I Do Not Own Avatar or Miraculous.
Chapter Sixty-Five: The Invasion.
"Everyone in position! Earthbenders in your tanks! This is going to be a rough ride!" Hakoda ordered. Marinette watched as the Earth benders filed into their various tanks and she unhooked her yo-yo. This was the moment they'd been preparing for since the fall of Ba Sing Se. She looked over at Sokka and Hakoda, who stood proudly with their watertribe brothers. They gave her a curt nod as they felt the submarines approach their destination. They had a few bumpy moments in their ride through the Fire Nation waters, one sub had even gotten harpooned, but thanks to waterbending, the problem was swiftly dealt with.
"Ready the torpedo!" Hakoda ordered. The swamp benders obliged and at Hakoda's command, they launched it at the gratings ahead. Yet another major defense system in the Fire Nation waters was now completely destroyed. They were certainly making progress. The plan was working out perfectly, despite how paranoid Gabriel and Adrien had been. Maybe they'd been wrong. Maybe luck was on their side.
The subs jostled as they landed on shore. The base of the submarine began to retract and the Earthbender tanks were let out into the now raging battle. Firebenders were desperately attempting to stop the strong tanks and the Earthbenders that launched rocks up at the battlements. Then, Hakoda and Sokka let out a battle cry together as they lead the men of their tribe out into the battle. Marinette followed, giving them cover with her yo-yo as they set to work in pressing towards the capital city.
Chaos was everywhere. She spotted Cat Noir and Hawkmoth protecting their team carefully. It was obvious Gabriel had not yet used his butterflies to make a champion, for he was fighting by his son's side instead of waiting in the shadows so that he could focus on his powers better.
Meanwhile, Appa and Katara arrived. The swamp benders got off the submarines, making the sea and earth weapons against the attacking firebenders. Toph fought beside her old arena competitors. The Earthbending tanks began to target the battlements. In other words, the plan was working perfectly.
"Ladybug! You and Cat Noir might be more successful and taking out these battlements!" Hakoda yelled to her, "Find him and you to try and take out as many as you can. We'll keep up the fight on the ground, but that won't matter if we can't get past the battlements and get to the steps!"
"On it!" She said, rehooking her yo-yo and going to retrieve her partner.
"Cat!"
"Yes, milady?"
"You and I are getting the battlements, unless Gabriel is planning on joining us?" Cat looked over at Hawkmoth.
"I sent out a Guāng Papillion, but it is not time for my champion to emerge." Gabriel admitted, "So, I suppose I should make myself useful until then. I'll help you children."
"Then let's get going." Adrien said with a smile. The three began to fight their way through the battle, heading for the wall that the battlements were positioned on. When they got close enough, Marinette threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around a battlement, pulling herself up the wall. Adrien followed on his staff and Gabriel climbed up through the wreckage around them.
"Okay. You two get those ones over there, I'll work on these three." Marinette ordered. The two men nodded before going to oblige. Once they were gone, Marinette swung into her battlement, slicing off the ballistae inside before confronting a few firebenders that she easily knocked out. She quickly moved on to the next one before she noticed that Sokka, Katara, and Hakoda had joined in, apparently realising that the battlements were in fact a problem. The faster they were taken out of the picture, the quicker they would get to the capitol. After all, they had a timetable to keep. Gabriel and Adrien destroyed seven while Marinete finished up her three. The group got down to their last two when a cry was heard from a battlement that Hakoda had entered. There was a blast of fire and Marinette's eyes widened. She heard Sokka shout, 'dad!' in fear before running towards that battlement. Hakoda stumbled out, dazed, and clearly injured as he clutched his side in pain.
Sokka and Katara met him, catching their father as he fell into Katara's arms. Katara immediately brought out water and began to set to work on healing the man. Sokka looked absolutely livid.
"Hakoda!" Marinette cried, swinging over to check on him.
"How does that feel, dad?" Katara asked as she healed him. Hakoda grunted.
"A little better… I… I need to get back to...to the troops." Marinette knelt next to the watertribe siblings and their father.
"Oh, no. Hakoda. You are done." Marinette said, "You've done enough for this cause so far. If you are hurt, you shouldn't strain yourself."
"She's right." Katara agreed, "You're hurt… badly. You really can't fight anymore."
"But… everyone… is counting on me to lead this mission. Katara, I won't let them down. Gah!" Hakoda objected.
"Can't you heal him faster?" Sokka asked urgently. Katara scowled.
"I'm doing everything I can." She said. Marinette thought for a moment. Sokka had been so nervous before when presenting the plan, but she knew he had what it took to lead them. He was a man of action when it came to leading. Not words. Sure, he and Adrien talked the most out of anyone in their group, but he was a strong warrior, that, in a team of benders and Miraculous holders, didn't always get appreciated for what he was capable of or how brillant of a leader he actually was. He had thought that he wasn't capable of leading them to victory after messing up before. But Marinette knew better. Sokka was definitely his father's son; he had been leader ever since he was a young boy. It showed.
"Sokka can do it." Marinette said.
"What? No offense, Mari, but he isn't exactly healing hands."
"...She means she wants me to lead the invasion." Sokka corrected.
"Are you sure about-" Katara asked.
"Certain." Marinette said.
"She's right. Someone needs to lead and she'll likely need to be used elsewhere in this fight, meaning she can't lead. That means it falls to me. It's crazy… but the eclipse is about to start and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does." Hakoda smiled proudly at his son from where he lay.
"You can do this. I'm proud of you son," Hakoda said. Sokka smiled warmly, putting his wolf helmet back on.
"Marinette rendezvou with Cat and Hawkmoth. We'll need Hawkmoth in the back for when he brings out his champion. You and Adrien are our first defences. Hue will cover you with his seaweed monster. The Fire Nation are bringing out their own tanks and we need to keep ours safe."
"On it, General Sokka!" Marinette said in a teasing tone before jumping down from the wall and swinging down back into the fray. Sokka boarded Appa and began to shout orders to the men, who accepted him as their new leader without question. The tanks took on a wedge formation on Sokka's command and the warriors, benders, and Gabriel, congregated to the middle.
"We are taking that tower!" He explained, pointing ahead and grabbing out his space sword, "Charge!" They let out a battle cry and did as they were told while Adrien and Marinette deflected many of the blows from hitting the tanks. Sokka comednered an explosive vehicle and drove it into a wall, diving out at the last second as it made contact. Many of the Fire Nation tanks began to retreat and the invaders let out a cheer of triumph.
"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Tyro called.
"We are on our way to victory." Adrien agreed happily. Finally, they reached the steps and began their march to the Fire Nation capital. Everyone was grinning at their success and looking up occasionally at the moon that was preparing to cover the sun and insure their success.
It was a good day… until it wasn't. They got through the plaza and onto the path. Marienette noticed Sokka stopping to great Katara and his father, who was now standing again. She was glad Hakoda was doing better and was grateful for Katara's healing trick, but Katara seemed a little distracted by something in the distance. Marinette followed the waterbender's gaze and to her horror, saw Aang, who was supposed to be at the palace and preparing to face Ozai by that point. He landed next to the invader's, his expression one of panic and frustration.
"Oh, no." Marinette said, not needing to hear the young Avatar's words to know something had gone terribly wrong, "Adrien and Gabriel were right."