Chapter 24: The Battle of Valentine's Day
In his hideout, Hawk Moth was boiling with anger, as he saw what was happening. First Aphrodite ignored his orders and decided to go on a wild goose chase, just because it suited her, instead of taking the miraculouses from the young heroes. And then, Madame Romani finally decided to fight the heroes, only to end up trapped by one of the heroes. If things continued like that, he was sure to be defeated once more, and he knew that. But he was not going to allow that to happen; not while he had at least a couple of more tricks up his sleeve. He was not going to allow the Miraculous Team to get away with another victory.
"Brutus." -Hawk Moth called for his lieutenant.
"Yes, master." -Brutus said, as he approached Hawk Moth. He had been watching what had been happening, telling to himself that if he had been the one ahead of that plan, instead of Madame Romani, he would have done things quite differently.
"Ladybug and her friends have the upper hand for the moment, but that cannot continue." -Hawk Moth told him. –"They must be stopped at all cost." -he declared with a calculating voice.
"Whatever your orders are, I will obey them without questioning them, master." -Brutus said.
"I'll have to deal with Aphrodite and her disobedience. As for you, I have a job for you." -Hawk Moth told Brutus. –"I want you to go and release Madame Romani from that bubble Panda Rouge has placed her in, and once that is done, you two are to go where Aphrodite is and help her destroy the heroes, once and for all." -he ordered him.
"Yes, master." -Brutus said, bowing his head in reverence.
"Remember, failure is not an option." -Hawk Moth warned him.
"It never was, master. I will not disappoint you." -Brutus declared, as Hawk Moth raised his cane, the tip of which had begun to glow, and teleported him to where Madame Romani
As he watched Brutus disappear, Reptile, who was leaning back against a wall, hidden by the hideout's shadows, the lizard man could not help but to see a pattern in what was going on. But more importantly, he was feeling glad on not being part of that same pattern right then.
"That Romani is sure to fail again… the second time in a week. Master Hawk Moth warned her that he would punish her harshly, if she failed him again." -Reptile thought to himself. –"As much as I wish the master to become the new ruler of this world, I wish even more for that witch to fail, so I can see him punishing her for her failures. Because whenever she fails, it gives me another shot to succeed where she has failed." -he thought, truly believing that Aphrodite was going to be defeated by the Miraculous Team.
Aphrodite could not believe she had once again been interrupted by the Miraculous Heroes. She had believed that the love zombies would have been able to keep them from following her, as she continued to spread what she saw as true love, but the heroes were proving to be a bothersome. Antelope had just hit her, while Dragonfly flew in and grabbed the bakers that had created that pastry, which she saw as yet another attempt of Valentine's Day to promote the opposite of true love, before she could punish them, the same way they had prevented her from killing the guy she believed had stood her up. She had not forgotten about him, and she had plans to go look for him again and kill him. But before she could do it, she would have to make sure the Miraculous Heroes, at the very least, Antelope and Dragonfly, would not come after her and interrupt her again.
"You are beginning to unnerve me." -Aphrodite told Antelope.
"That's what I do lady. I'm a pain in the neck for all of you Akumas." -Antelope joked, as he readied himself to attack her again. –"And I can do this all day." -he smirked at her.
"Good, because I can also do… aaaaaargh!" -Aphrodite screamed from the top of her lungs, letting out a high-pitched scream.
An enormous pain coursed through Aphrodite's forcing her to her knees. Never in her life had she felt so much pain. Breathing heavily, she hoped the pain would go away, while at the same time, asking herself on why she was feeling that kind of pain. But before she could think of an explanation for it, she heard Hawk Moth talking to her.
"You have disobeyed my direct orders for the last time, Aphrodite." -Hawk Moth declared, his cold voice echoing inside Aphrodite's head. –"You failed to get the miraculouses from Dragonfly and Antelope, when they were under your control, and then you left the heroes to fight your love zombies, while you came after two people, because of some stupid pastry that offended you? I did not give you your powers, so you could go around and do as you please. I gave them to you to do a job… a job which you have failed to do so, until now. Do I have to hurt you a little more, to make you understand why you're being hurt?" -he asked her. He had ignored the part where she stopped to deal with the guy who had stood her up the night before, because by doing that, she had managed to get the attention of the heroes.
"I-It won't happen again, Hawk Moth, you have my word." -Aphrodite said, as she felt her body aching in pain. Breathing heavily, she tried to ignore it, but it was not easy.
"For your own sake, it better not happen again, or I will strip you from your powers and give them to someone else I see more fit to show Paris what true love really is about." -Hawk Moth threatened her. As always, fear was the best incentive for that sort of situation.
