Chapter 22: Battle of the 14th Arrondissement
Guided by Corbeau Noire, Flamingo followed her back into battle. She was still afraid of what might happen. But fuelled by her girlfriend's love, she was determined to push away the fear that was inside her heart, because if there was one thing that she was absolutely sure, was that her love for Corbeau Noire was stronger than any fear any Akuma might make them feel, even if sometimes, she forgot about it.
Taking the lead, Corbeau Noire saw Carapace fighting Mind Void on the ground, and quickly pointed down, telling her girlfriend to dive with her. Nodding with her head, the girls dove into the ground, ready to give Carapace a little hand in dealing with Mind Void. As they did it, the turtle hero continued to fight Mind Void as best as he could. She had attacked him a couple of times, but through most of their fight, he had been the one to do most of the attacking. Still, he had not been able to hurt her, thanks to her unique ability. One that Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, were about to find out.
"Hope we're not interrupting." -Corbeau Noire said, as she and Flamingo landed in front of them, stopping the fight.
"Not at all." -Carapace said, relieved to see the girls alright.
"Where's Arachnid?" -Flamingo asked him.
"I thought he was with you." -Carapace answered her.
"No. He left us and told us he was coming to help you." -Flamingo told him.
"Well, he didn't come back." -Carapace stated. –"I just hope that wherever he is, he's alright." -he said, hoping for the best.
"You… You are the ones who felt my pain." -Mind Void told Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, breaking the conversation between them and Carapace.
"Yes, we are." -Flamingo said, her voice trembling slightly with fear.
"But we're back, and you're going to be sorry you attacked us!" -Corbeau Noire shot at Mind Void.
"My pain needs to be shared." -Mind Void sighed. –"If you wish to feel it again, I will make you feel it." -she sighed, as she used the same trick as before, trying to hit the three heroes, who dodged her attack.
"Does she have any other powers, besides the one that got us?" -Flamingo asked him, as she threw herself into the ground, to avoid another of Mind Void's energy beams.
"Just being able to turn into smoke." -Carapace told her.
"Turn into smoke? Please, tell me you managed to land a punch on her." -Flamingo asked him, hoping for some good news.
"Not yet. Every time I try to hit her, my hands, arms, feet and even weapons just go through her, like it was nothing." -Carapace answered her. –"I don't know how she does it, but it makes hitting her a real challenge." -he told he, dodging one of the energy beams.
"Well, then let's see if she likes to play with shadows." -Corbeau Noire said, as she used her mirror to gain control of the shadows around her, hoping to use them against Mind Void.
And while Carapace and the girls used some of their best moves against Mind Void, trying to find out how they were going to beat her, Arachnid was busy tangoing against Brutus, who intercepted him, as he was making his way towards his teammate's location, as part of a plan to give Mind Void an advantage over the heroes.
Because he knew the heroes were almost bound to save everyone they saw in danger, Brutus ordered Reptile to break into every apartment building in the surrounding streets and find a way, to make sure that people exited them. He wanted to give Mind Void new targets, which he knew would make the perfect distraction for the heroes, who would not hesitate in getting them to safety, distracting them from their main objective, which was to take her down. He truly hoped that by doing that, he would give her the advantage she needed to get the heroes and while they were down, to kill them and get their miraculouses.
He himself would pull that stunt, but because Reptile was faster than he was, it seemed to him that he was the most logical choice for that job. On top of that, having engaged Arachnid in combat, he had his hands full with him. As expected, Arachnid was giving Brutus a run for his money. He knew when it came to brute force, he was not as strong as Grizzly Bear, who was usually the one to take on Brutus, due to his massive strength. But what he lacked in brute force, he made it up in speed and agility, two of Brutus' weaknesses.
"Are you starting to get tired?" -Arachnid asked Brutus, as he elbowed him on the abdomen, before dodging a punch.
"Hardly." -Brutus said, as he tried to punch Arachnid, who once again dodged him, by sliding between his legs, and placing himself behind him. –"I would not be much of a fighter, if I couldn't keep up with you or any of your companions!" -he exclaimed, as he turned around, only –"That… was a low blow!"
"Low blow? You're kidding me, right?!" -Arachnid asked, rising an eye at him. –"How was that a low blow?" -he asked, sarcastically.
"You attacked me from behind! A true warrior doesn't attack another, when the other is on its back." -Brutus lectured him.
"Oh, yeah? Well, sorry, but given that you're working for a crazy psychopath, who wants to rule the world, I think that not respecting the rules of combat, is totally acceptable." -Arachnid stated, as he dodged another attack.
Not able to land a single punch on Arachnid, Brutus decided that to deal with him he was going to need a weapon. Pulling twin axes from inside his chest, Brutus threw them at Arachnid, who almost lost a leg, when one of the axes passed too close to it.
"Whoa! Twin axes? What are you supposed to be now? A Viking?!" -Arachnid asked, with his heart still beating a little faster than usual, from that last close call.
"Let him mock you. The longer it takes for him to realize that I'm just a distraction, the better. It will give Reptile more time to do what he needs to do." -Brutus thought to himself. –"Stop jumping around like a jumping-jack and fight me!" -he shouted at Arachnid, trying to get him to focus his attention solely on him. –"Show me what kind of fighter you really are!"
"Alright, you asked for it!" -Arachnid said as he threw his lasso at Brutus, trying to get it around one of his hands, but failing to do so. –"Oops! Let me try it again." -he said, when Brutus dropped his left axe, which disintegrated before hitting the ground, and grabbed the lasso.
"Now, I've got you!" -Brutus exclaimed, as he pulled the lasso, and pulling Arachnid through the air.
