Chapter 19: Screamer

The crowd was ecstatic, as the band finished playing "Love Gun". Jumping non-stop, there seemed to not be a single person, in that sea of people, who was not dancing and headbanging to the sound of any song that was being played. New or old. White or black. Men or women. It did not matter. Music was the universal language and KISS was spreading it like the Gospel. Hidden inside their holder's backpacks, the kwamis were also headbanging to the sound of music, which truly proved that music was something anyone or anything could appreciate and enjoy.

"Thank you, Paris! Merci beaucoup, Paris!" -Paul thanked the crowd in both English and French. –"You're being a wonderful crowd. You know, throughout our career, we have had our share of crazy and fantastic crowds, and you are among that share." -he declared, which made the crowd go wild and cheer for them even louder than before.

"It's true! You KISS fans are an inspiration to everyone out there!" -Tommy said, before playing out a few chords with his guitar. –"We're lucky to have you as our fans!"

"And as our fans, we would like you all to welcome a very special guest musician, who tonight, will be playing the rest of the concert alongside us." -Paul declared enthusiastically.

As soon as Paul said that, Marinette and her friends knew that the best part of the concert was about to begin. Jagged Stone was going to join KISS. Everyone knew this was going to happen, but the member of the Miraculous gang were the only ones, who knew about the little stunt Jagged was about to pull.

"This is going to be so awesome!" –Ivan yelled, when he felt someone touching his arm. Turning to the left, he saw it was Rose. –"What is it, Rose?" -he asked her.

"I-I was thinking… could I sit on your shoulders?" -Rose asked him shyly. –"I mean, it's just that I always wanted to do that on a concert and… whoa!" -she exclaimed, when Ivan grabbed her and threw her into the air, only for her to land on his shoulders.

"Just try not to rock too much, okay? I don't want you to fall." -Ivan told her, with a smile on his face.

"Hey! Are you trying to steal my boyfriend from me?" -Mylene asked Rose, with a playful voice.

"Not stealing, just borrowing him for a bit!" -Rose laughed. –"You can borrow my girlfriend for a little bit, if you want to." -she giggled, which earned her a smile from Juleka.

"Just don't break him, okay?" -Mylene joked. –"And you, treat her nicely." -she told Ivan, who winked at her.

"Don't worry, Marinette, everyone's going to love it." -Adrien whispered to her ear, as he looked at his girlfriend, who seemed a little nervous. –"You'll see."

"Thanks, Adrien." -Marinette whispered back at him, as she placed her arm around his shoulder. –"Best supportive boyfriend in the world, check. Best concert ever, check. Best reaction to a work of mine… let's hope I can check that one off my list, as well." -she thought to herself, as she tilted her head to the left, resting it on Adrien's shoulder, even knowing that in a couple of seconds, she would have to lift it.

"You already heard him tonight, and you're about to hear him once more!" -Gene said. –"Now, let's get this thing started, with a song that by now, you all know by heart! So, let me hear you shout it out as loud as you can!" -he exclaimed. –"You know the drill! Give a round of applauses to Jagged "The Crocodile" Stone, people!"

When Gene ended talking, the smoke machines began to work, covering the stage in smoke, as they began to play "Shout it out Loud!", at the same time as Jagged entered the stage, playing the guitar. As he stepped onto the stage, fireworks blew up from behind the stage, lighting it blue and red for a brief moment. And upon doing it, the crowd went insane. Seeing Jagged wearing a KISS-inspired face-paint, on the large television screens mounted on the sides of the stage, the fans began howling his name, while also singing the iconic song the band was playing. And it did not take long for people start applauding and praising the face-paint.

"That face-paint is totally sick!"

"It looks incredible!"

"I wish I had had an idea like that one."

"Jagged looks so handsome with it."

And those were just the ones that Marinette could hear, in the middle of that crowd. Even so, hearing them made her feel great about herself and her work. She could only imagine what else people would be commenting about it. And even if they were people who did not like it, or felt that it was not very good, she would be okay with it. Marinette had learned to handle criticism, as long as it was constructive, and learn from it. But what mattered to her, was that there were people who had liked her work.

"They liked it! They really liked it! Best reaction to a work of mine… check!" -Marinette mused to herself, before beginning to sing. –"Well the night's begun and you want some fun! Do you think you're gonna find it… gonna find it!" -she sang, as she began to jump as fast as her feet allowed her, fuelled by both the music and the adrenaline that was rushing through her veins.