"No! Please, don't do it! I will get you the miraculouses, right now." -Aphrodite begged, as the pain inside her began to weaken.
Antelope, who was just standing there, watching the whole scene, figured Aphrodite was talking to Hawk Moth, after her punished her for something she did. Not wishing to give her the time to get back up, he charged against her kicking her across the bakery, sending her outside. Believing he still had the upper hand, he did not waste time and attacked her. Only this time, she dodged his attack and ordered the surrounding love zombies to attack him. At the same time, Ladybug was arriving. Worried about her parents, her eyes scouted both the streets and the rooftops, hoping to see them, safe and sound. Each second that went by, without her seeing them, felt like an eternity, and she began to worry that neither Antelope nor Dragonfly, with their superspeed, had managed to arrive in time to save them from Aphrodite, or worst, that they had been turned into love zombies earlier. But then, on top of one of the nearby rooftops, she spotted both Tom and Sabine seemingly alright, talking to Dragonfly.
"They're okay!" -Ladybug thought to herself, feeling relieved that her friends had managed to get to the bakery on time and saved her parents. –"I shouldn't waste time checking on them, especially because Alix is already doing that… but my heart won't rest if I don't ask them myself." -she thought to herself, as she turned right to go and meet them.
On the rooftop, Dragonfly was making sure that both Tom and Sabine were alright. Sabine, who was not a fan of heights, was still a bit shaken from being caught by Dragonfly and then flown by her to that rooftop. As for Tom, he was still feeling a little nervous about everything that happened to him and to his wife, but other than that he was feeling okay, and he was trying his best to assure Dragonfly that she did not need to worry about him or Sabine.
"You don't have to worry about us. We'll be fine." -Tom told Dragonfly. –"You should go back down there and help your friend. He might need your help." -he said.
"Don't need to worry about it. Antelope's got a very thick noggin. But, if you're saying that you're well, I'll take your word for it… oh, here comes the boss-lady." -Dragonfly commented, as she noticed Ladybug swinging in their direction. –"Took you a little to get here." -she said.
"You know I'm not as fast as you are." -Ladybug said, as she landed on the rooftop, trying to sound casual. Looking at her parents, she could not help but to feel a little her stomach filled with butterflies. Not counting the previous Halloween, this was the first time she was near them as Ladybug, and she was a little afraid they would recognize her. –"S-So, what happened?" -she asked her, as if she did not know what had happened.
"Oh, this couple here was attacked by Aphrodite, but Antelope and I saved them." -Dragonfly said, winking an eye at her. –"And from the looks of it, they're out of the bakery."
"Bakery? What bakery?" -Ladybug asked, continuing to pretend she was oblivious to what had happened.
"Oh, that would be our bakery." -Tom told her. –"She just showed up out of nowhere and attacked us." -he said.
"Yeah, Aphrodite did quite the number inside it." -Dragonfly waved her head.
"She was talking crazy about Valentine's Day being a hollow holiday and that our Love Palmiers were helping to promote that very same hollowness." -Sabine explained, as she remembered the words that came out of Aphrodite's mouth, and not understanding what she was talking about.
"How could she say that?! They're totally delicious!" -Ladybug commented, without wanting to. For a second she forgot she was talking to her parents as Ladybug, and not as Marinette.
"Oh, so you know our Love Palmiers? I must say, it's an honour to know that one of the biggest heroines in Paris is secretly our customer." -Tom smiled, which made Dragonfly have the blood drained from her face upon hearing that. She feared that Ladybug's parents would somehow make the connection and find out that it was actually Marinette under the mask.
"A-Actually, no… I'm not a big fan of sweets." -Ladybug lied. –"I hate lying to you, dad, but I can't risk you or mom finding out it's me under this mask." -she thought to herself. –"But, I've got a friend of mine who's got a sweet tooth, and who keeps telling me that your pastries are the best in Paris."
"Oh, I see." -Tom said, a little sad after hearing Ladybug say that. –"Still, if you ever change your mind, our bakery will have its door open for you and everyone else in your team." -he said.
"I might take you on that offer, if I happen to be patrolling in the neighbourhood." -Ladybug said.
All of a sudden, they all heard a loud bang, which made them all go to the edge of the rooftop to see what was going on. Looking down, they saw that Antelope had been thrown against a car, where it ricocheted and was then propelled against a nearby tree. Upon hitting it, Antelope let out of scream. He did not break anything, but from the stinging pain he had on his back, he knew he was going to be sore the next day. To make matters worse, Aphrodite was ordering her love zombies to surround him.
