Chapter 13
Back at the Main Battle
Ladybug, Carapace, & Rena Rouge were working together to continue to attempt to land a hit on Flashfire. Carapace would constantly intercept her attacks while Ladybug and Rena Rouge would attempt to make a hit, but she either dodged or countered every attack. Soon Flashfire activated her jetpack and launched herself hovering in the air, when she launched a series of fireballs causing the heroes to scatter.
Ladybug jumped and escaped the line of fire behind a wall when Cat Noir joined her.
"Hey bugaboo, I think I have an idea on where the Akuma is." -Cat Noir expressed.
"Great because I think I also found out her weakness!" -Ladybug replied.
"You go first!" -both heroes said at the same time, both chuckling from the reaction.
Suddenly they both yelped as a fireball exploded around the corner Rena Rouge and Carapace dropped in.
"Okay, so what's the plan?" -Carapace asked.
Cat Noir and Ladybug looked at each other when Cat Noir started explaining first.
"Okay I have been watching her attacks. Every time she switches between her fire and water attacks there is a small flash of light coming from her chest. It looks like a badge of some sort. I bet that's where the Akuma is!"
"Great, Cat Noir! I have also noticed she always tries to stay away from the buildings and stay in an open area. I bet she does not like tight spaces so we could throw her off that way!" -Ladybug added her thoughts.
"There you are!" a familiar voice yelled out over them as suddenly a large fireball came at the heroes.
"SHELL-TER!" -Carapace exclaimed as a large green bubble shield formed around the heroes and extended towards Flashfire, blocking the fireball.
As the shield got closer to Flashfire, she let out a growl and flew away to avoid getting too close to it as the heroes watched on.
"I think it is time we end this. LUCKY CHARM...HA!"
Ladybug's yoyo spun in the air as the tiny ladybugs flew around then disappeared, leaving behind a red and black spotted…rug.
"Uh I think this is not the right time to think about interior decorating" -Cat Noir joked in confusion.
Ladybug looked around to see what she could do with the rug. As she looked 3 things were highlighted to her: Rena Rouge, a lamp post, and a nearby fire hydrant.
"I got it! Rena Rouge, do you think you can distract Flashfire and lead her to me?" -Ladybug looked over at Flashfire.
Rena Rouge nodded then looked over at Carapace with a confident look. Carapace nodded back and undid his shield to allow Rena Rouge to get in the open as she blew into her flute.
"MIRAGE"
As the ball of light left the flute and landed away from the heroes, suddenly the landscape of Paris had transformed into a maze of massive skyscrapers with tight alleys and overhangs.
Flashfire suddenly found herself in a tight alleyway and began to panic. As she looked up to try and fly away, the skyscrapers seemed to reach the top of the sky. She began to shoot fire and water in all directions to make an opening but nothing was working, so she began to run.
The four heroes soon scattered around the maze to trap Flashfire. As she ran and rounded a corner, there was Carapace and Rena Rouge. She panicked and shot a fireball at them, but they dodged. She turned around in panic and began to run as the heroes gave chase. As she hit another corner there was Cat Noir staring at her with a confident smile. She tried shooting water at him, but he moved slightly and it missed. It was very clear at this point Flashfire had lost her edge and nerve.
Flashfire turned in a new direction and ran. She could no longer focus, no longer thinking, she just ran. Soon she saw a large gap around a corner and thought it was an escape. She turned and ran towards it as fast as she could, not paying attention to anything around her.
Suddenly Ladybug's yoyo came flying out. It flew at the lamp post then back around the fire hydrant across the road. It wrapped itself around the two objects a few times when Flashfire reached it, tangling herself in the wire and fell forward.
Flashfire was confused though as when she landed it was soft and not the hard ground. She looked to see she had landed on a red and black spotted rug. Before she could get up though, she felt herself spinning as Rena Rouge and Carapace rolled her up in the rug. She tried to struggle and move or try to shoot but she couldn't.