"Wrong! I'm the one who got you!" -Arachnid exclaimed.
Brutus thought that he was the one who had caught Arachnid off guard, but it turned out, it was the opposite. Arachnid was the one who caught Brutus off guard, when he pulled him, and the spider hero took the opportunity to land a powerful kick on Brutus' chest, which made him land hard on his back.
"Bet you didn't see this one coming, now did you?" -Arachnid asked Brutus, as he made a perfect landing.
"You… You will pay for that dirty trick!" -Brutus told him, as he quickly got up.
Reptile did not like the idea of being sent to get people out of their homes and into the streets, instead of fighting the Miraculous heroes. He believed that it was a waste of his talents, and on top of that, he felt like Brutus was having all the fun, while he did the boring part of the job. Even so, he did as he was told, because he did not want to be accused by his master that he did not help.
Because unlike most Akuma battles, where one would listen to all sorts of battle-related noises, this one was being surreally noiseless, and some people did not realize what was going on the street. Smashing the glass from the entrance door, he quickly opened the building's door and entered it.
"Let's see, how do I get everyone outside in a short period of time?" -Reptile asked himself, as he observed the building's lobby for something that would help him complete his mission, when his eyes saw what he instantly believed was the solution to his problem. –"Oh, of course… a fire alarm. I pull that, and everyone thinks there's a fire somewhere on the building and the exit it. With some luck, all of the buildings in this street have fire alarms." -he laughed evilly, as he walked towards the wall and pulled the fire alarm. –"One down, a few more to go… it won't be long, until I can go back into the fight. I said I was going to take care of those two birdies, and I will. And after that, if they show up, Antelope and Dragonfly will finally get their due."
And while the lizard man continued to do as Brutus had told them, Carapace, Corbeau Noire and Flamingo continued to attack Mind Void. Just like it happened with Carapace, neither Flamingo, nor Corbeau Noire was able to land a single punch on her. The pink heroine had tried to confuse her with her trademark duplication trick, by creating numerous copies of herself, while the raven heroine used her shadow-control powers to attack her. But because she had the ability to transform her body into smoke, none of the tactics they were using, had allowed them to even make a scratch on her.
"This can't be…" -Carapace said. –"Every attack I throw at her, I just go right through her. Could she have any kind of illusion powers? Because I'm starting to wonder if we're really fighting her, or a magical double of hers." -he asked himself, when he realized that she had disappeared. –"Do you girls have eyes on her?"
"Not me!" -Corbeau Noire said, as her eyes looked around for any sign of Mind Void.
"I can't see her either… Carapace, behind you!" -Flamingo warned him. Seeing Mind Void behind him, she threw her cane at her, hoping to hit her and save her friend.
"Feel my pain." -Mind Void said, as she showed up behind him, using the same trick as before.
This time, Mind Void was almost too fast for him to react. She fired one of her energy beams at him, but Carapace managed to dodge it, thanks to Flamingo's warning. Unfortunately, she did not give him the time to react, when she fired a second energy beam at him. He saw it coming towards him, and was sure that he was going to be hit, when he fell something pushing him to the right, making him fall on the ground. And that something, was actually someone. The one who had saved him from the Akuma's attack had been Chat Noir. Accompanying him was Ladybug.
"Sorry about it, bro. But I think you preferred that to being hit by the Akuma." -Chat Noir said, as he turned around to greet his best-friend.
"It's okay, bro. And you're right. Being pushed into the ground, beats being hurt by the Akuma. Thanks." -Carapace thanked Chat, as he got up.
"Hope we're not too late." -Ladybug said, as she landed between Flamingo and Corbeau Noire.
"You guys showed up just in the nick of time." -Flamingo said. –"It's just too bad you ended up with your night ruined." -she said.
"Trust me, our night was ruined before we knew about the Akuma. But we'll talk about it later." -Chat Noir told her.
"So, you're the Akuma, huh?" -Ladybug asked Mind Void. –"Do you have a name?" -she asked her.
"The name is Mind Void, and my mission is to spread my pain." -Mind Void answered the scarlet heroine in her depressed voice.
When Ladybug and Chat Noir heard her voice, they were surprised. They were used to hearing Akumas boasting about their mission and how they were going to kill them, that Mind Void spoke, they felt like they were not talking to an Akuma, but a regular person, who was having a bad day.
"Mind Void?" -Chat Noir asked, before turning his head left and looking Ladybug in the eyes. –"Is it just me, or she doesn't sound like a regular Akuma?"
"No, it's not just you. She clearly doesn't sound like a regular Akuma." -Ladybug agreed.
"Yeah, but that doesn't make her any less dangerous." -Corbreau Noire said. –"I should know. She caught me and Flamingo and made us experience a really bad anxiety attack."
"An anxiety attack, you say?" -Chat Noir asked her.
"Yeah, if she hits you with one of her energy beams, you get one of those. Don't know if it will happen, if she touches you, but I for one, don't want to find out." -Carapace said.
Just listening to the fact that Mind Void could do such a thing, Ladybug and Chat Noir knew that this would be one battle that it would not be easy to win. But that was not going to deter them from fighting her. They both knew that the tighter the jam they managed to get themselves into, the better, because that would force them to use their heads to come up with a fool-proof solution to get out of it. They were about to tell the Akuma that they were there to take care of her, when they realized she was gone.
"Hey, where did she go?!" -Ladybug asked, as she looked for Mind Void. –"Does anyone have eyes on her?" she asked the others.
"That's another one of her tricks. She's able to disappear and reappear, whenever she wants to." -Carapace pointed out.
