A lot of Chat Noir in this chapter, but there will be plenty of Ladybug in the next.
Disclaimer: (put previous disclaimer here).
Chapter 15: Evillustrator, Part 2
Chat Noir jumped when his baton rang.
"My lady?" He answered.
Ladybug's face appeared. Chat Noir could tell by the background that she was leaping over the rooftops, heading towards the hotel.
"Evillustrator is on the move, heading your way," Ladybug said.
"Is Marinette - the girl he was with - okay?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug nodded. "Don't worry. She, er, she wasn't with him that long. I made sure of that." She didn't sound that sure, but Chat Noir didn't have time to think about it.
"Is that Ladybug?" Chloé asked, leaning over the back of the couch and waving enthusiastically at the screen.
"Hi Chloe." Ladybug's greeting sounded almost like a sigh. "Listen, you need to go hide somewhere, so me and Chat Noir can handle this."
"Handle Nathaniel? Hardly a struggle."
"Still, it's better if you stay safe," Ladybug replied. "We don't want anything to happen to you. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Chloe nodded. "Anything for you, Ladybug. I'll be in my closet."
"I'll do my best with the lighting," Chat Noir added. "See you soon."
Ladybug landed in the dark hotel room only seconds after Evillustrator. He and Chat Noir were already facing off, with Evillustrator standing between the two superheroes.
"It's over," she declared, throwing her yo-yo at him. He easily dodged, and a second later an almost-perfect ball of light appeared in the room.
Ladybug scowled. That would make things a lot more difficult.
Evillustrator scribbled something on his pad, and a giant fan appeared between Ladybug and Chat Noir, facing Ladybug. It switched on, and Ladybug was swept off her feet and pushed back threw the window. She threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around something in the hotel room, but couldn't pull herself in until Chat Noir stopped the fan with his baton.
Evillustrator drew a wall in front of the hotel room, and Ladybug face-planted. The wall cut her yo-yo string, which shouldn't be possible, andLadybug had nothing to hold onto, and could only try to land as elegantly on the pavement below.
She landed, and something went snap. Pain shot up her right leg, where most of her weight went when she landed.
"No no no no no no," Ladybug muttered. She couldn't afford a broken ankle.
Chat Noir dodged another feather duster as he ran out into the hallway, but he still sneezed. Apparently, this time around, Hawkmoth had remembered his lovely allergy to feathers. So now, he was being attacked by feathers. Again.
Chat Noir slammed open the door to a (thankfully) empty hotel room, with Evillustrator casually strolling behind him. The world seemed to tilt, and Chat Noir was sent sliding into the wall.
Recovering quickly, Chat Noir sent one-half of his baton flying towards Evillustrator, but it was erased midair.
"Hey," Chat Noir argued. "That's just not fair."
Evillustrator said nothing, and just scribbled again. The floor disappeared under Chat Noir, and he fell down to the next floor.
The landing hurt, but he had no time to moan about it, because a thousand bricks began falling down. Chat Noir used his baton as a shield, sending the bricks flying around the hotel room.
Evillustrator peered down into his hole, and Chat Noir extended his baton and hit him right in the chin. Rising up into the higher hotel room, Chat Noir wasted no time before attempting a swipe at Evillustrator's pad, but even with the momentary distraction Evillustrator still dodged.
Chat Noir tried to step closer, but something pulled on his leg. He looked down to see his foot trapped in some kind of chain.
After the Bubbler, Chat Noir knew he would just get stuck again if he used the cataclysm, so he forced himself not to use it.
Evillustrator grinned. "Your miraculous?"
"Never," Chat Noir growled. Evillustrator scribbled, and a spike fell from above. Chat Noir could barely dodge the spike, as restricted as he was by the chains. Another, and Chat Noir backed up into the first spike. He was trapped, and with nowhere to go, a third spike fell from the sky.
And froze inches from his face.
"Now, will you hand over the miraculous?"
Chat Noir's heart hammered. That spike looked sharp. But he still shook his head.
No.
Evillustrator's face wavered for a moment, and Chat Noir realized he probably didn't want to send that spike down, but Hawkmoth's mask appeared and the wavering disappeared.
"Last chance," Evillustrator said.
"No," Chat Noir replied.
"So be it." Evillustrator reaches for his pad, hand shaking.
Chat Noir closed his eyes and hoped for a miracle.
But luck wasn't on their side, so he would have to create his own miracle.
"Wait," Chat Noir said. He pretended to scratch his ankle.
Evillustrator paused. "Changed your mind?"
"No, just wanted to say one last word," Chat Noir replied. "Cataclysm!"
The cataclysm spread down through the chain and the floor gave out. Evillustrator yelped as he found himself falling. Chat Noir tossed his baton as his fell, knocking Evillustrator's drawing hand away. Unfortunately, he held onto the pen, but hopefully his hand was a little bruised and a little slower now.
Chat Noir landed roughly but uninjured. He stood up and was moving before Evillustrator got a chance to draw anything, and reached to grab his baton. But by that time, Evillustrator was up, and when Chat Noir's hand brushed the ground a chain appeared around it.
His forward momentum caused his body to tug against the chain, and Chat Noir felt his wrist snap in the motion.
Using his other hand to catch him, he managed to lower himself back to the position where he was caught.
"Ow," he muttered.
"Nice try," Evillustrator said. "But not good enough."
He stepped closer to Chat Noir, but Chat Noir kicked his ankle and sent him back a few steps.
"I can still fight," Chat Noir
said. A chain wrapped around his legs a second later. "Can you still fight now?" Evillustrator asked.
Chat Noir just growled.
His ring beeped, reminding him of how helpless he was now.
His only chance was with Ladybug.
Man, are cliffhangers fun to write...