Ladybug walked over to the now trapped Flashfire and grabbed her fire badge, tossing it to Cat Noir.
"CATACLYSM!"
Cat Noir caught the badge in his glowing back hand, causing it to dissolve as the akuma tried to fly away and escape.
"No more evildoing for you little Akuma…..Time to de-evilize!"
Ladybug swung out her yoyo bathed in light as she caught the akuma and trapped it, bringing it back to her hand "Gotcha."
She opened up her yoyo as she had done so many times before. "Bye bye little butterfly."
Suddenly Flashfire transformed back into Alex, dazed and confused about what just happened. As she transformed back the mirage effect dissipated to reveal the area like it was, albeit with destroyed cars and various fires everywhere from the battle.
"Pound it!" -Ladybug and Cat Noir said with a fist bump as Rena Rouge and Carapace came over and joined them.
"Ladybug? What happened here?" -Alex asked as she tried to come to her senses.
"You are okay now. You were akumatized but you are safe." -Ladybug explained as she freed Alex from the rug.
"I don't remember much. I remember having a fire where I ran in but felt trapped...getting yelled at by my captain, then nothing." -Alex explained.
"Sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us, but we also must learn from them." -Rena Rouge said to Alex.
"I think I have an apology to make" -Alex nodded as she headed off in the direction of her fire station.
The heroes looked at each other and smiled as Ladybug took the rug and threw it up in the air.
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"
The rug turned into a swarm of ladybugs that flew around the area, restoring everything to the way it was before Flashfire had appeared.
"That never gets old! I wish I could just keep doing this wherever a villain appeared." -Rena Rouge exclaimed, holding Ladybug's hands.
"Well, we couldn't have done it without you!" -Ladybug smiled back at her.
Carapace walked over and put his arm around Rena Rouge as she leaned into him. Cat Noir looked over at Ladybug with a flirtatious smile. She walked over to him and as it looked like Cat Noir was about to get to embrace her, she gave him a poke on the nose.
"Nice try, kitty." -She chuckled.
Just then, Carapace's miraculous began to beep followed closely by Rena Rouge's.
"Cat Noir, I need to take care of them and you need to go before we transform back ourselves."
Cat Noir nodded then vaulted to a nearby roof. Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge jumped away to a nearby alley.
Rena Rouge and Carapace transformed back into regular Alya and Nino, handing their miraculous back to Ladybug.
"Thank you for all your help today, we couldn't have done it without you!" -Ladybug thanked the two.
"You know we always have your back Ladybug!" -Nino exclaimed.
Suddenly Marinette's yoyo began to make noise. When she looked at it she saw Cat Noir trying to contact her.
"Cat Noir, what is it? We don't have much time left."
"I know, but you need to get up here and see this, hurry!" -Cat Noir said then quickly hung up.
"Sorry guys, I have to bug out!" -Ladybug apologized to Nino and Alya.
Ladybug swung out her yoyo and flew away as Nino and Alya waved behind. It wasn't long before she landed on a nearby roof where Cat Noir was.
"What is going on? We only have a few minutes...what!?" -Ladybug tried to ask as she was shocked to see thick black smoke rising from a nearby building a few blocks away.
"Did my miraculous not fix everything?" -Ladybug said, shocked at what she was seeing.
"I think it did, that might be because of something else not related to the akuma. We need to go help!" -Cat Noir responded.
"But we only have a few minutes left, and I don't have anything else to recharge with!" -Ladybug responded with concern.
"Neither do I, but we have to try!"
Ladybug looked at Cat Noir. She could see the determination in his eyes and she was not about to let her partner do something stupid.
"Okay, let's go. But the moment we are close to transforming back we must split up! You know we can't learn each other's secret identities."
"I accept your deal this time, but I still won't give up." -Cat Noir chuckled.
Both heroes ran across the rooftops and began to jump in the direction of the smoke.