And she was not the only who was happy for the commentaries that were being made by the people. Adrien and the others were also happy to hear those commentaries, because that meant Marinette's fears of people not liking her work, were blown away.

"Like I said. There was no need for to worry about it." -Adrien thought to himself, before also starting to sing. –"You got to treat yourself like number one! Do you need to be reminded… need to be reminded!" -he sang

"My girl must be on cloud nine, right about now." -Alya thought to herself. –"It doesn't matter what you do or say! Just forget the things that you've been told!" -she sang, while trying not to ruin her sore throat.

"Marinette sure deserves those words for her work." -Alix thought to herself. –"We can't do it any other way! Everybody's got to rock n roll yay!" -she sang.

And the crowd was not the only one who had loved Jagged's face-paint. Jagged himself had loved it, and he was loving the way the crowd was responding to both it, and his presence. Over the years, he had developed what many would call a skill, that allowed him to read the crowd and know what they were thinking. And he could see that they had loved it, as much as he had.

"I really did make a good decision, when I decided to go forth with this idea. They love it." -Jagged thought to himself. –"And when they find out the person who did it, is also in the crowd, they're going to freak out. Just hope Marinette doesn't faint, when they get the spotlight on her." -he thought, as he readied himself to sing the chorus.

"Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud! Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud!" -KISS, along with Jagged Stone, sang as loud as they could.

When the song ended, applauses were heard, louder than ever before. The five musicians had managed to dazzle the whole crowd. Taking the time to do a quick break, they decided to kill some time, by talking to Jagged, so the crowd could know a bit more about that idea of his of wearing a face-paint for that concert.

"Sweet moves with that guitar." -Tommy told Jagged.

"A good rocker recognizes another one, when he sees it." -Gene declared.

"Absolutely. And let me just say, that that is an amazing face-paint, if I ever saw one. And I should know, I wear one, all the time." -Paul congratulated Jagged.

"Thank you, you guys are too kind. But I'll be honest about it. This face-paint was the work of a very, very talented young lady, who's here, tonight, and I would like everyone to know who she is, because all her works are amazing, and I have no doubt that in a few years, she's going to be one of the biggest names in the fashion industry." -Jagged said. –"Could I get a flashlight to the front…"

Before he could finish his request, there was a loud explosion, coming from the backstage area. But this one was different from all of the other explosions that were heard that night. It did not sound like fireworks. Instead, that explosion sounded more like when a car was set on fire and blew up. But the crowd did not notice the difference, only the musicians and the technicians. Then, a second explosion happened, this time with something going up in the air; something in flames, which landed right in front of Eric's drums, making the KISS drummer fall on his back, as a cloud of dark smoke dissipated to reveal what it had fallen. To everyone's surprise, it was a man with pale skin, waist-long jet-black hair, scarlet eyes and a black mask around them. He was wearing a studded black leather vest with numerous lapel pins, a blood-red shirt with a black butterfly logo on it, a spiked choker on his neck, black jeans and black-and-red platform boots. Around each forearm, he had a blazing long chain that seemed to be fused and seared into his flesh. Looking at the crowd, he could not help but to smile evilly.

Seeing the Akuma on the stage, the crowd thought that that was part of the show, and applauded, not realizing what was really going on. But there was no way Marinette, nor her friends would not recognize an Akuma, when seeing one. Most people never had to look an Akuma directly in the eyes, while this one tried to kill them, so they had an excuse for not being able to identify one; the young heroes not so much.

"That thing is an Akuma." -Marinette whispered to Adrien.

"He definitely is." -Adrien whispered back to Marinette.

"Hawk Moth has done it again." -Sabrina thought to herself, while looking at Juleka, who nodded with her head.

"Just what we needed." -Nathaniel whispered to himself, as he realized that it was an Akuma that was on.

As the crowd continued to applaud and recording what looked like to be yet another surprise from the band, not knowing how much in danger they were, up on the stage, Eric had joined the rest of KISS and Jagged Stone, as they looked at the Akuma, who was now looking at them in the eyes. With the exception of his head, he had not moved since he landed on the stage, and that was making the five rock stars nervous. And they were not the only ones. Penny and Fang, along with KISS manager, Doc, who were watching the concert from the side, knew that was not part of the show, and wondered what was happening. Penny had to hold Fang's leash, as hard as she could, because the crocodile, sensing something was wrong, just wanted to run towards his owner and protect him.

"No, Fang! You can't go! That's an Akuma." -Penny said, as the crocodile growled, while trying to break free from his leash. He could feel the Akuma was not friendly.

