There's nothing like finishing a day earlier than you were expecting to put you in a good mood. Storyboarding works really well for me, I guess.

With the strange new allies of Hawkmoth more active, Marinette, Rothan, and Adrien have their work cut out for them. Especially with the hits Rothan keeps taking. And Marinette and Rothan haven't exactly been getting enough sleep either... That's certainly not good.

But we start elsewhere, with a certain Widow and orange-clothed college student as they make their way across the city in the shadows, looking for trouble or ready to make some for our heroes...

"This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous." An orange-gloved hand flicked out in a snide gesture as Splatter Shot rolled his eyes. "I finally get out of that forsaken mansion and this is what I get – a freezing afternoon? Absurd, insane, absolutely –"

"Ridiculous." The Widow rolled her eyes as she lounged, her black and red skinsuit accented today with a stocking cap and scarf in bright crimson. "If you didn't want to deal with the cold you should have stayed in Italy."

"I can deal with the cold just fine," Splatter Shot snapped back as he retrieved a thermos of spiced coffee from his belt. "It's not the cold that I find so aggravating – It's that blasted man that I deal with day in and day out."

"Hawkmoth? Believe me, none of us like him. Heavyweight finds him weak and I find him obnoxious – and I assume you find him slow to put it mildly?"

"Entirely too much. Not only is he constantly berating me for the fact that his Akumas never seem to be able to get the job done, I can't even get out of that rotten, dark mansion of his to do anything. It's been ages since I had a good heist or caused mischief."

"It's not my fault you're the schemer of the three of us. You can't always have it easy, Splatter – it's not all fun and games, you know."

"At least he doesn't have you pegged for the smart one. All I do is plot and plan, while you get to go and stir up trouble."

The Widow rolled her eyes. "And how fun do you think that is for me, skulking in the shadows? How am I supposed to be ravishing anyone with my good looks when I'm playing super spy? I swear, that man gets all his ideas from American films. No wonder he didn't get anything done without you around."

"I have to admit, this plan has been pretty flawless, hasn't it?" Splatter Shot took a moment to preen before becoming serious again. "After two years, you've finally seen why I am the best choice for the Miraculous of Cunning."

"As arrogant as you are, I must admit it suits you." The Widow shook her head with mild amusement and headed to the edge of the roof they were on. "One more good attack and everything should be in place. Speaking of which, it does seem like a lovely afternoon to cause a little trouble. Shall we go make some?"

"Ladies first." Splatter Shot grinned at this idea and followed his ally across the rooftops. It was rather quiet today, with the first really cold afternoon keeping most of the Parisians inside, but there were a few folks out and about to consider disturbing. "How about that guy feeding the pigeons? He looks like he's trying to avoid trouble. One Splitting Image and I could –"

"Amusing, certainly, but I'm pretty confident that he has been a target multiple times, all of them unsuccessful. Perhaps something a little more devious is in order."

"Fine." Splatter Shot huffed and glanced around, looking for a different target "And that's another thing about this darned cold - it's impossible to find someone to pester while everyone is inside!"

"I don't know about that." The Widow had fixated on a nearby building, and a small smile had crept onto her face. "You know, there's many things that people do indoors that they would prefer not be disturbed."

"Like what?"

"Like that." The Widow pointed and both of them made their way across the rooftops to the apartment complex she was gesturing at. Glancing in the window, they could both see some sort of streamer playing a game on his computer, a serious kind of focus across his face. As he evidently lost another game he gripped his controller tighter and bit his lip before saying something into his mic that was muffled by the glass between them. "Seems like this one has a bit of a temper. The perfect breeding ground for a little trouble."

"Ooh, I like this." Splatter Shot rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Well, he is very obviously relying on the interwebs to have his fun. Perhaps we could tamper with his situation a bit."

"You want to play with his router?" Her partner raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You really thing that will upset him enough to attract Hawkmoth's attention?"

"Trust me."

Splatter Shot shrugged and glanced around the man's setup. And after a moment pointed at a small and sleek device. "I think that's it."

"Perfect. One shot, if you would." The Widow watched as her partner muttered a few words and waved a hand over his sludge blaster, and the back of it popped open like a shotgun. Inside was a small vial of a greyish liquid that sparked light silver in the afternoon sun. He offered it to her, and she nodded her approval. "You've gotten better control over this."

"It's also what we need. Bottoms up."

She obligingly downed the liquid and grimaced. "Disgusting. I am never going to get used to that taste."

"I'm pretty sure that's because it's not meant for human consumption. But it works." Splatter Shot grinned and elbowed his ally, looking for the moment more like an excited kid than a college-age adult. "Speaking of working –"

"Yeah, yeah." She raised a hand and let a dagger materialize in it, then pointed at the modem with a sly smile. "Nightmares Realized."

For a second there was no response, and she idly wondered if Splatter's special powerup powerup hadn't worked. But after a moment, she grinned as she felt the mental connection to the hardware snap into place and she was given full control over the system. Perfect. Let's wreck some havoc.

With a practiced mind, she deftly invaded the device and set to work on overloading it, and in moments both she and Splatter were able to see the gamer's computer freeze, lag and stall repeatedly. As it did so, he growled in irritation, tried running a few commands that she deftly swatted down, and shouted so loud even they could hear him – "This is a brand new setup! What the heck?"

The both giggled at his frustration as he swatted his desk, and then Splatter Shot glanced up and pointed. "Well, what do you know? We've got company."

The Widow also glanced that way to see a purple butterfly circling lazily, waiting to be let into the gamer's home, and she grinned. "Hello, Hawkmoth. So good of you to join us. I think you will find this little villain particularly up to your tastes." She grinned as she opened the window just enough for the insect to slip in and smiled as it fluttered past. "Our treat. Enjoy."

Adrien stared out his bedroom window and sighed. It was cold, to be sure, the first really cold day they had had this fall, but if he was honest he would rather be anywhere than stuck in his room. Behind him, his speaker softly repeated one of his better recordings of Beethoven's Twelfth Sonata, and he debated transforming for a moment to get out and get some air. That would be a bad idea though – or at least, Ladybug would disapprove. I'll just let my hands rest for a bit so I can get back to work.

"Hey, kid." A whiny Kwamii voice snapped him out of his reprieve. "What you doing over there? Thinking about someone?"

"Nope, just taking a break."

"You so sure about that? You aren't thinking about Pigtails again, are you?"

"Plagg, stop!" Adrien rolled his eyes and turned around as his partner darted out of the bathroom with a piece of cheese. "This again? You know I hate it when you tease me about Marinette."

"So the boy confesses! He is indeed contemplating his fair Princess." Plagg grinned and winked before taking a bite. "Look at that rosy pink on his cheeks."

