sigh and nod as he tucked Plagg under his fencing vest. Afterward, the boy opened the closet door a crack, made sure no one saw him, and came out of hiding.
For her part, Queen Bee sneaked out the window of one of the classrooms and, once she was sure that no one was there, she detransformed and sighed, while she caught Pollen with her hands.
"Tired?" MJ asked.
"A bit, but not much because you didn't use your special power, your Majesty." Said Pollen.
"You don't need it when you're so adept with a saber."
"I told you so."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll brag later, for now, I think I should look for the others." Mary Jane said. "I know Harry is fine, but I don't know about the others."
"They're fine, I assure you."
"I still have to look for that girl, I think I already know how to solve her problem with the spot at the D'Argencourt Academy."
Mary Jane pulled a honey candy out of her pocket and handed it to Pollen, then the kwami popped it into her mouth and flew into MJ's ponytail to hide as her chosen left the room.
Moments later, the group of friends found themselves in the schoolyard, all of them breathing a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're okay." Mary Jane said.
"The relief is that you're ok, Riposte was going after you." Peter said.
"At least it's all over." Harry sighed.
"Now I wonder, where did they all go?" Adrian said.
"Maybe they are in the library, it would be the safest place to hide." Marinette said.
The group of teenagers nodded in agreement with Marinette's words, then they turned around and headed towards the library, to check if the members and applicants of the D'Argencourt Academy were there. However, they soon stopped when they heard footsteps behind them, which made them turn around and find the girl in the red fencing outfit again, who sighed deeply and walked towards them with a calm expression.
After seeing her, Mary Jane sighed too and walked towards her stranger, stopping a meter away from her.
The stranger and MJ were silent for a few moments, just staring into each other's eyes, then the stranger bowed to Mary Jane and kept her face to the ground.
"Please excuse me for the inconvenience caused by my akumatized form." Said the stranger. " didn't mean to hurt you..."
"Hey, hey, calm down." Mary Jane said in a calm tone. "I hold no grudge against you for that, and to be honest, I was in your place."
"What?"
"Yeah, recently I got akumatized into the Super-Model and I almost killed oxygenated-blondie and Pigtails here, but I wasn't myself, so Marinette gave me a chance, and it would be very hypocritical of me not to do the same with you."
"I can not believe it..."
"I also misjudged you, so I think what I should do to fix my mistake." MJ said before grabbing the hand of the Japanese girl.
The stranger was still stunned by the actions and words of the redhead, so there was little she could do as MJ quickly bent down to retrieve the foil from the girl in the red suit, and then guide her towards the scene of her defeat, the Françoise Dupont School library, being followed by the four friends of the redhead.
Arriving at the library, MJ flung open the doors, startling the group of aspirants and students from the D'Argencourt Academy and causing the fencing master to sigh in relief.
"Ah, Miss Watson!" D'Argencourt sighed with relief. "It's good to see you are fine, when I didn't find you after the attack of that akumatized girl, I feared the worst."
"Not even Morbius the Living Vampire was able to take me down, so there was nothing to worry about, Master D'Argencourt." MJ said. "However, I came here to thank you for such an entertaining afternoon, but I think I'll have to decline the place at your fencing academy."
"What?!" Said all those present.
"M-Miss Watson, this is not the time for your... shenanigans." D'Argencourt snapped.
"Oh this is no shenanigan of mine." MJ said. "I decline to enter because there's someone who deserves that spot."
At that moment, MJ turned to look at the Japanese girl, who still couldn't recover from the surprise caused by all the redhead's statements.
"And it's her, entering the academy would mean having something to do after modeling for me, but for her it means much more." MJ said.
"N-no... You won fair and square, you deserve that place." Said the stranger.
"Maybe, but as I said, this means more to you than to me, although that doesn't mean that I'll stop wanting a rematch with you."
"Why are you doing this? Why would you give up something so important for someone you don't even know?"
"Because I want to get to know you better, that's what you do when you forge friendships."
The stranger was speechless again, as was everyone around her, then D'Argencourt cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the youngsters.
"Well, if that's what you think, Miss Watson, I must admit it's a shame you're not joining us, but I admire your generosity." D'Argencourt sighed. "As for you, young lady, you proved to be on par with Miss Watson in a very close fight, so even though you were defeated, you certainly deserve the place in our academy."
"But I can't..." The unknown girl tried to say.
"Of course you can, besides, it's rude to decline a gift." MJ said as he nodded and put a hand on the Japanese girl's shoulder.
The stranger sighed for a moment, then looked at MJ and noticed the sincere and kind smile that she gave her, something that she had never seen before from another person towards her, so she unconsciously returned the gesture to the redhead and then he nodded to Master D'Argencourt before making a short bow.
"It will be an honor to join." Said the stranger.
"Oh, magnifique ! Great news!" D'Argencourt said happily. "In that case, welcome to the D'Argencourt Fencing Academy, miss... Excuse me, what did you say your name is?"
"My name is Kagami Tsurugi." Said the Japanese girl before smiling at MJ. "But my friends can call me Kagami."
MJ smiled more widely and extended a hand to Kagami, who shook it, still feeling doubts and confusion about what she had just experienced, while behind them, Peter, Harry and Adrien couldn't help but smile at the resolution of the conflict of that day.
And while Marinette was happy for Kagami and Mary Jane, she couldn't help but feel sad that she had missed another opportunity to get closer to Adrien.
And as the redhead walked towards her group of friends, Kagami had an idea and made a gesture to whisper her idea to the fencing master.
"Well, this turned out much better than I could ever have expected." Adrien blurted out.
"Well, I think there were too many emotions for today, so we better go." Harry said.
"Yes, I have to review some data about K.A.R.E.N." Peter said.
"And I gotta finish the new hat for the fashion show this weekend." Marinette said.
"And I guess I need an afternoon of relaxation after that intense fight." MJ said while she popped the joints of her neck.
"It was very noble of you to give the spot to Kagami, Red." Adrian said.
"Nah, it's nothing, I would do the same for any of my friends, Goldilocks."
"Um, Miss Watson?" D'Argencourt said as he approached the five teenagers. "I've talked a bit with Miss Tsurugi and she thinks it would be an excellent motivator for the other students to see you in action again, and there's the fact that you want to have a rematch, so would you mind having said rematch in one of our classes?"
Mary Jane looked at Kagami, who nodded in confirmation of D'Argencourt's words, so the girl smiled broadly and said:
"I would love that."
"Just don't expect that next time you'll win, Mary Jane." Kagami said with a small defiant smile as she held out her hand to MJ.
"We'll see, Kagami, we'll see." MJ said, smiling defiantly as she shook hands with her new friend.