"I just hope that nobody decides to sue us for this." -Doc thought to himself, while trying not to panic.

"It's Cincinnati all over again." -Gene told Paul.

"Guess your gut was right this time." -Paul admitted.

"Just this time?" -Gene raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're saying that this is like Cincinnati, but I don't remember us having to deal with something like this." -Tommy declared, as he continued to

"You're right. It was worst." -Gene said, as he remembered.

"Don't make sudden moves. This is an Akuma." -Jagged Stone told them.

"An Akuma? You mean one of those things created by that crazy terrorist?" -Paul asked. –"You're sure?" -he asked

"It's got to be. Unless you guys have someone in your crew that looks just like someone out of a hellish comic book." -Jagged said.

"Not us."-Gene said.

"Don't panic and don't do anything stupid. We don't want the crowd to panic." -Eric warned them. –"How are we going to deal with this?" -he asked the others.

But before he could even ponder about the problem, Jagged Stone decided to engage the Akuma in friendly conversation. He had seen enough interviews with the Miraculous Team, who constantly reminded the public that a person who had been akumatized could sometimes be reasoned with, even if just for a couple of seconds. He knew he stood no chance in Hell, of convincing him of doing whatever he was going to do, but he hoped to buy a little time for the Miraculous Team to show up. He knew that sooner or later, security would show up and try to engage him, and that would not end up well. His heart was pounding inside his chest, and felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. It had been a long time since he felt like that. The last time he felt that nervous was during his first big concert. Trying to breathe as calmly as possible, he took one step forward, never taking his eyes from the sinister figure in front of him.

"Hey, man… how are you doing? Hot to say I love the look. Reminds me a bit of Marilyn Manson, mixed with Def Leppard." -Jagged Stone declared, trying to strike a conversation with the Akuma.

"Who am I? The name is Screamer, and I'm the best rocker in the world." -Screamer said.

"Really? The best rocker in the world?" -Jagged asked him, with a neutral voice. He did not want to strike a nerve. –"You don't say?"

"You doubt me?!" -Screamer shouted, as he glared at Jagged Stone.

"N-No! Of course, not!" -Jagged said. –"This guy clearly has a bit of a temper. I've got to try and keep calm, otherwise, this won't end well." -he thought to himself. He could feel himself sweat more than he usually did, when playing a gig, not to mention that is heart rate was most likely off the charts, right then. –"Take it easy, man. I don't doubt you. I-If you say that you're the best rocker in the world, then, I believe you."

"Because if you doubt me, then let me show you what happens to those who doubt me!" -Screamer shouted, as he moved his right hand and he pointed it to the stage's backdrop. A few seconds later, something came bursting through it, taking everything in front of it. And what burst through the backdrop was a dark crystalline sphere, which seemed to made out of dark flames. Inside of it, was a man, who KISS and their manager recognized. It was Roger Lincoln, KISS crew chief, who looked terrified. –"This idiot told me that I would never ne more than a failed roadie with big dreams, well, I'm about to prove him and everyone else here wrong… and that includes you and those four dinosaurs over there!" -he told them.

Clapping his hands, two more spheres, like the one Roger was in appeared out of the blue. Launching them, the first one trapped Jagged Stone inside, while the second one trapped KISS. At the same time, Fang broke free of his leash and ran towards Screamer, roaring at Screamer, with the intention of wanting to bite his left leg. Penny wanted to go after him, but fear got the best of her, and the only thing she could do, was watching the brave crocodile try to save his owner. Unfortunately, Fang would not even be able to sink his teeth into Screamer, as the Akuma heard him, and when he got near, he grabbed him with his bare hands and threw the reptile inside the sphere Jagged was already in.

"You stay there! I'll deal with you all later!" -Screamer told everyone in the bubbles. –"And now that I have the stage all to myself, allow me to say a couple of things." -he said, as he addressed the crowd. –"I am the Screamer! And tonight, you are going to see something that only happens, once in a lifetime! The death and destruction of the Miraculous heroes! You're heard me! They will die tonight, and you all have front row seats to see it!"

Feeling like nothing could stop him, Screamer let out a sonic scream that was powerful enough to make everyone fall on their back, while also making the whole stage, and even the stadium tremble for a couple of seconds. On the ground, everyone understood that that was not part of the show and that panic ensued. Not wanting to stay there, every living soul got up as fast as they could, and began running for their lives. Marinette and the others, saw themselves being dragged by the crowd. They all knew that as soon as people realized that was an Akuma, that would happen. But still, they were caught by surprise. It did not take more than a few seconds for them to end up scattered.

