0-0-0
Adrien Agreste / Cat Noir
He had been shocked by the news that Hawk Moth had decided to turn to the side of good. No, flabbergasted. That didn't come close to the astonishment he had felt, but there really was no word to describe it.
The news had come out a week ago, and that was all Paris seemed to be able to talk about, other than the disappearance of Cat Noir. Some even went as far as to state that he died and that the Bengal Tiger was his replacement. This simultaneously caused him to snort in disbelief at how crazy some conspiracy theorists were, and his blood to boil at the mere mention of that newbie being his replacement.
He and Ladybug had a spiritual connection so deep, so ingrained into their Miraculous, that if one Miraculous didn't have a charge, the other would fail to work. When they were together, they fought as one and could almost read each other's thoughts, predicting their movements.
The newcomer of Bengal Tiger, from what Adrien could tell, had very little fighting experience. The only time he ever engaged in physical combat, he would've had his ass handed to him had Ladybug not intervened, missing rookie shots and having to stoop to a low level, but a small part of Cat Noir could understand the desperation that one would feel if being injured in the way that Bengal had been, having his arm twisted around like that, but it was a situation of his own making, and not even Hawk Moth would not even stoop that low. Probably.
It was primarily his lady having to protect him and not the other way around, as he'd prefer.
He had a year's worth of experience under his belt, and he got injured and was taken out of the fight for one month, but then this rookie swoops in and declares himself a superhero? There was no way that Ladybug could've given him the Miraculous, especially since there didn't seem to be such a Miraculous in the box at Fu's. And he doubted she would give a Miraculous to some like him.
"Thinkin' about the new kid? You've got that look on your face again," Plagg told him as Adrien paced around the room, fairly sure if he kept at this pace, he would dig paths in the wooden floor. "No," the normally even-tempered teen bit back harshly, then sighing, "Yes."
"I just wish that I could be there for my lady," Adrien said calmly, a fair bit of anger building up inside him. "What's stopping you?" Plagg replied, nibbling on his Camembert cheese. A this, he froze. What was stopping him? Most of the injuries he had sustained during the Akuma attack had healed, only leaving a few pains along his back, neck, and the occasional head-ache.
Plagg was right. Nothing was stopping him. "You're right, Plagg, which is admittedly a first," Adrien offhandedly commented the last part, grinning like mad. "A first!?" the small black cat Kwami gasped indignantly, trying to seem angry but only resulting in looking adorable. "Plagg, claws out!" Adrien grinned, feeling the familiar and comforting sensation of electricity dancing over his skin, re-energizing his body and the black leather materializing.
His now cat-like green eyes shined brightly as he opened his window and cast the remote aside, leaping through the window and into freedom!
0-0-0
Marinette Dupain-Cheng / Ladybug
True to his promise, no Akumas had shown up since Hawk Moth's registration as a villain and his cross to the good guys' team. But what bothered her were his words. An old enemy? What enemy was more powerful than Hawk Moth, who could forcefully take control of someone's mind and turn them into a monster, both mentally and physically.
There was another thing that worried her; Cat Noir. He was nowhere to be seen. Had he given up on being Cat Noir after he saw the news (somehow, Alya had managed to film them from somewhere.)? H didn't seem like the type of person, but still. She hadn't seen him, and that starting to make her worry even worse.
She was sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower on the cold winter night, looking down upon all of Paris. It truly was beautiful, with the array of lights spread like a lightshow, and now the white glimmer of snow covering the buildings only served to reinforce the fact that it was breath-taking to look at. Bengal and her had scheduled to meet on the Eiffel Tower tonight to do a patrol, since Alya was busy babysitting her sisters, and Cat Noir was nowhere to be seen.
"Ladybug!" a voice shouted out with joy, startling her. She leapt up, very nearly flailing off the side of the building. The voice was extremely familiar, and when strong arms caught her, she instantly knew who it was. "Cat Noir!" she exclaimed happily, grinning like never before. She squirmed around, trying to turn to face her partner. Once she did, she saw that he was grinning just like her.
"Where have you been!?" Ladybug cried out, hugging the black-clad hero. "Dealing with injuries," he replied with a wince, "But don't worry! With you around, I feel paw-sitively purr-fect."
Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at his puns, her fondness of him growing during the time he was nowhere to be seen. "Did you see the news? Hawk Moth's been defeated!" Ladybug chirped, seeing her partner's eyes glimmer with admiration. "I knew it was only a time before he succumbed to your charms," Cat Noir waggled his eyebrow suggestively, simultaneously making a pun.
"Hey, you two," a new voice said, catching them both off-guard, Cat, in his surprise, let go of Ladybug. The latter turned around to see a familiar orange-clad tiger-themed boy leaning against some of beams, his arms crossed casually. He looked different though. For a second, she couldn't place it, but she realized then.
He didn't have his typical super suit.
It was a variation, she guessed, with a hoodie. The hoodie had similar patterns to his torso, a grey belly area with dark orange surrounding it and black stripes on the sides. He also seemed to have some sort of leather shoulder coverings, both with claw mark images on them. The hood was pulled up, shielding his face from the wind.
He had gloves on as well, fingerless on his pointer and index fingers, along with his thumbs.
"Cat Noir, I presume?" Bengal asked in the same monotone voice as always, sticking his hand out for a handshake, the closer proximity allowing Marinette to see wicked sharp claws on the end of each finger, covered or not. She glanced back at Cat Noir, hoping that they'd get along well. Instead Cat Noir's eyes had narrowed, a small growl could be heard rising in his throat. "Don't like handshakes?" Bengal joked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Ladybug imagining a slight smirk forming under his mouth from his joking as he pulled his hand back, letting it dangle at his side. Now, Cat Noir was audibly growling, a primal sound. "Alright, I get that cats are solitary creatures. But no need to over-react," Bengal stated, no sort of malice in his voice.
"Cat Noir? What's wrong?" Ladybug asked, feeling apprehensive. "He didn't protect you," that was all the warning Bengal got before Cat Noir threw a punch straight at Bengal Tiger's face. But the teenager's instincts kicked in, and he dodged left. What's happening!? Was all Ladybug could think.
0-0-0
Augusto Vega / Bengal Tiger
He had woken tired. Thankfully, this time he was in his bed and not in a dream. He instantly found this out by feeling sore in his arms, especially his hands. This, he was apprehensive to, immediately imagining the worst. It didn't help that there was a roll of paper towels on his desk.
"Well, I am a teen…" he muttered, still feeling no less disgusted with himself.
"Hey, Aug'!" Rybbo seemed to pop out of nowhere, startling the distressed teen, causing him to let out a muffled gasp. After calming down, Augusto realized that the little Kwami was covered in liquid. Thankfully, it wasn't white. "Uhm… Rybbo? What is that?" Augusto asked, squinted a bit to stop the slight blurriness that was always in his vision when he woke up. "I decided to make the Miraculous! And I had to paint them," the small Kwami grinned, purring, most likely in self-satisfaction.
"Then why do I feel sore?" Augusto asked, still not completely ready to let himself off the hook. "Oh, Kwami's can't make the Miraculous, so I had to use your body while you slept," Rybbo explained, trying to lick the paint off his fur. "Thank god…" Augusto almost melted with relief. "What happened?" Rybbo inquired, staring up quizzically at his charge while stretching out his leg to lick clean.
"Er, nothing!" Augusto responded too fast for Rybbo's curiosity, but the Kwami decided to let his charge be. "Look!" the little Kwami grinned as he finished licking his leg, and zipped over to the desk. Augusto followed, his curiosity telling him to go on. When he reached the desk, there were two Miraculous. "I thought you only knew how to do one," Augusto narrowed his eyes at the Kwami. "Turns out that once I made the Wolf Miraculous, the magic from it decodes the materials and magic for the Eagle Miraculous, but I could only find enough materials for those two, so I've yet to do the Dolphin Miraculous," the Kwami shrugged, but still grinned at the other two Miraculous.
"Wait… where do you get the materials for this?" Augusto asked, his eyes narrowing yet again with suspicion. "Don't worry; the people I took the materials from won't need them. I usually just targeted the rich, so they won't miss an ingot or two," the Kwami responded casually. Augusto sighed, "Fine. But no more stealing from now on."
Rybbo nodded vigorously, "Yeah, yeah. But now we need to find the holders. I suggest that Thierre kid for the Wolf Miraculous, but we need someone for the Eagle, preferably a girl."
"Why a girl?"