"Only because you started talking about her." Adrien bit his lip and closed his eyes, knowing that Plagg was only looking for a reaction he wasn't going to get. "Marinette is just a really good friend. Someone I can depend on."

"Your everyday Ladybug?" Plagg offered and cackled when a hand tried to swat him out of the air. "You humans drive me crazy."

"And you drive me insane." Adrien glowered at his partner but couldn't help but smile at his antics. "If it's any consolation, I was actually thinking about the real Ladybug."

This received another amused snort from Plagg before he responded. "So lucky lady number two, you mean? What about her?"

"Not even about her, really. Well, maybe a little. It was kind of more about the Black Mantis anyways."

"Oh? What about him? You worried that your little bromance is going to make Ladybug jealous?"

"Or Nino." Adrien chuckled at the thought of his best friend getting jealous of a superhero. "Don't you think it's kind of weird how sporadically he's been to patrols lately?"

Plagg actually stopped at this and considered it for a moment. "I mean, it is a little odd. But this is also the hero who's clumsier than your friend Pigtails. My guess is after that fall he had to take some time to rest and recuperate."

"I guess." Adrian shrugged and looked back out the window. "Ladybug worries about him a lot, doesn't she?"

"She worries about you too, you know. What is this all about?"

The blonde model paused as he tried to express himself, but everything that he came up with in his head sounded silly. After a moment, he just shrugged. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"It's obviously not nothing if you want to talk to me about it." Plagg paused as a thought crossed his mind. "You're not jealous of the Mantis, are you?"

"No!" But his reply was a little too quick and too excited, and when the black Kwamii narrowed his eyes, Adrien knew he was busted. "I'm not jealous, alright? I just don't like the idea of having to compete with another guy for the girl of my dreams. I already have to contend with this mystery character. I don't need some black savant sweeping in and Ladybug off of her feet."

Plagg shook his head and chuckled. "All the things to worry about, that's what you choose? You humans are more ridiculous than I thought."

"Hey!"

Adrien glared at his partner, who sighed. "Sorry, kid. Sympathy isn't exactly my strong suit."

"So I've noticed."

"Think about it this way, kiddo. If Ladybug really does have her heart set on this mystery boy of hers, what do you think she is going to do if the Mantis approaches her about some celebrity crush?"

Adrien thought about this for a moment. "Probably tell him there's someone else, just like me. And knowing the Mantis, he would probably drop it after that."

"There we go. You have nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

The model nodded and smiled at his partner. "I guess so." He sat down on the bed and patted beside him, and smiled as Plagg zipped over and settled himself. "Do you ever wonder where he came from?"

"Hmm?" Plagg looked up from his cheese in confusion. "You mean Black Mantis?"

"Yeah. It's not like Ladybug gave hi his Miraculous. He just kind of – showed up. How was he Chosen?"

"And why is that something you're worried about?"

Adrien shrugged. "I was just thinking about that blast over the Seine, the one Ladybug and I could never figure out. Could that have been him? And is it related to the recent increase in Akuma attacks as well?"

"I'm not sure it really matters. After all, if he were really a threat, he would have already made his move."

"Yeah, but –"

"Adrien!" Plagg's insistent voice cut through his thoughts. "When did you get so obsessed with the Mantis fellow? Believe me when I tell you that only leads to trouble. Stop worrying so much. Everything will be just fine, believe me."

The model glanced at his partner, who was rubbing his face in exasperation, and wondered if Plagg was really not worried about it, or was trying to avoid the subject. But either way, discussing it more wasn't going to help. "Alright. Maybe you're right anyways – what could there be to worry about? He's been a great guy to have around."

"That's the spirit, kid. Now, you'd better get back to your practicing if you're not going to skip –" Suddenly the Kwamii put a hand to his mouth in discomfort and pursed his lips. "Urp. Oh, that doesn't feel good."

"What's wrong? Gorged yourself on cheese again?"

"I could never eat too much cheese. But I think you might be getting a call."

"How can you tell? My phone's on –" Adrien blinked as he realized what Plagg meant. "You mean my other phone, don't you."

"Yep. Now, do you mind answering"

"Right. Plagg, Claws Out!" One transformation later, Adrien pulled his staff of his belt and popped open the communicator to see what was going on. To his surprise, both the Mantis and Ladybug were waiting for him, the former looking very impatient and the latter just as confused as he was. "Hey there, M'lady; Mantis. What's going on?"

"Hey, Chat." The green-clad hero offered a tired smile as he nodded to their arrival. "For a second I thought you weren't coming, or this multiple-caller thing didn't work like Staffe was expecting."

"Well, I'm here now. Is everything okay? Another Akuma attack?"

Ladybug shook her head. "Nothing like that minou, at least not yet. Mantis said he had something he needed to tell us."

Black Mantis nodded his agreement. "Yeah, but it's better done in person. This is complicated stuff, and I think it might be better for you to see the documents I received in person."

"Documents?" Chat blinked in surprise. "Hold on, back up. What documents?"

"I asked Lady Lapis to do some looking into what might have been causing this influx of Akuma attacks, and all the weird stuff we've been seeing lately. I think I might have ha d a breakthrough."

"Dude, that's great. And you want to meet in person to discuss it?"

"Just so you two can double check my work. I really don't understand all this supe well yet, and you may have a better understanding than I do."

Ladybug shrugged. "That's fair. We do have patrol tonight, so we can talk before then if you'd like – if you feel up to coming, that is."

"I can try to make it out. Let's meet, say, thirty-ish minutes before our regular time?"

Adrien shrugged. "I can do that, if you two can."

His Lady nodded her approval. "Let's plan on it then. Usual place, thirty minutes early. I'll see you both there."

"Sounds good to me." The Mantis gave a small nod and waved. "I'm going to take off then. See you in a bit."

He vanished off the call, and left the two of them staring awkwardly at each other for a moment. As he examined her face, Chat noticed that under the mask he cold see the hint of dark lines beginning to form. "Hey, are you getting enough sleep?"

Ladybug reacted like she had been slapped. "Huh? What? Oh, me, I'm fine. Been getting plenty of sleep! No need to worry at all."

"Are you sure? Because you look –"

"Oh, gee, Chat, I'd love to stay and talk but I've really got some homework I've got to get done. But I'll see you later, okay?"

"All –" Before he could finish, his partner had hung up and left him staring at a black screen. "Right. Plagg, Claws In."

As his Kwamii left the ring and the transformation dropped, Plagg gave Adrien a concerned look. "I heard those worried thoughts of yours. They are both fine."

"They're not fine. They look exhausted." Adrien shook his head. "What is up with those two?"