"I can see that we might be in way over our heads in this." -Ladybug said.
"Hey, what's with all the people on the street?" -Flamingo asked, as she noticed there were numerous people standing on the street, about 50 meters from them.
Reptile had managed to activate the fire alarms on most buildings on that street, and was making its way towards the following street, to activate even more of those. As he did it, the inhabitants of each building began to leave them. Some were still in their everyday clothes, while others were already on their pyjamas. Some were by themselves, while others were holding on to their kids, and other were holding on to their pets. They had all heard the fire alarm, assumed the worst and exited into the street. Little did they know that they were all walking into a trap set by Hawk Moth's lieutenants.
With new targets, Mind Void wasted no time in attacking the helpless citizens that had left the safety of their houses, due to Reptile's trick to get them out in the open. Ignoring the heroes, she wasted no time in targeting everyone she saw. Just like it happened with every other Akuma, she just could not resist in attacking other people that were not the heroes.
The people who realized what was going on, tried to run from her, but she was just too fast. In a matter of seconds, there were dozens of people, curled up on the suffering anxiety and panic attacks, courtesy of Mind Void.
"Look out, it's an Akuma!"
"Run!"
"Feel my pain." -Mind Void said in a gloomy voice, as she fired several energy beams, or as Ladybug would later call them "Anxiety Beams", hitting numerous people. –"Everyone must know the extent of my suffering…" -she spoke in a voice, even gloomier than before.
It did not take long for chaos to spread like wildfire. Just like it happened when an Akuma appeared, there were those who could not help but to stick around to see the action, the same way moths were attracted towards the light. And then, there were those who would run as fast as their feet allowed them, seeking a safe place to hide. Many tried to go back into their buildings, even if the fire alarm was on, which they did not know had been a false alarm to get them out of their houses. But even that did not help them, as Mind Void manifested one more power of hers: creating small creatures with red eyes, creepy fangs and claws, and that were made out of smoke. These attacked the civilians, and just like Mind Void, these also caused people to have anxiety and panic attacks, as well as cases of pure depression.
Seeing what was happening, the heroes quickly ran towards the commotion to try and help anyone they could.
"Carapace…" -Ladybug said.
"No need to say anything else, boss lady. A set of protective energy shields, coming right up!" -Carapace said, as he used his powers.
Creating several energy shields, the heroes hoped to keep the civilians safe from Mind Void and the creatures she had created. Unfortunately, they found out that unlike what happened with Hawk Pawns and other creatures created by the Akumas, these could pass right through the shields. And they were not the only ones. Mind Void was also able to do it, by transforming herself into smoke, and go right through them, as if it was nothing. Seeing this, the heroes could not believe their own eyes.
"You've got to be kidding us!" -Corbeau Noire said, shocked.
"It's impossible. Nothing can pass through my shields!" -Carapace said, astounded and shocked by what he had just seen.
"Well, now it seems like there is something that can pass through your shields, bro." -Chat Noir stated in a grimly tone.
This was a first for all of them. Until then, nothing had been able to go through one of Carapace's energy shields. But that had changed. For the first time, an Akuma and its creations had been able to go through shields, making its use pointless.
"This is getting worst by the minute." -Ladybug said.
"More like worst by the second, that's what." -Corbeau Noire said.
"And the worst part is that there's no sign of Arachnid, anywhere." -Carapace sighed, clearly worried.
"Arachnid?! You mean he's here too?" -Chat Noir asked him.
"The two of us arrived, just in time to save them from Reptile's clutches." -Carapace said, pointing to Flamingo and Corbeau Noire. –"But I haven't seen him, since he took them to a safe place to rest." -he admitted. –"I'm starting to think that something bad must have happened to him."
"Then, there's only one thing left to do. I'll go look for him, while you get people away from Mind Void." -Chat Noir said, volunteering himself for the job.
"Go for it!" -Ladybug said. –"And be careful." -she told him.
"You too, bugaboo." -Chat Noir told her, as he went looking for Arachnid.
As Chat left, Ladybug tried to figure what they ought to do. It was imperative for them to save as many people as possible from Mind Void and her smoke creatures. But it was also imperative to find a way to stop them. She did not know how they were going to stop them, but she knew they could not just stand still and hope for a miracle.
"Spread out and get people to safety!" -Ladybug ordered them. –"And be careful. Don't let those things, or Mind Void, touch you or hit you." -she begged them.
"Alright." -Flamingo said. –"You be careful too." -she told her, before using her powers to create several duplicates of herself.
"Need a hand?!" -a voice was heard. And that voice belonged to none other than Rena Rouge, who landed behind Ladybug and the rest of the heroes.
"Foxy fox!" -Carapace exclaimed. Seeing his girlfriend there, put a smile on his face, as he did not expect to see her
"Hey, turtle boy!" -Rena Rouge –"Sorry if I'm running a little late, but I had to make sure that my parents and my sisters thought I went to bed a little earlier. Anyways, what's the sitch?" -she asked them, quoting Kim Possible.
"Follow me, and I'll tell you everything, as we go. Come on!" -Carapace told her, as he charged into the battlefield.
As Ladybug lead Carapace and the others into a rescue mission, another one was also in progress. Chat Noir did not know where Arachnid was or what had happened to him, but he had a bad feeling that whatever the reason was he had not shown up after leaving Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, it had to be a good one. Like everyone else on the Miraculous Team, Arachnid was not the kind of person to just disappear, when he knew the others might need him. Scouting the area, he looked for any kind of signal that the spider hero was nearby. Trying to get a better look at his surroundings, he climbed to the top of a building. While doing it, he saw three more of his teammates arriving to help. Grizzly Bear, Antelope and Panda Roux. Smiling to himself, he knew that with the three of them, they stood a better chance in defeating Mind Void.
