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Chapter 4: Stoneheart, Part 2
Stoneheart raised his fist as the yoyo wrapped around his legs.
With a tug, Stoneheart face-planted into the ground.
Ladybug recalled her yoyou back to her as she landed next to Chat Noir.
"Ready to take him down?" Chat Noir asked, as Stoneheart struggled back to his feet.
"Ready," Ladybug replied.
And then everything went wrong.
Stoneheart reached for the nearest object to throw, and picked up one of the soccer goals. Overcome with a sense of Deja Vu, Ladybug turned around and spotted Alya near one of the exits. As Chat Noir pulled Ladybug out of the way of goal, Ladybug threw her yoyo at Alya, wrapped in around her waist, and pulled her out of the way.
A half-second later Stoneheart grabbed Ladybug and Chat Noir in his free hand, and Ladybug's yoyo was yanked from her hand.
A full second later and the goal crashed in where Alya had been a second ago.
"Go Super Red Bug!" Alya cheered.
"Did she call you that the first time around?" Chat Noir asked, squirming around to angle his baton some place useful.
"I think so," Ladybug answered. "Do you mind hurrying?"
"Trying to go as fast as I can," Chat Noir grumbled before letting out a victorious "Aha!"
His staff extended, pushing Stoneheart's hand open and dropping the two superheroes onto the ground.
"Now we just have to be picked up again in a position I can throw the earrings," Ladybug grumbled.
"Sounds like fun," Chat Noir replied.
Stoneheart pounded his fist into the ground, forcing Chat Noir and Ladybug to roll away.
Ladybug took the earrings she had grabbed from her room out of her yoyo - the only place in her superhero outfit she could really hide anything, and prepared to spring.
Meanwhile, Chat Noir kept Stoneheart distracted and Alya enthusiastically shot more video.
Stoneheart grabbed the other goal out of the ground, and Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around its post and attempted to yank it - and Stoneheart's arm - towards her.
Stoneheart pulled backwards and Ladybug found herself flying through the sky.
"Ow," she complained, rubbing her head where she landed. The goal crashed to the ground next to her.
Ladybug gritted her teeth, grabbed her yoyo and fake earrings, and stood up to Stoneheart again just as he reached down and grabbed Chat Noir again.
Perfect, Ladybug thought, watching the Hawk Moth mask appear over Stoneheart's eyes.
"Your miraculous," Stoneheart croaked. "Or the cat will be a pancake."
"Not very good villain dialogue," Chat Noir commented. "Have you tried making puns?"
Both Ladybug and Stoneheart ignored him.
"You want my miraculous?" Ladybug asked, raising her fist with the fake earrings. "Here, have it!"
Ladybug executed a beautiful throw, and watched as Stoneheart's eyes followed the earrings.
And as he dropped Chat Noir and not the akuma to catch them.
Chat Noir rolled out of the way and came up standing next to Ladybug. "Well, that didn't go to plan. Any other ideas?"
Ladybug frowned, trying to think. "If we can't get him to open his hand, then we have to find some way to force it."
"How would we do that?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug looked around. Like last time, there was a hose at her feet, but Alya wasn't near the faucet this time. So getting caught and turning it on wasn't going to work...
"What if we destroy the akuma another way, instead of stomping on it like we normally do?" Ladybug suggested.
"What do you mean?" Chat Noir asked.
"Well, the akuma's made of paper, right? What if we get it wet?" Ladybug explained.
Chat Noir frowned. "But didn't it turn to stone when Ivan was akumatised?"
"Did it?" Ladybug asked. "I don't remember."
"Still, if we get his hand wet, it will be slippery," Chat Noir said. "Maybe if it gets wet, I can slide my baton in."
Ladybug shook her head. "That would just make it harder. We need a different plan... do you think getting splashed in the face with water would make him bigger?"
Chat Noir grinned. "I doubt it. Would you like to do the honors?"
"Distract him," Ladybug replied, grabbing the end of the hose and darting over to the faucet to turn it on.
With a couple of near-hits, Chat Noir turned Stoneheart around to face Ladybug right as she turned the hose on.
The water hit him right in the face.
Stumbling backwards, Stoneheart raised both hands to shield his face. As he did so, his grip on the akuma lessened and the paper-turned-rock fell to the ground. Chat Noir used his baton to hit the rock towards Ladybug, and she smashed it under her foot.
And then the winds returned.
"Congratulations," The Unclocker greeted. "That's one marked off. Who would you like freed?"
Chat Noir looked at Ladybug for permission before speaking. "One of the service members first."
Ladybug bit her tongue to keep from commenting. She wanted her parents out of there, but part of her realized it wasn't a good idea to specify that in front of one of Hawk Moth's victims. So she stayed silent.
The Unclocker snapped her fingers, and one of the assistant cooks ran out in a hurry.
"Choose your next battle," she said.
"Any ideas?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug ran through a list of the earlier akumas in her head. Bubbler was dangerous, with all the adults floating so high in the sky, and Stormy Weather endangered Manon.
"Mr. Pigeon maybe?" Ladybug suggested. Chat Noir made a face but didn't argue.
"Chosen already?" The Unclocker questioned. "Well, let's hope it's a wise choice. Off you go."
This fight was short compared to what's coming next...