"Uh, Ladybug… I think that Antelope has bitten more than he can chew." -Dragonfly warned the scarlet heroine.
"Excuse us, but we've got to go." -Ladybug smiled at Tom and Sabine, before turning to Dragonfly with a serious look on her face. –"Let's go and help him out, before he ends up turned into a love zombie again." -she said, as she climbed to the edge of the rooftop and launched herself from it.
"Yeah, let's go before he gets himself dead." -Dragonfly agreed, as she followed Ladybug.
Having been left behind by the Miraculous Team, Madame Romani kept trying to release herself, so she could go after them. Unfortunately for her, the straitjacket she had been placed in, had made it impossible for her to move. On top of it, the bubble she had been place in, seemed quite sturdy. It was the second time in a week she ended up in a similar predicament, and she did not like it. Once more, she underestimated the heroes of Paris and that act alone, placed her in a delicate position. She knew that if she failed Hawk Moth once more, he would punish her severely. And she did not want to feel her master's wrath, knowing he would not be merciful with her.
"Curse those heroes." -Madame Romani thought to herself, as she looked through the bubble she was trapped in, and saw her crystal ball, a couple of meters from her. –"If I had my crystal ball, I could conjure up something to help me out of this bubble… but before I could do it, I would have to get rid of this dang straitjacket!" -she thought, as she continued to try and take off the straitjacket, just to realize something. –"It's no use… I'll dislocate a shoulder, before I can take this off."
A few seconds went by, when in a puff of purple smoke, Brutus showed up. Upon seeing him, Romani knew that Hawk Moth had sent him to free her. But more importantly, she knew that if he was there, it was because her master that did not trust her to get out of the jam, she was in. Looking at him, Madame Romani could not help but to feel disgusted by his presence. She was not Brutus' biggest fan, and after that situation, she was certain she would get a further reason to dislike him.
"Do not fret, I've come to help you." -Brutus warned her, as he pulled a battle axe from his chest. –"Now hold still, while I break this bubble." -he said, as he examined the bubble in question., It looked similar to the one the two of them ended up in, earlier that week.
"Hold still?! Is that a joke, you imbecile?! In case you're blind, I can't move thanks to this blasted straitjacket!" -Madame Romani yelled at him. –"I'm going to murder those kids for this humiliation…" -she thought to herself.
"There's no need for language." -Brutus warned her, as he prepared to swing the battle axe and break the bubble.
"Screw my language and get me out of here, right now! I've got a bunch of kids whose brains I want to turn to mush, from all the nightmares I'm going to plant on their heads!" -Madame Romani yelled at Brutus, as he hit the bubble with the axe, cracking its surface, while at the same time, making her fall on her butt. –"Watch it! I'm inside here, you brute!" –she yelled at him, feeling a little like a hamster inside a hamster ball that was constantly being bounced against a wall.
"You want to get out, or not?" -Brutus asked her.
"Just hurry it up!" -Madame Romani yelled at him, while giving him a disdainful look.
When Brutus finally cracked the bubble open, this one shattered into pieces, leaving Madame Romani free. Next, he released her from both the Hannibal Lecter mask and the straitjacket she was wearing. Once freed, the gypsy witch, instead of thanking him, went to get her crystal ball, and wasted no time in conjuring hundreds of stone cherubs. She planned to use them all to kill the Miraculous Team, or at the very least, kill one or two of them, leaving the rest for Aphrodite. With each cherub that she conjured, she felt a little weaker, but she did not care about it. She did not mind to use most of her power in creating those creatures, if they made the difference between the heroes' deaths and her defeat. Finishing conjuring the last of those cherubs, she noted Brutus was still standing where she had left him a couple of minutes earlier. Since he apparently was not going to say a word, she was forced to ask him what he was still doing there.
"Well, what are you waiting for?! Go back to the hideout. You already freed me." -Madame Romani said, not understanding why he was still there.
"Master Hawk Moth has instructed me to go with you. Together we will stand a better chance against the heroes." -Brutus told her. –"If you allow me to say it, I do believe that if we combine forces, we stand a better chance against the heroes." -he declared.
"I don't need you patronizing me! If our master told you to come with me, then come. But don't expect me to act like Reptile acts around you. I work alone. So, don't get in my way and make me waste my time! I've got a bone to pick with those kids." -Madame Romani told him. –"This time, they will know what means messing with me." -she thought to herself.
"Her judgement is clouded by anger and resentment. A true warrior should not have that kind of thoughts clouding its mind before a battle." -Brutus mused to himself. –"I must remain vigilante and make sure she doesn't do anything that could compromise the result of this offensive." -he thought.