"Hold my hand!" -Kim yelled at Alya, who was closest to him. –"There, I got you!" -he said, as he caught Alya's hand.

"Where are the others?! Have you seen the others?!" -Alya asked Kim.

"Alya! Kim! Over here!" -a voice was heard among the pandemonium. It was Sabrina who had shouted at them, and she was not alone. With her were Ivan, Rose, Juleka and Nathaniel.

"We're coming!" -Alya shouted back at her, not knowing if she had heard her. –"Come on, Kim! Let's go!" -she told him, when she felt something grabbing her other arm. Looking to her left, she saw it had been Mylene who had grabbed her, and she was accompanied by Max and Chloe. –"Oh, it's you."

"Have you seen the others?" -Mylene asked her.

"Yeah, there are over there!" -Kim pointed at Sabrina's group.

It took them a couple of seconds to get to where the others were. And when they finally arrived, Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, Nino and Alix had also managed to join the group.

"Are we all here?!" -Adrien asked.

"I think we are!" -Nino exclaimed. –"But if people continue to run like crazy, I don't know how long we'll be able to stick like this!" -he said.

"Hurry! Form a circle and don't let go of each other's hands!" -Max yelled out to the others. –"Come on, like Miss Bustier taught us in class! That'll prevent us from getting separated! Hurry!" -he said.

"You heard Max! Let's do it!" -Marinette told them.

Following Max's instructions, the whole gang formed a circle, while also remembering the time their teacher had taught them that trick, during one of her lessons, where she taught them how to act during various kinds of catastrophes, and how to deal with them. Already gathered in a circle, they all did their best to not break the circle, by holding hands, though it was not easy. The whole crowd felt like it had gone crazy. It was every man for himself. More than once, a person ran towards the gang and bumped into them.

They continued to hold hands, while forming the circle for a few more seconds, when Screamer let out a second sonic wave, which threw them to the ground, along with everyone else that was near them. Still, this time, they managed to stay together. Seeing everyone trying to exit the stadium, Screamer made use of his powers. Firing a large fire ball into the air, this one exploded, and what was left of it, fell like shooting stars, in strategic locations, blocking any possible exit.

"Where do you think you're going?! You came here to rock, right?! Then, I'll show you what truly means to rock!" -Screamer roared at the crowd. –"The show is just about to start!" -he exclaimed, before making a guitar that looked like it had been designed for Satan himself. Playing a couple of chords to see if it was tuned, he then began to play what could only be described as infernal music.

As Screamer continued to play, the music began to flow everywhere and the crowd began to settle down. Little by little, all the screams, howls and calls for help stopped. Lying on the ground, the whole Miraculous gang knew from experience, that when people stopped calling for help, when an Akuma is running wild, it meant that things had just gone from bad to worst in a tenth of a second.

"I hate Akumas." –Kim sighed.

"I thought you loved Akumas." -Alix told him, in a sarcastic voice.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Akumas, because when one shows up, it means it's time to party. But I hate them, because they tend to show up, during the worst of times." -Kim told her. –"And right now, it's the worst possible time." -he added.

Looking upwards, they all saw that everyone around them looked like they under some sort of spell. Their eyes were glowing red, and to make matters even worse, everyone began to sing whatever awful song Screamer was playing in unison. To make sure that the people around them were truly hypnotized, they decided to hit people on their shins, hoping to get some sort of reaction. After a couple of tries, they all saw that they were all hypnotized by the music, making it safe to talk.

"What kind of song is that one! It sounds awful, utterly awful!" -Chloe said, as she covered her ears with her hands.

"Not the best time for that, Chloe." -Sabrina told her, while forcing her to uncover her ears.

"I'm with Chloe, on this one. I don't know what kind of song this is, but it's really bad!" -Mylene declared.

"We need to power up and take care of that guy, before someone gets hurt." -Nino said. –"And more importantly, we've got to stop this guy from ruining good music." -he declared. –"I've heard bad music before, but this is ridiculous. This song is awful! It's not even music! It's noise pollution! It's an insult to music, and I should know! Music is my thing."

"We need to do that, and we also need to save KISS, Jagged Stone and the guy who's supposedly the reason why that guy was akumatized, in the first place." -Alix said.

"But we can't just do that, out here in the open." -Adrien told him. –"We're too exposed."