"Well, whatever it is neither seems to want your help with it. I'd say just let it play out and if they ask for help, offer some."

The model shrugged. What else can I do, really? I can't force them to let me help. "All right, Plagg. But at the first sign of real trouble we're going to talk to them and make sure they are okay."

"Whatever you say, kid. Now, make up your mind – going out or playing piano?"

After a brief hesitation Adrien walked over and stopped his recording. "Well, there's no reason to go out if there's not an Akuma attack or any chance of running into Ladybug. I'm going to get some work done and we can get some exercise later."

"Whatever you say, champ." Plagg shrugged and joined him at the piano. "Why don't you show me what those musical chops are made of."

Rothan groaned as he dropped his own transformation and slumped back onto the couch. Every muscle in his body seemed to ache in ways he didn't know they were capable of, and it was making him tired and cranky. He was just glad today was a half-day and he had a chance to rest. "I feel like I've been run over."

"To be more accurate, you fell several stories out of the sky onto asphalt." Staffe shook his head as he blinked off the daze that dropping the suit occasionally left him in. "To be fair, it's a miracle that you didn't break anything."

"Yeah, thanks for your vote of confidence." Rothan rolled his eyes and growled as he tried to get comfortable. "I can't wait to get back on regular patrol."

"Once you don't feel like you're composed of aches and sores, we can discuss it." The green Kwamii hummed as he headed to the kitchen for a drink. "Still, I hope you don't plan on sitting in here all day. Some light exercise might do you good."

"If I'm too tired to patrol, I'm too tired to go out." Rothan sighed and stretched, wincing as he felt his muscles protest. "Mum won't be back from work for a few hours anyways, so this is a good time to just relax and maybe take a nap."

"Perhaps." Staffe shook his head as he returned with a small drink and struggling under the weight of a larger ice pack. As he carefully shifted the one that Rothan had been laying on to the side, he mused to himself, deep in thought. "If I'm honest, I am rather surprised you aren't feeling better yet. The suit is supposed to protect you from most blunt trauma like that."

"Which is why I'm on the couch and not in a hospital bed." The brunette sat up a bit and let his partner fuss over him. "Besides, it's not like I haven't been busy. I've had to help fend off two more attacks in the last four days, which means I really haven't had much time to heal, even without patrol."

Staff shrugged. "I suppose this is true. still I would have thought your sound would have been more effective than this by now, at least to dull the pain. It bothers me that you're not sleeping well and that you always seem to be uncomfortable."

"You're not the only one it bothers." Rothan bit his lip as he thought about that morning, when Lyra had expressed concern about his exhaustion and apparent pain. "I was worried this would happen. This isn't easy work, and Mum was right. I do tend to push myself to the very limit of what I can do when I'm serious about something."

"So I've noticed. you really should take better care of yourself, you know."

"I do my best. Besides, the only way I'm going to get better at this is if I get stronger, and the only way I'm going to get stronger is to push the limits of what I can do. I can't do that if I'm constantly holding back out of fear of pain."

"But you'll listen to me if I tell you that it's too much and you need a break, won't you?"

"There is a reason that I am sitting here and not out running a patrol since I have the afternoon off." They both chuckled at Rothan's wry comment, and the boy sighed. "Speaking of running a patrol, we really should talk about what we're going to tell our two allies when I see them tonight."

"Did you already have a game plan in mind?" Staffe watched his partner's face with a mixture of interest and concern. "From the way you talked about it, it seems like you already knew what you wanted to say."

"I have a general idea. I feel like that the best approach here is to tell them as much as possible. The more they know, the more we can be prepared for. I'd hate to get into a fight and in the middle of it say, 'Oh yeah by the way, there's three more Miraculous wielders in the city working with Hawkmoth.' That's going to sound really suspicious really fast."

"That's fair. However, I would recommend you break this news to them slowly. think about it from Ladybug's perspective. What would she do if suddenly she found out we had all but confirmed that the three stolen Swarm members had joined forces with her greatest enemy?"

Rothan nodded as he thought about this. "Considering her reaction to me telling her pretty much anything important? She'll probably have a panic attack. Yeah, probably a slower approach is a good idea."

"I'm glad you agree. I don't think I've ever seen a Guardian quite as high strung as this one. It worries me sometimes." Staffe took a drink before continuing. "What about Lady Lapis? Are you going to discuss with them your impromptu meeting with her?"

"I wasn't planning on it. Both for her privacy, and because it's not really something they need to know. It's not relevant to all of this. All that needs to be said is that she sent me these documents courtesy of Knutt, and we have reasons to be concerned about their contents. Anymore is just extra information that doesn't need to be shared."

"I think that is wise." Staffe hummed to himself and flew over to his partner's chest to settle himself. After a moment, however, he noticed Rothan's distant look. "What's wrong? You seem troubled all of a sudden."

"I just wish we had known about all of this earlier. I mean, we knew that these guys were coming, don't get me wrong. But to think that they've been in Paris this entire time working against us? What have they been planning? It just bothers me that we've been in the dark for so long and unable to put the pieces together."

"How could you possibly have known?" Staffe patted his partner's stomach and sighed. "Even Knutt had no idea until you started pointing out that the strange occurrences might be linked. It didn't occur to any of us to check. It's not something you should beat yourself up about."

"I guess. I still feel bad though."

"It was never your job to put these things together. It was just that you happen to be in the right places at the right time. And, to be honest, you have probably saved us a lot of trouble in the long run. Now that we do know of the presence of the Spider, the Spitting Bug, and the Roach, we can prepare for the eventual confrontation that will inevitably occur. They can't catch us by surprise, and that could be a significant advantage on them in the days ahead. Don't trouble yourself about past events. Just keep looking towards the future and what we know now. Alright?"

"Okay." Rothan wasn't convinced but decided to let it drop for now. there was no reason in working himself up, especially when he already felt pretty terrible on a physical level. "so what do you want to do? I could turn on the end of that movie series we started about a month back, or we could work on chess strategy. You showed some pretty decent promise last night when you surprised me with that backhand move of yours."

Staffe smirked as he considered this. "Both of those sound fun, but I think there's something more pressing you need to deal with."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You received a text message not very long ago that you should probably think about answering. Your friends are worried about you."

"Of course they are." Rothan bit back a sigh and picked up his phone to see what was up. He was surprised and pleased to see a text from Lyra on his home screen waiting for him. Marinette and I were headed out to just hang for a bit. Saw you might need a break today. Want to come?

Rothan shook his head in amusement. "That girl is entirely too sweet. What am I supposed to say to that?"

"You're supposed to say, 'I'd love to come. Where am I meeting you?' And go hang out with two of your closest friends."

"Staffe!" Rothan whined and stuffed his head into the couch. "I'm exhausted. I feel like I've been beaten on, and I've barely slept."