In front of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, the fight against Aphrodite had taken a turn for the worse. After being threatened by Hawk Moth, Aphrodite was determined to get the miraculouses of the whole team, who was now fighting against her. And to do so, she summoned every love zombie that was nearby to help her out. But in the process of doing it, she ended up unlocking another power of hers; a power which the heroes quickly saw was going to give them lots of problems. Somehow, someway, Aphrodite found a way to fire bursts of love dust, which quickly assumed her appearance, and tried to turn the heroes into love zombies. Seeing this, they quickly did the best to evade them, while also trying to come up with ways to counteract it. Carapace wasted no time in creating a wall of energy shields, hoping to prevent them from hitting him and the other members in the team that were with him. Unfortunately, these copies of Aphrodite quickly passed through the cracks between the energy shields, exposing the flaw in the defensive strategy of the turtle hero.
"Guess we're going to need another plan." -Arachnid told Carapace. –"Maybe you should try and capture them inside one of your energy spheres." -he suggested, as he roped several love zombies with his lasso, and then launching them to where they could not cause them any trouble.
"It's not a bad idea!" -Grizzly Bear exclaimed, as he used his massive strength to kick an automobile to the side, trying to get some space to move. –"They can pass through the cracks, but I doubt they'll be able to do that, when inside an energy bubble. Maybe you should so that!" -he said.
"Okay. You two keep those love zombies at bay, and I'll try it." -Carapace said, as he dodged an attack from one of Aphrodite's copies, and proceeded to try and capture it in one of his energy bubbles.
Not far from them, Flamingo, Forest Doe and Rena Rouge were doing their best to prevent the incredible number of love zombies to enter the square, as they continued to pour into it, coming from more than one direction. The fox heroine was using her illusions to try and force them out of the square, with a little help from Doe, who was using her arrows to pin down all the love zombies by their clothes, making it impossible for them to move. And while they did that, Flamingo did her best to continuously create copies of herself to help fight the love zombies, as well as help defend some of the heroes, who had their hands full with one or more adversaries. Looking at her, Rena Rouge could not help but to feel that Flamingo was beginning to show signs of exhaustion.
"Are you okay?" -Rena Rouge asked her friend.
"I… I… I'll manage myself." -Flamingo answered her, as she focused on creating more copies of herself.
"You don't look okay. Tell me, how many copies of yourself have you created?" -Rena Rouge asked her. She knew she had created several, but did not know an exact number.
"I've already lost count of it." -Flamingo sighed, as she created one more copy. –"But, they're probably 40 or 50 of me, right now." -she said, as she looked and saw copies of herself everywhere, fighting the love zombies or defending her friends.
"That's a lot of copies." -Forest Doe told her.
"I think you shouldn't create more. If you continue, you're going to run out of strength." -Rena Rouge told her. –"Look, just stay close to us and try to only move or attack if it's really necessary. Take a break from it, and just watch our backs, okay?" -she told her, believing the pink heroine needed to rest for a bit.
"She's right. You earned a couple of minutes to rest." -Forest Doe declared, as she shot another arrow with her bow.
"Alright." -Flamingo agreed. –"I don't want to admit, but I really need to rest for a bit… I think I've never created so many copies of myself." -she thought to herself.
On the opposite side of the square, Corbeau Noire was also busy using her power over the shadows, to use them against any love zombie that came near her. But she was not alone. Louve Grise was also trying her best to contain that seemingly invasion, by using her ice powers to freeze them in place. The problem was, just like it was happening with Flamingo, the two of them were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Still, they pressed on, believing that it would not be long until all that was solved.
But it was in the sky that the fight was the harshest. Aphrodite had taken to the rooftops, forcing Queen Bee and Dragonfly to go after her. Dragonfly was doing her best to try and hit her with her frisbee, but every time she thought she had her where she wanted, Aphrodite would just dodge it.
"Would you stand still for a moment?!" –Dragonfly asked her.
"Only if you give me your miraculous." -Aphrodite told her.
"Keep dreaming! You're not going to get your filthy hands on my miraculous." -Dragonfly shot at her.
"Leave this one to me." -Queen Bee exclaimed. –"You may have managed to get away from one of my tornados earlier… but let's see you do that a second time." -she said, as she readied herself to create one, when she heard a familiar sound behind her.