"Adrien's right. If we do that, we risk being seen by someone, who might not be under the Akuma's spell, like us." -Rose declared. –"I mean, everyone around us, looks like they're hypnotized and all, but we don't know for sure if everyone's really hypnotized. We're not, maybe because of the miraculouses. But what about other people? We can't be truly sure of that." -she said. –"What if we're not the only ones who aren't hypnotized?"

One of the things that everyone in the group hated, was that whenever they had to jump into action, they constantly placed themselves and their true identities in risk. Which was why when they were somewhere, they were not familiarized with, and they had to transform, they always hoped to find a hidden spot, where they could transform, without risking anyone seeing them, which right then, was a problem, with them being surrounded by people.

"Hate to admit it, but Rose's right. Right now, we're between a rock and a hard place." -Alya stated.

"Plus, the Akuma will definitely see us transform." -Juleka added.

"Also, if there's an Akuma, then there's at least one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants hiding, waiting for us to show up, so it can strike us." -Sabrina said. –"If we transform now, they'll know we were here, from the very beginning. And by knowing that, they might find out who we are under the masks." -she declared.

"Sabrina's right. It's too risky. We need to get out of here and find a place to power-up, where no one can see us." -Chloe said. –"Although, it's going to be a little hard, given this sea of people that's around us." -she thought to herself.

They had all made fair points. The situation was delicate, to say the least, and they needed to take down the Akuma, before someone got hurt. And if Screamer was anything like the other Akumas, it would only be a matter of time, before he began to destroy things, and endangering anyone who was near him, just to get their attention. So, time was of the essence, and they could not waste much thinking of a plan.

"Come on, think, Marinette, think! We've all trained for this sort of situation. Try to remember what you and everyone else here trained, to deal with this kind of situation." -Marinette thought to herself, as she forced her brain to remember any tactic that they had for situations like that. –"No, that won't work! It would work if we were in a building… Come on, brain! You know, it's a really bad time for you to not work!" -she cursed herself.

But Marinette was not the only one who was trying to remember what they had trained for that kind of situation. Mylene was also doing it. Using every mental trick her dad had taught her, to fight stage fright, she allowed her brain to slow down, thus making it easier for her to remember their training.

"I know! We could use Pin's power to render us all invisible, and then, we could try and find a place to transform." -Mylene suggested. –"She could make us all invisible, as long as we stayed together." -she said.

"If it was just one of us, it would be viable. But, all of us at the same time, moving as one? It would take us too long to go through this sea of people." -Nathaniel said.

"Also, we need to make everyone believe, including Hawk Moth, who will most likely be watching, that we arrived here, coming from somewhere else." -Adrien said. –"We can't allow him, or anyone else think that we were here, from the very start. If we're not able to do it, our secret identities will be in jeopardy." -he pointed out.

"Hmm… I think I might have an idea. Everyone come closer, so I can explain it to you all." -Marinette told them.

The smoke machines continued to pour smoke, which by then, had already covered the stage and was beginning to overflow from the stage, and into the crowd, slowly covering it. And while that happened, Screamer continued to play his infernal music. Thanks to the powers Hawk Moth had given him, he had fulfilled the first half of his plan. And now, all he had to do was to wait for the heroes to show up, and kill them. As he played, he wondered how he was going to kill the Miraculous Team, while also trying to decide what he was going to do with the hostages he had placed inside dark energy bubbles. He knew that he was going to kill Roger, but regarding KISS and Jagged Stone, he still did not know.

"Even if I'm the best rocker in the world, I'll still need someone to open for me." -Screamer mused. –"Perhaps I can find a way to convince them to open for me... or, I can just tell them, that if they don't do it, I'll kill them." -he thought to himself. –"But that bastard Roger… he's going to die. I don't know how I'm going to kill yet, but I know one thing. It's not going to be pretty, and he'll beg for me to kill him fast."

Though they could not hear Screamer's thoughts, inside the bubbles, they could imagine what he was thinking. And every thought that was coming to his mind was not a pleasant one. They could even be considered macabre and gruesome.

"How did I get myself into this?! I merely did my job! I fired an incompetent roadie, that's all!" -Roger thought to himself, as he kept looking at Screamer. –"Maybe I shouldn't have fired him… because now I bet he's going to kill me!" -he shivered at the thought of that happening.

"Calm down, Fang, calm down, buddy." -Jagged Stone told his pet crocodile, who was quite restless. –"Don't worry. Try to calm down. Ladybug and the rest of the heroes will show up and take care of this guy in a heartbeat. You'll see." -he said, as he petted Fang on the head, trying to calm him down, while also thinking about Penny. –"I hope she managed to find a safe spot to hide from this guy."