"All things that will improve if you go out and get some exercise. Very light, exercise, mind you," the Kwamii retorted as he tapped his partner on the back of the head. "But just a walk around the city will stretch you out and make you more likely to sleep."

Rothan sputtered and tried to find an argument but came up empty-handed. "Fine. I'll get up, if only to please you and Lyra."

"Good. I'll get settled in your bag while you send her a reply." Staffe smiled and zipped away, and Rothan groaned and opened his phone. After shooting his friend a quick message, he grabbed his shoes and slipped them on, then pushed himself up and headed for the door, grabbing his satchel on the way. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever you are," replied the muffled voice of his Kwamii partner, and Rothan slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let's be off."

He sighed and switched off the lights. "Alright, buddy. Let's roll."

Marinette glanced at Lyra as she checked her phone. "So? What did he say?"

"Where are you two at?" Lyra grinned as she texted him a quick reply. "I guess that means he decided to join us."

"Good. He's always so hesitant about this sort of thing. It's nice that he feels up to it today."

"It sure is." Lyra bit her lip as she saw his message to confirm that he was on his way. "I hope it's not too much for him though."

"What's that supposed to mean? He said yes, didn't he?"

"I mean, he did," Lyra shrugged and trailed off as she chose her words carefully. "You're not the one who sits with him for almost every class though. He dozed off twice today during history – history, of all things, his best subject. And he squirms like he can't get comfortable at all in his seat."

Marinette's eyes furrowed in concern as she heard this. "Sounds to me like he's pretty tired then. Is he not getting enough sleep?"

"I have no idea. If I ever ask him anything about it he gets all defensive – crazy boy hates to have anyone worry about him. That was part of why I was hoping he could come hang out with us though. If I can get him to relax a bit, he might at least feel a little better."

"I guess so." The blunette nodded her agreement and then paused as she noticed Lyra studying her. "Uh – is everything okay?"

"Now that I think about it, you haven't exactly seemed in great shape recently either. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"What, me?" Wide-eyed, Marinette racked her brain for some excuse that had nothing to do with being a superhero. "I guess I haven't been sleeping so well lately. Got a lot of projects on my mind, I guess."

Lyra didn't seem completely convinced but let it drop. For once, Marinette was thankful she wasn't one to push an issue like Alya often was. "Well, if I plan on having any sort of interesting conversation with either of you, I suppose I'll need to keep you awake. Since we're waiting on Rothan, shall we pop across the street and grab something to drink?"

"That sounds good to me. I – I need to use the restroom anyways." The blunette inwardly winced as she felt Tikki stir in her purse, evidently just waking up from a nap of her own. She was not going to be pleased.

An oblivious Lyra lead her across the way and to a small café. "If you'll tell me what you want, I'll text Rothan and get in line so you can go relieve yourself."

"Thanks." Marinette quickly decided on her drink before heading off to the bathroom. Once the door was locked and she was confident no one would be disturbing her, the blunette opened up her purse and peeked in. "Tikki? Are you awake?"

The little red Kwamii popped out and yawned as she glanced around. "I am now Where are we?" She paused as she quickly took in the situation and fixed an irritated look on Marinette. "Did you go out again?"

"Maybe." Marinette twisted her hands together and squirmed under her partner's stare. "Lyra invited me out since she had the day off. I couldn't just say no."

"You could have, and probably should have too. You're exhausted, Marinette! You haven't slept well since you got back from that weekend trip with Rothan,"

"I know, Tikki, but what am I supposed to do? It's not like I'm not trying. It's just –" Marinette shuddered ass he recalled the particularly vivid nightmare that had left her unable to sleep most of the night. "It's hard."

"I know, Marinette. But you can't keep going like this. If you don't get more rest soon you're going to make yourself really sick."

"I'm going to work on it. But I wasn't getting much done home anyways, and I certainly wasn't going to be able to sleep. Who knows, maybe some fresh air that isn't from an Akuma attack will help with that?"

Tikki grumbled but said nothing, instead opting to return to her hidey-hole and let the matter drop. Marinette sighed and quickly freshened up before returning to find Lyra waiting to collect their order. It wasn't long before they came out, and they were able to head back over to the park where the three of them had agreed to meet. Lyra sipped her thoughtfully and shrugged. "It's not bad. Not nearly as good as my parents, but maybe I'm a little biased."

Marinette giggled and took her own drink, then looked up and pointed with a sly smile as they passed through the park gate. "Look who's arrived."

Lyra glanced over and let a small smile cross her face. "He really can sleep anywhere, can't he?" Rothan had apparently arrived while they were getting their drinks and had found a place to sit, and had nodded of in the cool afternoon sun. Joining him was one large pigeon, who had hopped up into his lap and was in the middle of digging through an open bag of snacks. When the girl approached, the pigeon took one look and flew off, startling the boy awake. "Rngh – What's going on?"

"You had a friend." Lyra gestured to the bird, who had found a perch in a nearby tree and was eyeing the trio indignantly. "Sorry we took so long."

"That's quite alright. How are you two doing?"

"Pretty good." Marinette sat down on the bench with him and sipped her coffee, and Lyra handed him the drink he had requested. "You?"

"Not too bad. Haven't been sleeping so well lately, but that's not abnormal." Rothan shrugged, and Marinette felt a twinge of sympathy at their shared plight, even if his exhaustion had nothing to do with a secret identity. "Maybe the change of scenery this weekend will help."

"Change in scenery?" Lyra gave them both surprised look. "Are you and your mother headed out of town again? It's awfully fast for you to be headed back."

Rothan shook his head, but Marinette was the one to respond first. "No, he's staying at my place for a few days while Mrs. Terresia heads out of town for business. We have this project to work on together anyways, so it's not going to be too big of a deal."

"Oh." Lyra turned away, the blunette swore she could see a flash of irritation in her eyes. Is she jealous that Rothan is staying with me? That's odd. "That sounds like it will be fun."

"It will certainly be an experience." There was a lightness to the brown haired boy's tone, but Marinette knew from their conversation earlier that week he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of his mother leaving town. "At any rate, it is what it is. What have you been working on lately, Marinette? Any great new designs lately? Adrien tells me that if I'm looking for a new outfit, you're the girl to ask."

"Sounds like someone's concerned that his friend is in monochrome," Lyra teased and poked his black leather jacket. "I'd imagine you're pretty tough to design for, considering your particular tastes."

"I don't know about that." Marinette examined her friend with a critical eye and shrugged. "I'm sure I could come up with something that he would like. But to answer your question, not really? I've been sort of stuck in a creative block lately."

