The Owl Cave

Dark Owl laughed as the heroes were trapped inside the container. Viperion has now transformed again, but they were still stuck inside. "Can you try backing up the sprinkler?"

Ryuko shook her head, "I already used wind and water. If I detransform now and recharge my kwami, we would drown before I could transform again."

Just as the words left her mouth, the container turned black, before crumbling to dust. Chat Noir stood in front of the container, giving the duo a cocky grin, "Well you two sure are in a catastrophe!"

Ladybug stood next to him, taking in the transformed schoolyard, Dark Owl screaming in frustration and the hovering Owl Mobile. "No time for jokes, Kitty! Viperion, are you fully charged?" He nodded. "Wait until we get out of here, then set your second chance."

"What's with the batmobile knock off?" Chat pointed at the hovering Owl Mobile, now swooping in to pick up Dark Owl. "Seriously, this guy is literally just a Batman rip off."

"Ryuko, hit it your lightning dragon, then bug out and recharge."

"Lightning dragon!" Ryuko surged inside a storm of lightning, electrocuting the flying car before reforming onto the roof. It shuddered, stalling before going out of control, spinning wildly away from Dark Owl.

"No, I will not be defeated by you wanna be heroes!"

"Seriously? We are Chat Noir and his Bugaboo! You're familiar with our work? We save the city, I don't know, twice a week on average? It's been a bit slow as of late."

"Owl mist!" A cloud of mist spread throughout the entire courtyard.

"Everyone out now!" Without waiting for the others, Ladybug grabbed Viperion and pulled herself onto the roof. Chat followed suit, barely dodging the owl rangs flying at him. "Lucky charm!" A container landed in her hands. She looked at everything, nothing lighting. She looked at Viperion, "Do you know if the car is a senti-monster or just a gadget?"

"It seemed to act on its own, attacking us on its own without verbal instruction at least."

"Ok, Ryuko, you ready to go again?" The hero nodded at her, the three symbols on her chest now all lit up again. "We need to get his keys and that cylinder on his bet, those must hold the akuma and amok!" Several nods met her instructions. "Viperion, second chance now!"

"Second chance!" Dark Owl landed across from them. Chat Noir launched himself across getting brutally nailed by the now recovered Owl Mobile, flying across the city. "Second chance!"

In a flash, he was back. "Chat Noir wait!" The others looked at him, none surprised. "His senti-monster has recovered." As if to confirm his words, the senti-monster zoomed back, no longer going haywire.

"Ok, Ryuko, try and keep it off our backs, the rest of us will take on Dark Owl." The others nodded.

"Wind dragon!" Ryuko knocked the senti-monster back, allowing the other heroes to slip past on to Dark Owl.

Once again Chat launched himself, this time without becoming roadkill. The akuma jumped back, arcing his arm back to toss another set of owl rangs when Ladybug's yoyo wrapped around it, holding it back. He swung his arm, him enhanced strength knocking her off the building. Ladybug quickly unwrapped her yoyo she could stop her fall. But as she swung back in to follow up Chat Noir's counter-attack to keep Dark Owl off balance, that's when it happened. The second she saw Alya, running down the street with Nino in tow, she hesitated. Just for a second. It was all it would take. "M'Lady!" she heard Chat scream in terror as her yoyo lost its hold and she dropped twenty meters. That was the last thing she heard.

Chat Noir

Dark Owl laughed as Chat screamed. It was short-lived as Viperion smashed the AI's cylinder, releasing the akuma and catching it inside the container. As Dark Owl turned back to Principle Damocles, he snatched the keys. "Go help Ladybug, I'll take care of him. Ryuko and I got this now." To drive his point home, the senti-monster crashed, a frustrated Ryuko dusting herself off. He tossed to keys to her. Slicing them, the Owl Mobile turned back into an ordinary car.

The akuma and amok now contained, they turned their attention to the other heroes. As Ryuko brought Mr. Damocles to the ground, Viperion joined the heroic duo. "Is she ok?"