"This is Cincinnati all over again." -Gene sighed, clearly upset.

"We know, we know… we've heard you the first ten times, Gene." -Eric said.

"We've had our share of problems before, but this time I think we're way over our heads." -Tommy said.

"Whatever this sphere is made of, not only doesn't allow us to communicate with whoever's outside, it also looks unbreakable." –Paul said, as he touched it. –"I don't think we're going to be able to get out of this one… at least, not without pulling a certain stunt you all know we can do." -he said.

"As much as I would love to do that, I don't think it's safe to pull it. Not with all these people here, watching us… I mean, I don't know if they're hypnotized or something, because of the way their eyes look, but I wouldn't risk it." -Eric stated. –"Hey, watch that boot of yours, Tommy! My face's not a carpet!" -he warned him.

"Sorry, Eric." -Tommy said. –"It's just that there isn't much space to move."

"Looks like we're going to be in here, for a little while… at least, until that guy is history, or someone decides to break this buttle." -Paul said.

"You're thinking those teenage superheroes will show up?" -Gene asked him. –"How humiliating… after everything we've done, and what we've faced, we'll probably end up being rescued by a bunch of kids." -he thought to himself.

"Why not? If we can't do anything to stop that creep, then, at least, we know that someone will." -Paul stated. –"I mean, you heard him. He wants to kill them, so he's expecting them to come and face him." -he said. –"All we can do now is wait for them to show up, and get us out of this bubble."

"Afraid you're right… but that Akuma, or whatever he is, he better not lay his hands on my axe." -Gene stated, as he looked at where his axe was lying, now covered in smoke. –"Because if he does, he's going to be sorry he was even born. Nobody touches my axe, except me." -he grumbled.

At the same time, Reptile decided to make his entrance. He had revealed himself to Screamer, right after Hawk Moth had akumatized him, and told him what he had to do. After that, he decided to remain hidden, until he felt it was time to spring into action. He had learned from previous encounters with the Miraculous Team, to save his energies for when they showed up. And on that night, he knew he would need all his energy, and all his strength. He would need them to prove to his master that he was still reliable. On the outside he looked calm and serene, but on the inside, he was feeling nervous and edgy. He knew that if he failed, Hawk Moth would make sure he received the proper punishment. Still, he tried not to think about it too hard, as he waited for the Miraculous Team to show up. Looking at the mind-controlled crowd in front of him, it gave him a good feeling about what was to follow.

"So far, so good. I pick the right victim to be akumatized. Not only he has managed to capture the one he blames for what's wrong, but he has captured the musicians and has the whole crowd under his control. He clearly is a very powerful Akuma. Those kids won't stand a chance against him." -Reptile thought to himself.

"Where are they?! Those kids better be here fast!" -Screamer shouted, as he continued to play.

"They will be here." -Reptile said. –"Those infernal brats always show up, always. We just need to be patient."

"I'm not a patient person!" -Screamer shot at the lizard man. –"As soon as I see them, I'll make sure they're history!" -he declared. –"I'll show them that not only am I the best rocker in the world, I'm also the strongest Akuma to ever exist!"

Screamer had just finished that sentence, when something passed right in front of his eyes, and landed a couple of meters to his left. Whatever it was, it was so fast, his eyes did not see what it was. Looking down, imbedded in the stage floor, was a green and pink frisbee. Reptile immediately recognized it as belonging to Dragonfly. And if her frisbee was there, it meant that she, and the rest of the superhero team had arrived. He was about to go and grab it, when the frisbee came loose, and shot itself upwards. Following it with his eyes, he saw the pink-haired heroine hovering in the air, and behind her, was the rest of the team, looking down at what was happening, from the stadium's roof.

"Hey, is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" -Dragonfly asked, as her frisbee returned to her.

"You were wondering where they were, well, there's your answer!" -Reptile told Screamer, who turned to see them coming down, some carried by their fellow heroes, while others on their own.

Screamer kept following them, as they descended from the roof. Studying them, he believed, like every other Akuma, that he could take them all. But he was not the only one who was following their moves. Inside their prison-bubbles, Jagged Stone, accompanied by Fang, KISS and Roger, has also seen them. As they landed on top of the giant left screen, the heroes could not help but to begin taunting the Akuma, as they tended to do, when arriving at the battlefield.

"So, you are today's Akuma?" -Grizzly Bear asked Screamer.

"I guess he is." -Ladybug said.