"The cavalry has arrived." -Chat Noir thought to himself. –"And just in the nick of time. We're going to need everyone's help to beat this Akuma. Because we can't rely on Nino's energy shields to protect us this time, we'll all have to improvise ways to keep safe, while battling it. And if one of us gets hurt, at least we know that there will be more of us to take Mind Void on." -he thought.
But as much as those were good news, there was still no sign of Arachnid. Looking down, Chat hoped to find a sign that he was nearby. Still, he started to believe that he could not just on his eyes. Like it happened so many times, a person's eyes can be their greatest asset, but they could also be their greatest enemy. Relying too much on their eyes, and forget their remaining senses, was one mistake that people tended to do. And Chat had learned over the months that he had become a superhero, that relying only on his eyes, was something that should not happen. So, instead of relying on his eyes, he decided to rely on one of his other senses, which he knew was more useful than his sight, in a situation like that; his earing. Just like it happened with all of his teammates, he kept training both his body and his senses for all kinds of situations. And that situation required him to use his earing, to help him locate Arachnid. If he was nearby, his ears would find him, through the noise he made, while moving and fighting. Every one of the heroes moved differently, and by doing so, made a specific kind of sound. Closing his eyes, he hoped to find his teammate, and if needed, to help him. There were numerous noises, all of them different, and he was looking for a specific one.
"No, that's not you. That's Alya… I recognize the whooshing sound of her flute-staff." -Chat thought to himself, as he continued to listen to his surroundings. –"Let's see… no, that's not you either. That's Kim. I recognize the way his feet touch the ground, when he's running." -he thought, focusing harder. –"No… no… no… wait! That must be him!"
Among the chaos and cacophony that was going on, Chat Noir heard a distinctive sound, which told him that Arachnid was close. And the sound was the distinctive sound of his lasso, wrapping itself around something large, before he launched it at a target. Hearing it closely, he also recognized the sound of a huge war hammer going through a wall of bricks. It did not take Chat long to figure out that his friend had run into Brutus, and that he could use his help.
"I'm coming, Max!" -Chat Noir thought, as he launched himself from the building's ledge.
The fight between Arachnid and Brutus had taken an interesting turn. The spider hero wanted to take him out of the picture as fast as he could, so he could go and help out with the Akuma. So, instead of fighting him out in the open, Arachnid decided to drag him inside what he perceived was an abandoned building. He hoped that because of Brutus' massive size, it would be harder for him to move inside a closed and dark space, thus giving him the advantage. What he did not count on, was Brutus deciding on clearing ground, and using his war hammer to do so. In the dark, the noises he made sounded like those of a runaway locomotive. Destroying every wall and door that stood in his way, Brutus tried to do the same with Arachnid. Arachnid himself dodged most of Brutus' attempts to crush him, but was caught by the hammer, a few times. The latest of these, he was hit with such a force, that he went through one of the building's exterior wall, punching a hole in it. The impact was quite strong, but not enough to make him blackout. As he was falling into the ground, Arachnid shot his lasso at a streetlamp, and used it to gain balance and spring back inside the building, through the hole he had made. Landing in front of Brutus, who was still holding the was hammer, he was forced to once more dodge one of his attacks.
"You are starting to get tired. I can see that." -Brutus said, as he threw his was hammer against Arachnid, who dodged it, by a nose.
"Y-Yeah… I don't know if I punched you in the head a little too hard a couple of minutes ago, but you're imagining things." -Arachnid shot at him. –"He's right. I'm starting to get a little bit tired. He's not giving me a single second to catch my breath. I'm faster than he is, but he's able to keep up with me quite well." -he thought to himself. –"I can do this… all day."
"You're not a very good liar." -Brutus shot back at him. –"I can see the first signs of exhaustion in the way you position yourself." -he said, as dropped his war hammer, and pulled out a long sword from his chest. –"Now, let's finish this! And don't worry, when I defeat you and get your miraculous, I'll be sure to give you a warrior's funeral. It's the least I can do for a fellow warrior."
"Fat chance, Brutus. It'll be a cold day in Hell, when either you or any of your compadres, defeat me, or get my miraculous." -Arachnid told him, readying himself to attack again.
But before Arachnid or Brutus began to attack one another again, a black figure entered through the hole that Arachnid made when it was thrown against the wall, destroying it, and went straight for Brutus' face, attacking him. And that black figure was Chat Noir, who with a mighty Cataclysm, hit Brutus and sent him flying over the living room, before landing on what was left of an old empty bookshelf.
"Mind if I cut in?" -Chat Noir asked Brutus, as he landed on the floor.
"You know I could handle him, right?" -Arachnid asked Chat.
"Of course, I know. But I figured that a little help wouldn't hurt." -Chat said.
"I'll have your head, along with you miraculous, for interrupting my fight against your friend!" -Brutus threatened the feline hero, as he got up and grabbed the sword, which had landed next to him.
"You want my head and my miraculous? Well, let me just tell you this: It will never happen, man." -Chat Noir told him, in an amused tone. –"I mean, would you really want to deprive the world of me? My fans, especially the girls, would never forgive you." -he joked.
"You joke, but we will see if you keep joking like that, once I finish you off." -Brutus said, as he dashed towards him and Arachnid, ready to turn them into shish kebab.
Dodging Brutus' initial frontal attack, Chat Noir and Arachnid made use of that room's dilapidated furniture to keep Hawk Moth's lieutenant at bay. Throwing everything they could lay their hands on, while also using their weapons, the two heroes worked together to keep Brutus at bay, as he tried to get them with his long sword.