"Well, the Miraculous are usually given to specific genders. The Tiger, Moth, Cat, and Turtle Miraculous are traditionally given to males, while the Ladybug, Bee, and Fox Miraculous are given to females. It doesn't really matter, but the powers work best when given to specific gender."
"Huh… well… that was… enlightening," Augusto muttered, getting dressed due to habit. A few minutes later, he was startled when the digital clock on his night table started beeping. It was time for the patrol! Augusto told as much to his Kwami, who looked absolutely dejected. The teenager, feeling sorry for the small creature and understanding his loneliness, said, "Don't worry. As soon as the patrol is over, we'll go to Thierre to give him the Wolf Miraculous. It's just six – the night is still young."
The Kwami gave a grin to his charge, happier now, "Make sure to take both the Miraculous so no one ca see them while you're gone."
Augusto, although not exactly liking the idea, understood this. The Miraculous were items of great power, as he had learned through experience, and he would have to take them with him in case someone broke in to the house while he was out playing superhero with Ladybug.
"Rybbo, hackles rise!" he exclaimed, feeling the orange energy engulfing him, creating his suit. When he was finished, it was off. Instead of just the regular suit, he was wearing a hoodie and gloves over it with similar designs to his suit. "Rybbo? Why the upgrade?" Augusto asked, the small Kwami zipping out of the armband Miraculous. "Well, it's cold outside since it's snowing, and I thought you'd need the pockets," shrugged the Kwami, popping back into the Miraculous once finished. The charge simply took this in stride, grabbing the bracelet/necklace Wolf Miraculous, and what seemed to be an eagle-shaped pair of earrings (Yes, I know, uncreative, but I have a head ache and I can't think of anything else) and stuffing them in the hoodie pockets, zipping the pockets closed, and then opening his window and jumping out.
0-0-0
Cat Noir had just thrown a punch at him. Cat Noir. He was incredibly afraid, but he couldn't help himself from commenting, "I don't really feel like having a second concussion."
Ladybug had frozen in shock.
"Wrong move," Cat growled, throwing another punch. Bengal Tiger moved to dodge it again, but little did he know that it was a false move, and his legs were swept out from under him. He landed on the metal platform with a thud and groan.
Cat Noir made to curb stomp the other cat-themed hero, but before he could, Ladybug shouted, "Stop!"
At her voice, Cat noir visibly froze, his eyes widening and looking at his lady. "Yes?" he asked, his voice guttural. "Why are you doing this?" Ladybug's voice cracked, and she looked fearful. It hurt Cat Noir, seeing his lady so scared. Of him, no less.
He couldn't face her; but he was intent on at least inflicting some harm on the imposter to teach him that this wasn't a game. But to his, and Ladybug's surprise, he had disappeared, only a small dent as proof he had ever been there.
0-0-0
Augusto was running like a madman, the hoodie he had put on before transforming flapping wildly in the wind as he sprinted down the busy night streets of Paris, effectively weaving through the crowds. He didn't know where he was going. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where Cat Noir wouldn't come and hurt him.
His encounter with Paris's superhero had shaken him more than he realized. Cat Noir had Cataclysm on his side, and that would be able to instantly kill him. Not to mention that the hero's dark apparel gave him a menacing look when angry.
And, oh boy, did he look menacing when he was intent on bashing Augusto's skull in.
He was detransformed now, the Miraculous somehow being magically transported to this hoodie's pockets.
He felt afraid and lonely. He would give anything to be able to tell his zio and have the wiser man comfort him like he had done when Augusto was nothing more than a child. He felt childish for wanting to be comforted, but that's what he wanted. It wasn't his fault, right?
He blindly sprinted through the streets of Paris, not paying attention to the street names. If he got lost, he could simply turn into Bengal Tiger and use the Eiffel Tower to orient himself. He finally got to the point where he couldn't run anymore, his legs, although more energized from the so-called 'bleeding effect', still were in their natural state, and he had run fast and far. He needed a break. He dragged himself to a bench, simply lumping against the back-support and looking down at the ground, ignoring the sounds of people walking about or all the sounds of traffic.
Snowflakes were starting to fall, but he could care less, even though he was dressed in just jeans, his undershirt, and a flannel hoodie. He sighed, breathing in the frigid air deeply, trying to calm down. He looked up, not wanting his neck to start hurting. He was surprised, though, when he saw Thierre's address on one of the houses in front of him.