"Really?" Rothan looked genuinely surprised as he considered this. "Alya has been telling me you've not been feeling well as of late. I assumed it was because you're staying up late working on projects."

"More like because I can't seem to get one started.." The blunette shrugged and cringed at her own lame excuse. "I just really haven't been able to sleep much lately. A lot on my mind, I guess."

Rothan opened his mouth in preparation to reply, but was cut off by a cackling from behind him. All three of them turned around just in time to see a young man speed past on some strange, controller-like hoverboard, dressed entirely in purple and white. Marinette inwardly cursed her bad luck. The one day I try and catch a break, that's when a new Akuma victim shows up? she dove for cover behind the bench, expecting the worst, but was surprised to find that the strange character simply sped off and left them behind. That's odd. I would have thought he would have made a lot more trouble than that, if only to attract Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Upon picking herself up, however, she received another shock. Neither Rothan or Lyra had moved, and were still staring at the place where the stranger had been, both with an expression of shock across their faces. Marinette blinked, and then reached out to touch Rothan's shoulder. "Hello? Earth to Rothan?"

She received no response, but after a moment the two of them seemed to pick up where they had left off and looked confusedly at the spot where the villain had been a moment before. Lyra was the first to speak. "Where – where did he go?"

"You didn't see him just speed off?" Marinette asked, and both teens shook their heads. "That's strange. Maybe – maybe it would be best to get home until this is taken care of. Of all of the villains we've seen in Paris, this one is certainly the least threatening, and if something does happen it would be better for us to be there than out in the open.

"I agree with that," Rothan replied quickly, making Marinette blink in surprise. "Lyra, you live pretty close to here, right? And I need to go in the other direction, but I'm not far either."

Lyra nodded. "Yeah. I can hurry home, he looked like he wasn't headed that direction anyways, so it should be safe. Marinette, you live a lot farther, are you –"

"I'll be careful," Marinette promised, easing their worries. "If I run into him again I'll find a safe place to stop and wait."

"As long as you are careful." Lyra gave her hand a quick squeeze. "Sorry we got cut off so short. Get some rest, okay?"

Rothan gave a mute nod and hurried in the direction of his place, and Marinette smiled. "I'll do my best." Then she took off in the direction of her hose, making sure no one was following before she turned into an alley and opened her purse to a disapproving Kwamii. "Sorry."

"I guess this means you aren't going home." Tikki sighed and rubbed her face. "Well, we can't just let Paris fall into chaos, can we?"

Marinette shook her head. "Let's do this. Tikki, Spots On!"

Rothan darted across the rooftops at tops speed, chasing after their mystery villain. He had found a place to slip under cover and transform pretty quickly, but even with his enhanced speed he was only barely keeping pace with this strange Akuma victim. Staffe was also confused by the character's behavior, and said as much. Why doesn't this fellow stay and fight? He's not frightened of us, is he? He's not even displayed a single power.

"He'll reveal his abilities eventually." Rothan shrugged as he cleared another few buildings and tried to pick up the pace, much at the displeasure of his protesting body. "For now all we can do is follow this guy and hope he gives us more to work with."

Just be careful. Your body isn't exactly in the best shape for an extended fight right now.

Rothan nodded at Staffe's concern and continued down the street, now slowly gaining on his target and trying to identify a weak point. As he did so, the villain glanced behind him with wide eyes and darted lower to the ground. As if that would protect him. The Mantis decided it would be best to stay on the rooftops on his chase and eyed the man he was following as he crossed an intersection. Then he stopped in alarm as everything went haywire. What was calm, orderly traffic a moment before became a nest of chaos, some cars freezing in the middle of the street while others bucked and sped forward. While most of the traffic missed each other, there was a man crossing what was once a safe sidewalk that now had his hands up at fear, staring like a pigeon in headlights as another vehicle came careening towards him. Rothan choked in horror and dived from the rooftops, sending the man sprawling away from the car just in time and landing him on the sidewalk. He gasped in surprise as he caught his breath. "Black Mantis! You just saved my life."

"Thanks, I had no idea," Rothan drawled, mischief glittering in his eyes. Then he took a second look at the man beneath him and blinked. "Do – do I know you?"

"We've met once or twice, under less friendly circumstances. It's possible you recognize my coo-roo better than my face."

"I – Oh! You're Mr. Pigeon, right? You got Akumatized last weekend."

"Guilty as charged. but I try to keep on good terms with Ladybug and Chat Noir. My frequent targeting has made us work friends, in a loose sense. My real name is Mr. Ramier."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Rothan helped the man to his feet and shook his outstretched hand with a smile. "Did you get a good look at the fellow who just passed by?"

"I'm afraid not. He's certainly a quick one, isn't he, coo-roo?" Mr. Ramier shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hopefully he hasn't gotten too far by now. That was certainly odd, wasn't it? One moment I was on the sidewalk and the next I was walking across the street."

"That is strange," Rothan mused as he glanced up as a streak of scarlet made her way towards him. "Perhaps our friendly neighborhood ladybug will have a better idea than we do. Hoy there!"

"Black Mantis, it's good to see you. Any sign of Chaton yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Ladybird. Looks like he got caught up with something and is running a bit behind."

"Well, we'll just have to keep this new threat occupied until he can show up." Ladybug shrugged and glanced at the redhead standing behind him, who gave her an awkward wave. "Don't tell me you got Akumatized too?"

"Thankfully not, though I nearly did become flattened by oncoming traffic. The Mantis pulled me away in the nick of time, coo-roo."

"Good work." Rothan gave a small grin at Ladybug's praise and watched as she glanced down the street, after the purple and white villain they were chasing. "This guy is really quick, so we'd better hurry and catch up before we lose him."

"Of course. After you, LB." The dark-haired heroine took off, and Rothan was right behind, both using their unique skills to race after their target. Over the wind rushing past him, he managed to shout to his current ally. "It looks like the Akuma might be in his hoverboard. See how it's shaped like a gaming controller? My guess is he's some sort of gamer."

"I think you're right, Mantis. But there is the problem of getting close to damage it enough that the Akuma will come out. Plus we don't even know how this guy works yet."

"I have a bit of a hunch, but I need to see him in action. Let's see if we can get close enough to engage."

Ladybug nodded and pointed, and Rothan saw their quarry ducking into a subway entrance. "There he goes!"

"Then I hope you don't mind the underground, Ladybird." And with that, the Mantis leapt over her head and dove headfirst into the subway station.

In hindsight, that was not a good idea. The only time Rothan had ever interacted with the London subway was discussing Mornington Crescent with his mother, and he had yet to have the pleasure of trying the one in Paris. So he was entirely unprepared for how far the stairs went – or how steep they actually were. After tumbling several flights, he landed with a notable lack of grace directly on his face and groaned. Staffe hissed in irritation as well. That was very stupid.