"Hawk Douche has created a lot of ugly Akumas, but you take the cake!" -Antelope exclaimed, mocking Screamer.

"Usually, I don't agree with you, but I'll make an exception this time. That's one really ugly Akuma." -Queen Bee agreed, laughing.

"Have you ever wondered, how Hawk Moth comes up with the visuals for every Akuma?" –Carapace asked. –"You know what I think? I think that he has a couple of dice, each one with a different setting, and after rolling them, he gets a combination that he uses to shape the Akuma!" -he joked.

"I wouldn't be surprised." -Flamingo laughed. –"And if so, I think that this time, the combination was so bizarre that what came out, is something only a mother would love." -she stated.

"Hey!" -Screamer yelled at the heroes, not liking what he was hearing.

"What? Can't you see that we're having a conversation here, ugly?" -Dragonfly asked, annoyed. –"We'll be right there with you. Just hold your horses for a little bit!" -she warned him.

"Who do you think you are, ignoring me like that?!" -Screamer yelled at Dragonfly, not happy with the response she gave him.

"Hey, snake breath! Tell your sidekick there to calm his nerves. -Chat Noir mocked Reptile. –"If he keeps yelling like that, he's going to have a heart attack!" -he laughed.

Listening to Chat Noir making fun out of him, Reptile decided that it was time for the heroes to stop with that act, and get down to business.

"We'll see who laughs last, kitty cat!" -Reptile thought to himself. –"Well, what are you waiting for?! This is your chance! Kill them, now!" -he ordered Screamer.

Grinning cruelly, Screamer conjured another fire ball, like the one he had before, but this time, he made it bigger. As it grew in size, the heroes continued to talk between them, like they had not a care in the world. When the fiery sphere reached the size he wanted, the Akuma's grin grew even wider than before, as he launched it at the heroes. Moving with the speed of a lightning, the fire ball hit them, before they could move, causing a massive explosion that blew up most of the tower. As the smoke cleared, it revealed that most of the tower had been pulverized, and there was no trace of the Miraculous heroes. Seeing that, Reptile could not help but to feel surprised by what had happened.

"He did it! He killed them! Who would have guessed that those brats would ever be beaten like this?!" -Reptile thought to himself, still not believing his eyes. –"Not only did he kill them, he also reduced their miraculouses to dust!" -he thought.

"There! They're gone! I destroyed them!" -Screamer shouted into the air. –"Not only am I the best rocker in the world, I truly am the best Akuma in the world!" -he yelled, with his voice echoing all over the stadium.

"No offense, but what were you aiming at?" -a voice was heard from behind them. Turning around, they saw it had been Ladybug who had spoken. And next to her, was the rest of the Miraculous Team, minus Rena Rouge. –"Because if you were aiming at us, you've got to work on that aim of yours, because we're right here, and we don't have a single scratch on us." -she smirked at the villains.

Seeing the scarlet heroine and her friends, right there, after he had blasted them with a fire ball, Screamer could not believe his eyes. He knew he had hit them. He knew he had vaporized them. And yet, they were right there, looking at him, without a single scratch on them.

"Impossible!" -Reptile yelled, incredulous.

"Impossible? You should know by now, that there's nothing impossible for us, Reptile." -Louve Grise shot back at the lizard man.

"H-How did you…" -Screamer asked, also incredulous.

"Magic, dude." -Carapace said in a mocking tone.

"You're not the only one who has a couple of tricks up his sleeve." -Corbeau Noire said. –"Marinette's plan worked like a charm." -she thought to herself.

(Flashback)

They needed a plan to spring into action and save the day. Luckily, Marinette had come up with a plan, which she believed would not only help them transform into their superhero selves, but also give them the strategic advantage needed to surprise the Akuma. Signalling the others to come closer, she wasted no time in explaining hem her plan.

"The plan is simple. Remember how Plagg caused that distraction in the Louvre, when we faced the pharaoh? I'm thinking about asking another kwami to help us with this." -Marinette told them. –"I'm thinking that we can use Trixx's Mirage ability to create illusionary copies of us, who will appear on top of the stadium's which will keep the Akuma's eyes on them." -Marinette told them.

"It's a good plan. Screamer will never think that we were here, from the start." -Nino said. –"But that will only keep the Akuma busy for a little bit. We still need to transform, so we can jump into action. We're going to need a way to transform, preferably, without anyone seeing us." -he said.