They had chatted earlier in the week. Augusto's Zio still wasn't back, due to a prolongation of the case. So Augusto had gotten a two more weeks without parental supervision. During his friend's chats, Thierre had told him his address and that his door was open anytime. Well, time to test that.
He stood up slowly, his legs still exhausted, but he slowly made his way through the thinning crowd of Parisians, reaching the door. He inhaled deeply, sneezing at how cold it was. He hesitantly pressed the doorbell. And waited. It felt like an eternity until he heard someone shout "I'll get it!" and then walk to the other side, unlocking something. And then the door creaked open, revealing Thierre's face. "Augusto?" he asked incredulously, not believing to see his friend in this weather at this time.
"Uhm… hi?" Augusto replied meekly, sneezing again. The cold was starting to set in. "Oh crap – lemme open the door," Thierre closed the door again, and Augusto heard a metallic slide, before the door opened all the way this time.
"Come in," Thierre gestured to Augusto to step in, who hesitantly did as told. Behind him, Thierre closed the door, locking it. "Are your parents home?" the teen asked, unzipping his hoodie due to the sudden wave of heat. "Nah, they went out shopping a few minutes ago. Shouldn't be back for another hour," Thierre shrugged.
Augusto glanced at his friend and saw the was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt with 'TIGER FOR THE WIN'. After a short moment of awkward silence, Augusto asked, "Where'd you get the t-shirt?"
Thierre, who had been looking through the living area that the door opened up into, perked upwards. "You haven't heard of the Tiger Stripe?" Thierre inquired incredulously, a confused expression on his face. "Uhm… no?..." Augusto mumbled. "It's a new blog dedicated to the Bengal Tiger, run by Alya, the same girl who started the LadyBlog," Thierre replied.
With that, Augusto was reminded of the Miraculous he held in his hoodie. He glanced at his shoulder, knowing that the Tiger Miraculous was underneath the sleeve. "What would think of becoming a superhero?" Augusto asked carefully, gauging Thierre's reaction. "I already told you; it'd be nice and I'd be dedicated to protecting Paris," Thierre replied. "Would you be devoted to it?" Augusto pried.
"Yeah," Thierre nodded without hesitation. Now or never, Augusto thought. "Rybbo, come out," Augusto commanded, the Kwami popping out of his shoulder with a confused expression on his face. Thierre, whose attention was brought to Augusto when he spoke to seemingly no one, was flabbergasted, his jaw dropping and his body tensing. "That! That's the thing I saw!" he exclaimed, standing up and staring at it. "It's a… floating tiger?" Thierre asked in confusion. "It's a Kwami. It's what gives me my powers," Augusto stated. "Heya, nice to meet you," Rybbo joked. "Uhm… h – wait, did you say powers!?" Thierre exclaimed.
Augusto grinned as he uttered, "Rybbo, hackles rise."
In a flash of orange he was back to his outfit. This obviously startled Thierre, who, in his surprise, flailed backwards, falling on one of the couches. "Shiiiit… my friend's a superhero!" he started freaking out, grinning from ear to ear. He immediately stood up, examining Augusto's suit. "So cool," the raven-haired boy commented.
"Yep. And I'm here to give you powers as well," Augusto stated. At this, Thierre froze, looking indecisive. "Well, would you like the powers?" the orange-clad boy asked. "Well, yes, but… I know someone who needs them more," Thierre said hesitantly. "Who?" was the cat-themed hero's response, transforming back.
Thierre chewed his bottom lip in anxiety, "Just follow me."
The black-haired boy walked off, onto one of the hallways, with Augusto in tow. The hallway seemed eerily familiar, but Augusto couldn't put his finger on it. He followed his friend down to the last door, a white wooden door. He gently rapped his knuckles on it, "Sis? Can I come in?"
"You have a sister?" Augusto asked in astonishment. "Shhh," was Thierre's immediate response. A muffled, "Yes." Sounded from the door.
They both walked into a dimly-lit room. Augusto could barely make out a bed and a dresser. Thierre reached for something, and then the whole room was flooded by light. "Thierre!" a female voice shrieked, coming from the bed. Augusto whipped around to see a girl around his age in white pajamas, and blood red hair tied up in a pony tail, with warm, brown eyes.
And then he remembered.
