I Do Not Own Miraculous or Avatar.
Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Retreat.
"Gabriel!" Hakoda called, Gabriel looked up from his resting pace, the butterfly mask vanished as he released Zuko from his promise. They'd taken the Fire Nation palace, but he already knew that they had failed. From what he'd learned from Zuko, all had been made clear. Hakoda approached the man, who sat at the foot of the empty palace.
"What is going on?" Hakoda, "You said you selected a Champion? The firebenders will be upon is any moment."
"Yes." Gabriel said mournfully, "The battle is already lost. If you do not pull out now, most of us will not be leaving." Bato, Hakoda, and Katara looked at Gabriel in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Katara asked, "The others will defeat the Firelord. This war is nearly over." Gabriel looked down.
"The Champion I created today was called Méprisé. He was given the power to use the energy of other benders to increase his own strength and control over his bending. He was a Firebender." Gabriel replied. They looked at Gabriel like he was insane.
"Why would you use a firebender?" Hakoda questioned. Gabriel's eyes narrowed.
"The young man had undergone a difficult change as of recent and sought to be given a second chance. I am the Miraculous Holder of Change and Generosity. I could not see another person in this nation more fit or worthy to feel the touch of my power. In many ways, I could see myself in this boy. A person, who's intentions for good lead him astray and down a dark and difficult path. In other ways, he reminded me of my son. His struggles and trials of misfortune and pain have taught him many things. He will make an excellent teacher." Katara scowled.
"Teacher?" She asked.
"For Aang." Gabriel replied, "The young man defected from the Fire Nation. It is his destiny to teach Aang firebending."
"Wait. Defected?" Hakoda asked, "One does not simply defect from the Fire Nation army. Everyone knows that."
"Not the Army. He never joined their ranks. But he was high up in the government. He knew of the Fire Nation's plans for today. He knew that this mission was a trap." Gabriel replied. Hokada's eyes went dark, he knelt down next to Gabriel.
"Trap? What kind of trap?"
"Azula was the one who warned the Firelord of our coming, but there is more than that. They knew they would be powerless during the eclipse, but they will not stand idly by as we take their capital. Ozai knows our numbers are few, so, to distract the Avatar during the eclipse, he had his daughter lead him astray until it was over. Now that it is…" Gabriel looked up, his expression grave, "It's his move. I am aware that chess is not a game played here, but in Pai Sho, I believe we will be reaching a critical point in our game. Hakoda, my friend, we will not win this round. He called our bluff, and now we've fallen in his snare. If we do not leave now… only a select handful of us will escape his move." Hakoda straightened, his eyes full of fear now.
"To the beach! Now!" He ordered. The troops they'd arrived with looked surprised, but obeyed. Katara shot Gabriel a glare, moving away from her father.
"It's Zuko? Isn't it?" She hissed. Gabriel ignored her, her emotions concerning the the young prince were apparent.
"Listen to me when I talk to you!" She snapped. Gabriel looked up.
"What concern is any of this to you? My Champions cannot lie to me while under my control. The words I told your father just now are true." He explained, "I would suggest you let your hatred go, Katara. It gives me a headache. It used to be, in Paris, I would kill to feel such negative emotions, but here, it hurts too much. I would be careful not to confuse your emotions with your responsibility as the Avatar's Waterbending master. The world depends on you to fulfill your role, even if the one destined to teach Avatar Aang firebending is a lad who you do not agree with and hate for past mistakes." Katara's eyes flashed and Gabriel felt the emotions in her rise at those words. She went to object, but the Mechanist let out a startled cry.
"My own invention! How terrible!" He pointed to the sky, Gabriel followed their gazes to see what seemed to be giant war hot air balloons. Gabriel ran quickly to Hakoda.
"Hakoda, these men need to get to the beach faster. The swamp benders won't be able to hold those balloons off long enough. We need to get underwater before they can strike."
"What are you saying?" Hakoda questioned.
"They are heading to the beach!" Gabriel growled. It took Hakoda a moment to realize what Gabriel meant before his eyes flashed with horror.
"The submarines." He breathed.
"Precisely." Gabriel agreed.
"But what about Team Avatar?" Katara asked, "We have to wait for them to come back!' Gabriel frowned.
"Don't bother. They are here." He replied. True to his word, they heard Appa let out a roar. On his back was team Avatar, with the exception of his son, who Gabriel knew was still with Prince Zuko.