"So, Carapace sent you to look for me?" -Arachnid asked him.
"Actually, it was Ladybug who sent me to look for you, after Carapace said that you had failed to show up." -Chat Noir confessed. –"And quite honestly, I think you're needed out there, more than I do, thanks to your abilities with your lasso." -he said.
"You think?" -Arachnid asked, as he threw the pieces of a broken chair at Brutus, which he preceded to block with his free arm.
"I do. You better get going and help out with the civilians." -Chat Noir advised him, while dodging Brutus' left fist.
"Alright. But are you sure you can handle this idiot?" -Arachnid asked, as he kicked Brutus on the abdomen.
"Yeah, no sweat. Go and help the others. Things are a little hectic outside, if you happened to not notice it, while you were fighting this idiot. Also, whatever you do, don't let the Akuma touch you or hit you with one of its energy beams. And the same thing goes for the creatures it spawned." -Chat Noir warned Arachnid. –"I'll take care of this brute… pun intended." –he smirked at Arachnid, who smirked back at him.
"Okay, but try not to get clobbered by this guy." -Arachnid said. –"I think I've softened him enough for you." -he joked. –"See you in a bit. And try not to take too long."
Seeing him trying to leave, Brutus threw the sword in an attempt to get him. But Arachnid managed to dodge it, and quickly escaped through the hole in the wall. Cursing his luck, Brutus told himself that he would not allow Chat Noir to escape as well.
"Sorry, but I guess you'll just have to settle with me. Prepare to taste my Cataclysm, yet again, Brutus." -Chat Noir said, as he activated his special power and a smirk showed up on his face.
Flying over the city, Queen Bee was carrying Louve Grise in her arms, as they tried to get to the neighbourhood in the 14th arrondissement where Mind Void had showed up. Louve still tried, once again, make her reconsider her decision to go and fight the Akuma, but Queen Bee was determined to help the rest of the team, and make use of the rage she had inside her, to help defeat the Akuma.
"I wonder what kind of Akuma has showed up?" -Queen Bee asked.
"According to the messages I saw in the Miraculous Blog, before we transformed, we already have a name for the Akuma. It's Mind Void. If its name is any indication, it probably means its powers got to do with mind powers or something." -Louve Grise answered her.
When she told her that, the bee heroine thought that if she was right about it, then, the state of mind in which she was, would make her an easy target for the Akuma. But she quickly put those thoughts aside, believing that whatever the Akuma threw at her, she would be able to handle it.
"I really wish you had given me a minute or two, to watch the videos that were already uploaded into Youtube, showing how the Akuma looks like and what kind of powers it has." -Louve Grise told her.
"Sorry, but something tells me that we need to get there, on the double." -Queen Bee declared. –"Don't ask me how I know that we need to get there fast. I just know." -she said.
Looking her in the eyes, Louve Grise could tell that the bee heroine was determined to go and help the team. And it was not hard for her to imagine why she wanted to do that. All of them had been incredibly supportive of her, and for her, that was the best thing they could have done. Also, she wanted
"Don't worry. We'll get there on time to help them." -Louve Grise smiled at her.
"I hope so." -Queen Bee said.
"Trust me. We will." -Louve Grise said, as she continued to stare at her.
"Uh, Sabrina… it's not that I don't like you looking me in the eyes, but you don't have keep staring at me like that." -Queen Bee told her, wondering why her best-friend was staring at her.
"Sorry. It's just that we're so high that… I'm afraid that if I look down, I might faint." -Louve Grise admitted. Without realizing it, Queen Bee had climbed up higher than she wanted.
"Oh, crud! I didn't realize we were this high up in the sky. Sorry, Sabrina." -Queen Bee apologized to her. –"I'm already so used to fly up at this altitude, that I didn't even notice it. But don't worry, I'll get us down in a jiffy." -she said, as she began to descend slowly.
"Thanks, Chloe." -Louve Grise smiled. –"After all this time, it still amazes me how much Chloe changed. She's always saying she's lucky in have all of us, as friends. But it's us, who are lucky in having a friend like her." -she thought to herself.
Swinging down the street, Arachnid saw with his own eyes that Chat Noir was not kidding, when he said that things were a little hectic. Everywhere he looked, he saw someone in need of help. And so, he decided to help. Swinging between buildings, he grabbed two civilians at the time, and quickly climbed a building's wall to the top, where he would leave them in safety. And that also included those who had already been victims of Mind Void or her smoke creatures.
"I wish I could do more." -Arachnid thought to himself, as he grabbed two old ladies which had been touched by one of the smoke creatures, moments earlier. –"But getting you to safety will just have to do. Still, don't worry. Up here you'll be safe. Those things don't seem to go up there in search of victims." -he thought, as he started to climb up the wall.
And he was not the only one who had decided to take civilians to the top of buildings, where they would be safe. As he was climbing the wall, with another person who had been touched by one of the smoke creatures, he saw one of Flamingo's copies, or even perhaps the real flamingo flying upwards and carrying a person to a safe location. Once he reached the top, it was great joy that he saw a familiar face, who greeted him.
"Hey, there! Where were you, man?" -Antelope asked Arachnid.
"Let's just say that I got side-tracked. I'll tell you everything later." -Arachnid answered him, as he placed the victim on the floor. –"What about you? How long have you been here?" -he asked him, curious.
"I arrived a couple of minutes ago with Grizzly and Panda." -Antelope said. –"Don't know exactly what we're dealing here, but I figured that getting people to safety is one of the things we need to do." -he said.