It was the sound of a helicopter rotor and the helicopter that was making it was one the heroes of Paris had already gotten used to show up during their fights against Hawk Moth's Akumas. It was the news helicopter from TVi, and aboard was none other than Nadja Chamack and part of her production team. After seeing the heroes leaving the exotic animal exhibit to fight Aphrodite, Nadja decided to follow them, dragging her production team along with her. Initially, they followed them in the news van, hoping to get to where the action was. But it was only a matter of time, before they all realized it would impossible to do so in the van, thanks to the pandemonium that was reigning on the streets. Not wanting to miss the story of the month, Nadja called the office and told them that she needed the helicopter to pick her up; and after doing the nearly impossible feat of climbing a whole building, to get to the rooftop, where the helicopter had landed, without being touched or kissed by one of the love zombies, she was ready to report what was going on.
"This is Nadja Chamack, live from the air, as we come to you with more updates on the battle between the Miraculous Team and the Akuma Hawk Moth has released into the city." -Nadja declared, while looking outside the window. –"As you can see, the number of people that have been hypnotized by the Akuma keeps growing, as the heroes try their best to fight them, while also fighting the Akuma, who is seemingly fighting Queen Bee and Dragonfly as we speak, in this battle which will certainly be remembered as the Battle of Valentine's Day." -she added, -"Let's try and get a closer look."
Seeing the helicopter approaching, Queen Bee quickly thought that was a bad idea. They already enough to deal with, and having to worry about the safety of those aboard the helicopter, when the Akuma was so close, was something they did not need.
"These guys never learn…" -Queen Bee sighed, as she flew in close to the helicopter. –"Get out of here! Now! It's not safe!" -she told the pilot, signalling him with her arms and hands.
"We better get out of here, like she says." -the pilot told Nadja. He could not hear what Queen Bee was saying, but he understood the signals she was making with both her arms and hands.
But before Nadja could tell him otherwise, Aphrodite fired a few blasts of love dust at the helicopter's window shield, making it impossible to see through it. She was trying to put everyone inside it under her control, but failed. Queen Bee herself was almost hit, but luck was one thing she had on her side. As for the helicopter, the pilot tried to remain calm, but not being able to see anything, was making it hard for him to keep the aircraft steady. Using her trompo, Queen Bee created a tiny tornado that she used to clean the window shield, hoping that would help the pilot.
"I think you should really get out of here. It's not safe." -Queen Bee said, as she grabbed one of the helicopter's landing skids and used it to swiftly, yet gently, send the helicopter in the opposite direction. –"I just hope I don't get anyone killed." -she said, as she saw the helicopter twirl in the air for a couple of seconds, before stabilizing and fly in the opposite direction. –"Not bad… and now, back to deal with that creep."
After Aphrodite attacked the news helicopter, Dragonfly took the opportunity to attack her from behind. Hitting her on the back, the Akuma fell on her face. Feeling confident, Dragonfly was about to strike her again, but Aphrodite was ready for her, and as she got close enough to her, she fired a blast of love dust at her. Luckily, Dragonfly was too fast for her, and was able to dodge it. Furious with that, Aphrodite was through with playing games with those two, and decided it was time to take the miraculouses from them.
"Very well… no more jokes. Your miraculouses are mine." -Aphrodite told the two heroines, as she looked them in the eyes.
Snapping her fingers, several trails of love dust burst from her body, hitting the rooftop and quickly assuming Aphrodite's shape.
"More of those…" -Queen Bee said, after seeing Aphrodite creating love dust copies of herself.
"Just when you think it just can't get any worse." -Dragonfly thought to herself.
But if they believed they had problems, then that was because they did not know the kind of problem Ladybug and Chat Noir were in. The duo was battling a foe that was far more dangerous than any Akuma or any creature created by it. They were battling Panda Rouge, who was attacked by a love zombie and turned himself into one. Knowing that if he touched them or kissed them, they too would switch teams, they did their best to evade every attempt of his to do so. And though the whole thing was serious, as they fought their friend, they could not help but to laugh or even fund some of the things he did or said funny.
"Come on, just one kiss!" -Panda Rouge said, as he tried to kiss Chat Noir, who dodged him.
"No, thank you, man. I'm not into guys." -Chat Noir said, joking with his friend, as Panda used his spear to try and get him. –"Whoa, that was close! Milady?! If you don't mind, a little assistance." -he exclaimed, as he saw Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped itself around Panda Rouge's spear.
"Sorry, Panda, but you can't kiss him!" -Ladybug said, as she pulled the spear from his hands.
"Then, I'll kiss you!" -Panda Rouge laughed, as he jumped over Chat Noir and charged against Ladybug, who saw him coming.
"Hold him for a bit, milady. I'll be right back!" -Chat Noir said, as he went to get some reinforcements to help them.