"Yeah, buddy, love you too." Rothan groaned as he pushed himself off the concrete, his body aching anew, and gave a bashful smile as he saw a red hand reach down to help him up. Accepting it gratefully, he let the heroine dust him off and grinned. "I'm no Chat, that's for sure."

"You really need to be more careful. Are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Rothan faked a squint and made Ladybug laugh before answering. "Two. Now, shall we capture this masked menace?"

"Let's go!" They raced past civilians in various states of shock and fear, including a star-struck Alya who earned herself a quick wave, before stopping at the platform's edge and seeing their enemy waiting for them and hovering over the tracks. He giggled and raised an eyebrow. "So, you've come to do battle with me?"

"We've been coming for almost fifteen minutes now," Rothan protested. "Why can't you stand still so we can beat the – ahem," he amended as he remembered he was in the company of more innocent folk. "So we can take you down."

Ladybug stifled a laugh while the purple and white villain rolled his eyes. "Well, if you want to fight you'll have to catch me first." With another giggle he took off down the tracks and into the darkness beyond. Rothan glared after him and pointed. "Well?"

"We're not going to wait for him to come back, if that's what you're asking." Ladybug lit her yoyo and leapt onto the tracks. "We'd better hurry before a train comes."

"I'm following your lead." Rothan hopped onto the tracks behind her and lit his blades, and they delved into the darkness after their enemy. "Gosh, I wish we had Chat's night vision about now."

"Nothing we can do about that, unless you want to try that sonar trick again. We'll – gah!" Ladybug put a hand to her face to shield her eyes as they rounded the corner, and Rothan did the same, a bright light shining down the tracks at them. Their opponent's silhouette stood in the center of it and he shook his head. "You two are stupid, falling for something like this. No matter. I'll have those Miraculous soon enough, and then it's only a matter of time before I get the Cat Miraculous too. Hawkmoth will be so pleased!"

"What are you talking about?" Rothan protested, squinting and trying to let his eyes adjust to the blinding light. "We haven't fallen for anything!"

"You'll see what I mean soon enough," The man shook his head with a grin and examined the wo heroes. "Really, this was too easy. I expected more from you."

"Yeah? Well, did you expect this" Ladybug snarled as she lunched her yoyo at the villain He dodged the attack, and she rolled her eyes. "You talk a big game, but you've been running from us this entire time!"

"From you or to something else? And speaking of running, I believe it is about time for me to get going. Farewell!" With that he darted off and up, through a service hatch that presumably led into the catacombs and from there into the streets above. Ladybug threw her weapon again but just missed, and she growled with frustration. "Come on! We have to go after him."

Rothan squinted to try and see but nodded. Slowly his eyes were adjusting, but he was still confused at where the villain had gotten his back lighting from. "Right, I'm coming. Give me one –"

Ladybug was halfway to the exit already when he heard the honk and screech of metal on metal. Looking back, Rothan blanched as he realized what had happened. Ah, so that's what he was using. A subway. Faintly he could hear a scream from someone – him? Ladybug? He couldn't tell. But as the train hurtled forwards he only managed to raise his hands above him and shout a single command before it was on top of him, and his time had run out.

Adrien leapt from rooftop to rooftop, looking for his Lady in a panic. Come on, Bugaboo, where are you? He had only just been able to get away and knew he was already running late for his fight, but after seeing a cackling white-and-purple villain race by, and shouting something about victory, his first priority was making sure she was okay. You've just got to be okay! Surely this guy didn't beat you? Where – His worries were finally eased when he saw a familiar scarlet figure crawling out a manhole cover, and Chat rushed down to help her. "There you are! I'm so sorry I'm late. Thank goodness you're alright – you are alright, aren't you?" He asked as he saw how white she had become. "Bugaboo?"

In response the heroine choked back a sob and grabbed Chat, pulling him close for a tight hug. His eyes widened at the sudden display of affection and he hugged her close as she mumbled into his shoulder. "Oh, Chat, what have I done? How could I just – I –"

"Calm down, M'lady. What happened?" Chat tried to soothe as he rubbed circles into her back, but this only seemed to agitate his partner even more and send her not a fresh round of tears. "Shh, I'm here. What's going on?"

After a moment Ladybug gasped for breath and started to babble. "Mantis and I were chasing this guy, and he went into the subway and got on the tracks, and we chased after him, and then there was this big light, and he started taunting us and sped off, and I was chasing him and Mantis was still on the tracks and there was a train and –"

As Ladybug gasped for breath and began to cry again, Cha felt his heart drop out from underneath him. No, no, no. He didn't – he wasn't – "Did you see?"

"At the last second I turned around and he was there. They were trying to stop, but it was too late and I –" After that she stopped talking for a minute and just clutched Chat, and he let her cry it out. "This is all my fault. I should have never let him –"

"This isn't your fault, M'lady. You do everything in your power to protect the both of us."

"But it wasn't god enough, and now–"

"Wait." Chat blinked as he felt a vibration at his side. "My baton is ringing."

His partner pulled back in confusion, then gasped as understanding dawned in her eyes. "Is it –"

Chat whipped out his weapon and popped open the communicator. There, waiting for them to pick up, was the Mantis. He breathed a thankful sigh while Ladybug muffled a sob of relief, and he adjusted his weapon s the hero could see both of them. Chat offered a hand in greeting. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Alright is a strong term." Their green-clad friend chuckled, then winced at the movement. To be fair, he did look terrible – he was obviously laying down and trying his best not to move, and a trickle of blood was rolling down his face from a shallow cut on his forehead. But he was breathing, which was better than Adrien had been assuming a moment ago, and it was enough to make Ladybug start bawling again. "Hey, hey! No tears. I'm okay, see? Probably won't be on patrol for a few days again, but I'm okay."

"I thought you had – I thought –" Ladybug stammered through her tears and Chat's heart melted. His Lady rarely became this distraught, and at the moment all he wanted to do was hold her in comfort. "How did you survive?"

"I used my Will of the Mantis to reduce the blow. Turns out the things that I can lift include myself." Rothan grinned back at the two of them to hide his pain. "I think I might have a broken rib, but otherwise I'm okay – I rag-dolled quite a distance down the tracks, but the train stopped before it could hit me again."

"That's – that's good," Adrien offered with a shaky smile. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Once you get that Miraculous Cure going I think I'll be all set. Maybe still in a heck of a lot of pain, but not nearly like now. I was able to find a place to hide until then, so it should be safe to drop my transformation."

"Good." Ladybug's face was streaked with tears, but she had managed to compose herself and her voice was hard as iron. "You stay there, and we're going to deal with this guy."