"And you figured it out correctly." -Max said. –"We've got to get people off the streets and your speed and ability to jump super high is just what we need." -he said, as he looked down on the street, and saw that Grizzly Bear and Panda Roux were in need of help. –"But first, we better go and give them a hand."
Following Arachnid, Antelope jumped from the building's rooftop, making its way towards the ground, where Panda Roux and Grizzly Bear were trying to keep the smoke creatures at bay, having seen what happened when one of them touched a person. Just like it happened with Carapace, he too quickly found out that whatever he created to protect himself and others, the creatures would just go through them. Still, that did not prevent him from sketching small drones and bringing them to life to try and keep the creatures away from them. As for Grizzly, he had broken a street lamp and was using it as a fly-swatter to destroy the creatures, at a safe distance.
Seeing what was happening, Antelope figured that they needed a little break, and because the creatures were seemingly made out of smoke, he hypothesized that if there was enough wind, they would not be able to get close to them. And so, as he touched the ground, he started running in a circle around his teammates, creating a wall of wind
"Go ahead, take a break! I'll keep these things away from us." -Antelope said, as he continued to sprint around them.
Antelope's quick footsteps muffled the noise of what was happening on the street, but not all of it. They could still hear some of the creatures grumbling, as well as some people screaming. From the four of them, none of them had seen the Akuma yet. They had only seen the creatures that she had created. But even if they had not seen it, they could tell that the whole situation was bad. Just thinking about it, most would go insane. But not for Arachnid. For him, all that chaos and buzzing, combined with the chance of not coming out alive from all that, was like a catalyst for his brain. And it was like that, in the midst of all that chaos, that he realized something he had not realized until then. Something that had not crossed his mind. Something that could turn the table in their favour.
"Guys, I may have just realized one thing." -Arachnid said. –"We may be dealing with another patient from that hospital, from where the guy that was akumatized into Ifrit, was also a patient." -he pointed out.
"What makes you say that?" -Panda Roux asked him.
"When I was fighting Brutus, he said something that stuck with me. He said: "After what she did to the hospital staff, she'll have no trouble doing the same thing to you and your companions." -Arachnid said. –"Also, whenever Akumas spawn creatures similar to themselves, these usually mirror their own feelings, behaviours and obsessions. And these creatures that are spawning from her seem to be complaining that they are in pain and that they want to share their pain with everyone else. Everyone that either the Akuma or these creatures touch or hit with one of those energy rays, starts experiencing a severe anxiety or panic attack." -he explained. –"If you put two and two together you get…"
"Someone who definitely needs a shrink." -Antelope ended Arachnid's sentence, as he continued to speed in circles around them. –"What? It wasn't a joke. It was just an observation." -he said, after the spider hero, Panda Roux and Grizzly Bear raised him an eye.
"Even if it's someone with psychiatric issues, what good does it do for us?" -Panda Roux asked him.
"It means we can try to reason with her and try to get her to stop doing it." -Arachnid said. –"I know, I know, it's a long shot, but who knows?" -he asked them.
"I don't know. I mean, we were never able to reason with an Akuma." -Grizzly Bear said.
"Yeah, but none of the Akumas we've faced until now, were like this one. I don't know why, but she seems like she's in pain. She doesn't take any joy in hurting people. It's almost like she feels sorry for doing it." -Arachnid said. –"She's like the opposite of how an Akuma behaves." -he stated. –"Besides, what do we have to lose?"
"Our lives?" -Antelope asked him, in a sarcastic tone.
"True. But that comes with the territory." -Panda Roux said. –"I don't see why we shouldn't give it a try." -he said. –"Who knows? It might work."
"It's so crazy that it might just work." -Grizzly Bear pointed out.
"Then, should I go and tell the others about this plan?" -Antelope asked them. –"I'm not exactly happy with it, but who knows? Max and his big noggin usually come up with ideas and plans that work." -he thought to himself.
"Let them focus on what they are doing now. The four of us can handle this." -Arachnid said.
After she saved a couple and their young daughter from one of the smoke creatures spawned from Mind Void, Ladybug took a moment to evaluate the situation, and see what she could do next. When she arrived, things already looked complicated. But as she looked down on the street, she realized that complicated did not even begin to describe how things looked then.
"I don't know how, but things are starting to spiral out of control." -Ladybug thought to herself. –"The good news is that we can touch and destroy those creatures. But the bad news is that we can't touch Mind Void without getting an anxiety attack, or falling into sudden depression." -she thought.
She and part of the team had learned that, when Rena Rouge showed up, ready to fight and was touched by Mind Void, who placed her hands over the fox heroine's shoulders. In a matter of seconds, her brain was filled with all sorts of negative thoughts and she began to cry, such hard was the case of depression in her. If it had not been for Ladybug and Carapace, who were near her, Mind Void would have hurt Rena and gotten her miraculous, without much fuss.
"Thankfully, we were there to help Alya. I don't even want to think what would have happened if we weren't." -Ladybug thought to herself. –"How are we even going to stop an Akuma that can't be touched? It can't be done… no! I won't believe in that! I can't believe in that. There has to be a way. We just haven't been able to find it." -she told herself.
Hoping to find out where she was needed the most, Ladybug caught eye of a situation where her presence was required. Chat Noir was battling Brutus, but things were not going so well for the black cat hero. They started to fight inside the abandoned building, where Arachnid had attracted him to, but they did not stay inside the building for long. Seeing Chat being used as a punching bag, told her that he needed some help.
"Don't worry, Adrien, I'm coming." -Ladybug thought to herself, just as she launched her yo-yo and used it as a grappling hook to follow Chat Noir and Brutus, as they continued to fight.