"I don't know. She is unconscious, but she is alive. It was a hard fall." Before Viperion could reply his miraculous beeped, a single scale left. "Go. I'll take care off her."

As Viperion ran off, Alya and Nino ran up, Nino with his phone out recording. "Chat Noir, what can you say about the akuma attack? What is wrong with Ladybug?"

"Go home."

"What?"

"Neither of you is a miraculous holders and we don't want you getting close to the fights. Hawkmoth's akumas are getting more violent and the senti-monsters are making it harder. We can't waste time to save you anymore. So from now on, when you see an akuma, you run away."

"But we are heroes too!"

"Not anymore. You two have proved yourselves unworthy after what happened with Princess Justice." Ladybug started to stir. Chat picked her up gently, attaching the lucky charm to his belt. "If you post any of this, I'll cataclysm your computer."

With that he launched up onto the rooftop, setting Ladybug down gently. This is when he noticed something odd: Ladybug still had all her spots on her earrings. Checking his ring, he noticed all five pads were still lit. How? There was no way the miraculous got switched out, their costumes would have disappeared and the mysterious fox holder was across town. Then how? "Chat?" Ladybug sat up, wincing as she did so.

"Easy, you fell pretty hard."

"Nothing the good old status quo can't fix. Wait! The akuma! Where is it? Where are the others?"

"Calm down, Viperion went home and Ryuko is talking Mr. Damocles down. The akuma and amok are trapped inside this," he held up her lucky charm.

"Oh okay, just give me a second, then we can take care of this mess." Taking a minute, she stood purifying the akuma and amok. "Wait, are we still transformed?"

"I don't know, we are still at full charge according to our miraculous."

"Master Fu?"

"Master Fu."

Alya and Nino

"Why would he act like that?"

"I don't know, but that dude needs to take a chill pill."

"Maybe he was worked up over Ladybug being hurt?"

"Still, he didn't need to be that rude." Nino pouted. There was a time where the miraculous bros were a thing, but now it was just Chat and Viperion.

"True." Alya looked at her computer, the video ready to post. Sighing, she canceled the upload. Why are things so difficult lately.

Master Fu

Even before Marinette and Adrien knocked on his door, he had the tea ready. "Ladybug, Chat Noir. Please come in." The young couple walked in, surprised by the fact that the guardian was prepared for their arrival. After they were sitting down with tea, he looked at them expectantly. "So what is it?"

"Our miraculous still were at full charge, even after using our powers."

"Ah yes, you are moving on to the next stage of a miraculous holder. You two no longer are limited to five minutes after the use of your power. However, if you use it a second time, the five-minute countdown will begin."

Marinette's eyes widened. "So in a sense, we got stronger."

Fu nodded, "This is only the next stage. I didn't want to tell you about it before it happened. The knowledge of greater power could outweigh patience. That is what happened with Hawkmoth. Now he is on a dark path."

The two nodded. "We won't let you down Master Fu," Adrien stated firmly.

As they started to leave, Marinette jumped up, "Wait I almost forgot." She rushed to the gramophone, taking out the horse miraculous. Bunnix burrowed into the room. Marinette gave her the miraculous, Bunnix nodding her thanks before burrowing out. Reaching in her purse, she pulled out the horse miraculous, replacing it in the miracle box.

Fu raised an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't trust Pegasus."

"No, but I trust myself."

She flashbacked to Bunnix hopping out across the city where the fox holder lured them far away from the akuma, telling her it was a gift from her future self. Unifying Tikki and Kaalki, she was able to open a portal for them straight to the Owl Cave.

Heading home, they landed on Marinette's balcony unseen. Before they said goodbye, Adrien looked her in the eyes."Mari, what happened?"

She sighed, "Alya happened. The mere sight of her made me seize up, just for a second. I keep remembering becoming an akuma every time I see her. It just triggers a flashback and I can't stop it!" She clung to him, tears in her eyes. "Adrien, what is wrong with me?"

"Nothing, princess," he held her tight. "We will figure this out, together. We're a team. Nothing can change that."