"Where's Adrien?" Katara noted.
"He's safe." Gabriel said quickly, "He will meet up with you later." Team Avatar scrambled down from Appa.
"It was a trap. Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move, we need to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely." Sokka explained.
"We know, we are already making the retreat. Gabriel warned us." Hakoda said. Sokka looked over at Gabriel.
"Um, yeah. You've got some explaining to do when everyone is safe. Especially concerning your taste in Champions. First Jet, the guy who once tried to destroy an entire village, and now the jerk bender?" Sokka asked.
"I do not need to explain my motives to you, young man." Gabriel said sternly, "They will be clear soon enough anyways." Aang looked up at the war balloons with a frown next to Sokka.
"They have air power, but so do I! I'm gonna do what I can to slow them down. You guys get to the submarines." Aang ordered. Katara ran to Appa, getting on and taking his reigns.
"Appa, you and I will help too." She decided, taking off. Sokka watched them go before waving his arm and calling to the troops.
"Hurry! Hurry! Back to the submarines!" Everyone picked up their pace. That's when Gabriel felt a familiar presence behind him.
"Ladybug." He said simply. The girl in question was trotting behind him, a worn and concerned expression was plastered on her face.
"Your son?" She asked.
"Safe." Gabriel promised. She nodded, closing her eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. Agreste." Gabriel just nodded and kept walking. The two Miraculous holders followed the troops quickly, keeping a close eye out for any Firebenders that might try to ambush them. It didn't take long for Aang and Katara to return, reporting there were too many war balloons to stop and that they seemed to be preparing to bomb the submarines.
"So that is it then?" Ladybug asked, looking around, "We've lost, and we are all stuck here?"
"We can't make it to the submarines on time to stop this." Hakoda agreed gravely, "But we cannot lose hope yet."
"And how are we going to escape, dad?" Sokka asked Hakoda. The man closed his eyes, breathing in deeply before replying.
"We're not." He explained. Sokka scowled, his resolve only growing stronger.
"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar. We can still win!" Sokka argued. Gabriel huffed, fingering the Miraculous on his lapel.
"Yes." He said, "We could still win… but on another day. You kids must leave. You must escape on Appa together. Nooroo, Light Wings Fall." Ladybug spun to face Gabriel.
"What? We can't leave you behind! We won't leave anyone behind!" She objected.
"No." Hakoda said sternly, "Gabriel is right. You're our only chance in the long run. You have to go with Aang to somewhere safe. It is the only way to keep hope alive."
"The youngest in our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we will all survive this battle." Bato agreed.
"I've got some experience with the fire nation prisons." Tyro, the Earthbender, explained, "It is not going to be easy, but we will survive." Ladybug's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"What will I tell him?" She asked. Gabriel gave her a sad look, opening the Moth Miraculous as he unpinned it from his lapel.
"See this picture?" He asked. Ladybug's eyes lingered over the picture of Emilie that Gabriel always kept inside the Miraculous, which he wore close to his heart, "It's his mother. He is the spitting image of her, isn't he? Perfect in every way, yet so flawed and beautiful." He pushed the Miraculous into her hands.
"I spent so long trying to see her smile again. To hear her laughter. Little did I know that she had given those things to me a long time ago. He has her smile. He has her humor. She was the best of our little duo, and he inherited the best of her qualities. When I see him, I can see his mother, and it makes me one of the proudest men alive." He closed the Miraculous, and then closed Ladybug's fingers over it.
"When you see him again, give this to him. That way he will be near both his mother and myself. Tell him to find a new Hawkmoth. Don't make the same mistakes I did. If anything happens, I don't want him to blame himself and I don't want him trying to save what's already gone… and I want you both to try and be happy. Tell him to make those ridiculous puns and be a superhero. Help people. He was always good at that, just like his mother. Take care of him Ladybug. You have my blessings. I know you will be good to him." Gabriel said carefully. Tears trickled down Ladybug's face, and unexpectedly, she wrapped the older Agreste in a hug.
"Thank you, Mr. Agreste. We'll both find you again, one day. When this war is over. I may not have known you as well as I would have liked and I may have once been your mortal enemy, but…" she pulled away, "I feel like I'm losing a friend I've known for a very long time." Gabriel was speechless at that. Not too long ago, if anyone had told him that Ladybug would consider him a friend, he would have laughed and waved it off. They were enemies. They always would be so long as Ladybug stood in his way. He cleared his throat, not used to the more emotional girl who seemed to like parting with hugs and tearful goodbyes.