"I've got that covered as well." -Marinette smiled. –"You see the smoke that's coming from the stage? Before Trixx creates copies of us, we'll ask her to also use her Mirage ability to create the illusion that the smoke that's coming from the stage is so much, that it begins to create a veil of thick smoke that will cover most of the field. That will bling anyone that's around us. We'll use that to our advantage, making our way towards the stage, transforming on the way, after which, we jump into action." -she explained. –"You'll have to join us a few minutes later, Alya."

"It's okay, girl. And just so you know, I love the plan." -Alya told Marinette. –"Do you think you can do it, Trixx?"

"Please… of course, I can. But I'm going to need a little snack, after it, so I can lend you my full powers." -Trixx told her.

"Consider the two sandwiches next to you, that I didn't get the chance to eat, yours." -Alya smiled at her kwami.

"You've got yourself a deal." -Trixx smiled back at her.

"Then, let's not waste any more time. As soon as we see the smoke covers everything we move. After giving ten paces, we transform, and make our way towards the stage." -Marinette ordered them.

(End of Flashback)

"We could try and explain how we pulled this stunt, but I think you wouldn't understand it." -Panda Roux declared in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, even if he tried to imagine how we escaped his attack, he wouldn't be able to." -Chat Noir said. –"Like all Akumas, he's too stupid." -he laughed.

"Stupid?! You're calling me stupid?!" -Screamer asked the feline hero, with a voice that sounded more like a growl.

"Well… yeah! I mean, I don't see any other Akumas around here. So, if the shoe fits, and you being the only one here, then, yeah, I'm calling you stupid." -Chat Noir kept joking, making the Akuma angrier by the minute.

"Like you said, Chat, he's not very smart, that's for sure." -Queen Bee said. –"He's probably the stupidest and dumbest Akuma we've ever faced." -she joked as well, making Screamer even madder with her insults.

"Dumber than the one we fought a couple of months ago in the sewers? What was his name? Oh, yeah! Monsieur Rat!" -Flamingo joined the conversation. –"Now that was a really dumb Akuma. Who would have thought that a guy who thought he was going to become the king of rats, could be so dumb and so easily manipulated? I mean, we just needed to use some cheese to lead him into a trap, and the rest was history." -she laughed.

"Yeah, compared to that guy, this one must be a genius… not that this is a compliment. All Akumas are not the smartest creatures in the world, just like the guys that Hawk Moth employs." -Arachnid joked about, which earned him a couple of laughs from his friends, and a withering look from Screamer and Reptile.

"You're going to eat those words, spider-boy!" -Screamer shouted, as he tuned his guitar and got ready to attack the heroes. –"You, and every last one of your buddies here!" -he threatened the heroes.

"Give me your best shot then, man!" -Arachnid told him. –"But I'm warning you, I calculate about 87% chances of you failing." -he shot at him, always with a grin on his face. –"By taunting him, I calculate a 100% chance of making him mad and force him to do something stupid, which will give us the upper hand." -he thought to himself.

"Bring it on, man!" -Antelope exclaimed, before turning to the rest of the team. –"And by the way, I get dibs on the lizard over there." -he said, as he pointed his bat at Reptile, who gritted his teeth at him.

"Dibs on lizard boy? Who do you think you are? You're not going to fight him alone. He's big enough for the two of us to share." -Dragonfly told him, as she threw her frisbee into the air, catching it right after.

"You want to split him? Alright, I'm feeling rather generous today. I guess I can do that." –Antelope told her, with a smile.

Hearing the two heroes talk about him, as if he was a piece of meat on display in a butcher's shop window, made Reptile's blood boil inside his veins. Once more, he was being ridiculed by them. For that, he was going to take care of them personally, and he was going to kill them, as slowly as his blade allowed him to.

"I'll take care of those two. You kill the others." -Reptile ordered Screamer. –"Remember, master Hawk Moth is counting on you to get rid of these infernal brats." -he said, as he pulled out his blade.

"Let's dance, ugly!" -Ladybug declared, as she began to swing her yo-yo.

The battle against Screamer is about to begin, and I can only tell you that this one is probably going to be, the most hardcore battle I've ever written for this saga. For a second there, you thought that Ladybug and the others were reduced to ashes, didn't you? Sorry, but they have more lives than a cat.

You guys are also probably wondering what happened in Cincinnati, for Gene to always bringing it up, am I right? Do you think we'll find out, or will it continue to be a mystery to us all? We'll have to wait and find out. In the meantime, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions and/or ideas to improve this fic, or future ones.

P.S. Next chapter might take a little longer to finish, because I'm currently painting my place.