On the ground, Chat Noir had just been thrown over a car, and landed on the ground. He tried to get up, but Brutus did not even give him the chance to do it. He was determined to not let him get away like Arachnid did. Right then, the only weapons he was using were his bare fists, and he believed that would suffice to finish the job. He did not want to admit it, but he was becoming tired of Chat Noir. He had mocked him, prevented him from killing Arachnid in fair combat.
Chat tried to punch him, but Brutus grabbed his hand, along with his arm and tossed him once more. This time, instead of tossing him into the ground, he tossed him inside of a closed coffee shop, breaking the door open. When he hit the ground, Chat passed out from the impact. Shortly after, when he entered the coffee shop, Brutus saw him lying on the ground. At first, he believed that he had killed Chat Noir, but when he saw him breathing, he realized that he was still alive.
"There. I guess that is enough." -Brutus said, as he looked down on Chat's unconscious body. –"As much as I do not wish to admit it, you were a formidable adversary. Even if you were also a pain in the neck. I'm sure my master would want you to suffer, before killing you. But myself, I believe that a warrior deserves a quick and clean death, which is exactly what awaits you." -he said, when he felt something wrapping itself around his arms and chest.
"Oh, no you, don't!" -Ladybug exclaimed at Brutus. –"You're not going to get his miraculous tonight, Brutus. Not if I have anything to say about it!" -she warned him, before pulling her yo-yo, making the brute fall on his back.
"I… I don't know what's with you heroes. Why do you attack an enemy from behind?!" -Brutus asked her, as he tried to free himself.
"Says the guy who's using his adversary as a punching bag!" -Ladybug shot back at him.
Rolling over, Brutus quickly got up. Still unable to move his arms, thanks to the yo-yo's string around him, and knowing Ladybug did not intend to release him, he decided to charge against her. But the scarlet heroine saw it coming, and just as he was about to hit her, she jumped over him and yanked the yo-yo, making him go against a pillar. Hitting it with his head, Brutus fell again on his back, landing hard on the ground. The difference between this time, and the previous one, was that this time, he became unconscious. Checking on him, to see if he was faking, or if he was truly unconscious, she sighed out of relief, knowing that she would not have to worry about him attacking her again.
"Do me a favour and don't get up." -Ladybug told him. –"And now, let's check in on Adrien…" -she thought to herself, when she felt a sharp pain on her right arm.
It took Ladybug a second to realize that she had been cut on the arm and that she was bleeding. Instinctively, her hand reached for the injury, and she squeezed it, trying to stop the bleeding. But before she could ask herself who had done that to her, someone wheel kicked her, making her land on her back. Looking down on her, with a sadistic smile on his face, Reptile had been the one who did that to her.
"Surprise, girly!" -Reptile scorned at the girl, as she once again wrapped her right hand over the stab wound on her left arm, trying to stop the bleeding. –"Guess I'm going to finish what I started the other time." -he said, referring to his encounter with her, during Hot Tamale's rampage.
Reptile had surprised Ladybug. Like a snake, he had closed in on her, while she was busy checking in on Brutus, and like the slithering snake he was, he cut her and threw her into the floor. Because she thought that only she, Brutus and Chat Noir were inside that coffee shop, and was so focused on what she was doing, it never occurred to her that someone might enter it, while she was distracted and attack her. And more importantly, she never thought that that someone could be Reptile, whom she had not yet seen that night.
"Now, let me ask you something. How do you want to die? Slow as a snail? Or fast as a shooting star? Doesn't make a difference to me." -Reptile told her. –"As long as I get to see you bleed, I don't really care." -he laughed maliciously.
But just like Ladybug, Reptile made a mistake as well. The lizard man was so focused on her and on how he was going to kill her and retrieve her miraculous, that he failed to realize that Chat Noir had regained consciousness, picked himself up and was running towards him. Only when he heard the word "Cataclysm", did the lizard man realized his mistake, and by then, it was already too late. Sinking his claws into Reptile's chest and face, Chat Noir released his trademark attack on him. The result was one that even a child could predict. Reptile screamed in agony, before Chat Noir hit him in the abdomen with a rotating kick, sending him
"Don't you even dare touch her with your filthy paws, Reptile!" -Chat Noir yelled at the lizard man. –"I swear to you, that if you touch her again, I'll skin you alive, you hear me?!" he threatened him.
"Oh, the little kitty wants to die for love." -Reptile said, as he spit out another tooth. –"That's the second tooth tonight. I'm going to gut this kid!" -he thought to himself, furious, as he picked himself up and stared him in the eyes. –"Well, if you want to die before she does, that's fine with me. As long as I get to gut you two like fishes and get your miraculouses, I don't care who dies first, and who dies last."
"Wrap this around your arm, milady." -Chat Noir said, as he removed his belt-tail and threw it at Ladybug, who caught it. –"I'll be with you in a second. I just need to teach this guy what happens, when he messes with one of us." -he said.
"You talk big, but let's see if you can keep up with me." -Reptile said, as he pointed his switchblade at Chat Noir.
"As if that was hard." -Chat Noir mocked him, in a sarcastic tone.
"I'm going to rip that smirk off your face." -Reptile warned him, as he charged over him.
"Bring it on, lizard lips." -Chat Noir told him.
Due to the beating that he had received from Brutus, Chat Noir's body felt like it was in agony. But that did not prevent him from trying to teach Reptile a lesson, after he hurt his girlfriend. It just made him slower than usual. Even so, he was still fast enough to fight Reptile, who kept trying to cut him with his switchblade.