"Well, Ladybug, I will get to know you and my son well one day. Just not today. But I just wanted you to understand that you have my respect. Not many people can outsmart me, but you did for two years. Not many people can catch the eye of an Agreste like you've done with my son. Sadly, though, this is where I say goodbye, Ladybug. It was pleasant knowing a person such as yourself." Ladybug nodded.
"Goodbye, Mr. Agreste. We will see each other again." She promised before pocketing the Moth Miraculous and joining the other children on Appa. The Duke, Teo, Haru, Toph, Sokka, Ladybug, Toph, Katara, and Aang climbed aboard the large bison after saying their respected goodbyes. Katara and Sokka's farewell to their father was the hardest to witness as the children hugged Hakoda goodbye and promised they would see one another again soon.
"We lost today, but we've never been this close." Hakoda said, giving one last farewell speech, "We tasted victory, and that counts for something." Aang sat up on Appa at those words.
"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong." The young Avatar addressed, "I am going to make this up to you. Appa? Yip, yip." The sky bison took off with the kids, leaving the others behind. Gabriel watched sadly as they went before closing his eyes and waiting for the Fire Nation to come an arrest them. It didn't take too long. After the War Balloons destroyed the submarines, they circled back and landed at the bay. Princess Azula herself stepped out and grinned madly upon seeing him. While the others were being rounded up, she approached Gabriel with a wild grin.
"So you are the famous Hawkmoth, the father of the Cat." She questioned. Gabriel ignored her, keeping his silence.
"You are!" She cheered, "Finally, after all this time, I've gotten my hands on a Miraculous holder, and the strongest one too, from the stories I've heard from Long Feng."
"I'm not a Miraculous holder." Gabriel replied, "Hawkmoth is a thing of the past." She looked him over.
"What do you mean?" She asked in an irritated tone.
"I mean, Nooroo, the spirit of Change and Generosity has left me. I abused my powers too many times and for far too long. It was time I paid for it." Gabriel said, "But your servant, Long Feng, is a traitor. He seeks to do you harm once the world has been conquered."
"I already know… um… whatever is your name?" Azula asked.
"Gabriel. Gabriel Agreste." Gabriel replied firmly.
"Well, Gabriel, Long Feng will pay for his treachery soon enough. But for now, I want to know everything you and that man knows about the Miraculous Holders. I want to know their greatest weakness and how to become like one of them." She said greedily, "I want the power to win every battle I find myself in. I've always been lucky. I'm sure Ladybug's gifts would suit me very well, don't you agree, Gabriel?"
"I doubt spots would suit you." Gabriel said blandly, "And your eyes would clash with the Ladybug costume. Red is a good color on you, but the spots are far too busy for a person like you and it would draw people from that madness still dancing in the back of your amber eyes." Azula growled at that response.
"Guards! Take this man to the royal family's prison hold. The one designed to hold traitors and spies such as Gabriel here."
"I never served the Fire Nation, and I never will." Gabriel replied. Azula smirked.
"We'll see." She said slyly. Gabriel didn't resist as the Fire Nation soldiers came to take him away. As they did, one of the soldiers assigned to escort Gabriel leaned close to the man's ear.
"Not many still cling to the ancient ways, Gabriel, but those who do, can always find a friend." The guard whispered. Gabriel frowned, recalling those words from when he worked with the Flourist. He remembered that Iroh had stated them when playing Pai Sho. It took a few moments for Gabriel to realize he was being escorted by a member of the White Lotus.
"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" Gabriel recited, remembering the code phrase from long ago.
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." The man replied, "I am Master Piandao. Iroh has just left his imprisonment and has called all members of the order. You are needed Gabriel. You are, even if lowly ranked, a member."
"But I no longer have my powers." Gabriel objected.
"That's not important. What is important is that you come with me. We have a long journey ahead of us."
"What about the other guards?" Gabriel asked. Piandao smirked.
"Leave them to me." He pulled out his sword suddenly. A sword that Gabriel noticed, was nearly identical to Sokka's blade. It took a moment for Gabriel to realize he had been speaking to the man who taught Sokka to wield a blade. He backed up slowly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Find a friend indeed." He agreed.