"Marinette?!"
The blue haired super villain sighed and stepped closer to the two heroes. Alya flinched. Nino grabbed one of Alya's shaking hands. He stepped closer to Marinette, studying her.
"There's no way you can be alive. A building crushed you, Alya and I watched you and Adrien die!"
"My suit can hold up against injuries like those. It absorbed the impact and the pain I should have felt. Adrien, however, was pierced with a sword. There was no possible way for him to survive." Tears began to fall down Alya's face.
"Mari... why would you do this? You're Ladybug! You should be saving Paris, not destroying it."
Marinette cackled. "I faked my death for a reason Alya. Paris was becoming far too dependent on Ladybug and Chat Noir. You relied on us for everything, local law enforcement became nonexistent. The mayor lost his job, the police department fired almost all of its employees. Chat and I were overworked, physically and mentally. Eventually, I realized that the city we worked so hard to save was using us, so I went somewhere my talents would be appreciated." Marinette smirked.
"No... NO! I refuse to believe this. The Marinette we know would never side with evil, even if her life was on the line." Tears ran freely down Alya's cheeks.
"She's right. The mayor
lost his job because he was a terrible leader. The police department talked to Ladybug and Chat Noir about letting a few of their employees go. The people let go even agreed to leave. There's no way you can be Marinette. Marinette would have known all of this. Also, we were at the funeral, we saw Marinette and Adrien's bodies. Hell, we visited their graves."
Tense silence filled the room. Alya was clutching Nino's hand like a lifeline, glaring at the imposter. Nino was barely suppressing his rage. How dare this monster masquerade as Marinette, turning her into something evil.
Finally, Marinette sighed. "You're right. I'm not Marinette. The real Marinette is six feet under the ground. You've just witnessed one of my powers; shapeshifting." She looked down at her manicured nails in boredom, but then grinned.
Marinette disappeared. The villain's outline shimmered and became transparent. Her flowing purple and blue costume turned into a skintight yellow and black bodysuit. The villain's hair slowly changed from midnight blue to golden blonde.
Alya's eyes narrowed and Nino frowned. The two heroes felt hatred settle into their hearts as they watched the villain shift into the person that started most of the akuma attacks on Paris.
"Chloe." Nino grabbed Alya before she could attack Chloe. He pulled her to his chest and whispered into her ear.
"Don't. We don't know how powerful she is."
Alya struggled against Nino, but to no avail. She was no match against Nino's strength. His arms tightened around her waist even more.
"I don't care how powerful she is, I'm going to kill her for what she's done." Alya bared her teeth. "Nino, let me go, or else."
"No! I'm not going to let you run into a battle blind. Don't let your anger get the best of you, Alya."
Chloe watched Nino and Alya, amused. She glanced at the small device in her hand, delighted at the results blinking up at her. It was ready. Chloe couldn't repress the grin that spread across her face as she activated the remote.
"Why do you have to be so damn protective? All we have to do is beat her to save Paris. Now is not the time for hesitation, Nino. If we don't stop her now, we might never get the chance. Besides, Chloe's no match for us, it's two against o—"
Chloe snorted, failing to suppress her laughter. She doubled over and wiped a fake tear off of her face.
"What?"
"You really are stupid, aren't you. What do you think I've doing the whole time you've been defeating my akumas? Wallowing in anger? Throwing temper tantrums every time you defeat my minions?
No, I've been scheming. If I was that hard to find before, what makes you think that I'd leave my lair just because you've managed to defeat each and every akuma I've thrown at you? I could have hidden forever, and you'd still be unaware of my location."
Nino's eyes crinkled in confusion. "So why are you here, Chloe? Why now, when there's no one left but you? What are you planning?"
"Oh, Nino, I'm not alone. Not anymore." Chloe smirked. Her eyes started to glow white. "Now!"
All hell broke loose.
Windows shattered, doors flew off their hinges, and hordes of bodies entered the warehouse. They circled Alya and Nino, surrounding them. Any chance of escape was diminished.
"No..." Alya stared, horrified, into the eyes of each and every akuma she and Nino had beaten.
Nino recovered from the shock first. "Back to back! We have to fight!" He let go of Alya and grabbed his sword and shield. She reached for her whip, unfurling it with a crack. The akumas jeered, one even threw a knife at Nino, but he blocked it with his shield.
"Resistance if futile! It's two against thousands! Now that I've freed my minions, Paris will finally be mine!" Chloe cackled and turned to her akumas. "Kill them! Take no prisoners. Let the Battle for Paris begin!"
Alya and Nino gulped as the akumas advanced. They knew that it was now or never, this would be their last battle as Volphina and Jade Turtle.
"I love you."
Nino glanced over his shoulder at Alya. "I love you too. See you when this is all over." He smiled and ran into the crowd of akumas, shouting a familiar battle cry.
"Yeah." Alya sighed. "Dead or alive, I'll see you when it's over." Alya took a deep breath. She cracked her whip.
"Let's do this."