"Hurry up, then, kitty!" -Ladybug told him, as she dodged Panda Rouge, who upon hitting the ground, quickly got back up and grabbed his spear, which Ladybug had dropped.
"Just one kiss… please, Marinette… I would rather kiss Adrien, but…" –Panda Rouge chuckled, as he tried to kiss her.
"The only good thing about this, is that at least he's not using his special abilities. If he was, we would be in big trouble." -Ladybug thought to herself, as she dodged Panda's spear. –"Hey, watch where you point that thing! You're going to poke someone's eye with it! And don't use my real name, someone might hear you!" -she said, trying to make conversation with Panda Rouge, in hopes of buying herself some time, while waiting for Chat Noir to come back.
"Don't worry…" -Panda Rouge chuckled. –"I won't poke one of your lovely eyes… has anyone told you that you have really beautiful eyes?" -he asked her, as he charged against Ladybug, only for her to dodge out of the way.
"And has anyone told you that you talk too much when you're under Aphrodite's control?" -Ladybug asked him, as she used her yo-yo to strike him on the head, but failing. –"Crud! He's fast!" -she thought to herself.
"I-I'm not under anyone's control… I'm just feeling true love for the first time ever…" -Panda Rouge laughed. –"And I'm going to show it to you… once I kiss you!" -he kept laughing, while trying to find a way to kiss the scarlet heroine.
This kept going for what looked like an eternity between the two, as Ladybug felt like she was in some kind of macabre dance, where if she failed a single step, she would get turned into a love zombie; something she did not wish to happen. But it was not just Panda Rouge she had to worry about. She also had to worry about some love zombies that had managed to sneak past the barricades her friends were defending. One of such love zombies tried to grab her by the legs, but luckily, one of Flamingo's copies showed up in the nick of time and took him out. Believing she had an ally to help her out against Panda Rouge, Ladybug saw this small joy of hers go up in smoke, when Panda Rouge whacked Flamingo's copy on the head, taking her down, after which it disappeared. Following that, Panda Rouge jumped over Ladybug, and made her trip. Falling on her back, Panda wasted no time in trying to kiss her, by leaning on top of her, forcing her to use the string from her yo-yo to prevent him from getting too close to her face.
"Sorry, Nathaniel… forgive me for what I'm about to do, but you leave me no other choice." -Ladybug thought to herself, as she was about to kick him between the legs.
But just as she was about to do it, Carapace showed up and whacked Panda Rouge on the side, after which he wasted no time in placing him inside one of his energy bubbles. A few seconds later, Chat Noir, accompanied by Arachnid and Grizzly Bear, showed up. Seeing her on the ground, he helped her up.
"That was too close. Are you okay?" -Chat Noir asked Ladybug.
"Y-Yeah… and yeah, it was too close really." -Ladybug sighed, a little relieved. –"Hope you didn't knock him too hard." -she told Carapace.
"Don't worry, I didn't hit him too hard." -Carapace said, as he looked at Panda Rouge inside the energy bubble. –"Sorry, man, but we really can't have you around, behaving like that." -he apologized to his friend, as Panda Rouge tried to get out of the energy bubble, begging for a kiss or a hug. –"Hate to do this, but right now you're like a loose cannon."
"Are you sure he won't just use his special ability to get himself out of there?" -Grizzly Bear asked them, fearing that could happen.
"I don't think so. He could have used them to take us down and plant a huge kiss on us, but he didn't." -Ladybug said. –"Plus, the same thing happened with Alix and Kim. They could have used their special abilities, but they didn't. I'm thinking that when one of us ends up under Aphrodite's control, our brain becomes too clouded for us to remember to use our special abilities." -she hypothesized.
"That makes sense." -Arachnid admitted. –"And it explains why we… watch out!" -he yelled, as he pushed Chat Noir, making him fall on his back.
The others did not understand why Arachnid did what he did. But a second later, when a flaming arrow hit the ground in front of them, they understood why he did it.
"Whoa! Where did that come from?!" -Grizzly Bear asked.
"From up there!" -Chat Noir pointed up, as he got up.
Up on one of the rooftops, they all saw Madame Romani and Brutus looking down at them. But more importantly, they saw the army of stone cherubs that was behind them. Just from looking at it, they knew that had got out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"Great… more trouble." -Ladybug sighed. –"As if we didn't have enough trouble as it is." -she added.
"Shall we attack them, or wait for one of them to deliver one of those idiotic speeches, where they say they will kill us this time?" -Carapace asked sarcastically.
