I can't believe how long this story has gotten!
Disclaimer: I do not own MLB*
Chapter 44: Kung Food, Part 2
Ladybug's mind was whirling as they rode up the elevator.
Chat Noir was watching her out of the corner of his eye, andLadybug could tell he was doubting his decision to tell her he knew. It was a question that she couldn't answer yet.
What she wanted to know was how he knew - and if anyone else could possibly make that connection. Not they could talk about that right now. They had an akuma to handle.
The elevator halted abruptly, just like it did last time, and Ladybug and Chat Noir fell into fighting poses. The doors opened, and the mayor stood in front of them. He spun one end of his sausage rope threateningly.
That's Kung Food's real power. Making someone like the mayor actually seem threatening.
Ladybug and Chat Noir ducked under the mayor, acting quicker than he could react, and sped down the hall. One thing they both had learned from the previous fight was that they needed a larger space.
Chat Noir kicked the door in and they entered a nicer suite. The mayor followed.
"Hey, I bet you don't know how to really use your weapon!" Ladybug called, stepping backwards so that the mayor would step under the chandelier. "Can you do this?"
She spun her yo-yo like last time, finishing it off with a spin over her head.
The mayor chuckled. "Why does it matter?"
"Well, it was worth a try," Chat Noir said next to her.
The mayor attacked, and Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged his initial swings. Chat Noir raised his baton to deflect an attack, and the sausage rope swung around the baton and pulled it from his hands. Chat Noir rolled after it, grabbing it only seconds after it hit the floor.
Ladybug glanced behind her, where the caramel was pouring outside of the window.
"I think I have an idea," Ladybug said. "Cover me!"
Chat Noir nodded, and dodged another on of the mayors attacks. Ladybug raced to the window, and with all her strength tried to open it. It only opened a little, but it was enough to bring some caramel in.
Unfortunately, some caramel got on her arm, and she ended up having to use her yo-yo to cut herself free from the caramel.
"Chat Noir!" She called.
Chat Noir looked up, and then nodded. In one smooth movement, he kicked the mayor in the chest and sent him flying into the caramel. The mayor tried but failed to escape.
"Nice thinking," Chat Noir said, walking up next to her.
"Yeah, but now I'm covered in caramel," Ladybug groaned. She touched it with her finger, and then found she couldn't remove the finger from her arm.
"You might have to detransform to get it off of you," Chat Noir said. "I'll cover you."
Ladybug nodded and hobbled over to the hallway bathroom, well away from the mayor. She opened the door with her none-stuck hand, and let he door close behind her.
"Spots off," she said, and to her relief, the caramel disappeared.
"You were sure in a sticky situation for a while there," Tikki said.
Marinette groaned. "Not you too."
Marinette fished out a macaroon her past self had brought with her, and handed it to Tikki. She splashed her face with water from the sink to help refresh herself.
"Chat Noir dropped quite a bomb on you," Tikki whispered.
Marinette nodded. "Yeah, he did. What do you want think about it?"
"It's safest if no one knows your secret," Tikki said. "You know that. But you and Chat Noir have been fighting the Unclocker for a while now, and in a situation like this it's hard to keep your guard up."
"You're right," Marinette agreed. "I just wish I knew when he figured it out, so I'd know not to do that again."
"Why don't you ask him?" Tikki suggested.
Chat Noir greeted Ladybug with a pun as she left the bathroom, and they headed for the elevator.
"Ms Cesaire and Alec are next," Ladybug mused.
"Desserts and cheese, right?" Chat Noir remembered.
"Right," Ladybug agreed. "If we set it up so they shoot each other..."
"They'll knock themselves out," Chat Noir finished.
"Sounds like a plan," Ladybug agreed.
When they stepped out of the elevator, they immediately were under attack. Ladybug batted away a stinky cheese bomb and Chat Noir dodged a candy cane arrow.
"Looks like dessert came early," Chat Noir muttered.
The two heroes split up. Ladybug dodged right as another cheese bomb flew over her head, and Chat Noir ran ran left.
Ladybug dodged another stinky cheese bomb, the movement sending a flare of pain up her leg. She stumbled, and didn't recover in time to dodge another bomb. The cheese exploded, making her eyes water.
She coughed through the smell, trying to keep her eyes open despite the sting. She could see Alec aiming with his crossbow, and Ladybug dodged once again as a stinky cheese bomb flew her way. She continued towards the opposite elevator. Chat Noir met her there, and they raced through the center.
Both Alec and Chef Cesaire raised their weapons and fired. Chat Noir and Ladybug ducked, and the candy cane arrow struck Alec as the stinky cheese bomb exploded at Chef Cesaire's feet.
Ladybug threw her yo-yo, wrapping it around Alec's crossbow, and tugged. The crossbow slipped out of his hands and Ladybug caught it. Chat Noir used his baton to nip the bow from Chef Cesaire, and broke it over his knee.
Ladybug looked at the crossbow, an idea forming. She wrapped her yo-yo around Alec's legs, swiping them from underneath him. She retrieved her yo-yo, and grabbed a stinky cheese bomb from Alec's sash.
"These really stink," Ladybug commented.
"My kwami would probably like it then," Chat Noir commented. "He had a thing for stinky cheese."
"That can't be fun," Ladybug replied.
She loaded the cross bow and moved into the elevator, Chat Noir by her side.
"Ready for the master chef?" Chat Noir asked.
"Ready."
*MLB here refers to Miraculous Ladybug, though I do not own major league baseball either