His dream! He had dreamt of something like this, the girl, Thierre, everything!
He then took notice of a wheelchair folded up beside her bed.
"Hey, sis. I want you to meet my new friend here," Thierre sat at the side of her bed, gesturing towards Augusto, who as awkwardly standing there. "You know I don't like people seeing me like this," hissed the girl. "C'mon, Amelina, you've been like this for months. You have to talk to people other than me and our parents," Thierre sighed, getting up and walking over to Augusto.
"Can I tell her?" Thierre whispered. "Describe her first," Augusto knew that it would be a fairly biased description, but he had no other way. "Well, she's a bit rough around the edges, but when she gets more accustomed to you, she's extremely fiercely loyal, ready to defend you," Thierre replied. Augusto mulled it over for a sec, then nodded. "You know that Bengal Tiger you're a fan of?' Thierre started, getting Amelina's attention, "Well, Augusto is Bengal Tiger."
She gaped, but after a second, she stated, "Prove it."
Augusto merely shrugged, and activated his powers. The orange energy crackled over his skin, materializing the suit. Amelina merely gaped after that, unable to speak.
"Well," Thierre took that as a sign to continue, "He's offering to give powers to somebody, and I think that somebody should be you. You can't walk like before, and I think this is your chance to get better, while saving Paris, like you always dreamed of."
Amelina's eyes shone bright with excitement, but got even brighter when Augusto told them, "Actually, I was looking for two people to give powers to; I had only just settled on Thierre for the first, but I can give the second to you."
"The first what?" Thierre asked, confused. "Miraculous. That's what gives me my powers; same with Ladybug and Cat Noir," Augusto said, fishing the two Miraculous out of his pockets, handing the wolf one to Thierre and the Eagle one to Amelina. They put them on as Augusto instructed, two new Kwami's popping out almost instantly.
There was a small eagle and wolf in the room, accompanying the tiger who had popped out of the Tiger Miraculous. Everyone in the room stayed silent, in awe at what was happening. "Barro! Fassi!" the Tiger Kwami exclaimed in excitement, the two other Kwamis, who had lethargically gotten up from what looked like a deep sleep, were now wide awake, rushing into each other and hugging.
After a few moments of hugging, the three Kwamis, separated, the two new ones looking around. Barro, the wolf with a grey pelt and white belly, floated over to Thierre. "I'm guessing you're my new charge? Hmm… you look promising. Try saying 'Pelt on, Barro!'," Barro sat in midair, patiently waiting. Thierre stammered for a few seconds before managing to choke out the sentence, grey light engulfing him.
Now, there stood a wolf-costumed Thierre. He had a fang dagger attached to a belt on his waist. A skin-tight bodysuit covered his frame. On his face, he wore a Domino mask, designed to look similar to a wolf's. Shaggy fur formed around his neck and carried on to the top of his chest before disappearing. Tufts of more fur appeared on his elbows, and his palms had paw designs with a more canine aesthetic. He had pelt boots, a shade of grey like stormy clouds.
"Hot damn… I feel powerful!" grinned Thierre like a madman, flexing his muscles. Amelina playfully scoffed at her brother, then looked at her own Kwami. She outstretched a finger, and Fassi shyly perched on it. Amelina carefully scratched Fassi's head.
"You can say 'Fassi, talons on!' at any time," Fassi said timidly, and Amelina did as she was told. A bright golden light engulfed her body, and her pajamas were replaced by a supersuit. Feathery wings stretched from her underarms to her hips, but she retracted them somehow into golden light. She unhooked a bow, that was much different from Augusto's, from her back. It had eagle wing and head designs etched into it, with a feather tied to the lower part.
Her feet were covered in yellow boots with what looked like a scaly texture. Her torso was primarily brown, with feather decorations on her shoulders and abdomen. A white Domino masked covered her eyes, and brown-glassed goggles covered her eyes.
A leather harness was on her torso, hooking up a quiver on her back and on her side.
"So, you need names," Augusto stated after a moment of silence. "Wolf Sombre – that's mine," Thierre grinned, spinning the dagger in his finger. After another moment of thinking, Amelina stated, "I'll be Aigle Talonne."
Just like that, two new superheroes were born.
AN: So, tell me what you think of the new characters and names!
I'm running on low battery here, so see ya'll next time! :D