"No, thank you. I'm not even going to allow them to breathe." -Chat Noir said as he readied himself to go up against them.
"I'll take care of the big brute." -Grizzly Bear said as he looked at Brutus. –"I've been training a couple of moves and I want to test them on that bozo." -he admitted.
"You can have him. We'll handle those cherubs and Romani." -Carapace said, as he looked at Arachnid. –"In the meantime, you two go up there and help Bee and Dragonfly get rid of Aphrodite." -he told Chat Noir and Ladybug.
"I thought we were the leaders, you know?" -Ladybug joked.
"Yeah, well, it's like you're always saying… don't be afraid to talk." -Carapace joked back.
"You heard the man, let's go, milady." -Chat Noir said.
They had not finished talking, when Madame Romani's stone cherubs began descending on them, firing flaming arrows at them. Sticking to the plan, Ladybug and Chat Noir ran in the opposite direction, so they could lend a hand to Dragonfly and Aphrodite, while the rest went toe to toe with Hawk Moth's lieutenants. Using his energy shields, Carapace built a small barrier to keep him and Arachnid safe from the flaming arrows, as Arachnid made use of his lasso to rope cherubs and then smash them against one another.
As for Brutus, instead of letting others do his work for him, he decided to face the heroes head on. But unlike Madame Romani, who was trying to get them all with her stone cherubs, Brutus was focusing on one hero, Grizzly Bear. Ever since they fought for the first time, Brutus had seen a worthy adversary in him. And since he was standing down there, he decided he would be the first one he would fight against, in hopes of getting his miraculous for his master. Jumping from the rooftop, he landed on the ground, about 10 meters from where Grizzly Bear was standing.
"So, we meet again." -Brutus told Grizzly Bear.
"Yeah, we do. Are we going to rumble or not? Because if not, I've got better things to do, like stopping an Akuma." -Grizzly Bear told him.
"If by rumble, you mean fight, then, yes, we are." -Brutus said, as he pulled a large war-hammer from his chest, after which he hit the ground with it, making the ground shake lightly. –"I hope you have practiced your moves, since our last encounter, Grizzly Bear." -he told the bear hero.
"I have, and you're about to get your butt kicked with those same moves." -Grizzly Bear said, as he charged against him. –"I'm going to make him think that I'm just going to use brute force on him, and getting him into a false sense of security, before taking him head on." -he thought to himself.
They were still on their way to meet Queen Bee and Dragonfly, when a few stone cherubs attacked them from behind. Using their weapons as shields, both Chat Noir and Ladybug were counting on getting them together, wo they could destroy them in one quick swing. But what they did not know, was that the cherubs were not trying to hit them, but the cars that were around them, trying to blow them up. Madame Romani had instructed them to attack both the heroes, as well as their surroundings. One of the cherubs targeted a particular car that was behind the two heroes, hitting its gas tank, which made the car explode.
When the car exploded, Ladybug and Chat Noir were propelled forward, after which they ended up inside Dupain-Cheng Bakery. The explosion was so strong, that they both went through the wall between the bakery and its kitchen, with this last one ending up looking like World War III broke inside it. Chat Noir went against one of the ovens, while Ladybug landed on the work bench, where her dad usually tended the dough. Covered in flour, dough and several other ingredients, the scarlet heroine considered herself lucky she did not break anything; or at least, she believed she had not broken anything or was burned. One of the perks of the magic of their super suits was that it made them able to withstand flames to a certain degree, preventing them from ending up charcoaled. With her hears still buzzing from the explosion, she tried to get up, hoping the buzzing would go away.
"Are you okay, milady?" -Chat Noir said, as he got up. His right elbow was stinging a lot, but he tried to ignore it. –"Milady? Can you hear me?" -he called her out, after she did not answer him.
"I-I think so… but my hears are buzzing like Hell. Plus, I feel like one of my dad's loaves of bread." -Ladybug said, as she dusted the flour from her hair and face. –"Thank God we can use the Ampulla Amulet to straight things up. Otherwise, it would be hard for mom and dad to have the money to rebuild the bakery. This place's a mess." -she thought to herself.
Looking around, she saw the hole in the wall the two of them made, when they were practically shot inside the bakery. It was a large hole. Just thinking about how they did it, and were still in one piece, made Ladybug thank for their powers allowing them to come out alive after such feat. It was then that she heard a chuckling, turning her left to the left, she saw Chat Noir chuckling.
"What's so funny?" -Ladybug asked Chat, who kept chuckling, while looking at her.
