Chapter 2: The Deal
Félix was ready to carry out his plan. He had spotted something while they were up on the rooftops. Shadow Moth was watching from the top of the Eiffel Tower as the three copies of Strikeback continued to devastate Paris.
It was going to be tricky, dealing with a fully-empowered Shadow Moth. Fortunately Félix had made some preparations in the sewer for a simpler plan, before Ladybug messed it up by insisting on taking him back to the train. While detransformed, he had taken from his pocket his real amok ring, and put it on. He also got out another fake copy, this one with a better reproduction of the scratches.
Félix had skimmed the Grimoire notes in the train lavatory, and had learned a useful trick. He was still wearing the renounced Dog collar.
"Barkk, I reclaim you! Tikki, Barkk, Unify!"
His costume was similar to Flairmidable, but a redder orange with black spots. What would he call himself now? Maybe Flairbug.
Flairbug kept in concealment as he worked his way to the base of the Tower and climbed it from the side where Shadow Moth wasn't looking. He leaped up and landed behind the villain.
Shadow Moth turned at the sound.
"Another new Ladybug?" asked Shadow Moth. "Has Ladybug been injured in battle, so that she had to pass her Miraculous on to her Dog hero? How did you spot me?"
"You're in plain sight. I wonder if you had one of those frog marks on your neck a while ago."
"Perhaps. But Ladybug has made mistake in choosing you, a fool who would dare to challenge me without backup. Where are your companions?"
"Ladybug has indeed made a mistake, Uncle," said Flairbug. "She trusted me with a Miraculous, and I took the opportunity to catch her by surprise."
"Félix? What do you want?"
"I want the real Peacock Miraculous, and you're going to give it to me."
"What are you offering in return?"
"Ladybug's Miraculous, and a certain ring you want."
"How do I know that you won't use the Peacock Miraculous against us?"
"If I wanted to harm you, Uncle, I would've done it a long time ago."
"Why should I trade, when I can simply fight you and take them from you?"
"That would waste precious time. Do you realize that Ladybug is the Guardian of the Miracle Box, and that her yo-yo has a portal into it? If you transform and get hold of the yo-yo, you will have access to every Miraculous in the box. If you delay, she could remove all of them before you can get them."
"One more thing. You must have seen Ladybug detransformed. I want her identity. It will let me defeat the remaining heroes more easily and get the Cat Miraculous."
Félix saw no reason to be overly helpful. "She's nobody that I recognized. I don't have a wide acquaintance with girls in Paris."
"Describe her."
"She's rather plain and she has short blonde hair. That's all I can tell you. It was dark where I ambushed her."
"Why did she select you as a hero in the first place?"
"I was on the train with Nathalie, disguised as Adrien when she teleported to me. It seems she has a bit of a crush on him."
"Like half the girls in Paris. Wait... it was you on the train?"
"Yes, Adrien remained in Paris, wandering around without any sense of risk."
"No!"
"If you have the Ladybug, you can reverse the damage caused by Strikeback. In case Adrien was killed by a falling building or whatever. Or he's about to be, and the magical ladybugs we released for Risk can't help him."
"Enough, I'll do the trade!"
"Good. Barkk, Tikki, Divide! Tikki, I renounce you."
Flairmidable took off the earrings and put them, along with the decoy ring, on the railing near Shadow Moth. He pushed them forward with his right hand.
Shadow Moth paused for a moment. Félix knew he could use his power as the Peacock holder to sense an amok in the ring he was offering. Félix hoped the real amok ring on his right ring finger was close enough to fool Shadow Moth.
"Nooroo, Duusu, Divide. Duusu, I renounce you."
Hawk Moth put the Peacock on the railing and pushed it forward. They swapped quickly, each grabbing the offered jewelry.
Hawk Moth quickly put on the ring, then the earrings.
"Nooroo, Tikki, Unify!"
Hawk Bug eagerly opened the yo-yo and began pulling out the Miraculous as quickly as he could: Rabbit, Snake, Monkey, Pig, Goat, and Horse.
"Ah! You've lost, Ladybug! Finally!"
While Hawk Bug was distracted, Flairmidable made his escape, leaping and catching himself to descend the Eiffel Tower. He didn't want Hawk Moth to test the ring by giving him an order, like to return the Peacock. Pretending to be controlled would have the same result as being controlled, the loss of the Miraculous he had betrayed everyone to get.
Hawk Bug called Nathalie.
"Nathalie, where is my son?"
"Sir, I'm sorry, I fell asleep on the train. I was very tired after staying up all night making last-minute preparations for the trip. Adrien went to the lavatory and I didn't see any risk in taking a power nap."
"It wasn't him – it was Félix! You have failed me!"
Hawk Bug heard Nathalie gasp and go into a coughing fit. He hung up.
He had to defeat his sentimonster and its two copies to save Adrien. Without the Peacock he couldn't snap them out of existence. He would try something new.
"Lucky Charm!" he called, shooting his yo-yo up into the air.
"A pair of sunglasses? What am I supposed to do with these?"
Hawk Bug knew that a Lucky Charm could either be used as a tool as part of a plan, or be an inspiration for an action.
"Sun... glasses... Aha! I know what to do!"
He picked up the Horse Miraculous glasses and put them on.
"Nooroo, Tikki, Kaalki, Unify!"
Using three Miraculous at once made him dizzy, but he could handle it. He created portals, one by one, under the feet of the slow-moving sentimonsters, dropping each into the Sun. As an adult, he could make portals repeatedly without a recharge. There were devastating gravity, vacuum, and heat effects on the city since he was working without a shield, but that was fixable.
He threw the sunglasses up into the air.
"Miraculous Hawk Bug!"
A swarm of magical ladybugs flew out and restored all the damage and deaths. The sky was clear again.
Now to announce his triumph. Hawk Bug portaled butterflies from his lair and compelled them to form a giant head (like the one he made with Stoneheart, but all white).
He created another portal and grabbed a portable high-powered megaphone from his home.
"People of Paris, Ladybug had promised to protect you. Well, she lied to you! Behold, her defeat! I took her Miraculous from her, as well as half of the others she guarded! Now I'm more powerful than ever! I saved the city this time, to demonstrate my power. But don't expect mercy again. From now on, I will be attacking you relentlessly. I will be everywhere, probing your thoughts, stealing your dreams, harnessing your deepest fears! Whatever damage I can cause, I will not stop! Unless... someone brings me Cat Noir's Miraculous!"
That should impress them! He scooped up his butterflies with another portal and sent them back to his lair. Gathering up his equipment, he escaped by portal himself.
He didn't stay to hear the chanting of the crowd in the street: "Ladybug! Ladybug! Ladybug!"