After wrapping Chat's belt-tail around her wound, and stop the bleeding, Ladybug stepped back, and waited for Chat to take down Reptile. The cut that he had tone to her arm was not incredibly serious, but it still hurt, and she knew that if she tried to force it, it would only make it worse. She needed medical help, and the only one who could help her right then, was Carapace. But with her arm like that, there was no way she would be able to get to him on her own. She needed Chat to take her to the turtle hero, wherever he was. But that would only be possible, once he took care of Reptile, and the worst part was that she was in no condition to help him.
Chairs, tables and other kinds of objects kept flying through the air, as the two adversaries continued to fight each other. Right then, Chat Noir was winning, after landing a couple of blows on Reptile. But the lizard man had also managed to deliver a few blows, as well as cutting his left leg, just above the knee.
Chat knew that he had to finish that fight quickly. His previous fight against Brutus had taken a lot out of him. Just like Ladybug, he knew that only with the help of Carapace and his healing powers, would he be able to continue to push himself that night. But to find him, he had to get rid of Reptile first. Dodging him, Chat placed himself behind Reptile and kicked him in the back, sending him flying over the counter. From the sound he made, Chat believed that he had hit his head, and was most likely down for the count. But know just how hard Hawk Moth's lieutenants were, he waited to see if he came out from behind the counter. Seconds looked like hours, as Chat waited for Reptile to show his ugly mug again, and he began to believe that he was out cold. But that did not happen. Getting up, Reptile glared at Chat Noir for throwing him like that. And in a desperate move, he threw against the feline hero a tank of CO2 that he found beneath the counter, which Chat used his Cataclysm on. Unfortunately, this turned out to be an incredibly bad move, as when the Cataclysm obliterated the tank, this one exploded right in his face. Besides sending him against a pillar, and Reptile and Ladybug against a wall, the explosion made the whole place tremble, and on the ceiling, cracks began to open, signalling that a large chunk of it could come down, at any given second.
Seeing the part of the ceiling above Chat beginning to cave in, Ladybug's body was taken over by instinct and propelled her to do the only thing she had been trained to do in that kind of situation: save her boyfriend and teammate.
"Chat!" -Ladybug yelled, as she jumped and pushed the feline hero out of the way.
Pushing her boyfriend out of the way, Ladybug felt like a jolt of electricity coursing through her arms, before feeling a pile of rubble falling on top of her. The whole thing happened in a split second, but to her, it felt like everything happened in slow-motion. The pain she was in, made her wish she would blackout. The last thing she saw, before closing her eyes was Chat laying on the ground, unconscious. She tried to open her eyes again, but it was like her eyes did not obey her. In fact, none of her muscles responded. Still, trying to ignore the pain, she told herself that she needed to open her eyes. But when she did, something unexpected happened.
"What's this?! I feel so lightheaded… considering that I just had a wall falling on top of me, I wasn't expecting that." -Ladybug asked herself, as she looked at herself and noticed that she could see through her hands and arms. –"Wait a moment… why can I see through my hands and arms?! And why am I floating in the air?! Oh, my gosh! I'm dead!" -she screamed, as she looked down, and saw her body, lying on the ground, with lots of rubble on top of it.
I bet you weren't expecting this, now were you? Is Ladybug really dead? Or is something else happening to her? We'll have to wait, and see what happens next. (evil laughter).
First of all, I want to apologize to you all for taking a little longer than usual to update, but this chapter was a bit complicated. It wasn't supposed to be this long, but I got a little carried away and the chapter ended up being bigger than I expected it. i'm enjoying writing Mind Void, even though she still hasn't had the chance to fully shine. Hopefully, that will happen on the following chapter. I also decided to focus the action on one or two characters that usually don't have the chance to shine, like Max. It was fun writing a couple of bits with him as the main character.
Also, last week, I found out that one of my fics from this saga, the "Miraculous Team: Halloween Madness" was stolen by another person, and posted on Watpad as its own, without giving me any credit for it. Since then, myself and a few other people have reported this to Watpad and the fic has been taken down, and the person has been notified about it. I am not going to name the person who did this, because I don't feel there's a need to name a person who's a thief, and who stole from me, because tha'ts just giving it a reason for people to go and check out its page. I must thank guyontheinternet101, who found out about this and warned me. Thank you for doing it. This was the first time one of my fanfics was stolen, and I have to say that I don't know how to feel about it. On one end, I feel outraged by this kind of behaviour. But on the other, I feel impressed that somoene thought that my stuff was good enough to steal it and post it as their own...
But anyways, it doesn't matter. It's in the past now. What matters is that I need to focus on continuing to write this saga.
In other news, we had a couple of reveals from season 4, which will premiere in Germany in three weeks. I have to say that I'm impressed with what I've seen, and I already had a couple of people asking me if I intend to write the new Queen Bee (or whatever her name might be) into this saga of mine, and the answer is no. Chloe will continue to be Queen Bee in my AU, and that's that. As for the character herself, who knows, she might become a part of the story in the future, but not as the holder of the bee miraculous, and even less as Chloe's replacement. There's just no need for that, because my Chloe is a lot nicer. And as for Ladybug's new outfit, I intend to add it to the story as well, but not as her main outfit. You will see what i have planned for it, when the time comes.
As for the next chapter, I'll start working on it, as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this and other future fics.
P.S. And before I forget, this chapter is dedicated to my younger brother, Jorge, who today celebrates his 32nd birthday (even with this age, he's still acts like a little kid sometimes, and that's one of the reasons why I love him so much. And perhaps, that's the reason why the two of us get along so well, even if we do tend to try and kill each other from time to time., xD). Happy birthday, man.