"N-Nothing… it's just that I imagined you as a loaf of bread in my head, and the idea of it is really funny." -Chat Noir said, as he continued to imagine Ladybug like a loaf of bread. The thought alone was helping him not think about the pain coming form his elbow.
"Very funny… achoo!" -Ladybug said in a sarcastic tone, before sneezing, as she continued to dust the flour from her hair. –"I'm even afraid of looking myself in the mirror right now. I bet I look like a ghost." -she told Chat Noir.
"Well, if it's any consolation, you would look like a really cute ghost." -Chat Noir told her, as he closed in on her and removed a piece of bread dough she had on her hair. –"Hold on… there. We can't have the cutest superheroine in Paris to go around covered in bread dough, now can we?" -he smiled at her.
"Thanks, I…" -Ladybug said, as she caught eye of something, which triggered her brain to remind her of a memory.
I'm so sorry to everyone, who was expecting this chapter online by Valentine's Day, but I couldn't finish it in time for that special occasion. Still, here it is. I've also been having a loot of feedback lately, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to write a few words, not only here but also on the other websites where this story is being uploaded. And because of that, I would like to give you something... it's not much, but I would like to share here with you, 14 bits of trivia regarding the main characters in this AU, one for each of them. They're basically bits of trivia regarding their personalities or things that happened to them, or will still happen to them in my AU. So, without further delays, here they are.
* Number 1: Unlike in the OG show, in this AU, Marinette is a huge fan of horror movies and novels. While I was writing her, I decided to give her this personality trait of mine. This way, I feel like I share something with her, and she with me.
* Number 2: Like in the OG show, Adrien is allergic to feathers in my AU, but he's only allergic to two kinds of feathers, pidgeon's and swan's. As for how he found out he was allergic to those two, it happened when he was really young and his mother took him to play in a garden.
* Number 3: Alya has 3 backup disks, which are unknown to everyone, including her friends. In them she has copies of every article that has been written for the MIraculous Blog, along with photos, videos of interviews and a journal, where she has detailed informations regarding every last member in the Miraculous Team, hoping that perhaps one day, that information might be vital to a future generation of miraculous holders.
* Number 4: Nino has an enormous record collection, with more than 800 different records, most of which were inherited from his grandfather, who was a big fan of music, just like him. This mirrors something which happened in real life. My dad's record extensive collection, he inherited from my grandfather who loved to collect them.
* Number 5: Chloe's redeption arc in my AU, is based on the redeption arc of Pacifica Northwest, who's one of my favourite characters in Gravity Falls. I think that if Chloe and Pacifica existed in the same universe, snf knew each other, they would probably be best friends.
* Number 6: When she was little, Sabrina was always seen carrying around a bee plush, which she called "Melanie". That little plush is part of the reason why she and Chloe first became friends.
* Number 7: The idea of Rose wanting to be a ballet dancer in my AU, came to my head, while planning the sequel to the first fic, "Haute Couture", which was, of course, planned before season 2 premiered, and we got to know about Kitty Section and all of that. I figured that if there was someone in Marinette's class that would be a great ballet dancer, it would Rose. Though, now, I don't know if I'll also make her part of Kitty Section, when they show up (yeah, I know... little spoiler, xD)
* Number 8: Ever since she was little, Juleka wanted a tattoo, and decided that on her 18th birthday, she would get one. The tattoo she currently wants is of a large raven with its wings spread, and she's going to tattoo it on her back (although, she might ask to add some pink to it, due to a certain girl she likes).
* Number 9: Alix broke her left leg in two places, the first time she skated. After that accident, instead of hanging up her skates, she went ahead and decided that it did not matter how many times she would break her bones, just as long as she learned to skate, because she did not believe in giving up.
* Number 10: Kim wore glasses until he was 10, but only a handful of people know about it, because he hid every single photo there was of him wearing glasses, so no one could see them and pick on him.
* Number 11: Max's love for games comes from the OG show, but in my AU, that same love, is combined with a personality similar to that of one of my best friends, who happens to be one of th best gamers I know.
* Number 12: By the age of 3 Nathaniel, could already draw a perfect circle.
* Number 13: Mylene is allergic to cellery and radishes. If she so much eats a little bit of either one of thos evegetables, her entire body becomes covered with large red spots.
* Number 14: Because we don't know much about Ivan and/or his personality from the OG show, his personality and the way he acts most of the time, are based on my own personality. I dare to say that from all the characters in these fics, Ivan is the one whose personality resembles mine the most.
And that's pretty much it. I bet you would love to hear more of these little trivia bits, but I do believe these will suffice for now. I might write a few more of these, for a future fic bonus. As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this or future fics of this series.