"Wait!" Mantis raised a hand in concern. "Before you go throwing yourself into danger for my sake, I think have this mystery villain figured out."

Both heroes stared at their ally in surprise through the screen, and he blinked back in confusion at their lack of a response. After a moment, Adrien hesitated a reply. "How did you –"

"He just chucked me into next week with a subway. I think that constitutes having an idea of what he can do." For a moment the black cat thought he was irritated until he saw the amusement sparkling in the Mantis' eyes. "At least hear me out."

"Alright." His Lady's voice was surprisingly gentle as she took Chat's baton. "What have you got?"

"I keep close tabs on the villains that have plagued Paris for the past few years. Looking for patterns, trying to piece together any sort of clue to the nature of the attacks beyond what is already known."

"You sound like Alya. That's absolutely something the owner of the Ladyblog would keep on her at all times."

"Yeah, well, I always thought that if I came to Paris and met you – I mean, if as a civilian, if I ever got the chance to talk to you – You know what, forget about that part." Adrien tried not to grin as he saw a light dusting of pink cross the Mantis' cheeks. "Anyways, one thing I've noticed is that Hawkmoth really likes time-themed Akumas. How many have you all fought – four or five, not including ones that are more history based?"

"What's your point?" Adrien raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "You're saying this guy is another one of those?"

"I think that's exactly it. Imagine you're playing some sort of online multiplayer game, something with fast reflexes and real-time action, like a streamer might play. What's the most annoying thing in that sort of situation?"

Ladybug gasped. "Game lag! So you think that his power is –"

"To cause time around him to distort on itself, just like you might experience with bandwidth latency on an online game. That's his secret, and what's more, I think it's completely passive as well, only triggering when he's in any sort of danger. That's how he was able to stop that train for so long."

"That's devious." Adrien bit his lip. "How are we supposed to attack a guy who puts on pause every time he feels threatened?"

"That I don't have a good answer for. I'll call you back if I think of anything, but I'm confident you can figure it out too."

"Thank you, Mantis." Ladybug gave him a serious nod and smiled at him. "This might just be what we need for a fighting chance. Now get some rest. My ladybugs will hopefully visit soon."

"That –" the green-clad hero winced as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. "That would be great. Black Mantis signing off."

With that, Adrien's staff shut off, and Ladybug handed it back to him. "Ready to give this a try, kitty?"

"I guess. But how are we supposed to stop this guy if we can't even get close?"

"We'll figure it out. We always do." She squeezed his shoulder and gave him a warbly smile. "Thank you."

"Any time, M'lady." No more on that subject needed to be said as he smiled back and pulled her in for another quick hug. "Now, let's go take this villain out of the sky!"

Marinette glared at their foe from across the rooftops, her yoyo spinning rapidly in the wind. The chase had been short and sweet, and now she had the villain in her sights a deep-seated fury was building inside her. "Game over, buddy! We know your secret now."

"Ladybug?" The villain seemed surprised to see her standing before him, but quickly regained his composure. "Well, looks like the lady got lucky. But it looks like you replaced your Mantis friend with a black cat. I'm sorry to see that."

"Only because he's going to kick your sorry butt," she growled in reply and took a step forward, only stopping when she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Let me at him!"

"He's just trying to bait you, Bugaboo. Don't give him exactly what he wants." Chat squeezed gently and she forced herself to take a deep breath. He's right. I can't let my anger that the Mantis is hurt override my judgement, otherwise I could end up like him – or worse. "She's not wrong, you know. I'm going to have you seeing stars when I'm done with you."

"Well, well. The smart-alek cat speaks. Allow me to introduce myself properly – my name is Timeskip, and your days are numbered!" He cackled and shot forward with his hoverboard right for the two heroes, and the fight was on. Their opponent, Marinette realized, had the preferred attack strategy of swoop in for a few strikes and the fly out of reach, and while it was frustrating it made it difficult for him to do any lasting damage. The real threat was not from his meager strength or his extremely high speeds, however, but from the fact that any time either hero came close to landing a hit, they would either find their movement greatly slowed or stopped all together as the villain just laughed and darted out of the way. It was never long enough for him to swipe a Miraculous, but Marinette knew it was only a matter of time before he managed to get in a solid hit, and then they were done for. "Chat, this isn't working! We can't just face him head-on like this."

"Well, what do you suggest we do? Neither one of us exactly has a long-range attack, and even if we did I get the feeling the field would have the same effect."

"I'm not sure. We need to back off and regroup, come up with a new plan."

"If you insist, M'lady." Chat glanced up to make sure Timeskip wasn't making another run and the leapt away and took cover. Marinette was right behind, and as she ducked under the wall that was shielding them she huffed for breath. "You alright?"

"He's just fast. We can take him though."

"Just a moment ago you were saying –"

"We can take him if we have a plan. I think I might try my Lucky Charm." The blunette shrugged and tossed her yoyo into the air. "Couldn't hurt, right?"

Chat nodded, but his face fell when he saw what dropped into her lap. "Bubble gum? How is that supposed to help?"

"No idea, but it's a little too Pastel Pink for my taste. Still, open wide, kitty." Chat's eyes went huge as she shoved a piece of gum into his mouth, and for a brief moment there was a flash of a thought that it might be nice to do that with something other than chewing gum. Nope, we're not going there, Ladybug. Not in a million years. "Get that stuff nice and soft, you got it?"

"You want me to fight and chew gum at the same time," her partner grumbled as she popped a piece in her own mouth. "As if this wasn't hard enough."

"You've got this. Now, let's try this again. We just need to hold him long enough to figure out what to do with this and we should be all set."

Both heroes popped up again just as Timeskip was hurrying towards their location. "Ah so the heroes of Paris didn't just flee! What fun – now I can get back to defeating you two and taking your Miraculous."

Marinette responded by leaping forward and back into the fray, allowing their deadly dance to begin again. At first, it proved just as fruitless – every time she would get close, Timeskip's powers would freeze her in her tracks, giving him just enough time to dart out of the way. But as they fought around each other, with Chat always at her back, a sudden idea struck her as her target sped away. "Chat, give me your gum!"

"What?" Her partner mumbled through his wad as Marinette spit hers out. "Why do you want my gum?"

"Just trust me, and be ready to Cataclysm that hoverboard!" Reaching behind, she felt the glob of resin in her hand and made a face before adding it to her own. It wasn't a lot, but if her aim was true…

As Timeskip dived in for another attack, they both leapt out of the way, and in that moment the heroine tossed the sticky pink goop, and nearly cheered as it slid right into one of the hoverboard's exhaust vents. Chat watched in surprise as the driver soared up laughing, then stopped as his hoverboard seemed to stall in mid-air, lurching forward once, twice, three times before it stopped all together. "What?" the villain shouted as gravity took over, and with a scream he hurtled to the rooftops below. "How did you – NOOO!" He flailed in mid-air and gasped as he rocketed towards the ground below, but just before he landed he froze in the air, inches above the hard tile roof. He glared angrily at the two heroes and managed to fight his own powers just enough to growl at them. "That was clever, using my own ability against me. But how did you get through my field?"

Ladybug approached while Chat caught the hoverboard out of the sky and prepared a Cataclysm. "I realized that your abilities only applied to things that threatened you, and surmised that if I were to target the Akumatized object instead, it might just cut through. And I was right." She smiled sweetly and turned away, spinning her yoyo. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a butterfly to catch."

A few moments later, the Miraculous cure spread across the city, and almost immediately both she and Chat received a text from the Mantis, assuring them that he was doing better and headed home. After sharing a fist bump and helping the ma they had been fighting just a minute before to his feet, Chat rubbed his neck and smiled. "Hey, so…"

Marinette blinked as he trailed off. It wasn't like Chat to be this shy,, and yet here he was looking mighty uncomfortable. "What's wrong, kitty? You look like you're about to tell me you spilled all the milk."

"Well – I just – Well," he tried again, each time getting more flustered. "I've never seen you lose it so bad before, even when I get hit, and I was just wondering if you and the Mantis were…" He trailed off again before pressing two fingers together and blushing, making Marinette's eyes go wide. "Like that. Which it's fine if you are, I was just curious."

"Chat, no!" She squeaked as she also turned a bright shade of crimson. "I do not feel that way about him. He's just – He takes a lot of risks, and if anything happens to him, I would be the one responsible. He's hurt himself a few times before, and the thought that he might have been…" the blunette forced herself to stop, the idea too terrible to think about. "He just scared me really bad, is all. Believe me, minou, if I had thought that had happened to you I would have reacted the same way, maybe worse. I can fix a lot, but that…"

Chat looked caught halfway between an embarrassed smile and a soft look she couldn't quite explain. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere."

"You'd better not." She quickly wrapped him in a hug before their Miraculous both beeped in alarm. "I've got to go. Get home safe, okay?"

"I will, M'lady." With a smile and a bow he took her hand and kissed it, then raised an arm in lazy salute. "Farewell! Until we meet again!"

As he leapt away, she smiled and pulled out her yoyo. Despite her trembling hands, she felt better enough to roll her eyes at her partner's antics. "Diva." Then she tossed her weapon and flew away into the afternoon.

As his skylight closed, Hawkmoth hissed in anger and dropped his transformation. Pounding the small table next to him with his fist, he forced himself to look forward and ignore the staring of the two other wielders behind him. "Once again, failure. I made a deal with you that involved getting those Miraculous, not offering me weak excuses for targets!"

"Now, now." The Widow smirked as she put an edge to her soothing. "Let's not be unprofessional. That was the closest we've been to a Miraculous in a long time."

"You, perhaps," Gabriel Agreste snarled back, glancing over his shoulder and taking in her sneer. "But I've had better luck with a civilian that I've had with you."

"Then maybe you should go ask her for help. After all, her lack of powers makes her so enticing to be an ally." The Widow smiled at his anger and shrugged. "See, you know you need us. We can offer you so much more than some regular person can."

"She's not wrong," Splatter Shot giggled from behind her, spinning his gun lazily as he nibbled on a piece of fruit. "We've mastered our powers – all of them, something you seem to lack. All you can manage is a lousy little Akuma."

Among other things, the man mused as he glared at the other three in his lair. Not that I need them to know how I've grown. The time for that will come when I take their Miraculous as my own as well. "Perhaps," he managed as he gave them a haughty stare. "But my 'little Akuma' has had not only Ladybug and Chat Noir, but all of the Zodiac Miraculous, nearly in the palm of my hand on more than one occasion. You have accomplished nothing."

"He's not very bright, is he?" Grumbled a deep, gravelly voice, and a beast of a man emerged from the shadows. Dressed in brownish-gold armor and standing just under eight feet tall, he was clearly ripped with muscles under the suit and dark eyes glittered dangerously from beneath his golden helm, mildly reminiscent of age-old hoplite armor. Even the Gorilla had cowered slightly when the enormous man stalked in for the first time. "You'd think after calling the three of us, he'd let us do our jobs. And you two tease me for preferring to let my fists do the talking."

"That's because we both know that there's a very bright man under that helmet of yours." The Widow walked over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before patting his chest. "Sleep well?"

"Fabulous. As slow and rash as he is, he does know luxury." The villain known as Heavyweight gave Hawkmoth a mocking smile, who sputtered and twisted his cane in anger. "Look at him! He could Akumatize himself right now, and we've barely egged him on. What a temper. What a temper indeed."

Gabriel grit his teeth and stared at the three of them as he composed himself. "Well, then. If you were to have me believe this was all on purpose, then there must be a plan."

"Of course there is," the Widow purred as she turned to face him. "There's always a plan. Splatter's plotting is just so delicious."

"And what is this plan, exactly? We've been doing this for two months and we're still no closer to Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Oh, the targets were never Ladybug and Chat Noir." Splatter Shot piped up, drawing a look of mingled surprise and fury from Hawkmoth. "What I mean to say is, they are our end goal, but they were never the person we were after."

"That doesn't make any sense! Who else would we be after?"

"The Mantis, of course. That goody-two-shoes, troublemaking Mantis." Widow's smile was all seething hatred as she mentioned his name. "We get to him, we get to the others. It's really that simple."

Gabriel paused at that, then glared at the three of them, tone cold. "Explain."

"Why explain when you'll see soon enough? All I need is a day or two now. With that… little… hit today? Everything has finally fallen into place. It won't be long before I have your little Ladybug dancing in the palm of my hand." The Widow cackled as she obviously relished the thought. "And from there, Paris will be ours!"

Oh. Oh boy.

That was one hell of a hit Rothan took there, pardon the French (Ha! Miraculous Ladybug joke! Cause it's in France?). He's going to hurt real good for a while, even with the Cure to do most of the mending. (I assume that while the Cure is very, very powerful, there is only so much it can do to speed up biological healing, and it can't bring back the dead.) And it obviously upset Marinette quite a bit as well.

Next week marks the beginning of the end of this first arc. Rothan is spending some time at Marinette's while his mother is away, but is that really such a good idea? And what is the Widow (who is very clearly a bit wack in the head) plotting with Splatter Shot and Heavyweight? I guess you'll just have to tune in next week to find out! And if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach me on my Tumblr at james-brafin or my Twitter handle, which is jamesthedabbler. Until next time!